Beard prep
:In the shower, I washed my face with TGQ lavender/oatmeal bath soap and a hot towel treatment.
Edge test:
Thumbpad test shows a very keen edge so I only stropped 10x on the leather. Test again revealed an even keener edge, suitable for the test as I posted earlier.
First pass WTG
Smooth, long strokes on the sides from sideburn to jawline. When ready to shave the jawline, I moved my stretching hand down to mid-cheek and stretched again. This gave me the result of moving the whiskers on the jawline up onto the the flat part of the cheek. This makes the cut easier for the jawline whiskers.
When finished, I rinsed and dried the razor then tested the edge. The test revealed an edge that was just slightly less keen. I did 10 strokes on the strop and tested again. This stropping brought the edge back to the pre-shave keeness.
Second pass XTG
Stretching the skin with the free hand behind the razor. The difficult part is the chin. This is where I use a heel leading stroke done very lightly with the blade at a very flat angle (meaning the spine is almost on the skin but not quite). This first and second pass on the chin gave me an almost finished shave in that it was very close and smooth,
XTG on the upper lip is very difficult. I used a heel leading stroke and a completely flat blade. I go from corner of mouth to center both on the left and right sides. The strokes here are VERY lightly done.
Third pass ATG
Relathered with a thiner covering of lather. I use a cross hand approach in that the right hand shaves the left side and the left hand shaves the right side. Starting on the base of the neck and continuing right to the sideburn. I stretch the skin with the hand in front of the razor (being very careful). I find this raises the remaining stubble for the blade to cut correctly.
The chin is done by using a flatter blade and cutting up and diagonally following the jawline (yes for each side of my chin, this is ATG). I then stretch the center of my chin with fingers on both sides pushing away from the center and using a light stroke.
Finally, I rinse off with cold water and run my hand over my face then use the blade to catch any spots I may have missed or just want a little smoother.
A little witch hazel and call it a day.
The TGQ shaving cream is fabulous, it doesn't really dry out on my skin and my blade just glides over my face.
Issues
1. I still have some trouble getting really close on my upper lip. The method I used today gets as close as I've ever gotten but I'd like it closer
2. I can go over and over my underside of the chin and never not hear a cutting sound. This seems to be where the bulk of my razor burn happens when it does. I get a really close shave with the 3 passes so I wonder if what I'm really hearing is just the blade scraping skin.
My pondering for the day:
I noticed that, while I always pay attention to what I'm doing, because of this thread, I am paying attention even more closely than normal. After my shave today, I applied witch hazel as an aftershave and this was the first day my hands couldn't glide over my face. I think I've also gotten as close as ever today. Perhaps paying even more attention to detail itself made a difference in the quality of my shave.
Also, part of my routine for the first five shaves is to use long strokes. I will admit that the only place I noticed any benefit was on the XTG on the chin. It seemed to help going from the middle of the jawline straight through to the center of the chin in one stroke but on the sides of the face, a long stroke didn't seem to offer anything substantial
Anyway, that's my rant for the day. Now, I'll give you a topic: Rhode Island. It's neither a road, nor an island....Discuss.... :D