Thread: A Beginner's Shaving Journal

I guess I'll throw this up here. This is what I'm working with right now. I got that cheap van der hagen set mainly for the bowl. The brush is only holding me over until my pure badger (with a stand, I know) comes in the mail. I also have amber romance soap from mama bear. It smells amazing as well, but I'm sticking with the spellbound woods for now.



FutureDoc

Future Doc, pardon the pun, but if you get a cheap wooden bowl (Goodwill is a good source), an epoxy that comes in a double syringe applicator and "doctor" the interior up with dots on the bottom and vertical ridges on the sides, let dry 24hrs, and then build your lather you will get fabulous lather in half the time.

Nice idea! I'll have to try that out when I get some free time.

Shave 3 was rough. I didn't make much progress and I was still struggling with my angle. I don't know what was wrong, but it just wasn't cutting the hair. The good thing about this shave was the lather. I finally think I got it down to be a rich, creamy lather. I only lathered half of my face and then lathered the other side when I was done. This prevented my lather from disappearing on my face.

So I took a day off from shaving. My face was irritated and I was getting frustrated.

Shave 4 was amazing. I finally felt as if everything had clicked. My face felt great to start, the lather was great, and the straight razor was working well. I still wouldn't say it was gliding, because it wasn't spectacular, but it was a huge improvement from before. my sideburn to jawline passes on both sides cut close. Probably not DFS, but getting pretty close. I got the right side of my neck some, but it was patchy in some spots. The left side was a little worse. Under the jawline is untouchable. I'm not very confident in the angle or direction. I left that for a different day. No reason to go to the ER tonight. Especially since I'm snowed into my apartment haha. I got my mustache very well, but it wasn't cutting well below the lips.

Stropping is great. I'm confident that I am doing it right and it is working well and sounding like it should.

Overall, today was a great refresher. I feel like there is hope for me now lol. I start class tomorrow, so time available for shaving will be significantly decreased. I am going to do my best, but I will probably ending up shaving every other day. This actually might be a good thing, because shaving every day hasn't worked well for me so far. Okay, I'm done rambling. Have a great day, and stay safe in all this snow (just for the northerners).

FutureDoc

Originally Posted by FutureDoc

Under the jawline is untouchable. I'm not very confident in the angle or direction.

Sounds like a great 4th shave! I know every face is different, but for me, when I'm doing the relatively simple sideburn-and-cheek area, if I _streeetch_ up really good on that skin from above my cheekbone, and _open_ my mouth, then a lot of that under-the-jawbone real estate comes up above the jawbone into that long, wide, flat area that I'm shaving.

Getting the mustache area is rewarding, isn't it? I hope you get to work tomorrow: mine is still closed by cold! (Chicago.)

Originally Posted by deepweeds

Sounds like a great 4th shave! I know every face is different, but for me, when I'm doing the relatively simple sideburn-and-cheek area, if I _streeetch_ up really good on that skin from above my cheekbone, and _open_ my mouth, then a lot of that under-the-jawbone real estate comes up above the jawbone into that long, wide, flat area that I'm shaving.

Getting the mustache area is rewarding, isn't it? I hope you get to work tomorrow: mine is still closed by cold! (Chicago.)

Completely agree with Deepweeds...stretching the skin on your face and neck will help a lot with a cleaner/more comfortable shave...even in areas that you think is flat will benefit from more stretching!! Good Luck!!

This tip worked well for me, as I have a rather sensitive neck when it comes to shaving and am prone to ingrowns.