Thread: well the first one is out of the way

so i completed my first shave today. interesting experience to say the least. i have two problems at the moment, the first is lather. im not really sure how to make a good lather from just soap and brush, the second is when i shaved (and ill admit i went all out and tried the whole face the first time lol) im not sure what i was doing wrong but it felt as tho the razor was dragging you know slightly pulling, it wasnt that uncomfortable and i didnt cheeze grade my face or anything and surprisingly only two little nicks and no discomfort after the face. however it just didnt feel quite right i think maybe it was a combo of me going a little too fast and angle and possibly pressure but iono, this hasnt put me off of the idea just has me more determined to get it right, so much so in fact that i got rid of my goatee just so i could have more to shave lol. ok now that im done blabbing bring on the tips

Congrats on your first shave.

Technique plays a big part, and that just comes with practice.

Other than that, I suspect your two problems are closely related.

You can't get a close comfortable shave without good lather. If you take a look in the wiki there's some really excellent tutorials on making lather.

I wouldn't worry, this is a good start. You'll get those techniques down pretty quickly. Why not practice making lather before your next shave and try different motions too.

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Although a newbie myself, I have noticed that the lather is a make or break issue. The razor needs a good base to glide across, don't dry shave! Add more lather if required. Once I get a good foam on the brush it is more than enough to do my shaving (probably enough for 4 or 5 shaves!). So don't skimp on the foam. Make one pass with the grain of the beard, add more lather, then make another pass either with or against the grain as you see fit.

I've noticed for my Italian based iron tough beard stubble I've got to lather, make one pass with the grain, lather, one pass against, lather, then a final pass with the grain. So far I've been getting a very good baby-face close shave with a minimal of nicks (in fact last night was my first zero nick shave). I'm certain the key is the soap, when it's right you can feel it being "slippery" on the face when you apply it.

Practice and dont' give up, the end result is worth the learning curve.

BTW- when can somebody no longer be a "newbie"?

Congrats on the first shave. Remember this is an art (that includes making good lather) Check here Category:Lather - Straight Razor Place Wiki Two things - Did you start with a professionally sharpened razor and if you did proper angle and skin streching plays a major role in a good shave. Coming from a mach 3 I had to learn both too. Now that the first one is done at least you have the basic idea and are now ready to begin the quest to the great shave. Stay with it you'll get there it just takes time.

Concur with practicing making lather. Proper lather will have the consistency of whipped cream (the real stuff).

From your explanation it sounds like your angle might be to great. WTG strokes should require an angle of approximately 30 degrees. Focus on that angl;e. Use just enough pressure to keep the edge against skin, and no more. As tempting as it is to do it all at once, shave just the area between the sideburn and jaw line. Learn your pressures and angles there. As you gain more confidence you can other areas of your face. This is not a race...

After watching this video yesterday, making a lather started to click for me. Hope you find it useful. I think it was even posted on this forum but I couldn't find the thread.

YouTube - How To Build And Apply Traditional Shaving Lather