Thread: First two SE shaves done :(

I got my "kit" from Tony on Friday. Very nice razor and strop! Good price and fast shipping. It is also easier to order a kit, I would recommend this to others starting out. I have been reading lots of info hear and elsewhere, so I figured it would go fairly well.

First off no bleeding that cold water couldn't stop Thanks to some of the prep advice here I have been getting a very close shave with my Quattro and can usually get by shaving everyother day for work. I had shaved Thrusday, so the beard was not that long on Friday. I figured it would make it easier to learn.

I had a hard time with the soap, kept drying out. I figured that is partly me, partly the soap (Williams), and me being used to canned stuff. I made sure to keep reapplying though.

The razor just seemed to pull an awfull lot Even doing the simple areas such as sides of face. I managed to get my whole face done. It wasn't smooth in most areas, but it took enough off that it looked fine.

I cannot ever remember having razor burn that bad in my life I didn't apply hardly any pressure, and felt the angle was correct. I suppose my face will have to toughen up a little. I didn't dare go against the grain for a 3rd pass. I tried a few little areas( against the grain) and the razor jumped around and pulled.

I tried again on Sunday, but switched to the quattro 40% of the way through. I didn't want razor burn again
I finished up with the soap. When I got done, the shave with my quattro seemed a lot smoother with the soap than with the canned stuff. My face felt softer, smoother, and a little tight. I can't wait to try a better quality soap and see what that does.

I don't think I damaged the edge with my stropping, I was very slow and methodical. Maybe I have a thicker beard and the razor needs to be a little sharper? Or maybe I am not using enough of a cything motion?

I wetted a spot on my leg and the razor shaved it smooth on the first pass. I realize that hair is not as tough though.

Just wanted to share my experience/fustration. I can see there are so many variables when you first start out it is going to be a challenge. I am not giving up, and certainly don't want to discourage anyone else from tyring it. But it should serve as a reminder the just about everything in life looks a lot eaiser then it is.

I am guessing a pasted paddle strop, better soap and more practice might be the ticket. Any words of encourgement/advice are certainly welcome.

I'm fairly new to this too and I'm just now getting a really good shave--it took a couple weeks to get somewhat confident.

The advice I can give is to try varying the angle of the blade. I use something close to the recommended 30 deg. on the sides of my face and neck, but for the chin and moustache I lay the blade almost flat against my skin. I also discovered that the same angle works the best when going against the grain, if I use my normal angle I get a lot of drag and irritation. Anyway, just my $.02--I thought my (new) razor was just dull, but now that I started playing with angles I'm doing pretty well.

if you got it shave ready from tony, why did you strop it? i don't really know much, but i'm wondering if you didn't dull it, careful as you think you may have been. a sharp razor shouldn't leave you with any irritation to speak of unless you really dug in with it or went over the same spot too many times trying to get it smooth (my favorite mistake).

I can't imagine how it could happen as the blade that Tony sent me shaved at least as well as anything I honed. I am guessing your angle is off. When I was teaching my co-worker and mentioned a 30 degree angle, he put it almost perpendicular to the skin. Other problem areas:
1) Prep. Make sure you wash your face well before applying lather. When you remove the oils, the hair will absorb the water. Make sure you give it plenty of time to absorb (120sec).
2) Stretching. If you stretch your skin properly you will make your cuts much easier on you.
3) When shaving with the grain, make sure you know which direction the hair is growing in. Know thyself well and thou shalt achieve laudable shaves, grasshoper!

i disagree with you, firestart, 1,2, and 3 are to blame if a person isn't getting close enough shaves, but i've done all three for one reason or another, and they don't really cause razor burn.

They don't directly cause it, but if your shaves aren't effective, you are more likely to apply more pressure and pressure = burn. Therefore, do not argue with the Zen-Budha Master


Edit:
Also, when your angle is off, you are more likely to scrape the skin instead of cutting the whiskers and may even throw a few more ineffective passes that will just cause further irritation, a.k.a. razor burn. QED

Originally Posted by cyrano138

i disagree with you, firestart, 1,2, and 3 are to blame if a person isn't getting close enough shaves, but i've done all three for one reason or another, and they don't really cause razor burn.

okay. i'm quoting myself because, obviously, i want to be really really clear, and i want to do it with all proper deference to those who've helped me start SE shaving. having said that, x, i have removed all the aforementioned priorities without incurring razor burn.

everyone just sees that i have only 135 posts and assumes that the guy with 1300 posts is right. granted, i've only been doing this for two months, but i think that's enough time accumulate valid experience, and what i'm saying is this:

everyone seems to be overlooking the possibility that he's working with a dull razor. firestart presented three rules which were intended to prevent razor irritation. i disagree--i have, at one time or another (with a sharp razor), neglected to

1 prepare and lather properly--no irritation

2 stretch the skin--no irritation

3 follow the grain exactly--still no irritation

conversely, i've done all three of these things almost to the letter (with a dull razor), and gotten bad razor burn.
my conclusion: these three things are neither necessary, nor suffcient to prevent razor burn. the blade must be sharp.

i understand that these things will make the difference between a good shave and a great shave, and also that many of you may have had different experiences. but as long as one person (me) has had the experience i'm describing above, it is adequate proof (by counter example) that the statement, "items 1, 2, and 3 are necessary and sufficient conditions to prevent razor burn," is not true.

it is my assertion, then, that sec's real concern should be the sharpness of the blade. in my experience, shaving technique was not difficult at all to acquire. the day i got my shave-ready (about a week after i started) i got a great, close, irritation-free shave. the real challenge has been sharpening and maintenance of the blade. for this reason, when someone assumes a beginner is having trouble because of the thing that (in my experience) was very simple to learn and not the thing that was (in my experience) very difficult, i feel obligated to offer a dissenting opinion. when firestart correctly (in my opinion) pointed out that the angle and pressure might be to blame, he should have stopped there, because the three reasons that followed are not causally linked to bad angle and pressure, as my experience has shown, and despite his otherwise clever domino analogy.

in mathematics and logic, all that is required to disprove a theorem is ONE counterexample. if i've understood firestart's assertion--that 1,2, and 3 will prevent razor burn--and if you believe that i am not lying about my experience, the logic is solid. there isn't any room to argue. so when people dismiss careful thought with platitudes, i am inexplicably compelled to spend an hour in front of my computer arguing about shaving with folks halfway across the world.

please don't take it as hostility, i love the forum and everyone here has been great and generous, and i hope that i've contributed, too. i try to pass on as much as has been passed on to me and to do so in the same spirit. i make this argument in the spirit of dialectic. it seems that the more individual experiences we consider, the more accurate our knowledge will be. i'm throwing a few smileys in here at the end to show that this isn't anything but a light-hearted exercise in logic.