Thread: Matt's shave journel

Originally Posted by Mdixon2124

Now for my one real question at this point:
On the right side of my neck and throat the hair grows chin --> ear. Should I be pursuing shaving WTG that way or just North to South for the time being? Or is there even really a way to shave chin --> ear WTG and ear-->chin with a straight razor?

Hi Matt,
You've gotten some great advice so far. As your skills and confidence improve, your right brain will lead your hands into the correct stroke, blade angle and skin stretch for challenging areas like your neck. Don't rush it and it will come to you in an "AHA!" moment.

On that part of my neck my beard growth is exactly like yours. Here is what works for me:

1st pass: I do a diagonal pass that is somewhere between a WTG and an XTG pass. Razor in my right hand, edge down, toe pointed toward, but somewhat below, my right earlobe, I work my way across my neck from below my chin to below my ear using short guillotine strokes that move in a heel-to-toe direction that is illustrated here, with NO pressure at all. NOTE: I need to go from below my chin to below my ear several times, overlapping, to complete the first pass.

2nd pass: Nearly identical to my 1st pass, but I hold the razor in my right hand edge UP, toe pointed as above, I work my way from below my ear to below my chin using short guillotine strokes that move in a TOE-TO-HEEL direction this time. Again, NO pressure and I need to repeat a few times (overlapping) to complete the pass.

3rd pass: I do a good ATG here. I have fun with this pass because my hand gets in the way to the point I can't see the edge of my razor contacting my skin. I solved that problem by closing my eyes (-_-) and going by feel alone. I hold my razor in my right hand, using Grip 1. illustrated here. The tail of my razor is up, the toe pointed toward the base of my neck between my clavicle and trapezius muscle. That gives me a pretty decent ATG pass. I use short guillotine strokes with a toe-to-heel direction, working my way from below my ear to below my chin. Again, as above, I do several narrow overlapping passes with NO pressure to complete the ATG on this part of my face.

Please do not assume that I'm instructing you to copy my technique. I had the exact same problem with my neck when I started out that you have. As my confidence and skills developed, my right brain led my hands to the strokes I describe above. This is what works for me, for my beard, and for my skin. With time and practice, your right brain will provide you with a solution that works for your beard and your skin. I am just demonstrating that that is what will happen.

And don't forget to stretch your skin!
Namaste,
Morty -_-

Shave 8:

I gave the Morley razor 30/70 again just to see if I had a bad day or it was really giving me some tug and pull. I had about a day and a half growth. On the first N-->S pass there was some tug and pull. On the second pass it was provided a smooth glide. Every once in a while I'd stop on both passes and check the lather built up on the razor. Every time, evenly throughout the blade, the lather was full of whiskers. So I turn to the pro's here. Should I give it 5 to 10 laps on the pasted ruprazor strop, send it to be honed, keep using it and don't let my beard grow more then a day? I just don't know if it's dulled a bit after 7 shaves or what the deal is. Couple that with me still learning to strop, and shave I could very well be the problem.

As far as the shave it went well. I missed a spot on my neck but things seem to be improving each time. And again no nicks, cuts, or burn so that's always a plus.

Matt

Hi Matt,
You're going to get a lot of opinions, and that statement is even more astonishing when you realise you;re going to get three different opinions from one person!!

Giving it a few laps on the pasted strop would not be a bad idea; though I've never used a pasted strop.

Sending it to be honed would not be a bad idea, though I've never sent a razor to be honed

Many people would say I'm wrong, but I'd buy a Norton 4/8 and a Shapton 16k and learn to use them.

The easier option is sending it out, the second easiest is using your pasted strop and the hardest is honing. But one day, if we want to be REAL men, we learn to hone :-)

Oh, BTW, I think one should expect just a small amount of tugging sometimes, not every shave is perfect...

Originally Posted by Mdixon2124

On the first N-->S pass there was some tug and pull. On the second pass it was provided a smooth glide. . . . the lather was full of whiskers. . . . I just don't know if it's dulled a bit after 7 shaves or what the deal is. . . . As far as the shave it went well. . . . again no nicks, cuts, or burn

Hi Matt,
Like carlmaloschneider, I've never sent a razor out to be honed by someone else, but you have enough on your plate right now just learning how to shave. Unless you had a burning desire to learn how to hone before anyone mentioned it to you, I would suggest you wait a while and concentrate on developing your shaving technique for the time being.

When we are new to straight razor shaving, the problems we have can nearly always be traced back to our technique -- because we are still learning. You note above that your shave went well with no nicks, cuts or razor burn and that your second pass was a smooth glide. That does not sound like a dull razor to me.

While it is possible for poor stropping technique to adversely affect an edge, I don't think that's the issue here. Just the same, it would be a good idea to check the wiki and compare your stropping technique to what you read there.

Off the point, when I was first learning, it always seemed like I would get more tugging and pulling if I went two days between shaves and less if I shaved every day. Why? I haven't a clue (mostly because I was still learning).

How is your beard prep? A hot shower or washing your face with hot water will begin to soften your beard but there is much more you can do to prep your beard and make your shave easier and more comfortable. After washing your face, work some hair conditioner into your beard and leave it there for a couple of minutes while you make your lather. Then apply a hot towel for a minute or two. Rinse the hair conditioner off your face and work 3 - 5 drops of shave oil into your skin. That will help lubricate your skin and minimize razor burn. Then apply your lather and shave. And do go back and read the section on beard prep in the wiki. The better your beard prep -- the better your shave will be in closeness and in comfort.

Your shaving technique. The angle that you hold the blade will either cause more or less pulling and the angle will be different for each pass. Straight razor shaving, however, isn't like "paint by numbers." It's more involved than just "keeping the color within the lines." With time, your right brain will lead your hand into the proper angle for the least amount of pulling without you giving it any conscious thought. For now, just try your best to use the angles described in the wiki and trust that your right brain will pick it up as you gain experience and confidence.

The stroke you use will have a major effect on the comfort of your shave -- which includes pulling and tugging. Earlier I mentioned that I use a guillotine stroke when shaving my neck. I use that stroke on maybe 85% of my face. When properly done, it makes for smoothly slicing off the whiskers, rather than hacking them off the way you would hack a branch off a tree with a hatchet. The same section of the wiki also describes the scythe stroke, which is very similar to the guillotine. Both of those strokes -- when properly done -- will virtually eliminate tugging and puling when shaving.

But there is a reason why those advanced strokes are not mentioned in the instructions given to beginners! Remember: this is not "paint by numbers." There are other areas you need to work on before incorporating advanced techniques.

For now, work on your beard prep. Work on training yourself to use the best angle for each pass. Work on using the least amount of pressure. With a straight razor, the less pressure, the better shave you will get. Work on your stropping technique. And then, as your skill and confidence increases, begin to add advanced strokes like the guillotine stroke. But don't rush it. You will know when you are ready. Until then, it's okay to live with a little pulling and tugging. Just be patient along the way.
Morty

Fellas thank you for the through replies. I'm kinda hot and cold on reading here on days I don't shave, but I do read the replies and try to implement the advice given.

Shave 9:
Could be my best shave to date. I decided to un-scientifically determine if the Morley was going dull. So I brought out my shave ready Clauss that only has 1 shave on it. I had about 2 1/2 days growth which was more then the last shave when I used the Morley. Everything went fantastic no tugging, or pulling. Further no cuts, nicks, or burns so I'm always pleased with that. The spot under my chin is shaved even and uniformly and that'd been giving me trouble. There is a spot further left on my jaw line I tried 2x to touch up but it didn't clean up as nice. 1 step forward 2 steps back I guess. I really felt that things kinda came together on this shave a little bit.

I've decided that I'll put the Morley on the pasted strop and see if the edge comes back compared to the Clauss. If not it's off to the hones as I'm not ready to venture into that yet.

Thanks again guys for all the advice.

Matt

Originally Posted by Morty

How is your beard prep?

Morty,

Now that I have just a minute I'll get you an answer. My routine has been, since I started using a DE about a 2 years ago, has been a hot shower. The last thing I do in the shower is let the hot water run over my face and neck for roughly 2 minutes. I then just dry my forehead and eyes, exit the shower, and begin lathering. I've started face lathering so once lather is built up on the brush I'll rinse again with hot water from the sink to make sure the beard area is well wetted, and then start working the brush in a circular motion to build lather across my face and neck. Once a good lather is built I continue and move on to painting style strokes. Then it's on to the shave.

I've used hot towels a few times, and while nice I've never noticed a difference. But that was with my DE not my straight. Also I've never used any type of pre-shave oil or anything so I can't say if I'm a believer or not believer in those things.

Matt

Shave 10

Probably the best shave to date. I used the Clauss again. Prep was hot shower as ususal. This time there were no patches that needed touch ups, or that I missed. I made 2 WTG/N-->S passes. Had 2 little bleeders on my upper lip but nothing that Whitch Hazel didn't take care of. Technique is making progress I feel. I'll keep working N-->S passes for a while. Once the shaves become consistant then I'll probably push to adding a XTG pass on my face.

Matt

Sounds like it's going really well, Matt. I used to use Proraso pre shave cream almost religiously, but then I wanted to go all natural with creams and things and gave it a miss. They've got a new formula now, but I haven't tried it yet. I basically decided at a point in time I pretty much had an almost perfect shave 'pegged', and wanted to then concentrate on technique rather than prep. There are SO many variables in shaving that I think it's wise at some stage to isolate a variable and work on it alone.

I have never actually had a 100% perfect shave; though, unless I use a DE. A DE allows me to come at each and every hair exactly opposite to its direction of growth. I don't feel, that for me, that's actually possible with a straight; not unless I use a straight with a very well rounded Spanish or French toe. A couple of my new framebacks could lend themselves to this; possibly with some toe shaping...

Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

There are SO many variables in shaving that I think it's wise at some stage to isolate a variable and work on it alone.

+1 on Carl's advice. I'd go one week with without changing anything in my beard prep, then I'd add a technique to my prep and do that every day for a week. That's how I came to realize that using hair conditioner really did soften my beard more, applying 3 - 5 drops of pre shave oil to my face before lathering palpably improved the comfort of my shave and that use of a hot towel didn't seem to make much of a difference for me.

Everyone's beard and skin is different. It pays to take the time and effort to find out what works for you.