Thread: Expectation Bias

I'm back! After what seemed like a long time, I have beaten another obstacle to a great shave.

I was getting red spots on my cheeks and neck, and any, and I mean any, aftershave burned like crazy. I thought, "It's gotta be my razor, or maybe I'm having a reaction to some ingredient." I had posted my problems and in one response, AFDavis said something that later kept echoing in my head. He said, "Your razor's either not sharp enough or your using too much pressure." I thought, "Yea, right, it's sharp enough!" And I went away sulking about my problems.

I decided to go back to using my DE for a bit to think about this whole straight razor stuff.

I picked up my DE and applying no pressure to the business end, got several very good shaves and the redness cleared right up!

Here's the lightbulb moment: I was using way too much pressure! I know your thinking, "Well DUH!" O.K., I deserve it. My point however, was that I temporarily forget the basics, and sometimes the old expectation bias kicks in and sage advice from experienced hands can get lost in ones head.

This re-visitation to my DE proved an invaluable tool to re-learning my straight technique. Today I used my straight with great success! I feel like a new-b all over again and you know, that's a very good thing!

Finally, when someone offers some uncomplicated advice, maybe it's time to take heed.

Cheers,
Randy