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Had my sixth shave today and have to say it was the most comfortable one yet. No cuts or razor burn to speak of. My stropping has improved apparently because I went the extra mile today and did many more passes than I usually do. The result was amazing as far as comfort went. My shave didn't seem to get as close as I would like, however. Alot of stubble and that was with two passes: WTG and ATG. Wondering if I'm missing something or need to change things a little bit. Any ideas?
Skin streching, watching angles and practise.
I didn't start getting really close for about 20 shaves
How about adding an XTG pass until you are skilled enough for just 2 passes?
I've been keeping a log of my shaves in a thread here:http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...eal-shave.html At first I wasn't too happy with the closeness of the shave I was getting, so I slowed up; doing short strokes and playing with stretch and angle. All the sudden hair just started disappearing from my cheeks. I'm still figuring out my neck (long story), but last night had the best results yet, again being intentional with short strokes, experimenting with angle and skin stretching. Those long strokes I see guys making on the vids have to come after much experience...mine on my cheeks have gotten longer making my last shave much quicker, but that's only after finding the "sweet spot" for blade angle and skin stretch.
Peace,
IME, the BEST strokes are the ones that are short and meaningful. The long one have minute pressure changes as they happen, which tend to move the razor angle slightly. Again, my experience.
One to One and a half inch strokes, I find, are the perfect ones for a very close 1pass shave. Then I just double check my tough spots and I'm off to the races. Also, pay very close attention to your angle. The perfect angle will improve your shave dramatically. You need to find the angle that works best for your skin type, and this will only come through trial by fire.
Good luck!
Thanks guys for all the good advice. I think I mislabeled my shaving passes. though. I went with the grain and then across the grain--still not skilled enough for going against the grain on my neck or off-hand side, at least not every shave. Todays' shave was a little rushed as I had to go to work, but the extra stropping really made a difference. BTW, FF2- I'm a retired career Fire Captain up here in northern NY-Thanks especially to you,Brother. Love this forum-hope to hear from all of you in the future as I progress.
It has taken me 100 shaves to get to the point where I really feel competent and get the shaves I want. That doesn't mean I don't make mistakes and nick myself anymore. I just chalk that up to how well I've honed the blade. The first ten were lousy. I saw improvement between 20 and 40 and things got better from there. I no longer try for BBS everytime, but make a point of trying something new every shave and having fun.
+1 On the having fun part.
+1. Be patient and enjoy the ride.Quote:
Originally Posted by rodb