my experience after 3 shaves
Hey guys,
HOw about a little write up just after my 3d shave?
Maybe there's something in it for other guys like me just starting out.
In my first post http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...i-natural.html about my first shave I kind of describe how I experienced my first shave, it was awesome.
The second one was totally different, this time, I wondered how I would do on stropping and if my razor was still sharp enough. I did good and it was. I watched jockey's video before the 2nd shave (Shaving videos - Straight Razor Place Wiki) and it really helped me for the moustache, as well as the chin. Good tips and it gave me inspiration to make my 2nd shave even better. I highly recommend watching videos and reading the wiki articles multiple times to get a good feel and the knowledge to make your first shave a good experience instead of a turnoff.
For the 2nd shave, I already felt I had a lot more control, and tried doing my left cheeck with my left hand, this time it went a lot better. I made a small nick on the moustache when doing a second pass XTG. but other than that I had no problems. It took me a little less time and I did the "lather up, strop, shave" routine. The first time I did not know when to do what and it all took me ages :) So improvement there also. The nick was the largest so far and I really had to put the septic stick there for about a minute to attend to it. But now, 2 days later it has fully healed. You can still see it, but it's not irritated or wound like. The excitement about the shave was just as good as the first one. I immediately started looking forward to my next shave.
I was amazed at how well my skin handles the shave. I used to have rashes all the time, and a bloody neck every time I finished a shave without taking a shower prior to shaving.
Since I'm now shaving with so much attention to what I'm doing, it's also a good time to experiment. I decided to do two things differently this time; make a good lather and do a cold shave (after reading a post about it in the thread about the old shaving with str8 razor's book). A cold shave for me was unthinkable, I would cut open my neck like steven seagal cuts open bad guys. But hey, you gotta try, and with my good experience so far I decided to give it a go.
But before that, I decided to upgrade my lather skills. I got home and decided to cook some asperagus for me and my girl. And while they were cooking in the pan, I was making lather in the kitchen. Thanks to another video by jockeys about how to make a good lather ( ) and this tutorial Making basic soap lather - Straight Razor Place Wiki I made my first good lather. It turns out that I've just been putting some thin foamlike soap on my face the first two times but definitely not lather. The key for me was to take the time to make it and to use a little more soap.
My wife and the kids came home and I was like santa claus in the kitchen ;)
But now ready and armed with the knowledge of lather. My daughter of 3 didn't want to kiss me because I had 'a beard' (the lather). She wanted to take it off, so I let her take it off with a towel
So I washed my face with cold water (after a good dinner) and made a good lather, did a strop with my face covered in a thick creamy lather and put the razor to my face.
Let me tell you that it was the best shave yet!!! It felt like I'd been doing it for weeks... Long strokes on the cheeck, no more insecurity if I would cut myself, a feel for the blade and I knew where to put my hands and how to hold my head. It all felt a lot more natural to me now. Plus I was totally amazed about how the cold shave turned out. No nicks, no irritated skin at all, a fresh feeling and an easy shave. Either my razor got sharper or the cold water made for a much better shave. Also, the lather probably helped.
I did a second lather and took a second pass on every spot without trouble, this time going in other directions than the first time. I find that I can go ATG on some spots immediately without problems but the second time is a little easier to go against the grain. Less chance of feeling resistance because of the thicker stubble, so it's easier going against the grain for the hairs that still give you trouble.
So, after I finished up with a wash and nivea balm, my 3 year old came in the room and she said; 'daddy, the beard is gone' and she felt it and said it was very nice!! :D
I think I got my first baby butt smooth shave on the cheecks. The neck is not quite there yet, but the cheeks definitely, YEAH!!
My skin was in pretty good condition all week, felt soft and relaxed, I feel the balm makes a difference in calming down the skin bigtime. It's great to have a good str8 shave and to see and feel the improvement.
The anticipation for the shave is half the fun and I'm having a blast reading about shaving and doing it. Thanks for all the useful information so far, it wouldn't have been the same for me without all the help and info I got from this forum :thumbup:
