Inconsistancy

:shrug:Hey guys, i shaved @ the weekend with my Dovo and had a reasonably uncomfotable shave(especially above the lip) although the result was good, my beard had about 4-5 days growth so fairly long. Did all the prep work as per Lynns DVD, great soap, exellent brush. I had another shave with the same razor today with only a couple of days growth and got a totally different experience, the shave felt good and didn't make my eyes water when shaving the upper lip - whats the deal? Also just wondering after you shave, when you feel for smoothness do you feel downwards (the same as the strokes with the straight)? when i do this it feels extremley smooth, but if i feel the oposite way it still feels a little rough, thanks people.

Mark

Depending on your type of beard I think this is fairly common...there are very few people blessed with the type of whiskers that allow them to go from full beard to BBS without some discomfort.

I test for smoothness by rubbing a finger against the grain of my beard. While BBS is a worthy goal to aspire to I think it's more important how the shave looks and how long it lasts. In my case I have some deep pockmarks due to severe childhood acne so there are a couple places on my face that are impossible to get totally smooth.

If you shave primarily for comfort, the closeness should come with practice without undue irritation

I like my skin to feel smooth from every direction, but that has never been the case for my whole face and neck. I've resigned myself to giving comfort a higher priority, so instead of forcing closeness I keep working on better with the grain passes, sharper razors, better beard prep, etc

Here are few variables:

1. stropping. When you're fairly new to this, the results of your stropping sessions could vary to some extent.

2. different whisker length. I think most of us agree that 2 to 3 days growth shaves best. Short stubble/ less skin recovery from the previous shave, is usually less comfortable. Longer whiskers take more skin preparation. They hold more natural oil, and it really helps washing the beard with a good shampoo/conditioner prior to the shave.

3. different shaves. Even people that shave with the same shaving variable in a regular routine, will tell you that not every shave is equally great. Using a straight razor for shaving really brings the human factor into the shave. With an electric, there's almost no human skill involved. With a cardridge and a DE increasingly more. But with a straight, it really is you that needs do the shave. It's like sports, even if the gear is good, the outcome will depend on how good you are on a given day.

Best regards,
Bart.