Thread: shave guidance

Took about an hour and 6 passes. The shave turned out worse than any i have had in years,. Bad razor burn and it looks like my neck did not even touch a razor except for the horrendous razor burn and bumps.some long hairs under my chin and on my neck that I just could not shave. One of these years I am going to get a shave I like I know it.

I feel your pain, Matt. Let's work on this analytically.

Were there any places you felt like the razor was doing a good job? It might be a good idea to try doing just your cheeks for a while, then finish with the Trac II (even though it's been murdering your face).

Once you get the hang of the cutting angle, it'll make the rest of your face a little easier.

It really, really sounds like you need to give your face a break. I know that feels like giving up or something, but it will help in the long run. A day off here and there really helped me get over the nasty razor burn cycle I was in.

It also sounds like you're using too much pressure. Remember, ZERO pressure. If you can feel the blade scraping your skin, your angle is too steep. It's hard to get used to the no-pressure thing after using a cartridge razor.

Also, I like to plug the sink and fill it with water. After your first pass, look at the water closely. You should see stubble in there. With a DE, after the first pass I don't feel like I've shaved at all. The razor is shortening the hair, not taking it down to the skin. After the second pass, it feels a little shorter. The third pass is where you can get everything smooth. But it takes a little while to build up to this point.

So, don't shave tomorrow--doctor's orders.

We'll get you there; be patient.

Josh

I shaved today again with a double edge. Took a long time and I am discovering all of the hair that is glued to my face at odd angles. If hair is growing left to right than an XTG pass would be straight down???? What about left to right at a down to the right angle? I strated using some j hooks and all sorts of wierd shaving angles and it helped a little but I am still working towards a decent shave.

I got my straight back today from Josh and am going to give it a whirl on the next shave. Feels really sharp and looks perfect.

Matt,

Sounds like we're making some progress here. If you have a relatively heavy beard, you have to get the growth patterns figured out before you can really do much else.

I've heard of guys whose beards grow left to right across their entire face, and some who have little cowlicks in different spots. Is your hair curly or straight? Thick or thin? That gives us some clues.

I think it took me close to an hour for my first few DE shaves. They weren't particularly close, and I did get some nice razor burn.

I'd recommend against trying a whole shave with your straight tomorrow. It might be a good idea to pick an area of your face that's pretty easy, like your cheeks. Before you shave, take a good look at the stubble. For most guys, it grows downward. Mine grows downward and back toward the base of my jaw, near my ears. If I go straight down, that's sort of with/across the grain. It causes less irritation to go at an angle, following the grain closely.

Figure out which way the hair grows on your cheeks, then follow the grain. Reach over your head with your off hand an pull the skin up at your sideburn. That'll stretch it nice and tight for you. Then do some light strokes, following the grain.

It's a really good idea to wipe the lather off the blade on a small towel. That lets you see whether you're shaving anything off; most of the time you are, even though it might not seem like it. It also helps you avoid dinging the blade on the faucet, which is really easy to do.

I'd recommend taking it slow with the straight at this point. No sense giving yourself razor burn... If your growth patterns are weird, you're asking for trouble trying to shave them without really knowing what grows where.

Remember, go for presentable, not smooth. If you push too far you'll only slow your progress.

Keep at it,
Josh

P.S. If you feel like you might have dulled your straight again, you can send it back to me. It's a fun razor to hone.

My hair on my head is curly and thick. The beard is rather thin but sharp and tough and grows in colicks that are all different directions. I am thinking that the bears is curly in some spots because it just lays flat and sticks to my face. I shaved at every angle I can physically produce with a razor and it still shows stubble. Even though it took me a while though my face looked better than it did the day before.

Do you think If I went and paid 25 bucks for a hot towell shave they would document all of the different patches of hair growth directions? I think that would be a good idea.

I always wondered how the barbers handled swirls... I remember the old textbooks have diagrams but these don't apply to many people.

Never got a barber shave and I am not sure I want one

Cheers
Ivo

It sucked. The blade stuck to my face like glue. I spend over an hour in the bathroom shaving with a DE and a straight going at every possible angle I can make my body do and i still cant have a decent shave on my neck. This is pissing me off.

I shaved today with my str8 and my DE. The silvertip brush I bought was nice and I thnk helped the shave a little. Although I am still less than satisfied I think I may be seeing an improvement. When I run my hadnd over my face I still feel sharp stubble in most areas against the grain. One thing I notice with the str8 is that it sticks to my skin like the lather is too dry or something. It must be technique but could it be anything else. when I make the lather I put a dab in a ceral bowl and whip it up with a brush that had been soaked in hot water and drip dryed until dripping a steady small drip.

Another question. I am not sure I understand xtg patterns. If my hair is growing say from left to right what would an across the grain pass look like. straight up and down??? If it si growing diagnoally from NE to SW what would an xtg pass be?? Is there anyway the nick I had in the razor would have damaged my strop enough to make it dull the edge?? I remember when I first noticed the nick in blade the strop had some scrape marks where the blade ran across it. I tried my best to rub it out but have noticed that they are still there. I have some strop dressing, should I try and fix this??
THanks to all who have been helping me lately and reading all of my sorrows.

It sounds like your lather is too dry. Try lathering on your face, and keep adding water a bit at a time until it's nice and wet. You don't necessarily want a thick lather, but you definitely want a slippery lather.