Second Shave - some thoughts
I sent my new Dovo black star to Lynn for a honing and I got it back yesterday. This afternoon I put metal to face for the second time with my straight. A little Grateful Dead coming out the stereo and a fair amount of stropping at the beginning and I was off and running. I definitely felt a bit more comfortable with the razor in my hand and got through the shave much quicker than my first attempt. However there are still some sticking points. The blade was a pulling a little bit, but nothing like before it was honed. Also, I have a little bit of razor burn and only shaved WTG. I missed a few small patches, but didn't want to agitate my face too much, so I just let them be. I'll take care of them in a day or so when my face is up to another go. All in all, not a terrible second go. I do, however, have some questions and comments that I hope some kind folks here can address.
Razor burn:
-A couple of possibilities here. I thought part of the problem might be dry skin (winter in Chicago). I tried to keep the lather up to par, but I don't know if I did a good job of that.
-Angle - I tried to keep it at 30 degrees, and I think I did pretty good at this. I'm not sure if angle was the issue.
-Sensitive skin - I have sensitive skin and thick facial hair. That, combined with about 5 days worth of growth may explain the pulling, and, thus, the razor burn. How much does whisker length factor into shaving?
-I have some shave oil that I used with my DE, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to use it with the straight given the potential for slippery hands. I think I'll try it next time though and see if there's a noticeable difference.
Lather:
-It seemed like my lather was pretty weak. I'm using a puck of lavender Classic Shaving soap. I don't know it's the soap, or just the water in our apartment. I think I'm going to invest in some soap from TGQ.
Miscellaneous:
-My beard goes all the way down my neck and the skin at the bottom of my neck is more sensitive than the rest. Any strategies for taking care of this area? I'm also having trouble with the underside of my jawline.
All in all, the shave was better (even if there was some razor burn) and the process is very enjoyable. Any and all suggestions are appreciated.
