Beginner in need of some advice/input

Setup:
Ebony Scaled Dovo Bismarck (From Vintageblade; honed by Lynn)
Pure Badger Vintage Blade Brand
3" Latigo Strop
Cell Shave Cream/soap (Red container)
Black Shave Mug

So far I have attempted to shave 2x with the above setup. On both tries the lather seems to be the issue but I am not positive.

Prep: hot shower w/ Glycerin soap. Soaked the badger in some water. Shook the badger out and began to lather inside the Cell container. I applied the thick lather to my face.

Experimenting with different angles of the blade I was able to cut a bit of hair but noticed the blade seemed to get hung up on my beard. Before I could get very far the lather would become a thick Gel-like consistency. From what I've read you are not supposed to use pressure when shaving so I did not want to push my luck. I put the straight razor away re-lathered w/ the cella again and finished with a mach3 throw away. I noticed even this razor seemed to be getting hung up.

Any idea where I'm going wrong?

Good job on putting it away and finishing with a razor you're used to. Better to start slow until you can get the hang of it. This just looks like a razor glide problem. It sounds like to me that you might not be using enough water or that you're shaking too much off of the brush before you start making your lather. While you're making your lather, try shaking a little bit of water into your mug as you make it until you get the right consistency. Geofatboy makes a really good video how-to on making lather. Watch here: BEST LATHER FOR SHAVING w/ a Straight or Safety Razor Barber Style Badger / Boar Brush, Cream, Soap - YouTube. Another thing you can try that has helped me with razor glide is to rub on a thin layer of Arko before you put on your shaving cream. This helps to add another layer of lubrication. You'll feel it as you rinse off your first pass. You can obviously do this with pre-shave oil as well, but the Arko is just another cheap simple solution. A few other things to consider, make sure you are starting by shaving WTG and that you are stretching your skin as much as possible. You'll get it, it just takes a little bit of trial and error at first. Good luck!

Whether the soap was up to snuff or not should not affect your issue that much. I suspect it is a technique issue. The first few shaves, if you can get through them without cuts and massive razor burn you are ahead of the game.

It just takes practice to get the routine down right with the stretching and pressure and angle.

And I ofcourse echo what thebigspendur is saying. Technique could be a big part of it. You may need to lighten the pressure and flatten the angle more. I was just commenting more on razor glide.

Thanks all, I'll take into account all this advice when I give it another go in a day or 2

It sounds to me like a mixture of improper skin stretching and lather that isn't up to snuff. Sometimes it's hard to gauge when the lather is just right, so, what I like to do is use the crook of my thumb and forefinger to squeeze everything out of my brush (over my lather bowl). If the lather slides off in a goopy mess, there's probably too much water. If the lather stays put on my hand, it more than likely needs more water. It's also a good way to even out the water and soap that's in your brush, evening out your lather. Remember to make sure your beard is wet before lathering.

Which area specifically is causing your blade to get hung up on?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kwlfca

Which area specifically is causing your blade to get hung up on?

---

So far I've only tried the side of my face and both tries was too uneasy to go any further. I figured if the easy part wasn't working I might as well quit while I'm ahead and avoid opening my face like a can of tuna.

Just make sure your skin is nice and taut, left hand reaching over your head to stretch the right side of your face etc, and work on your lather/face prep.

You said you are experimenting with different angles. When I started shaving I did something that I had not thought much about until I read your post. I got into the hobby with one good razor and started purchasing used razors at local antique stores that I could start cleaning and restoring. With this I also started trying to learn how to hone. This is the part that may help you... As I honed I tested the razor on my arm. This definitely helped me 'discover' the appropriate angle to start with. I also developed a bald arm. I think looking in the mirror can be a bit deceiving (perceiving where the blade is in relation to your skin) while looking down at my arm was much easier to work and experiment with. It felt somewhat safer because of this so making very small adjustments was somehow more acceptable. Funny thing is I also did not use lather on my arm. This simply eliminated one of the variables while I was learning and this may have accelerated my learning curve.

Anyway, give it a try... unless bald arm syndrome causes concern...
Scott

Something that is pretty well understood but may not be vocalized is that building a good lather is a skill that can take as long as learnig how to handle your straight razor. Just as you eventually learn to wield your straight razor in a more efficient manner and acheive better results, so do you learn what factors affect your lather and how to work with them. This includes the type of water, soap, brush, and lathering technique. I know you said you will try again in a day or two, but practice in between. Sneak into the bathroom for 5 minutes and whip up a bowl of lather and try more/less water or whatever.


Here is a quick rundown of what I do when I try a new soap or cream. Soak the brush in a cup of water for 5+ minutes (or however long a shower lasts). Remove brush and squeeze out as much water as possible. Load brush with soap for a full 30 seconds. If using cream, put a dollop on and work it in the top 1/8" of the brush. Put a dribble of water in your bowl or mug, or if you are a face latherer use your wetted palm for practice. Work your brush for 10 to 20 seconds with the moisture you have. Put a dribble more water on your brush and repeat. Put some between your thumb and forefinger and give it a rub and see how it feels. Keep doing this until you reach the point where the lather "explodes". This is where it just seems to come together and feels great. THEN add another dribble of water and see what happens.

This is not something that I do on a daily basis. This is a modified technique that I read about somewhere. It is a great way to learn to lather and to find out how your new soap/cream behaves. Doing this lets you feel the lather as it is building. You learn how it looks and feels when it has a lack of water, how it feels when "correct", and how it feels when it is too hydrated. Best thing is that it only takes a 5 minutes for a test run.


Anyway..... give it a shot and see how it goes, or not. Let us know how you are progressing!

Has anyone contemplated that heat can be a factor in not achieving a 'happy' shave? Since switching to lukewarm or cold water shaving I have had almost nil irritation (unless I forget about pressure) and closer shaves after the first pass. Am also learning to withstand a cool water rinse at the end of my hot shower to cool my face down.

I have not tried the cold water to date. I only use lukewarm water for the lather and I am a face latherer, so there is no problem with things being overly hot. I do use cold water for my alum block and the rinse that follows. May be somehting to play with though.

You guys rock. After reading the comments and watching some lathering videos I realized my lather was way off. Additionally, I'm sure my razor angle, technique and all of the other variables mentioned here also added to that. I'm going to keep at it and rely on you guys to pave the way.

PS. I only have the 1 blade mentioned above, from what I'm reading I'll need another while I'm sending out the first to get honed. Any suggestions on a place to get some fair priced shavers? or is there a link to a past post? Vintage or Restored preferred

Larry at Whipped Dog for sight unseen, workable razors. Just shaved with one - a pass and a half! and done for the day. Classifieds also will list reasonable price razors here and there. Big Easy Tools for a medium and up price. etc....

I'm still a newbie but I had a hard time at first deciphering terms like 'glide' and 'no pressure'. You're going to have resistance from the whiskers no matter what, so the trick is to figure out how to plow through the whiskers without putting too much pressure on your skin. All the other things like lather, beard prep, sharpness, blade angle, etc affect the ratio of pressure to whiskers vs. pressure to face. It's something I wish I understood better right up front.