Still doing something wrong, but I'm buggered if I know want...

So my razor is honed properly, I've stropped it, preshave is pretty good, but the shave is not quite right.

I've read that pressure is a big issue, so I tried to let the razor do the work but it catches on my beard and it feels like it requires a push, the only time it glides is when I have the razor flat against my face (then it 'sucks' to my face and requires some encouragement to move).

I've also noticed that the razor 'skips' if I give it a little encouragement (I try to keep the pressure to a minimum).

I guess my question is: how much room for error do you have on the angle?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I'm also new to this so you can take it for what it's worth, I have been having great shaves though. First off I've found proper pre shave prep goes a long way. As far as the angle is concerned as many will say 30° is ideal but slightly more or less hadn't made to huge of a difference, laying flat however won't get you far. Also stretching I've found to be very helpful in getting the razor to glide over your skin. Of course all this assuming your razor is shave ready that is huge.

You need some pressure, but keep the pressure downwards, not into your skin. Use short confident strokes.
Your lather may be a bit too thick as well, if you feel it sucking the razor to your face.

are you stretching your skin? sounds like the razor skipping is either the razor is sharp enough which we can rule out beecause its been honed, to me it sounds as though your not stretching your skin. Actually if your lather is too dry - depending on the soap - I've found it can toughen up the hairs alot and seriously affects how smooth your shave is.

try using hair conditioner on your face for 10-15mins before shaving, some of us just have really tough beards/stubble, my chin is annoying when I don't have time to prep it.

All good advice. Angle 5-45 degrees go with what works for you. Ive also seen new guys just being too careful. Commit to it the shaving stroke at worst you end up with a little cut.

I had a lot of skipping issues when I started

1. Pre-Shave - I have typical Middle Eastern tough as heck beard (sometimes, if I've let the growth go for more than two days I need to strop mid-shave to keep things smooth) so making sure my beard is as hydrated and clean as possible is critical. If you have a tough beard then this is a good place to make sure you're not skimping on details.

2. Shave Ready - Again, strop, strop and do it again and give it a slow hanging hair test along different parts of the blade. I found that I could tell where I had issues with my stropping because some parts of the blade was sharp and others not so (you can also find this out the more painful way...).

3. Lather - I would get a good lather, but when I started, it took so long for me to shave that some parts would dry out by the time I got to it. I lather one side/segment at a time hence always rich, wet lather is being used.

4. Stretching. I stretch progressively down my face - basically following the razor down. This method has given me some great single pass shaves when I'm in a rush but couldn't bring myself to use the much hated Gillette multi-razor abomination. I think also for those us with tough beards, this really allows the razor maximum exposure to the stubble.

5. Length of stubble. Don't let the growth go for too long. I've found there is a point where if I try a straight on long beards then I'm in for a long and not too pleasant shave. I shave around my goatee and trying to trim the goatee with a razor is not recommended (not in my world anyway). That's what I use the Gillette multi-blade abomination for - clean up detail.

Hope some of this helps.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PenSword

... Don't let the growth go for too long. I've found there is a point where if I try a straight on long beards then I'm in for a long and not too pleasant shave...

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I think this comment is saying the same thing as the original post, addressing the initial whiskers long shave. Originally, I had the same problem. Now, I lay the blade flat, and with several passes over my whiskers in the WTG direction, the whisker length is about skin level. Very short stubble. Since my blade is moving parallel to the skin, not much danger of razor burn and cuts.

But, here is where I was initially confused. I thought that resistance and pulling indicated something was wrong with the sharpness of the edge. Now, I expect some resistance during the above process of shaving whiskers down to short stubble. (If commercial blades offer resistance and pulling when whiskers are long, and they do, and commercial blades are sharper than straights, then isn't it reasonable to also expect some pulling with straights during this initial phase?)

After reducing the whiskers to skin level as above, relather and shave with about 30 degree angle. The shave from then on should be easy, no pulling, etc.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LarryAndro

I think this comment is saying the same thing as the original post, addressing the initial whiskers long shave. Originally, I had the same problem. Now, I lay the blade flat, and with several passes over my whiskers in the WTG direction, the whisker length is about skin level. Very short stubble. Since my blade is moving parallel to the skin, not much danger of razor burn and cuts.

But, here is where I was initially confused. I thought that resistance and pulling indicated something was wrong with the sharpness of the edge. Now, I expect some resistance during the above process of shaving whiskers down to short stubble. (If commercial blades offer resistance and pulling when whiskers are long, and they do, and commercial blades are sharper than straights, then isn't it reasonable to also expect some pulling with straights during this initial phase?)

After reducing the whiskers to skin level as above, relather and shave with about 30 degree angle. The shave from then on should be easy, no pulling, etc.

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The OP doesn't state the length of his beard so I assumed it wasn't one or the other but made sure to mention that longer stubble is more problematic.

In addition to the angle, pressure, prep and sharpness of the blade already discussed, I would reinforce Blix's comment regarding using short strokes. This really helps whether you have one days growth or a month's growth. You can always go back and clean up with a little longer stokes.

Have fun,

Lynn

Thank you all for the great advice, it was like Christmas waking up this morning with so many replies.

I think it might be time for me to face reality and realise I have tough whiskers. As to the length of the whiskers, well I guess they aren't exactly short but not exactly long either, I guess around 1mm would be the max (given that I've not had a clean close shave since I was a teenager with nothing but a bit of fluff under my nose).

I didn't shave this morning as I shaved last night, I did have a shower this morning and figured a little hair conditioner on the old whiskers wouldn't hurt. I think I'll have the house all to myself tonight as my better half is off doing something else for a few hours. So my plan of attack is as follows:

Warm shower and hair conditioner on the whiskers for 15 mins (seems excessive but I guess I have to go overboard before I can find balance).
I'll probably throw in some steamed towels to go with that.
I've been reading about the beard reduction method using the blade flat against your skin for a first pass.
Then I'll try another WTG pass and see how that works out.
Given that I wont be rushed by any means I'll take my sweet time tonight.

I do actually have a question with regards to knowing if your whiskers have softened up. Is there an easy way to tell if anything was effective before you go into the shave?

Rub your hand on your face before you take your shower.....probably like 80 grit sandpaper.

Rub your hand on your face after a hot shower and some conditioner.....probably like 220 grit sandpaper. Time, moisture and heat will soften your whiskers, and your skin. When the elasticity of your skin increases, it allows you to pull in various ways and get the whiskers just where you want them before you mow them down.

I also agree with Lynn and Blix. Short meaningful strokes....about 1/2 an inch or so long. Hold the razor tight in your fingers....but keep the pressure light. That will allow a bit of flex...

....I miss JimmHAD's signature....it was good advice.

I better report back, it's been about 24 hours since the shave (I've managed to get a cold in the mean time and thus spent a fair bit of time being lazy).

It went a little better, for one I didn't clean up with a cartridge razor.

So I took a hot shower after I did 15 mins of hair conditioner on the whiskers. I did forgo the steamed towels which may have been helpful in hind sight. I think it's also important to mention that this whole processes took over an hour (talk about efficiency). Things I noticed, whisker length before shaving was around 2mm I managed to get that down to 1mm at worst in some places. I did the beard reduction with the blade flat against my face and that actually took a LOT off. At this point I thought things were going well so I did another beard reduction pass and all was well. Things started to go a little wrong after the WTG pass, I figured since I didn't feel any discomfort I'd do another WTG pass to see if I can actually get a close shave. I suspect I may have gotten a little impatient and applied too much pressure as I started to feel the burn (I'm pretty sure this is bad). I also attempted to do a XTG pass in some areas and that was quite a bit more uncomfortable.

I did manage to get the sides of my face pretty clean and fairly close (no BBS though) which was great actually, I think this was a better result than what I would have gotten with the cartridge razor. My skin was quite sensitive for a couple of hours after but I think since I didn't clean up with the cartridge razor I got off a lot better than I did in the past.

I think I have trouble stretching the skin properly, which will probably make a lot of difference. I'll keep working on that and see how I go in a weeks time.