Thread: Carried away

I got a little carried away on the first shave. Barbers choice razor, no name badger brush, and col conks lime glycerin shave soap. I was just going to follow the recomendation of just doing the sideburns for the first shave. Was. I got a semi good lather going and my str8 open and suddenly I had to try for everywhere. Single pass WTG all over except for an additional ATG on my neck. Almost smooth everywhere but my chin. I had to hit it with my disposable to get the last of the hair off. Chin got a little sore. No nicks. I was so proud of my self. Next time I'm gonna slow down a little too. Too many years of speeding through a shave with a disposable. I need a non-alcohol based after shave too. Slight ouch.

Originally Posted by Kratzer001

I got a semi good lather going

Don't ever do that. Rather, throw it away and start over. Bets are on that the majority of beginners with problems are suffering from Bad Lather Syndrome. Apart from stropping and skin stretching, making good lather is probably the most underrated shaving skill.

I agree 100% . Your lather quality is something you can recognize before the razor touches your face. If you continue on with the shave with crappy lather and your face is chewed up afterwords, you'll have a hard time narrowing down the reasons for the less than desirable shave. There are a lot of variables to straight shaving. Softening the whiskers, lathering, stropping, pressure, angle, finding the grain etc. The key to a great shave is mastering each individual variable that is in your control and finding the products that work best for you. I'm glad to hear you were not afraid to jump right in. I was the same. It was as if I just had the knack. Keep at it and you'll be shaving irritation free in no time at all.
Hey and welcome !!!1one

-Duke

Hello, Kratzer001:

BeBerlin makes an excellent point about making proper lather. A good lather is imperative. So yes, if you need to start all over again, do so. If you do everything right except the lather, you probably will miss out on a good shave.

Regards,
Obie

Good lather will have the consistency of whipped cream. If it looks more like meringue and starts to break down rather quickly on your face your lather is not correct. I have no idea how the Conk soaps and creams perform so not much advice to give you on those products. Check through the reviews and vendors forums below for suggestions on lathering products. All of the vendors I have dealt with from this site are top notch and their products are beyond question.

I'm with ya on the speed issue lol, I used to scream threw the shave before I went to straights. Once I slowed down and learned to enjoy the shave, they got ALLOT better fast

I would like to take a poll on how many people went for the whole face after that successful area below the dominant sideburn.

Everyone is giving good advice here on the lather. It's like putting water in your engine instead of oil.

I attribute part of the lather problem to innexperience and part to a brand new brush. Bristles were a little stiff. I waited a little too long after my shower too. Sometimes the best way to learn is to make mistakes, and I think I've made a few!

Originally Posted by Kratzer001

I attribute part of the lather problem to innexperience and part to a brand new brush. Bristles were a little stiff. I waited a little too long after my shower too. Sometimes the best way to learn is to make mistakes, and I think I've made a few!

Just try not to learn not to lop off your ear the hard way

That's funny because I ever so lightly grazed my ear and I almost smacked into the mirror.