Thread: Only using the front half of my blade.

Originally Posted by RezDog

The secret to nice slick lather is good soap with the right amount of water. It's not as easy as it sounds. The soap of course is the first challenge. Are you bowl lathering or face lathering. Lathering on the face after you load your brush and start to apply it to your face if it is too dry introduce more water by dipping just the tips of the bristles in a bowl of water. I think mst people use the whole blade, just not always at the same time. Parts of my face I use a section of the the blade, say the tip while doing my side burns and more the middle of the blade on my cheeks. I think maybe you are putting too much pressure on the tip or leading the tip too far forward in your stroke. It's a tough one to say for sure. I used to spend a lot of time looking in the mirror running my finger over my face trying to imagine what the blade angle etc would look like at this angle or that in an attempt to map my beard and figure out the best shave. I am going to say it took about two months of daily shaving to get pretty good at it and still quite a few aha moments over the next month.

I may be trying too many soaps all at once, I have just purchased a tub of Caties Bubbles, I think I may make that my everyday soap for a while. At least until I can get the lather I want on a consistent basis. I think my issue is not enough water. Should the lather have larger bubbles when I bring it to my face, or in the bowl should I take care of those and make it thicker, then go to my face.

BTW, I tried face lathering, but I think my boar isn't broken in enough just yet and it irritated my face.

I am not much of a bowl latherer, however I would have to say that large bubbles don't last and you should work it longer in the bowl. When I bowl lather I start with a tiny bit of water and as the lather starts to work I add a little more water. When adding water the amounts are very small. Otherwise it my fall for lack of better words and take quite a bit to get thick again. I brush that your face likes is always the best one. I went through several brushes to find that the first one I had was pretty darn nice, and then I got gifted a couple of nice customs that are just a step above. There are so many different shaving style and techniques that you really do need to try a few different things before you find your perfect brush and technique. That is where meets come into play. I recommend that everyone should go to the meets, as often as they can. There is so much to know and learn and different gear to check out.

i have had the same problem with m boar brush it irritated my face i changed to an older boar i had and it worked no irritation so i think your right on the brush the more you use it the softer it gets. i also got a better lather and shave with the older brush

+1 to what Shaun said, large bubbles is not a good lather your lather should be like a whipped cream , dense and slick. Also I use all my blade at different sections , as to get next to my mouth and moustache, goatee area , I grab my chin and stretch away from the ear and come back from my ears to the trim line next to my mouth in an XTG pass gets tight to the beard Line If this makes any sense . One of the reasons if you can see a mentor in your area and get some hands on. Your still really new , after a few months or a hundred or so shaves you will figure it out. Tc

Yes, I am an admitted boar whore.. there, I said it. Again.

And, exclusively a face lather'r...

My high level notes include making sure the brush has soaked well.. I do while I am in the shower. Don't be afraid of loading the brush well, but while you are loading, swirl in a manner that loads the bristles, yet doesn't build a billowing lather; Save that for your face. I like to start with a rather dry brush for a few reasons, so I give it a really good shake after soaking. Why?? 1) I don't want lather scattered all over myself and the bathroom, 2) less water in the brush aids in loading soap rather than making lather (see above) and, 3) I can add more water as the lather thickens on my face.. I can't take it away.

Also, as you try new soaps, consider that a soap that doesn't seem to lather well for you when loaded from the puck or tub might lather better if applied as a stick. Case in point, I hated Cella until I put it in a twist up tube and applied it directly to my face. I also have MWF in both stick and puck.. more for variety than anything else.

The more variables you cut down on , the easier it is to get started. Basics basics basics first. Then add the variety.

remember to puff out your cheeks for instant skin stretching. I normally use the heel around my kisser.

Try to meet up with a more senior mentor there are a few around your parts. Or, go see Brad at Maggard razors in Adrian. I am not too far from you (most likely). Keep at it!

I am also fairly new to wet shaving with a straight razor but after reading and listening to other shavers on this forum hydration seems to be the key. I use a preshave oil after i wet my face down that helps the lather slick up for me. After each pass i wet my face again along with trying to get the lather right for me. Using the the toe or the heel of the blade is technique that will improve with time, I can say this just be patient and take your time use light pressure and the beating your face takes should fade away. Goodluck

Originally Posted by coachschaller

remember to puff out your cheeks for instant skin stretching. I normally use the heel around my kisser.

Try to meet up with a more senior mentor there are a few around your parts. Or, go see Brad at Maggard razors in Adrian. I am not too far from you (most likely). Keep at it!

I have been to Maggard's and never even thought to ask Brad about anything as far as demos. That is not a bad idea, plus it would give me an excuse to go back.

And yes Milan is about 30 mins or so from me, straight up 23 which I'am about 2 mins from.

I think I am going to skip shaving today, face is in pretty rough shape.

There's some good advice on this thread. My personal opinion is that bowl lathering is a little better for beginners as you can see the shape of the lather a little easier. The brush is also a factor. You're going to get more lather with a high loft badger brush than you are with a boar. Regardless my process is as follows:

1) Fill up my shaving bowl with water and drop by brush in there while I shower
2) Dump the water from the bowl and squeeze the water out of the brush
3) Load the brush with soap/cream by swirling for a few seconds clockwise then counter-clockwise
4) Turn the faucet on to a small stream
5) Add a small amount of water to the bowl, maybe a teaspoon, by *quickly* passing it under the stream
6) Start working the lather with the brush. I swirl, pump, swirl some more, and pump some more
7) The lather will be thick and dry at first so add another teaspoon of water and repeat steps 6&7 until...

Lather is ready when it's thick like whipped cream (per tcrideshd) and has a little sheen to it. If the surface of the lather looks flat then there isn't quite enough water. If the lather is gloppy and won't stay on the brush then there is too much water so you'll have to work it a little more. There's a bit of an art to it but you'll pick up the right consistency over time.

The advice to stick to one cream or soap is pretty important because they all behave a little differently. Good luck and stick with it.