Thread: Help with technique

You gave such a long question and I hope that this longer post helps.
Lather is very important. I use Penhaligons English Fern and it lathers like almost no other soap for me. I use many creams but a good one is expensive and day in and day out, for me, soap is the way to go.
I have found that when I shave with a straight the whole process is needed to complete the shave. I use an extremely light touch with a very sharp and smooth razor edge so I can get away with a lot of passes after the hot towel treatment.

1. First pass: I go WTG first using short overlapping strokes which I believe to be the standard considering what I have read and it certainly works for me. This includes the chin and the neck... all of it. You are trying to reduce the stubble.
2. Second pass: If my skin is dry or I feel that the first pass was just not the most comfortable because my beard was not softened enough I go another pass WTG. I use a slight variation and go XTG on my jaw line by for the most part WTG. I really concentrate on my chin. It does not take a lot of time for the second WTG pass because the stubble for the most part is gone.
3. Third pass: I go XTG from the chin to the ear because of the way that my beard grows. I have a chin area where the hair grows towards the ear so this is really a WTG in this area. I shave my neck with a very light ATG neck single non-overlapping stroke to just kinda knock it down I have to go extremly light because my beard in this area is very stiff and the skin is very soft.
4. Fouth pass: XTG from the ear to the center of the chin. Like I said close to the chin I will be going ATG but I have knocked it down with the third pass. I let the lather soak into my neck to get ready for the real ATG.
5. Fifth pass: I am ready to go ATG. I go ATG all the way up and have found a little trick lately. I don't clean the blade off coming off my neck. I stretch my skin pulling down on the sideburns and side of my face but I take a couple of more strokes stretching the skin from up top, this really stands the hair up. The blade full of lather kinda "dumps" a little so that I can hit it again. I wait till I have gone over it once because it would dig in and hurt to much if I stretched from the top at the start of the final attack.
6. Clean up! I usually takes me about 15 minutes including stropping making lather and all the while I am wearing my hot microwaved towel tucked in around my neck and beard.

I get shaves that are very close and almost no irritation. The secret for me has been the honing that I do and the almost zero pressure that use. I can use an alcohol base AS if I wish and get almost no burn. I choose to use a really good finish of which there are many. Your shaves will improve and should blow away anything a DE or a plastic wonder can give. They just don't have the physics or the adaptability that a straight has to give potentially everyone a shave that is not to be believed. The reason that I posted this long thing is that for me it has taken a long time to get something that works for me. It will a little different for everyone but the basics are the same.


Take Care,
Richard