Thread: First SR shave....almost

This morning went much better! Didn't like the goats milk soap I used today though. It actually hardened when it set too long. So to my samples I go. Yesterday I used the Van Der Hagan soap, but I didn't like it very much.

Today I did a WTG pass all over with good success, then XTG on the chin and on the jawline so I dont look like a birt bag at work. Kept it very simple.

Investigated my technique much closer in an magnified mirror this morning and found the reason I struggled with the ATG pass on my chin was due to the thickness of my hairs. In the future I need to do XTG passes in BOTH directions to mow it down as much as possible. I'm going to try the technique that Crescent mentioned at some point.
Thanks again, all!

Good write up!

You're on your way now. Congrats!!!

Don't get hung up on BBS shaves. They will come in time.

There is no rule against using a DE to clean up trouble spots during the learning process.

For a very good cheap soap order some Arko. A dispenser is less than $2.00. Later you can try the more expensive brands.

Very few have reported favorably on goats milk shaving soap.

Send pics. We love pics! These guys can tell a lot from a pic.

Yes, the neck is always everyone's first issue, it seems. Go easy on it, let it heal.
Personally, I don't attempt BBS on my neck. It takes too many passes and you will wind-up with too much pressure and a rash/cut.
Best to work on stretching and 'mapping' the direction of growth there for your ATG.
You will eventually find an ATG method/direction to get it better without all the scraping.

Oh....Soaking the brush takes away all the backbone of the hairs. Add water a bit at a time by dipping the tip.
Too much water in the lather takes the cushion away. Hard to take it out.......Try face-lathering?

Good to learn about the brush and lather, Sharptonn. I had seen some videos and suggestions otherwise, but wondered where all the stiffness of the boar brush went! I'll definitely start it dry and introduce water more slowly next time.

Congrats on the first shave. Great advice I received was shave the lather. You dont need pressure to cut whiskers thats what the razor does. To just need to keep contact to wipe the lather off the razor does the rest.

Keep it up Alex. Go slow and dont let a little setback bother you. 3 months from now it will be so much easier. Just take your time. Lather parts of your face at a time as you shave so the lather doesnt dry. This is normal when starting out. If it takes you an hour, so be it.

You’re off to a good start, just take your time. My first 30 shaves were hit and miss. Then everything started clicking.

Thanks! I just ordered the top few soaps that people talked about on a couple of the big threads, just to see what I can find that works well for me.

Hope you ordered MDC and CF. Those are the best. After those you wont want to try others.