my collection and shaving problems

[Wayne D]

Hi Gents,

well I was a member on the yahoo site, but I've finaly got my act together and arrived here.

at the moment I am trying to shave with a 'Dovo Astrale', a lovely razer that was a gift, it has been lightly honed and is stroped about 30 times before I shave on a dovo leather strop, and I use L'occitane shaving soap.

I follow the shaving method recomended in the great downloadable book of this group,

I wash my face before hand in hot water, then rinse in hot, while I have been doing this I have let m brush sit in the soap pot with a little hot water, then I lather the brush until it gets peaks inthe foam and 'little bubbles' then it goes on my face like a thick cream, then it's razor time : I go with the 'grain, across the grain and against the grain; then I rinse with hot water to take off any remaing soap and then a final rinse with very cold water to close everythign up.

my problem is that I have although my cheeks and the top of my jawline is great and smooth as the proverbial baby's bum, my under jawline, my lower right neck and under my chin have very heavy thick bristles and these area has developed a 'rash' of small bumps that feel very sensitive and hours after shaving still 'tingle' uncomfortably and are sore.

I have only used my razor 3 times this week, so what am I doing wrong?

[jnich67]

Welcome Wayne. You may want to limit yourself to with the grain and maybe across the grain for a couple of weeks. This will allow your face to get used to a new shaving system. It will also give your face a break while you work on your technique. Blade angle and the ability to better handle the razor will improve with patient practice.

I also recommend Lynn's DVD (available at Classicshaving.com) as a superb learning tool. Good luck and enjoy

Jordan

[mparker762]

Sounds like too much pressure (which is often a symptom of the razor not being sharp enough), or the shaving angle being too steep (which is also often a symptom of the razor not being sharp enough).

Did you hone your razor yourself, or did you send it out? Is this your first razor? What did you hone it with, and will it pass the hanging hair test?

[FiReSTaRT]

Welcome aboard, Wayne. Who honed your razor? If you got it from the store without having it honed, chances are it won't be shave ready and I'd be surprised that you're getting BBS shaves anywhere on your face.

[Wayne D]

Hi gents,

okay it arrived as a gift and was honed by the friend who gave it to me, apparently it was honed on a 12,000 grit stone.

the first time I tried to shave with it, it was 'catching;' so I stropped it on the canvas side of the strop with the white paste that came with it, about 10 passes ( pass being first one side then the other), then I stropped it on the leather side for 30 passes, since then both times I've shaved I 've stropped it 30 times before shaving - making sure I keep the spine and edge flat on the strop with the spine leading.

as to hair tests, if I hold one of the hairs straight out off my chest then it will part with a twanging sound, but it wont cut a free hanging hair.

so it sounds like my razor isn't sharp enough then?

In that case does anyone know of any people in the U.K who could hone it for me?

[nickyspaghetti]

http://www.theinvisibleedge.co.uk/page34.html
I noticed this when buying a razor from invisible edge once(at the bottom left of the pictures). I have never tried it, nor heard any reports about it.
I have been looking for a honing service in the uk, and this is all i came across.
Anybody got any others they know about?
Nick