5 shaves in... a few questions

so i think i fluked out on my 3rd shave and happend to get no razor burn or anything. but my last two shaves have not been as good. im stropping before and after each shave. here are my questions

are there any help files for getting angles right while shaving? am i getting razor burnt because my angle is wrong?

i read some random article (not on SRP) that says when you shave you should do 3 passes, one with the grain one sideways to the grain and one against... i cant do one without getting razor burnt. how am i gonna do three? i dont think my skin will ever be that used to shaving

the article also said i should apply my shaving cream then strop so the hairs get softer. but by the time im done stropping my shaving cream has started to dry, does anyone agree with this...

im only doing one pass and i have stubble the next day.. if i use a disposible or my mach 3, i dont have noticeable stuble the next day, why is this?

im gonna go strop and shave for the 6th time... ill tell you guys how it goes. and thanks in advance for the help

you get burn because you scrape too much skin. don't use pressure, vary the angle so that the razor will cut w/o you forcing it. if it doesn't it's dull and needs to be sharpened.

as far as drying of the lather goes (you make lather, not just smear shaving cream yes?) strop faster and reapply the lather, or perhaps it needs to be more moist.

it generally takes more practice than 5 shaves to get good at this.

ya that makes alot of sense. i just did my 6th shave. and it went better. little cut buy my right nostril but definatly a better all over shave. i moistned my lather more and it seemed to work nicer than previous shaves. just more practice i guess.

Hi,
With the angle, aim for around 30 degrees. This is not always easy to judge, so two spines width is a good guide.

Three passes are not necessarily needed. It's up to you how close you want the shave. Each pass is about taking the whiskers closer to the surface. keep off the pressure & this will eliminate the burn. You'll get it with practise. Don't try to remove them completely with one pass & you'll get less or no burn. Leaving out ATG for now will help, as you don't need to be learning a new grip on top of everything else you're taking on board. witch hazel will help a great deal with soothing the skin. Apply after your shave.

Applying the lather before stropping is just beard prep. Re-apply to shave, or use hair conditioner instead!

The cr@p 3 is giving 3 passes each time you drag it over your face. It's simply shaving you closer because there's little to no skill in using it. When you start to master the straight the shaves will get closer.

Stick with it & you'll be rewarded. You can't expect to master it immediately. Where's the satisfaction in that?!

Hope this helps with your experience!

You can get razor burn from the wrong angle and from a rolled edge. A straight razors edge is (and should be) a delicate edge. Make sure its not screwed up. I would add lots of stropping with a touch of pressure and then go back to use very, very light pressure. If your strop draws, then make sure it does with your blade. See if you can build draw up with the strop.

I'm going to reiterate what Ben said because its important. Add more lather. I add more water and more lather. I really only do one to two passes, but I add lather a lot. Think of it like your painting with the razor but you need a good wet/lathery surface for each stroke.

Use a light touch, and use a lower angle. Start with one pass with the spine one width away from your face then move to two widths.

Try doing 6 (six) passes. Each pass should just barely catch whiskers and essentially not even touch your face. Listen to the whisker get cut. If you can hear it getting cut your fine, use no pressure if possible. If your not hearing it the razor is improperly honed or stropped. Do not proceed. After one to two passes, restrop. If you've stropped effectively and correctly there should be no pulling after the second pass. The razor should glide effortless over your entire face, only catching noticibly on spots you might have missed.

I would like to say that the first two passes usually benefit from a scything motion, but I hate to recommend scything to a beginner. Study up on what it is and consider using very mild scything strokes in the beginning but DO NOT TRY AND COMPENSATE FOR A DULL RAZOR OR IMPROPERLY STROPPED RAZOR by scything. Do not ever attempt scything strokes on a facial protrustion such as the high cheek or the chin, EVER.

I see that Avatar too, don't think I'm missing that. :) Shaving with a straight is a genteel operation. Think gentle, light, soft. Everything is done with no pressure (with the possible exception of some stropping techiques). Take some deep breaths and stare at a flower or something before you try and shave. Get your mindset into this; "sharp razor, no pressure". If the razor isn't right, STOP. If your in a cage fight between your face and the razor, your face will lose everytime.

I can shave with a straight with no lather and get no irritation.

BTW, I don't know what "fluked" is.

I believe "fluked" was the addition of a d to the noun fluke to allow for clarification that it occurred in the past as one would add an ed ending to a verb.

Fluke: an accidental advantage; stroke of good luck.

Fluked is got lucky. We use the expression over here.

Thanx, that makes sense. I suspected that meant he had success of some sort from the context.

I've had several days when I've had to think "Dang, what the heck did I do differently before yesterdays shave!!!"

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DeathMetalDremel

i dont think my skin will ever be that used to shaving

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I am doing things now that I would have genuinely thought impossible a month ago, like going against the grain under the chin, doing a "fool's Pass" etc. Just wait and you'll know what I mean.:cool:

I agree with afdavis that a lower angle can be better at times. I also find the optimum angle differs on various sections of my face. This kind of stuff just comes with practice. Go for a comfy shave first and let the closeness follow on its own. Kind of like "work the jab and the knockout will follow on its own".... :rock:

Jordan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DeathMetalDremel

so i think i fluked out on my 3rd shave and happend to get no razor burn or anything. but my last two shaves have not been as good. im stropping before and after each shave. here are my questions

are there any help files for getting angles right while shaving? am i getting razor burnt because my angle is wrong?

i read some random article (not on SRP) that says when you shave you should do 3 passes, one with the grain one sideways to the grain and one against... i cant do one without getting razor burnt. how am i gonna do three? i dont think my skin will ever be that used to shaving

the article also said i should apply my shaving cream then strop so the hairs get softer. but by the time im done stropping my shaving cream has started to dry, does anyone agree with this...

im only doing one pass and i have stubble the next day.. if i use a disposible or my mach 3, i dont have noticeable stuble the next day, why is this?

im gonna go strop and shave for the 6th time... ill tell you guys how it goes. and thanks in advance for the help

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This summarizes everything: "let the razor do its job." Too much pressure can be the culprit of many shaving problems among newbies. Another potential problem may be improper stropping technique, rolling the edge of the razor and/or applying too much pressure. If the first shaves were good you may have either or a combination of these 2.

Al raz.

thank you to everyone. that all makes alot of sense. ill keep you guys updated on how my 7th shave goes. i strop alot before and after. i generally do 60 on linen and 60 on leather. if im bored and i have alot of time ill do 100 and 100. like i did last night lol. i dont think my edge is rolled. i can hear the razor cutting hairs for sure. ill ease up on the pressure and just let the razor do its thing. thanks again for the help.

Nice little how to for beginners going here. I've picked out the razor I want from the classifieds here and I'm of course jonesing to get it. Hope I get a reply soon.