Thread: First Five shaves down!

I have a beard, so I only shave part of my cheeks, under my bottom lip, and my neck, but I do it all right handed. I don't find it awkward or difficult at all. I'd rather focus on the razor than what my hand is doing, too.

Sounds like your doing great. I too am a newbie and finally doing complete SR shaves (sometimes). I just finished my 14th SR shave and it was not that great. It seemed to take me forever (1.5 hours). However, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best way to hold the razor and the angles on my neck. Still having problems, but I am determined not to give up. I am having trouble with the coordination of my left hand, but it seems to be getting a little better each time.

You will find no shortage of help from the members of this forum. They have been a tremendous help to me.

Originally Posted by Grayelk

Sounds like your doing great. I too am a newbie and finally doing complete SR shaves (sometimes). I just finished my 14th SR shave and it was not that great. It seemed to take me forever (1.5 hours). However, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best way to hold the razor and the angles on my neck. Still having problems, but I am determined not to give up. I am having trouble with the coordination of my left hand, but it seems to be getting a little better each time.

You will find no shortage of help from the members of this forum. They have been a tremendous help to me.

I heard that it takes me forever to shave. I'm in there at least an hour every time. I have started shaving in sections so the cream/soap doesn't dry up. My Gf thinks I'm crazy to take so much time learning to shave again. I told her this is real man stuff you wouldn't understand lol. I have Lynn DVD in the mail hoping to get some more good info off of it.

With time and all the learning you are doing I have no doubt you will get your shave time down to under 20-30 minutes. A great deal has to do with self confidence. Unless I am rushed in the morning I can get a two and a half pass shave done in 15 minutes, with both hands. It took a year and a half to get to this point, and I enjoyed the fight and learning all along the way (think a maple bar as a reward for getting something right in the process.)

As for soaps that are difficult to lather, add a 2 or 3 drops of glycerin on top of the wet puck and let it sit for several minutes. That, in most cases, other than hard water problems, usually solves the issue.

Well last night was my 6th shave and it was the best yet. I'm not able to do a hundred percent but I did pretty good. The right side of my face was as smooth as I've been able to get. It was really cool getting that awesome of a shave. I didn't get the left side as good but it's getting better every time. It's funny I wish my beard would grow faster so I could practice more lol.

Thanks for all the advice

Originally Posted by Miketig

I heard that it takes me forever to shave. I'm in there at least an hour every time. I have started shaving in sections so the cream/soap doesn't dry up. My Gf thinks I'm crazy to take so much time learning to shave again. I told her this is real man stuff you wouldn't understand lol. I have Lynn DVD in the mail hoping to get some more good info off of it.

I am one of those guys who will tell you right now to stop clock watching. Part of my shave routine is simply ENJOYING the entire process. I can shave myself in 5 minutes using a DE and get a BBS result (DFS at worst), but why would I want to? I have always said that, for me, there is a meditative quality to shaving that I look forward to. No way in hell do I want to speed that up. Now, I get that, if you are shaving in the morning for work, you may want to shave more quickly. But, if you are an evening shaver like me, than I say stop focusing on how long it takes, and start concentrating on how much you enjoy the process.

You'll find that, when you do, your times will come down, and your shave quality will go up.

I am retired and have plenty of time, but I prefer to shave in the morning. I have two cups of coffee to make it a sporting experience, if you know what I mean. Each shave I learn something new. Having been a DE shaver, I thought I knew my beard pattern, but I am finding out, I didn't have a clue until I began the SR experience. Each shave is an experiment at this stage, but you are correct in that it is meditative.

Ok tenth shave down tonight. I think I did a good job with my strope tonight because I really had a really smooth shave. Still having issues getting a close shave on my jaw and under my chin but I feel like I'm getting better every time I shave.

Originally Posted by Miketig

Ok tenth shave down tonight. I think I did a good job with my strope tonight because I really had a really smooth shave. Still having issues getting a close shave on my jaw and under my chin but I feel like I'm getting better every time I shave.

Good for you!

I (and probably most of the shaving community!) also feel that the jaw and chin are the most difficult parts to get close. It'll get better and better, though, since you'll learn how to contort and stretch your face to make it easier.

I recently discovered how much easier it becomes for me when I push my lower lip up as far as I can, imagining I'm trying to touch my nose with it at the same time as I stretch my chin up against the ceiling. This makes the chin flatter, and when I tilt the head from side to side it also makes it easier to hit the jawline, especially when coupled with some stretching of the skin with the non-shaving hand.

Good luck!

Ok I know the name of the thread is first 5 but I'm up to 12 now. Tonight I decided to go really slow and shave my whole face and neck. The sides of my face are really smooth I'm very happy with my progress there. My upper lip and chin are coming around not perfect yet but getting better. My jaw line is still my biggest problem but it's getting better with every shave.

Watching shave videos has been more of a help then I would have ever thought. I learn something new every time I watch a new video. This journey is way more fun then I ever could have imagined.
Thanks for all the comments and advice
Mike