Probably the biggest favour you can do for yourself when you're starting out is to give yourself plenty of time to shave. It takes time to learn proper techniques and build confidence. If you find yourself very timid with the blade, put it down until you can get yourself in the right frame of mind. You should also remember that you can reapply lather as often as you need to. If it dries out, reapply. When I started out, I would only lather one section of my face at a time (this will help you focus on what you're doing, without that feeling that you should speed up, in order to catch the other side of your face before the lather is too dry). You can also try a different shave soaps, or shave creams. I have had many great shaves while using Col. Conk shave soaps (they are quite inexpensive as well).