Waddle, Waddle, Quack, Quack - Shave Three
Last night when I went to bed, as I'd written yesterday, I planned to give the Duck a rest. Because I have to be in court, I was going to go with the DE. As luck would have it, or maybe it's fate, I woke up early. As any good newbie would do, I interpreted that to mean I'm supposed to use my straight today...
So, I headed for the bathroom. As my water heated in the sink for my lather bowl and brush, I set up the strop. I'd watched several videos last night on stropping technique, so I felt well prepared. I gave the strop fifty strokes with the palm of my hand to warm it up and then I reached for my red and white slicing machine--the Duck of Whisker Death!
My stropping felt like it was much better. I used a very light stroke, focused on not trying to go quickly and tried to keep repeating "never let the spine leave the leather..." Things were going great, until I noticed I've nicked my filly on the right edge in two places. I'm still trying to figure out where they came from. I don't think it happened this morning, but it reminded me that I have to be even more careful stropping! I finished 50 laps on the leather and felt like the blade is ready.
I showered with a hot face prep shower. When I got out, I started whipping up my Proraso lather. As the bowl filled up, I decided I'd try a trick I'd been reading here. I lathered up my face and then went back to my strop to do another 15 laps.
Next I set out to let the Duck do his thing. My first pass (WTG) went really well. No nicks appeared on this one. I was feeling good. Both hands were working for me but the neck still felt raw. I relathered and decided no XTG today (I learned that lesson yesterday). This time I went for an ATG pass. Everything was going swimmingly for me and Howard (the Duck) until I got to the neck. I managed to give myself quite a good nick on the lower part of the neck. This didn't seem good as I saw the mirror reflection of my crisp white dress shirt hanging to my left, but I drove on.
I rinsed my face and assessed the state of my shave. It felt pretty good, but I knew I could improve so I relathered and set out on a second WTG pass. The right side of my face went great so I started shaving the left. That is where things went horribly wrong. I forgot to switch hands and found myself in an akward position on one of my strokes. As a result, I gave myself the worst cut yet just off the left corner of my mouth. This one was big enough to see the cut! By this time I was getting mad at Howard, and should have stepped back, but on I went. Under my nose, I got bit again--this time because of indecision on my part while the blade rested at a 90-degree angle to the skin.
That last cut, though, made something register in my mind. :soapbox: I realized that the razor doesn't cut me. It can't. The truth of it all is that I cut myself with the razor! This was a breakthrough. Suddenly I was more confident and both my grip on the razor and the manner in which I let it slide on my face lightened--I'd learned how to control the blade instead of it controlling me! :matrix: What a revelation! Now I was even able to touch up my neck without it feeling like I was peeling two layers of skin at the same time!
I think I definitely need to take a break tomorrow, :beer2: but my new found knowledge has me hopeful for my next adventure in the Duck Chronicles!
