Quote Originally Posted by agibby5 View Post
[...]A second thing that annoys me is that my skin is very sensitive.[...] My preshave preperation was to apply a hot towel, scrub the lather into the skin, apply a hot towel, clean the lather off, apply presave oil, apply lather again, let sit for about 30 seconds, begin shaving. Any ideas of what I could do more/less for the preshave prep?
Do you really need the pre-shave oil? If you feel you do let it go once you're achieving good shaves and then re-evaluate. Back to your current preparation: are you only applying and cleaning off the lather once, between two hot towel treatments? How long are those?

Quote Originally Posted by agibby5
EDIT: Forgot to mention that the first time I couldn't hold the razor in my off-hand for the LIFE of me... but this time it was much, much easier to do so! Looking forward to getting that down more as well as becoming more comfortable with the various ways to hold the razor depending on the different parts of the shave.
Righty who's used to using left-handed str8 for 2/3rds of the shave, including the most aggressive final pass on the majority of the truly bearded areas. I have sensitive skin, to abrasion, not chemicals (chemicals only make my skin grow stronger). I have keratosis pilarus, most evident on parts of my body, not face. However, my skin reacts to any detritus that could clog my pores and I get pseudo folliculitis barbae easily. Mostly my skin gets pink/red in a hurry with abrasion. Of course, a properly used smooth edge (disposable, cartridge, open razor) does not cause the reddening, which only makes pogonometry even more interesting for hideous freaks like myself. You really need good shave prep. I firmly believe the "hydrating" qualities of super-fatted or extra-glycerin soaps causes the skin to suck in more water than usual, causing a dehydrating effect over time with absorbtion. Leaving a glycerin-rich lather on the skin a while longer, not wiping it off completely, as in your pre-shave prep (what I can make of it, anyway) is counter-intuitive to what I'm implying because that enables more glycerin to soak into your skin. However, since the stuff is scheduled to sit on your face for the entirety of the shave I believe that hydrating the hairs (along with the skin) entails pumping your cells so full of water before hand that your skin isn't still absorbing more water during the shave, thus prematurely dehydrating the lather in direct contact with the skin.

I like to use a good shaving lather as pre-shave prep, it's a dual-purpose product in that respect. If I'm shaving after a shower I'm not not softening the hairs so much as ensuring the skin is acclimated (i.e. super-hydrated) to the lather and not working against me. I also allow the lather's collapsing into a liquid (or thin gel) on the skin and re-lather without reservation because that's just building a solid slick and cushiony layer below the layer of lather on top... kind of like a... pre-shave oil, in theory.

P.S. agibby5: I also have a tendency to do upwards (for me not truly ATG) swipes with an open razor under the chin, along the sideburn and the right side of my chin with the left hand, and no similar strokes with the right. I'm literally more comfortable with the most aggressive movements lefty. I still use my right hand more proficiently and efficiently on the hairs around the mouth, the only valid proof that I haven't turned to the other side!