few shaves down, have a few questions

1st shave - hands were extremely jittery and i'm surprised i didn't cut myself to ribbins. cut some hair, no blood, stuck with the easy spots and thought was a good first start

2nd shave - nerves much calmed and was able to 'tune out' the fact that i was holding a razor to my face and therefore able to focus on short quick flicks of the razor. I intended on only doing the sides again, but I was having too much fun and ended up doing a passible whole face shave. Not a perfect one by any means, but learned a lot

3rd shave - Improved shave from the last time and shed my first blood! (now that that's out of the way). Going ATG on the sideburns- the blade sank upward into my ear lobe like very warm butter a few mm. I was like... holy shit that's sharp...

In any event, i feel like i can finally ask some questions where i *may* have the frame of reference to understand the answers.

- The first is that i'm having problems with a close shave in the mustache area... not under the nose, but more just above the lips on either side. I've tried to hit that area multiple times WTG to get it close enough so i can go ATG and it just seems no go. Still stubble there after multiple later passes. Is that common?

- I'm really enjoying that i'm learning my face like never before, but some of the concave contours are really giving me troubles. If there is small concave areas in the skin- so when you move the razor across, it leaves patches that are unshaved- what's the best way to get to those areas? Should i just be using the point of the razor to try to get in there more? I seem to have this problem in my cheek areas as well as parts of my throat

- I'm certainly experiencing a bit of razor burn and I expect thats somewhat normal in the learning curve. I'm working on blade angle and technique of course, but I'm wondering if I may up my game in pre/post shave routine? Currently I'm taking a steamy shower- really focusing the last few minutes on getting that hot water soaking my face, then after i'm using Proraso for my lather, shave, then finishing with a cold rinse, ending finally with good coat of 'Lubriderm Face and Post-Shave Lotion'

- This almost seems like a silly question, but what do you guys do for steamy mirrors in the bathroom after a shower? I kept wiping it down with a towel but the residual moisture in the room kept fogging/blurring it up

- when cleaning my razor at the end, I'm rinsing it off, then wiping it all down with some toilet paper to get all the water off (including folding it up and rubbing between the scales). I'm finding that the toilet paper (the soft kind), especially when folding it and running it through the scales, tends to leave a little lint behind. Do you guys use anything in particular to dry everything after you've rinsed the razor clean?

thanks for your time

I'll try to hit a few of your questions since I at one time had similar experiences.

The areas around your nose, try to hold the razor almost vertical and shave from the end of your mustache toward your nose. Carefully of course. That is how I learned to solve this and have been doing it ever since.

I still get razor burn sometimes - my stubble grows in crazy directions so I catch them at weird angles sometimes. Try "mapping" your face to make sure you're really going WTG when you think you're shaving WTG. It may be best to reevaluate this once you figure it out for sure (unless you have already).

I leave the door open and the fan on when I take a shower, and I have a tiny apartment bathroom. it seems to work - I even got my fiance in the habit of doing this since I used to store my razors and strops in the bathroom and didn't want them all steamed up :)

Once done, I wipe the razor off complete with a hand towel and leave it sit out for a little bit to air dry before I fold it up and put it away. I've never had any problems but I tend to be a "clean" wet shaver and I rarely get water anywhere on the razor but the actual blade. Nothing ever hits the tang or scales.

I hope this helps, at the very least, in a small way. Others will have suggestions as well but once you work through a few shaves it'll start to come together and you'll figure out what's best for your face

does anyone use rain-x or something like that to keep the mirrors de-fogged? it just popped into my mind as a possible solution if it works

I think if you take a look at the following text:

Practice and science of standard barbering; a practical and complete course of training in basic barber services and related barber science. Prepared especially for use by barber schools, barber students, barber apprentices, practicing barbers in pre

many of your questions, and some you haven't asked, will be answered.

I'll leave most of your questions to more seasoned shavers, but as far as the mirror fogging problem, I have a simple solution. Before you shower, whip up a little bit of lather and rub it on the mirror. When you get out of the shower, wipe it off with a towel/wash cloth. Mirror stays fog free.

Try rubbing conditioner on your face in the shower for a few minutes. It helps to soften the beard. Also try lathering your face well then rinsing it off, then relather
and shave.

If you are getting razor burn my guess is you are putting to much pressure on the blade. For the best shave light touch and stretch the skin.

For the mirror prob try this: when you finish showering apply shaving cream first, then towel off. Then rinse and re apply. By that time the steam should dissipate at least a little.

nice tips- thanks guys! I tried the rain-x thing and it actually works really well. This last week i've had a horrible chest cold so i've been taking long showers with the door shut to build up lots of steam, and mirror stays completely steam free

I'll keep up with the suggestions about trying for better pre-shave prep- thanks!