Thread: Prep Issues I think

Ok been one week now with progress going pretty well on using the str8 with no real problems figuring out how to shave with it. However, I've had a couple shaves that it didn't seem like the razor was cutting all that well even though I strop linen 20 and leather around 50 before shaving. Thought my strop technique might be off so watched a bunch of videos of Lynn and others stropping and I don't think my stropping was diferent than what they were showing nice and taught and very little pressure on the razor going slow and trying to get technique right. Draw feels good and a nice wiper sound and not high pitched when stropping. Stropped it today and it'd take hair right off my arm like it wasn't there, and I got it from SRD so sharp shouldn't be an issue. I even hold the razor to the light to check the edge after every stropping session for burrs and any imperfections other than a clean straight shinny edge. Now my hair on my jawline and chin I compare to a wire brush so it's leading me to believe it's a prep issue. Today when I shaved with one day growth I still had some real short stubble after shaving on my chin, even after a XTG pass. I don't think the half hollow should have a problem cutting it so I'm kinda stumped. I tried cold water shaving a few times and I like it better and had less irritation. Could be that my hair when using hot water is making it too flexible and the razor isn't cutting it, but to me I'm getting too much resistance on the jawline and chin. Tomorrow I'm going to go back to cold and see if it's any better but for the most part I'm stumped. If I can't figure this out over the weekend I'm using my free honing from Lynn and sending it off monday just to eliminate the possibility of the razor. Any ideas guys?

Some areas are relatively easy to shave close and others are tougher. For me the jawline and the neck, the knob of the chin , are the toughest. Just saying that so you don't feel like the Lone Ranger. I think we all have to contend with those areas being more difficult to shave clean.

Getting the skin stretched, blade angle and using a guillotine stroke help get it done. When you're new at this you have to use great care in attempting the guillotine stroke IMHO. Trying it out on easier areas.... places that are naturally flat , as opposed to areas you have to pull/stretch flat, is probably a good way to get the hang of it. Blade angle is more critical with the guillotine and no pressure or you'll feel that stinging sensation of the edge penetrating the skin.

As far as prep, I shave with cold water. My only prep is to vigorously rub my first lather into my beard and then lather again and shave. That is right out of the 1905 book that got this cold water shave thing started and has been working well for me. YMMV.

You can watch videos and figure out the motions but the actual details can't be learned from watching. You have to do it yourself and develop your technique. As far as prep goes I've often thought people make too much of it. You can just wet your face with water and still get a close shave. The shave may not be as comfortable as with good prep and maybe require more strokes but still a good shave. Mind you I'm not recommending poor prep, most guys starting out need all the help they can get.

You probably just need more experience. This thing does take some time to master.

I am still well within the newby learning process as well. BigSpendur's advise that with more experience and time your shaves will improve, is spot on.

I am still reading and watching everything I can get my eye balls on, but the proof is in the shave. For me, those hard to get spots were driving me nuts; what I did was resolve myself to 2 passes with no XTG. The spots that were not clean I re-lathered just them and went real slow, when I was satisfied, I moved on to another trouble spot. A small section of face at a time has worked for me. Also improved my technique in my problem areas, allowing me to incorporate my successful moves into my next shave. I'm still not great, but my shaves are a lot more fun, and less painful.

Keep at it, time is on your side.

I saw some really good advice a few weeks ago, and that was to treat the razor more like a potato peeler. That is, aim to shave just a very narrow band at a time. Just because you've got 2 1/2 or 3" of blade doesn't mean you need to shave a wide band each pass.

That tighter focus might also give you a better chance to observe the grain directions on your face, and think about better vectors for the shave stroke and also for the stretch. I probably stretch from dozens of different points while doing my chin. Maybe in another year (I've done this for about three years now) I'll have found the single dozen best stretch points for the chin. It's an ongoing process, ever improving and never boring. Where else is it acceptable to say that about attention you pay exclusively to yourself?

Some other very good advice I read here was about monitoring your lather's moisture by watching how easily it rinses from your blade. If it doesn't rinse within a second, it's probably getting too dry on your face. That doesn't help at all for your shave. I've worked it out so that I lather my entire face and neck, then shave everything except my mustach and chin. I rinse everything then relather the stache and chin, so those most difficult spots get a nice presoak in lather then a whole fresh application for their actual shave.

Adding four or five drops of glycerin to your lather might also help, especially when the air gets extra dry.

Best wishes

+1 to what everyone else has said, it is prob an angle issue anyway, but to make sure why don't u over prep next time, I mean do double or triple what u would normally consider prepping so then u know if it is the angle. For me prepping is usually taking a hot shower and applying a hot towel in the shower as well as cupping my hands to get the hot water and splashing it on my face several times. It doesnt take me more than 5 minutes of good prep, but again everyone's beard is different .

If its particularly the chin it may be an angle issue. Try this, when you look at the contours of your chin try breaking them down visually into smaller flat planes, adjust your angles and strokes accordingly.

Today shower and then shaved cold water, used an oil pre shave I have had for awhile, lathered, rubbed in, let set a few minutes then lathered and shaved. The only spot I still had to work to get good was the chin and the right jawline. The hair on those run in one direction but the hair is just so freaking tough it's unreal. If I tried stretching my face any more ways than I have been trying I might look like Kenny Rogers does now when it's over. I've tried varying my angles from one shave to the next from about 30 degrees to darn near flat on my face and it does pretty good with the spine just off the skin about an 1/8". I've strated XTG passes on my cheeks down to the jawline and those are working great. I have been relathering as needed if it starts to stick to the blade or looks like it's drying. I have an old joseph smith and sons 3415 I could do a simple polish and scale job on and have it honed to see if it shaves better, or is more comfortable. I need to get the proraso preshave and green tube since I just ran out of Bigelow. It's an on going experiment and I know it'll take awhile.