Day Two and things went much better in most places. Lots of burning under my chin, but I chalk that up to technique.

Some random thoughts:

  • My grip is good. Not great, but good.
  • Surprisingly, I can use my left hand.
  • My stretching SUCKS. I found myself shaving sections without stretching at all. Bonehead move.
  • You have to do this with intent. You can't just let the weight of the razor do the work. There has to be some input on your part.
  • I have declared my goatee area and my neck under it off limits until next weekend. I just don't have the stroke for that yet.
  • Due to fear of over-stropping, I think I'm under-stropping.
  • Re-lather before you think you need to.
  • ATG??!?! You must be joking.
  • Warm lather is cool. Pun intended.
  • I think dollars spent on a brush are probably dollars well spent.
  • 30* is less than you think. I think my face prefers something more like 15*.
  • What my Granny taught me about lather -- I used to help my grandmother make pies. She taught me that when you think you have the meringue whipped as much as you need it, you should mark the time and then whip it that long again. That seems to apply to lather too. Today's was even thicker and smoother than yesterday's.
  • Stretch, stretch, stretch.
  • Beard prep may be a steeper learning curve than I thought.
  • The same goes for the post shave process. Witch hazel is on my acquisition list now.
  • Did I mention I really like warm lather?
  • I went with the 5/8 Ebony. Good choice for me as I can't imagine fitting an even larger blade under my nose.
Thanks to everyone for their words of encouragement and advice. Keep it comeing.

--David