Thread: First Five shaves down!

I've gotten through my first five SR shaves with only one minor nick, I'm calling that a moral victory. I started out the first three doing only cheek and sideburns. My right side worked out great. My left side with my left hand not so much. I'm very uncoordinated with my left hand I hope that gets better with time. Shave four I moved onto my neck which is where I nicked myself. No big deal it stopped bleeding before I was done shaving.

I've bought shave soap and cream. The soap is from the art of shaving I'm not getting a real good lather out of it not sure why. I put a little hot water on it and my brush in hot water then shower. Then try to build a nice lather and it doesn't seem to happen. The cream is unreal it's Taylor of old bond street it lathers up nice and give me a great shave. Well great as in smoother but I'm still using my disposable to finish up.

I'm really enjoying the process I can't wait to be able to get a great shave out of my razors. The rounded areas of my face are giving me a problem and under my nose I have no idea how to get a close shave there. Anyways just wanted to vent and any suggestions will be awesome thanks

It only gets better!
Just keep at it and eventually you will get a great shave every time .

Miketig, be patient and keep at it. Remember to stretch your skin well. Lots of contorting! Small SR nicks always tend to heal quickly because the cuts are so clean and straight. Keep practising and it'll get easier, and the coordination with your left hand will get better too. Just don't give up. It's a steep learning curve, but you'll get there. Good luck.

Congrats!
I'm a new to SR shaving as well, I've been using DE for some time.
What really helped me was the library content here including all the videos + patience.
Everyone on the Forum has been extremely supportive.
Can't comment on the AOS products as I've been using other products. I've been simply testing them individually and picking my favorites.
Enjoy the experience!

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.