Thread: Time for a break from the SR?

Ok so I'll start by saying I love this forum everyone is so helpful. I just completed my 4th (and best)SR shave yesterday.. I took a few days off to let my nicks heal from the first few mistakes.
This time I took a little extra time to check 1 thing very closely. I very slowly and carefully attempted to nick off 1 or 2 hairs on my chin to get a feel for pressure. I added mode wetter to my soap (because my lather would die on my face less than halfway through). Now Im still getting irritation on my neck but I see now its from too many strokes. at first it was more from too much pressure so I know Im getting there. Remember if your skin is irritated enough it will swell changing surface and texture. a break may be a great idea. Also I would still use my aftershave balm while I was letting my skin rest to help alleviate some of the dry burn.

Keep with it and it will all come around.
Remember light pressure and wet lather go slow and enjoy the experience.

I do not know what thread I read it in, but someone had suggested shaving the most difficult part first since your face prep will be the freshest.

I was able to shave my chin today much easier than my last two times by doing this. I had to get my neck under my chin first so I had some skin to tug, but after that I was good.

Defiantly a good tip, for me at least.

For lathering I think the proraso red will be a great cream to practice with. I've used two or three tubes of proraso and find that a great lather comes pretty easily. Maybe stick with one thing for a week or two for the sake of consistency.

Nothing wrong with just doing a couple of swipes with the straight then finishing your shave with a de. I did that for a long time and I still keep a de in the cabinet at all times. Also nothing wrong with just one pass. One pass is almost always enough for any occasion.

Michael

Watch ur angle shave with the spine almost against ur face very light pressure.. U want the blade almost two blades width off ur face one of the experts here taught me that worked like a charm.. Good luck don't give up !!

Originally Posted by RARamirez

Can you describe your lather. Is it dry? Or watery? Have you tried playing with the amount of water you add? Keep playing around with it I'm sure you'll get it. It's part of the fun.

The texture if you will has seemed fine, if a little viscous...the quantity has really lacked, sometimes 2nd pass is a stretch with the same starting amount that I see some videos on youtube of guys with 4 passes worth easily. The TOBS this morning was much more productive!

Originally Posted by Tzar

As for myself, my best shaves so far have been the ones when I took my time, not trying to beat the clock or build up speed

my face on fire shave was done literally with a stopwatch to see if this is something I could manage on a weekday morning. Pressure of the clock => pressure on the blade? Probably so.

This is a fantastic community guys, and I appreciate all the advice and encouragement. I did a somewhat shoddy shave with the DE this morning 2 pass, just focusing on ultra-light pressure and built a better than ever lather with that TOBS that I received last night. Missed some spots, but definitely passable and the Clubman didn't even burn afterward! Definitely will wait until Saturday or later to try the str8 - without the stopwatch.

When I'm in a hurry, I normally grab the DE. You do need to allow extra time for the str8 shave. You don't want to rush it, You want to relax and enjoy the whole experience. Some guys who work 9-5 do the DE during the week, and shave with the str8 on the weekends, when they have more time, especailly at first. Once your proficient at it, You can knock it out quickly, if you have to...Emphasis on "if you have to"

It's a zen thing....

Originally Posted by griff199

my face on fire shave was done literally with a stopwatch to see if this is something I could manage on a weekday morning. Pressure of the clock => pressure on the blade? Probably so.

Speed is a combination of mastery and expertise. Prior to become master and expert enough, it is not possible to build speed without pressing the blade too much, getting the wrong angle, nicking yourself and generally having sloppy, immature technique showing through.

As I am still a newbie with about 10 shaves done with a straight, I currently need to allow 15 more minutes to my usual shower+shave weekday morning routine. When I first jumped into traditional wetshaving with a DE 3 years ago, I had to allow 15 more minutes also as I was slow. I eventually got so good at it, instinctively mastering the appropriate way to do it with speed that I recouped entirely these 15 minutes. Same process here with the straight: for now I don't care about the clock, I care about mastering the stroke, the blade angle, the proper pattern of shaving on all areas of my face and neck. Speed will come in due course in the next couple of months.

I'm only on about my 10th shave, & although it's starting to feel more natural, I'm only just starting to get the hang of doing under my nose without cutting myself, & I have no chance of doing anything but with the grain without drawing blood either. On the other hand, I can now give myself a full face shave without needing the styptic pencil, so that's progress. I need to watch some more videos before attempting ATG/XTG again, as it just feels alien to me at the moment.

I'm still not sure about my lather. I'm using OSMA Alum shaving soap & a pure badger brush I got from The Invisible Edge with their starter kit. I have no further experience of shaving soaps except for this one, so I really don't know what to expect from a lather. It seems to work okay for the shave, but it always feels a little dry, keep adding more water & it goes from dry to thin & watery very quickly.

I'm also still finishing with my old mach 3. It's not too bad on my cheeks & neck, but I can't get anywhere near a close shave on my chin yet.

I think my worst enemy is nerves. I'm quite calm when doing the areas I've become comfortable with, but as soon as I try doing something new, the blood starts pumping & I get a bit shaky, that's not a good combination when you're holding Mr Slicey to your face.

I will get there, given enough time & if a clumsy oaf like me can get better, then anyone can.

Also try washing your face with something other than the Bronners Peppermint soap. I have the same soap and love it, however the peppermint in it is bit strong I can definitely see it irritating a fresh beginner SR face.

Keep at it and take a day or two off.