Shaving comfort

This is my first post here, so I would like to say hello to everybody.

I got a Dovo Bismark from SRD and shave with it for the first time two days ago. I did not cut myself but the shave was really uncomfortable and not so close. So I went looking in the forum and found out about pre-shave oil and the hair conditioner trick.

So this morning I gave my Bismark a second try. I took a nice hot shower and soften my beard with hair conditioner. Then use pre-shave oil and then lather. When it came to shaving again it was very uncomfortable. I must admit it was better than the first time, but still far from the comfort you typically get from a safety razor.

Since a straight razor should give you the best shaving experience I am wondering what is going on. Should I put this to my poor technique or to my sensitive skin?

Any idea on that would be really welcome.

Thanks

P.S. I forgot to say that I intend to shave only my neck.

It's all technique. If you look through the beginners section, you will find many posts describing this same problem. It really takes practice and an extremely light touch and great preparation and patience.

Welcome to SRP! First, could you give us more information about your stropping technique? Poor stropping could very well be the problem.

Most folks after their first shave if they don't get cuts and razor burn are ahead of the game. it takes time to master this and the neck is a challenge so you had two strikes against you from the start.

Just keep at it and watch your pressure and angle and plan to stretch the skin a lot though the neck is not a good place to start straight shaving with.

Welcome to SRP you will find alot of help here. I to had similar problems at first but after only about 20 or so shaves it has gotten much better. I was using way to much pressure even after watching Jockeys videos and him telling us to use no pressure. I was trying to use my razor like a sqeegy on a window untill I learned what no pressure really is and got some good razor burn learning. Also I would only shave WTG untill your technique gets better, I still only shave WTG for 2 passes and get a nice close shave now with no burn or irritation. I tried XTG after a few shaves when in my mind I thought I was getting good and payed the price with a couple cuts on my cheek from a razor that has a sharp point on it so I slowed down stayed WTG and have had much better luck. Also my neck was a little harder to shave than the rest of my face because the skin feels so thin there that I felt like I was going to cut right through it at first but that gets better with practice to so the sideburn area is a good place to start learning on. The experianced guys here are a great help and will help you with anything you need, they have sure helped me along so dont get discouraged go slow and really enjoy the whole learning of it.
Good luck and happy shaving
Glenn

Guero,

Straight razor shaving is definitely part science and part art. There is a knack to placing the blade on your face at the proper angle and pressure for your face. Keep at it. I have been at it for about two months and i still feel that my learning curve is steep. The members here are genuine in their willingness to help us newbs. I have found valuable info searching various sections of SRP and come up with great ideas from archived threads.

rob

Did you let the lather sit a few minutes? If you youtube mantic's videos he has really good advice on making and applying good lather as well as skin stretching, etc.

Hi,

I'm something of a beginner myself, and i certainly don't have flawless technique.
However, i too went a long while shaving only my neck as i like to keep a beard. Depending on how your beard grows, the neck can be the hardest area to shave.
You see, beard hair tends to grow left or right, or in swirls in the neck area. However following the grain while shaving yourself is not really an option. By default you will be going either up or down- most often against the grain from what i've read. this is definitely the case with me.

My advice from experience and reading so far would be to soften the beard as much as possible, letting lather sit for sometime before shaving. you might also try and take more light passes, without "scrubbing" the area with the edge. single clean short motions followed by relathering and multiple passes. should you "scrub" only the first motion of the pass is aided by the lather, the rest will simply irritate the skin. Skin stretching not only plays an important role close shaves - it also helps with the comfort, provided you use light pressure.

experiment with angles, i'd say start out with a more acute angle than you think necessary. it seems two work with me. might not come as close in a single pass, but doesn't scrape or yank the hairs that way.

You will need as keen an edge as possible - and since you purchased from SRD you probably have it. you just need to be careful with stropping so as not to loose it.

Good luck!
you are a much more patient man than i am. i can't seem to ever bother with the preshave oils and hot towels, otherwise i'd probably have better shaves myself.

Guero, welcome on board

I am new also, but have experienced what you describe. My first shave was very nice on the cheeks but rough on the neck. I have a lot of razor burn as well. Back to the WIKI to find out why and found a lot of what you found but also watched several videos and discovered much more. Preparation is vital, shower, oil and put lather on your face while you strop your blade. You are stropping and doing so correctly right? At first I was hurrying through the stropping and not getting it done correct either. A bit of practice and this straightened out...

The biggest problem I had was blade angle and watching the videos made me aware of this. Each of the WTG, ATG and XTG require a different and smaller angle. The last is almost flat on my face. Once I started doing this, the comfort come up significantly...

Good luck,

Hello and welcome to SRP! You've allready been given some great info here. Patience is key..there's quite a learning curve, so just remember to take your time and watch those blade angles and it'll come to ya :)

Thanks to everyone!

I did not expect so many good advice. I really appreciate the help.

For the technique, I did follow at first what I have seen in Lynn Abrams DVD. I felt everything was there, but now that I am looking here in the forums I can see that there is a lot of subtleties to look at.

I think I am going to put some emphasis on stropping technique and shaving angles, while gathering as much overall info as I can. Just might completely shave the beard as well, and see how it feels like.

Many thanks!

For me, getting a straight razor to shave in all its miraculous glory takes skill.

The key components of a perfect comfortable shave include:

• a little extra high grit honing
• soft, delicate, no pressure stropping on a very flat strop
• careful patient prep, with hot water, and a little extra infusion of soap
• a very, very light and perfectly angled stroke at every contact
• patience to ensure that I focus on shaving whiskers, not just wiping the blade down my face the way you would a cartridge blade
• a touch of cool water when finished

Thanks to point all those out. It gives the whole experience a challenging taste, which is thrilling me.

Its very nice to have experienced people keeping you on track, so you don’t roam around wondering what the hell you have to do.

Regards

you will be shavign better in no time, just read up on all that u can around here and you will be gettign nice shaves with a weee bit of practice.

I just gave my Bismark a third try. I don’t know if I finally got the angle right or figured out how to stropp correctly, but it was nice and smooth.

Nothing to compare with my previous experiences. It was such a difference.. No irritation, no discomfort.

I am looking forward to see what it can be with once you master it.

Thanks for the advices.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Guero

I just gave my Bismark a third try. I don’t know if I finally got the angle right or figured out how to stropp correctly, but it was nice and smooth.

Nothing to compare with my previous experiences. It was such a difference.. No irritation, no discomfort.

I am looking forward to see what it can be with once you master it.

Thanks for the advices.

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Great! I'm glad you're figuring it out.

I am getting the best shave ever.

So I thought I would come back to say thanks for the advices.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Guero

I am getting the best shave ever.

So I thought I would come back to say thanks for the advices.

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Thanks for doing this, there is a learning curve, but it's fun and for many it's worth it :)

Newbie my self with a half dozen shaves under my belt. I get some razor burn, but some aftershave and post-shave balm help that a lot. I'm not getting near as good a shave as I was with my carts, but I also know that there is a lot to learn. Actually, my cheeks are getting a lot closer shave than I used to get. I don't have any tips, because I'm still learning, but I will say stick with it -- it will get better.