The addiction has begun!

All,
The addiction has kicked in for me. Last Thursday I shaved with my SR for the first time. Got a decent shave, posted about it. I did not shave on Friday or Saturday to give my face a rest....big mistake:rant:

I got up a little early on Sunday, showered and started the ritual. I was able to get a BBS on my cheeks and a close shave on the chin. The hair was pulling but I managed. I did have to work part of the throat with my DE :(

The wife really liked my cheeks and spent the day touching and rubbing them. :D

This morning I woke up about a half hour early, showered and yep you guessed it, ran the SR ritual. I added a razor strop to the ritual as this was my second shave with one of my Wade and Butcher's. The cheeks are BBS and the chin is even closer. I was able to add a little bit on the throat but I still had to hit the throat area with the DE:(.

I have to hit the face with cold water tomorrow because even with the moisturizer my face has been burning when I put on my Clubman aftershave. Needless to say I look forward to shaving now and I enjoy learning how to use my SR's.

I just found out that we will be going to New York City in June for a wedding. I have to purchase a travel shaving brush and some soap for the road, time to purchase more stuff.

-Jim the addicted

If you are having problems with dryness of the face after using Clubman, try using a balm without alcohol. Alcohol will dry your skin. If balms are not your thing try a different A/S with less alcohol.

Welcome to the fold and yes it only gets worse.

Don't feel bad about having to use the DE. In time my young apprentice the force will be with you.:jedi:

Yes, Try Nivea, It's inexpensive and works well. There's all kinds of stuff out there. I think the Nivea is called Extreme comfort.....Good Stuff....Nice and soothing.
I agree about the alcohol, it dries out your skin. Rich

Welcome Jim
Its a great feeling when you cant wait to wake up early
to shave . I agree with singleW try a nice balm or AS with less
alcohol content.
Happy Shaving.

Your post brings back memories of some of the things I went through when I first started str8 razor shaving. - i.e., cuts, weepers, redness, skin irritation. I remember when it was really bad I would be applying balms and/or "Coral Skin Food" throughout the day.

This does not happen anymore! - and there are a number of reasons why: My edges are much sharper, due to the improvement of my own honing skills. - and because of those better edges, I have learned I do not need to press with the razor's edge. I have, also, learned to become better skilled with my lathering techniques and my shaving techniques. In particular, I have improved greatly on my stretching techniques, thus eliminating the need to go over the same area multiple times(this is a big one).

* All of the above improvements have lead to BBS shaves with absolutely no skin irritation! :tu As time goes on, and you stick with str8 shaving, you will also learn what needs to take place in order to achieve irritation free BBS shaves. It's a great experience! Welcome.......

:gl:

Steve

if only all addictions were like this one, I often wish I could have inherited it from my father, but in reality it took me many years of hating shaving.....
....and now I even look at my trusted DE as a tool of torture

It takes time to learn and find right combination of angle, pressure, hand positions, cream, etc. etc. but in the end it is so much worth it!!!


:gl: