Got BBS? and I'm singing "I've Just Found Joy"-Nat King COle

[tonsorial artist]

Yup I got it.

Though I've been wet shaving forever, it was the with M3s etc.
I always did a face lather . Inspired with what I read here and after viewing Mantic's videos, I prepped with a wash, a hot towel, lather, wash off re-lather and then shave.

When I re-introduced the DE to my face I went about as I did with the M3 and I looked like I'd been run over by a lawn mower. I didn't shave for a couple of days and let my skin recover. I realise now I was "over-prepping".

A couple of realisations from that shave. You cant hold the razor too far up like a M3. Far too much pressure. You can also be guilty of over-prepping. And in DE shaving you can't ever get a "quickie".

This morning I washed with warm water, dipped the silvertip in boiling hot water and after it cooled a bit, "mock" lathered my face. Col Conks in a bowl and built a lather and generously lathered the face. Lit a cigarette and gently WTG. Not a trace of any lather left on face and NOW I wiped with hot towel. Still wet, second lather (a little less thick) and XTG, repeated wipe with hot towel and same thickness of lather as the second pass and went ATG

At the third pass I wept around the mouth and the chin area. I now realise that I manage to clean that part up extremely well on the second pass and only need to go ATG on the cheeks, jawline area and neck. Warm water rinse, alum, Old Spice and Vaseline to finish off and hop into the shower.

So my prep is now a combination of a warm water wash, mock lather face, bowl lather and shave. It works for me and I don't expect it to work for any or everybody else.

BTW I use a large stainless steel mug for my hot water (with a capful of Dettol/Savlon) and get the water up to boiling point so I have a warm blade right up to the last pass. The amount of water I use therefore is much less than filling your sink up!

[Laser]

Congratulations! Keep up the good work.