Thread: Big newb making the big jump

Originally Posted by atomicnewbie

1. @Datsots - My hair sticks to my skin quite stubbornly too. I'm never sure if sometimes it's just hair under the skin when I look under the mirror. I try to eliminate all traces of black (my hair colour) when going for BBS; maybe BBS doesn't necessarily look hairless?
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2. @SixNipples - I know everyone says to only use pressure enough to remove the lather, but my hairs stick to my skin at a very sharp angle. In addition, it feels very sticky when I make a pass (usually a 2nd pass is not possible without more lather). Often the head of the DE razor sticks to the lather on my skin - making it feel like I'm dragging the DE across sticky tape. I have never really felt the DE Razor ever 'glide' even when going WTG.

3. I should also add that I am using the Merkur Futur. I'm finding the comb is scraping a lot of lather and not leaving enough behind for the blade. Is this normal for you guys? Do you use open combs instead?

PMFJI --


1. You're right -- "BBS" is "baby-butt-smooth", not "hairless". If you can run your hand in any direction, and your face feels smooth, that's BBS.

If you're trying to shave closer than that, you'll just get frustrated and have bad cuts and razor burn.

2. You need better lather. And you need to re-lather between passes! Don't try to shave dry, bare skin, ever.

3. (a) You need better lather -- maybe wetter lather. (b) the Futur is a nasty aggressive razor. It seems that Futur "0" is about equal to a normal DE. If you're using the Futur at higher settings, that could be the cause of a host of problems.

If _fresh_ lather feels like sticky tape, you need more water in the mix. If _old_ lather feels like sticky tape, put on some fresh lather before doing another pass.

There's nothing wrong with saying, halfway through a shave:

. . . "This lather on my face is dried out! I need fresh lather."

. Charles