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Thread: i just can't get it right
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12-31-2009, 12:46 PM #1Member
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It sounds like you have a lot of problems.
First, take a few days off to get the skin back to normal.
Then, add water to the lather after it whips into a cream.
Get a strop.
The trick to all this is to learn how to hone to a razors edge, strop the edge to shaving smoothness, and shave light enough to remove whiskers without taking out several layers of skin.
So, of the four key components (lathering, stropping, honing, shaving), it sounds like you are screwing up on four of them.
Leave the razor alone because honing without any experience isn't going to help much, as you said, the razor is pretty sharp.
Get a strop though and work on the edge, taut, smooth, slow, and no pressure.
Get your lather worked out, even if that means adding wet soap instead of lather, or lather with wet soap. Mix the two up if you need to. So, infuse your beard with hot wet soapy water and then apply the lather. That way neither will be relied on alone.
Shave lightly, after the beard can soak a bit. Maintain a 30 degree or less angle with every stroke. Each stroke performed slowly and carefully.
Re-soap/lather after you finish each side of the face. Two passes should be four latherings.
Then, after you've picked up a little skill you can simplify things a bit.
If you do shave again before you get a strop, then strop 100 strokes on flattened newspaper before shaving.Last edited by AFDavis11; 12-31-2009 at 12:48 PM.
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jooosh (12-31-2009)
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12-31-2009, 03:05 PM #2Senior Member
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Already you have gotten great advices .
What makes me wonder is you do already know everything.
You ask question and in next line answering yourself to it.
Soap-try tabac
shaving tech-slicing is the best you have done it -please avoid the pressure.
(your blade must be in right sharpness for this shave)
agree in some places you cannot do so just go straight motion but without pressure.PRESSURE IS ENEMY OF STRAIGHT SHAVING,HONING ETC.
stretching -without it you won't be successful.
Give time to your skin to get used to straight shaving(will take time)
Lastly be patient .
Remember one day you will read all this and laugh a lot.
have fun
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jooosh (12-31-2009)
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12-31-2009, 03:18 PM #3Large Member
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I'll pick what i can out of that mammoth first post!
Work on your lather. It shouldn't dry out that quickly. If you shave slow, keep re applying.
Could be a possibility that soap is too harsh for your skin. It is mine & i have to use creams.
Watch Mantics lathering video.Mantic's
Try applying some conditioner to your stubble for a couple of minutes. Let it work. Rinse well. Apply lather to wet face.
Angles are hard to judge. Aim for two spines width. If that's still problematic, close it up a little.
Keep the pressure to just enough to maintain contact & prevent skipping.
Don't keep passing over the same areas repeatedly.
Keep either the heel or the toe leading, so that the blade is angled slightly. Look here. (I think you already do this)
Make the stroke from the elbow, not the wrist.
Stretch well, & in the right direction.
Get some Vitamin E oil. It soothes razor burn in moments. Really. Try it!
You've hit the nail on the head. Closeness will come when the skill develops. There's a lot to learn at first.
Originally Posted by jooosh
Take some time to heal, or it won't get any better, then it's back in the saddle!
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jooosh (12-31-2009)
12-31-2009, 03:32 PM
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Man there is alot to learn here. When my stuff gets here I think I'll have to practice making lather a few times before I actually put the razor to my face.
12-31-2009, 03:37 PM
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Everyone's advice so far has been really sound. Two things I'll mention since I didn't see them above: Try a pre-shave oil and take a really hot shower before shaving.
The pre-shave oil will keep a layer of slickness right on your face. It doesn't mean you can slack off with the lather, but this might give you a little more protection.
Using the Kyle Prep - hot towel over a lathered face - doesn't work very well for me. Instead, I take a hot shower to soften up my beard. I dry off and throw on a beater and shorts, start getting the gear in place, etc. Just before I put the lather on my face I splash a lot of hot water on my beard so it's back to soaking wet. I also rinse with hot water between applying lather. Your face must stay wet.
After reading the other posts, make your next shave just a WTG pass and walk away with a bunch of stubble. Another member said, "A little stubble is better than a little irritation." If you want, you can finish up with your old style of shaving. Going over areas trying to get BBS isn't going to work. For me, I noticed that it doesn't take MORE shaving to get BBS it takes BETTER shaving. It's going to take a while to get better at this, so just be patient and enjoy the trip.
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jooosh (12-31-2009)
