Thread: Razor chatter on skin

Another "successful" shave, success being defined as no blood release. But as for shave quality ... not so impressive. It was shave number two and I decided to do the shower first to soften beard. And in the shower I saw the bottle of salt scrub. The stuff leaves an oily coating on the skin (and my dog loves licking it off) so I figured it might be the bee's knees if I used it on my beard. Whether it was due to that, or the Proraso pre-shave, or the lather isn't so super clear but the reality was that the skin was very tacky, for lack of a better word. The razor wanted to chatter, not glide.

So tried rinsing, retry, rinse again and use different soap, etc. End result was a bit of shaving on the neck, a BBS on a pretty small area, and a crappy shave to no-shave everywhere else. Figured discretion the better part of valor and called it a morning. Didn't finish with the DE since I'm in it to learn the SE, not default to the old way. I'll wait until this evening and give it another try, concentrating on the areas that are essentially unshaved. Should be instructive.

Take your time, you will get there. It doesn't come in a week or month, but little by little every day. I stopped using my de when I started shaving with a straight. That's how you learn.

Yea, take your time and keep it simple. By that I mean lather up and shave only changing one variable at a time. Once you start getting a decent shave using the same brush, soap and similar if not same razor add a face scrub and see if that improves the shave, if not try a pre shave and so on. If you have an elaborate ever changing routine you are never quite sure exactly what helped improve your shave.

Bob

I suggest trying shower/shampoo followed immediately by lather. Chatter for me starts when lather starts to get too dry, or when I do follow-up strokes after the lather is gone, but the skin is getting dry. Try dipping brush tips in water then remoisten the bare skin or rehydrate the face lather to thin it out. This usually stops chatter and makes hairs easier to cut. Skin stretching, a sharp edge, and paying attention to the stroke direction with respect to hair growth is important for getting a close shave. Like playing a musical instrument, this can only be learned through experience and takes time.

I find alot of razor chatter when your lather was made with the incorrect water to product ratio or when the leather thickens/drys up. I find using a soap and cream hybrid usually solves that.. I also find chatter to be more apparent in creams as opposed to soaps. Adding a couple drops of glycerin to your soap/cream and increasing the water usually works well....

Also if you are using any sort of pre shave oil or prep make sure it's obsorbed and your skin is clear of the product; some oils are lather killers, some oils make the water reject off your skin making the slippery effects of the lather useless- increasing the risk for chatter

Also keep in mind that it may in fact not be related to the skin treatment at all, though it likely is. If this is a couple of shaves in it could also be edge-related: check your stropping and the shave angle also.

James.

Originally Posted by JoeLowett

I find alot of razor chatter when your lather was made with the incorrect water to product ratio or when the leather thickens/drys up.

I thought of that and actually made up two fresh batches with two different soaps. But still had the chatter. That's what makes me tend to think it was the salt scrub oil.

Two things for me that make for a good shave. One is skin stretching the other is making sure my lather is not to dry. Hope it helps.

The razor must be sharp, not just ordinary sharp, but mind boggling sharp. Then, shaving is accomplished by having never applied over pressure to the skin with the blade. This will dull the edge and lead to chatter ( and other problems).

Consider light honing, light (extensive) stropping, a good lather, and another, gentle try. Even allowing the razor to bound and chatter across the skin is problematic. Imagine taking a DE blade out from under the protective security of a DEs crossbar and rubbing it directly across the skin and then trying to shave with it. It's going to get dull.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

The razor must be sharp, not just ordinary sharp, but mind boggling sharp. Then, shaving is accomplished by having never applied over pressure to the skin with the blade. This will dull the edge and lead to chatter ( and other problems).

Consider light honing, light (extensive) stropping, a good lather, and another, gentle try. Even allowing the razor to bound and chatter across the skin is problematic. Imagine taking a DE blade out from under the protective security of a DEs crossbar and rubbing it directly across the skin and then trying to shave with it. It's going to get dull.

It's from SRP, and so was well honed. I've since done a 12000 polish on the edge (after fixing a chip), stropped it a good bit, and when I gave it a try this evening it went much better. Part of the chatter I think was an over tentativeness on my part. I was a little firmer this time. Still doesn't glide across like a hot knife through butter but it's doing reasonably well.