Thread: First attempt, and hello, all!

Sounds like you are doing pretty good actually. Here's my 2¢:
1¢. As mentioned, you're good. Be attentive to what is happening without expectations on the strop, only in the shave.
2¢. A little more water should do it. The lather is likely to be a little different than you are used to with the foam in a can stuff.

As to the irritated neck:
1¢. Straight shaving is more aggressive than your skin is used to so expect some adjustment. Go easy on yourself for the first week or two.
2¢. Do yourself a favour and treat yourself to a couple of 3 minute hot towels with lather before the final lather and shave. It really preps your beard and skin well for the blade.

That's 4¢, but you can keep the change.

X

I'll add just a bit to the lather question; you've already gotten all of the advise you need with the strop.

As has been mentioned a couple of times, try adding a bit more water to the mix...but don't over do it. A few drops at a time until you get that perfect meringue. Second, don't be afraid to really work the lather. Often those new at using a brush and soap will have an acceptable mix of water and soap, but have just not worked the lather long enough.

FWIW,
Ed

Welcome Feng_Li,

When you shave your neck, stretching the skin taught is very important. You can also try decreasing the angle of the razor to about one spine width off your face.

As for lather, you might want to try a cream. They usually lather up a bit easier. Getting the right amount of water comes with practice.

Ed

Thanks for all the advice so far. I'll have another go tomorrow and see if I can't do any better.

I know having good hot water affects the overall shave quality, but does it make a difference in the lather creation? I don't think the water from my tap is as hot as it ought to be...I may have to use my electic kettle.

No, the water temperature doesn't affect the lather. Not unless it gets very cold, or very hot :-) Just make sure you use enough. If the lather is gel-like, add more water. If it's foamy and bubbly, add more soap.

Sounds like you are off to a good start. Shaving a beard off with anything can cause problems, so if things went pretty well then you are off to a good start. The lather the stropping and everything else will get better / easier after several times. Just have the paitience and you will do great. Feel free to PM me if you have any question reagarding your Barber hones. Welcome to our crazy world!

Glen

and there has been progress :-)

I'm now able to strop much more quickly, and I am starting to hear a slightly more prounounced rasping noise from the leather side, which I take to mean that the edge is deteriorating. I haven't noticed any drop in shaving performance, however.

I'm able to make better lather than I used to, but it still dries out a little more quickly than I would like. The brush alone does not hold enough water, and figuring out the correct additional amount to add is taking time. I also seem to remember someone saying that the William's soap takes a lot of water, so I shall continue to experiment.

The only place I was consistently irritating was the little hollow to the left of my windpipe, and I've managed to stop doing that. I'm pretty sure I was simply using too much pressure. The biggest problem I've had isn't switching hands, but switching eyes - my right eye is extremely dominant (probably from shooting), and that makes it harder to do the the left side of my neck. Feeling brave, I decided to try a third pass yesterday, and the E-W pass on the left side of my neck improved that area a lot. Still some room for improvement, of course.

Managed to nick myself once near my right cheekbone (inattention, I expect), but no blood.

Using the kettle for hot water instead of the tap is much more pleasant.

I'm quite happy with my progress, and still having fun, although the shave is close enough that I can only practice every other day.