Thread: A Journey of 100 Shaves

Thanks for all the advise about lathers! I had read someone yesterday (I think it was somewhere on this forum) that some people had better luck whipping up some soap in their hand rather than a mug, while a few others recommended using a small rice bowl that was textured. On the way home from work I stopped by the World Market near my house and picked up a small japanese rice bowl. Its fairly textured inside and is actually small enough I can fit it in the palm of my hand. The best part? $2. I'm looking forward to giving it a try with my shave this evening.

I know there isn't any actual science or law behind the idea that it takes 100 shaves to be proficient, but I'd seen the idea propagated around the internet so many times I figured it would be a nice easy number to work towards. And if I get skilled before then, well, that will just give me plenty of shaves to work on different techniques or maybe a new razor!

I will be working on my 3rd shave this evening when I get home from work. But in the mean time, I thought I'd post up a picture of my shaving set. Just a basic SRD set with my new bowl and a gillette aftershave lotion from my Mach3 days.

A person can have a thousand shaves in and still find something to learn in SR shaving. I have well over 100 SR shaves in and I still find something new to learn about this craft. The learning never stops.

3rd Shave - 12/29/11

It seems I was right about my assumption that I need to shave every other day. Razor burn was minimal, if not even a little less than I am used to with a cartridge razor. I put more effort into my pre-shave set up for this one: I stropped a bit slower and paid more attention to the feel and sound of each strop and I spent more time getting my lather ready. I shaved a tad bit slower as well, though it felt like I was shaving in a more efficient manner.

I feel pretty comfortable with the WTG and XTG on my cheeks. I'm still having some trouble with my neck. My beard there grows in a strange pattern- the grain originates from my left collarbone and grows straight up to my left cheek, then arcing sideways across my throat

(the flag of seychelles comes to mind, haha)



I'm sure I'm hardly unique in having a difficult beard pattern, but I am unsure as the best way to handle it. Right now my strategy is to shave from the bottom of my neck up, which on my left is a WTG shave, but slowly becomes a XTG by the center and right. It works well enough, but does create some amount of razor burn.

I was overall happy with the shave, but I want to work on making the neck part of the shave more uniform in closeness, and less irritated.

4th Shave - 12/31/11

I think I have finally gotten a consistently good lather. I've put a little more time into whipping it up, and as some others advised, added a bit more water to the mixture as well. For once I went an entire shave without having any spots where it dried out. I've also started to reapply it more often as I shave. What is working for me is: Lather -> Strop -> re-Lather -> Shave cheeks and mustache -> re-Lather throat -> Shave throat. I repeat the same process again (minus the stropping) for the XTG pass.

I'm getting happier with how my jawline and chin look after each shave, but I still need to work on some improvements there.

5th Shave - 1/2/12

First shave of the New Year!

This shave had the least amount of irritation so far! I don't know if it is my skin getting used to the straight, my technique improving, or both, but there has been less and less razor burn after each shave. Today I barely felt any at all after I cleaned up and put on my aftershave.

I've also gotten better about getting the bottom of my chin, which has been a spot I've been unhappy with so far. I still am having some trouble with my mustache- particularly the area just under my nose. I tend to have to clean that up with my cartridge because I'm not sure how best to approach it. That's my project for the next shave.

6th Shave - 1/4/12

I don't know that I tried anything new with this shave, but I did make several observations:

Even after only a few shaves, I now feel comfortable enough with WTG and XTG on my cheeks that its been several shaves since there was any stubble or cuts on that area of my face. I could probably get it even closer with an ATG, but I haven't really tried. I started an ATG approach once some time last week, but it felt like it was going to tear up my face so I abandoned it.

On my throat, there is just one small patch (about the size of a quarter) that will get razor burned seemingly no matter how well I prep or how little pressure I use. If a razor of any type passes over it, its irritated. It tends to clear up fairly well, and for now I have other things to focus on.

I am still having troubles with the mustache area. I am unsure of how to best approach it, and because of that the razor will slow down significantly as I shave there, leaving me prone to small nicks if my face or the blade moves side to side. While I haven't cut myself in this way for a few shaves, I don't like that I leave myself open to it.

Lately I have been wondering if an alum block might be a good addition to my post-shave routine. I will probably acquire one sometime soon.

Originally Posted by armiller17

6th Shave - 1/4/12
I am still having troubles with the mustache area. I am unsure of how to best approach it, and because of that the razor will slow down significantly as I shave there, leaving me prone to small nicks if my face or the blade moves side to side. While I haven't cut myself in this way for a few shaves, I don't like that I leave myself open to it.

Lately I have been wondering if an alum block might be a good addition to my post-shave routine. I will probably acquire one sometime soon.

1. I find using my right hand is much easier than left for under the nose and parts of my chin. That said, I start in the middle with the spine touching my nose, maybe using two hands, making a yawn face so my lip is stretched, as I draw down, increase the angle of the blade, taking off only about 1/4 to 3/8 inch each pass.

2. I saw you mentioned razor burn in another post, for me, eliminating this on my face came down to not making too many passes in one area without having lather there. I shaved last night wtg, xtg x2 with zero burn. I just keep lots of lather in the area of shaving. Also when you apply the lather make sure you rub it in with your hand. I find that just placing it on the skin with a brush doesn't quite get it attached to the skin but that's me. I brush on, hand rub, re brush.

Razor burn. Lighten up on the pressure. I know it feels like you need to press into the skin to cut the hair, after all thats how it worked with your past razors... Use very light pressure and you can make more passes even when the shaving cream is already scraped off. Not too light, not too much pressure.... It will Feel right when you have gotten it right... Light pressure is more important on the mustash area so perhaps that is where you have the problem with that area. Nice smooth scoop motion with very light touch. Make smaller short movements if you need to.

Thanks for the great advice guys. I've managed to slowly confine my razor burn to one area on my throat, just below my jaw on the left. Jeffegg2- you might be right about me using too much pressure. The hair here has typically been harder to shave, and I probably am used to pressing harder with a cartridge to cut it smooth.


7th Shave - 1/7/12

While in the shower before my shave I noticed that behind my wife's shampoos was a small can of barbasol slowly rusting away in the shower, unused in several weeks. I remembered reading somewhere on SRP that some people used to lather up with Barbasol in the shower to help prep their beard if they were going to shave afterwards. I figured I'd give it a try.

After getting out of the shower my stubble felt as rough as I've ever noticed it to- the shaving cream certainly got their hair to stand up, but I don't know that it did anything to soften it. The rest of the prep I did the same as I have been- lather, strop, re-lather. I don't know that I noticed any difference that the Barbasol pre-lather caused, either positive or negative.

I tried klingenmeister's advice on approaching the mustache and was able to shave more of the area than I have been. I still didn't get it all, but I think its a mix of my amateur technique combined with feeling like I'm going to cut myself at any minute when I attempt the mustache. Still, I made a little more progress in tackling that area, and I look forward to getting more and more as time goes on.

All in all, not a bad shave

8th Shave - 1/10/11

This was my first shave in which I did not cut myself once in the process! I don't know if or how long I will be able to keep the streak going, but I was pretty happy with myself for it.

This shave I REALLY paid attention to the angle of the blade when shaving my chin and jawline. Previously it "seemed like" I was using the proper angle, but after many rough passes and pulling I finally took the time to really examine what I was doing. What I found out shouldn't be a surprise to anyone- I was cutting at much to steep of an angle (nearing 45), and unconsciously making up for the inefficient cutting by applying too much pressure. I worked on correcting both, and wouldn't you know it? I got the closest shave yet along my jaw and chin. Of course these were all techniques I knew I should be doing, but I think I had to develop some level of proficiency in the basics before I could understand what felt right vs. wrong.

I have not mentioned it for several posts, but I have been getting better still at my lather. I have not had a problem with it drying on my face for a long time now. One thing I have noticed, however, is that sometimes the lather seems to improve just by sitting. Is this something that can happen, or is this a figment of my imagination? What I mean is I whip up the lather, brush it to my face, strop, and then when I come back to reapply the lather it seems to be slightly more firm and full. I didn't whip it anymore, it just sat in the bowl while a stropped. Not that I'm complaining , just wondering.

Nice Thread