My Straight Shaving Journey

[Klarion]

Ha! No doubt about that. Guess I shouldn't have bought that Semogue 1305 then... no, no, what am I saying? It'll be great, I love boar brushes. Couldn't pull the trigger on the Excelsior Boar Limited Edition though, having pre-ordered the B&B 2009.


49 was slooow today. It's Saturday, so I had nothing to worry about and took my time getting the closest shave possible. So, I took out my Cella and Boreal 976 boar brush, and went to town. Did an XTG pass on my cheeks for some reason and accidentally jabbed myself. Whoops! I now have a half inch scar on the right side of my face. Well, another ATG and I went to the real work.

XTG nose/ear and XTG ear/nose on the chin and upper lip went great. Better than great, with the extremely small, careful strokes I almost never use. Three scything passes (two up, one down) on my neck went as close as I'd ever been able. And then the fool's pass. One-handed. I used my free hand to stretch my face out, laid the blade as flat as you could on that area and, slowly but surely, mowed every whisker down like I was getting paid for it. BBS has been achieved fellas! Still a bit of irritation all over - oh yeah, and a bloody scar on my cheek.

Shave time was 25 minutes. Ah, jeez. Took forever. I'd like to work my way up to using longer strokes and completing a similarly close shave in under 15 minutes.

 

[Luc]

Ha! No doubt about that. Guess I shouldn't have bought that Semogue 1305 then... no, no, what am I saying? It'll be great, I love boar brushes. Couldn't pull the trigger on the Excelsior Boar Limited Edition though, having pre-ordered the B&B 2009.


49 was slooow today. It's Saturday, so I had nothing to worry about and took my time getting the closest shave possible. So, I took out my Cella and Boreal 976 boar brush, and went to town. Did an XTG pass on my cheeks for some reason and accidentally jabbed myself. Whoops! I now have a half inch scar on the right side of my face. Well, another ATG and I went to the real work.

XTG nose/ear and XTG ear/nose on the chin and upper lip went great. Better than great, with the extremely small, careful strokes I almost never use. Three scything passes (two up, one down) on my neck went as close as I'd ever been able. And then the fool's pass. One-handed. I used my free hand to stretch my face out, laid the blade as flat as you could on that area and, slowly but surely, mowed every whisker down like I was getting paid for it. BBS has been achieved fellas! Still a bit of irritation all over - oh yeah, and a bloody scar on my cheek.

Shave time was 25 minutes. Ah, jeez. Took forever. I'd like to work my way up to using longer strokes and completing a similarly close shave in under 15 minutes.

Hope you're all right...

PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES!!

 

[Scissors]

BBS has been achieved fellas!

BBS achieved?

Still a bit of irritation all over - oh yeah, and a bloody scar on my cheek.

Sorry about the irritation—and the bad cut, very much so. Even so, a BBS?

Take good care of that cut—I know you said it's a bloody scar, but I hope it heals fast and with no scar—and let's hear it for more BBS shaves from you in the future!

 

[Klarion]

I'm just a bleeder. It was rather superficial and is healing nicely. I hit it with a dab of Neosporin and it now looks like a raised scratch on my cheek 24 hours later. Lucky the cuts are so fine - unless we really mess ourselves up, they all seem to heal rather nicely. The one I got on my chin last month, which was actually pretty big, is almost imperceptible now.

 

[Klarion]

50 and 51 were performed the exact same way. I'm trying to get things a little more consistent, so I can work down my shaving time.

Chin and mustache area received an XTG from ear to nose, then again nose to ear. Jaw and sideburns were covered by a single ATG pass. I shaved my neck with a bit of an angle, going from my hsoulder to my chin, which is turned as far as I can from the side I'm shaving. Very low amount of irritation, which is normal when I don't go ATG. Fairly smooth, I'd say a nice DFS all around. Very simple, very quick in just under 15 minutes both times.

I used my Monsavon soap today and yesterday. No redness on my face, but that's probably because I didn't face lather. No buddy, I whipped up the lather right on my hand and it turned out much better - it really needs a lot more water than I had suspected. Really messy, though. Heh, that's one of the reasons I like face lathering so much.

 

[Luc]

50 and 51 were performed the exact same way. I'm trying to get things a little more consistent, so I can work down my shaving time.

Chin and mustache area received an XTG from ear to nose, then again nose to ear. Jaw and sideburns were covered by a single ATG pass. I shaved my neck with a bit of an angle, going from my hsoulder to my chin, which is turned as far as I can from the side I'm shaving. Very low amount of irritation, which is normal when I don't go ATG. Fairly smooth, I'd say a nice DFS all around. Very simple, very quick in just under 15 minutes both times.

I used my Monsavon soap today and yesterday. No redness on my face, but that's probably because I didn't face lather. No buddy, I whipped up the lather right on my hand and it turned out much better - it really needs a lot more water than I had suspected. Really messy, though. Heh, that's one of the reasons I like face lathering so much.

Seems like your going well! Good work

 

[Klarion]

Not as well as you, it seems. Maybe I just need more razors! When is Gugi going to dip into his endless supply again?

Man, I felt my face just now, and it's so smooth. It's only been about 6 hours, but virtually no difference from this morning. Actually, it's better. Skin's tight, soft, and smooth.

 

[Luc]

Not as well as you, it seems. Maybe I just need more razors! When is Gugi going to dip into his endless supply again?

Man, I felt my face just now, and it's so smooth. It's only been about 6 hours, but virtually no difference from this morning. Actually, it's better. Skin's tight, soft, and smooth.

That's the hot spot, yes!

The LeGrelot and Joseph Fenton are just amazing!

I didn't reach the BBS stage yet but I must be a few shaves away... It would be a nice Christmas present!

 

[Klarion]

52 came as a bit of an odd duck, IMO. Broke out the Musgo Real my full hollow straight. Both of which hadn't been used in a looong time. Musgo had been shelved quite some time ago, and the Yankee Cutlery hollow (and my Crown) really fell out of favor compared to my favorite, the full wedge. I re-stropped the razor - 50 on my cotton, 50 on the red latigo, and anothersince it'd been sitting around for a while - 50 on a TM "Special" horse hide. I'm really digging the slick, smooth pony skin, but a 2.5" width really doesn't do it for me. It did smooth out that shave, though.

Had to use the old hand lathering technique, but the Musgo gave me a slick, if somewhat watery, lather. Okay, so the hollowness still scares me a bit. Running my full triple pass shave didn't helpy any, but I went through with it anyway. Loved it. Just slightly closer than a 2 pass shave with my wedge, but as soon as I get over my apprehension, things should be rocking.

Musgo still stinks, though. Bah.

 

[Ray-man]

What's a Fool's Pass?

Everyone seems to be frightened to death by using the Coup de Matier or the fools pass. This manuver is actually fairly simple and safe, once you understand the dynamics of it.

The fools pass is a movement of the razors edge from the top edge of the upper lip up towards the nose. One slip and, well you get the picture.

One day, while thinking about this pass, it dawned on me that there is always more than one way to do the same thing. The epifiny came to me at the local deli one day. I was watching the lady cut the turkey breast, and there it was. She put the breast in the slicer and moved it across the blade. At home I take the blade and move it across the turkey. Bingo! There was the answer. So how do I do the fools pass without worrying about cutting myself.

Place the sharp edge of the razor at the top of your upper lip. Make sure you have a very low angle, maybe 10 deg or so. Now apply a little downward pressure on the blade and just move your upper lip down across the blade, while holding the blade stationary.

When you first start to do this, you might have to move the blade edge up a little to complete the area, but again, you will only be moving your upper lip down.

Continue doing this across your upper lip and very soon it will be easy for you to get that BBS shave on your upper lip. You can also use this same idea to do the lower lip down to the mid chin area. Same movement just a different direction.

Hope this helps.

Ray

 

[Klarion]

53 today, and I did my normal triple pass shave. Excellent.

On the fool's pass again, before looking at Ray-Man's advice, I went with a single hand grip, since the two hand attack feels a bit cumbersome. I choked up on the blade, gripping about 1/3 of the way up the spine. Control felt excellent, if I do say. Since I've started performing much shorter strokes, it makes maneuvering on my upper lip rather easy. I'll use Ray's approach before the week is done.

BBS everywhere except the neck, which I still consider DFS. No irritation to speak of, and I didn't even nick the two pimples that are starting to come in (there's always tomorrow!) Of course, i ran a Kyle's prep, hot shower, and a cold splash before shaving.

 

[Luc]

53 today, and I did my normal triple pass shave. Excellent.

On the fool's pass again, before looking at Ray-Man's advice, I went with a single hand grip, since the two hand attack feels a bit cumbersome. I choked up on the blade, gripping about 1/3 of the way up the spine. Control felt excellent, if I do say. Since I've started performing much shorter strokes, it makes maneuvering on my upper lip rather easy. I'll use Ray's approach before the week is done.

BBS everywhere except the neck, which I still consider DFS. No irritation to speak of, and I didn't even nick the two pimples that are starting to come in (there's always tomorrow!) Of course, i ran a Kyle's prep, hot shower, and a cold splash before shaving.

Good work!

 

[Klarion]

Easy DFS today, for number 54. Single ATG on the cheeks, and XTG/XTG around the beard and mustache and neck. It's been about 9 hours since shaving, and it feels pretty nice. Closer than a fresh electric shave, with much smoother skin.

Haven't tried the Rotoshave, though.....

 

[Klarion]

I had the most astonishing shave today, for #55. XTG/XTG/ATG, plus touch-up.

I took another crack at the Monsavon today - decent lather, a bit runny. Making sure I was well prepped, I started with my full wedge on my XTG passes. Smooth and quiet, just how I like things. Didn't tear out a gash, so all was well. And then came the hollow. Being extra careful, my ATG pass worked better than normal. Amazingly smooth, no "pinging" I've been afraid of, and relatively minor irritation. Just a little extra attention on the neck was all I needed for another BBS, albeit taking longer than 20 minutes.

Using the Yankee hollow felt even better than normal, going ATG. Are hollow simply better for that? My technique is slowly improving wiht each shave, but that's just be the answer. Maybe because the edge is more fresh, since normally you use the same blade for however many passes you'll do.

 

[Klarion]

Man, I almost didn't even shave today. I woke up and my face was DFS - even better, actually. But, I thought "What the hey".

56 was a single touch up pass ATG. Quick, steady, confident. I'm beginning to like these ultra short strokes more and more. Everything came up BBS again, with just a tiny bit of irritation on my upper lip. Gave myself the full primp afterwards.... alum, Thayer's, balm and a splash of Aqua Velva.

 

[Klarion]

Skipped Monday's shave, since it was still so good.

57 came with a few nicks. Okay, so I used Proraso, which I seldom do using a straight, but at least it was close right? Went right into an XTG pass, and then my ATG after a decent prep (let hot lather sit on my face, hot shower, lather again). A bit o' the burn, but not terrible, since I gave myself the weepers. No matter, the alum block stopped them all along with a cold rinse. Skin felt good, and nearly BBS.

Seems that a little extra care and (much) shorter strokes are doing wonders for me, whereas I was using decently long strokes which made things a bit rough.

 

[Luc]

Skipped Monday's shave, since it was still so good.

57 came with a few nicks. Okay, so I used Proraso, which I seldom do using a straight, but at least it was close right? Went right into an XTG pass, and then my ATG after a decent prep (let hot lather sit on my face, hot shower, lather again). A bit o' the burn, but not terrible, since I gave myself the weepers. No matter, the alum block stopped them all along with a cold rinse. Skin felt good, and nearly BBS.

Seems that a little extra care and (much) shorter strokes are doing wonders for me, whereas I was using decently long strokes which made things a bit rough.

Do not do the Gillette pass!

Yes shorter strokes works a bit better.

 

[Klarion]

I'm trying to follow in the footstep of ol' Willi here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuuuvuOzB7U

 

[Luc]

I'm trying to follow in the footstep of ol' Willi here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuuuvuOzB7U

Saw that before!

 

[Klarion]

Took another run at the XTG/ATG shave, just to make sure it wasn't a fluke. BBS everywhere except for my neck, which is unsurprising, given the weird sideways growth it plagues me with. Extremely low irritation, most of it centered on my chin. Weird, but total time of lather+shave was 11 minutes.

Who needs a triple pass, eh?