First shave in the books

Well thanks to a professionally honed antique (Gssixgun), I got through my first shave with good results. I shaved from my sideburns down to about one inch from my goatee. Then shaved the lower part of my neck. With the exception of one ingrown hair on my neck, I was unaware of, I had no nicks. I did have a couple observations that brought up questions.

1) by the time I got to the left side if my face the lather was tacky. I did use a preshave oil because I did not shower prior. I believe this is the culprit but will leave the oil off next time to see.

2) any advice for shaving around a goatee?

3) do y'all rinse your razor under running water, or wipe on a towel, or swish in standing water? Most videos don't show this, I'm leary of hitting blade on sink.

Thanks

1. I think this is a common problem for most of us beginners. It's probably a combination of several things, the time it takes you to shave in the beginning and the quality of the lather are probably what's causing this. I found using a few drops of glycerine in my lather really helped. Also try just lathering half your face at a time. As you get more proficient with your razor and building your lather this shouldn't be a problem.

Can't help with the second but as far as rinsing goes I try to get as little water on the razor as possible so I just keep a towel next to me and wipe the blade when necessary. Mainly because I'm concerned with not getting the razor completely dry and opening the door for rust to develop, and second I'd hate to ding the razor on the sink, even a light bump can damage the blade.

Congrats on your first shave. In answer to your questions, 1) the lather will get a bit tacky or dry up a bit with time, just relathering the area should help. 2) Just be careful...lol...I recently grew mine back and have to contort into some unique angles to keep it nice and all there. 3) I personally rinse mine under the tap water between passes, but as you pointed out you have to be careful to not hit the blade on the sink or tap.
Hope this helps:)

My take on the tacky lather; not enough water/dried out before you got there. reapply fresh when you get to the other side. i too use pre shave oil and have not experienced that problem since my technique improved to where it wasn't taking so long to get to the other side.

as to the goatee, i shave as close as i can with the heel of the blade both wtg & atg then i use a short xtg stroke from the ear side of my face toward the mouth to take care of the stubble right next the goatee (left hand right side, right hand left side). i get underneath with atg strokes upward toward my chin.

i rinse my razor by wiping it with my fingers under running water. i wouldn't recommend it though because of your fingers and your edge, but i do it anyway. so far so good.

i have read many times on this site that you need at least 100 shaves to start to develop and become comfortable with your shaving technique, i might put that number closer to 200 but there are many variables. i don't know how many shaves i have under my belt but i can tell you that i still constantly tell myself two things every time i shave: lighten your touch, and don't get cocky! because the difference in angle/technique between a successful stroke and a stroke that cuts is so slight that i doubt it could be measured.

happy shaving

Well shave #2 went off without a hitch. Full face, good and smooth, so I guess my stropping worked out well. We'll see how the future goes

congrats on your shaves...keep up the good work.