Thread: Another newbie from NC looking for a mentor

Hey All, I'm in Wilmington and have been shaving with a DOVO for about three weeks. Got brave and tried a full WTG, XTG, and ATG shave Saturday, and have decided to chill for a bit until the scars heal. I'm sure it was all me, but I'd love to check in with a mentor.

I am in the Raleigh area. There are also other members in the NC area with more experience than me. But pm me if you have any questions.

Welcome to SRP. I am a bit new to be a mentor, but I wish you good luck, hope the cuts heal.

Russell

Welcome to the forums. I live in Hope Mills, NC. which is about an hour and a half away from you in Wilmington. I am by no means a mentor, I just started myself about a week ago. But I can offer you some advice that would've helped me a great deal with irritation and razor burn had I read the entire wiki on the website before I started shaving. I figured this out on my own as far as laying the blade down closer to my face for XTG and especially with ATG passes. But I finally got around to reading the wiki and found out there's actually angles for each different pass. When you go WTG you should use about a 30° angle. When you go XTG you should use about a 15° to 20° angle, In ATG you should use about a 5° angle. I have very coarse hair around my chin and the top part of my neck and when I shave ATG I have the blade almost flat and by doing that the razor seems to glide right through the hair. After applying that, my shaves usually have no irritation or razor burn to speak of. The other good piece of advice that you will see all over the forums, as far as irritation/razor burn goes, is to use very light pressure. I didn't really understand that at first but the more I shave the more I understand that concept. If you have any questions I would be glad to help you as much as I can, so just PM me. Good luck!

Kyr. Bravos are in order. First for taking the plunge and learning about a quality shave. Next - for looking for experienced help. This is huge. It will likely supercharge your learning curve and you'll get to the 'joy' in shaving you were looking for. Six members have come over to my place for just this kind of learning. The least they came away with was a blade or three...or five, honed for free.

In looking at these sessions, it seemed the more important things were learned from actual shaving demonstrations. In one case - just how the razor was held gave the member alot more control & confidence in his shaves. You get to have experienced eyes on your blade angle while you shave. You get to see some of the odd-looking stretches & strokes that it takes for someone else to get their own difficult areas smooth.

You're on to something big here, Kyr.

Mephisto, Skullz - thank you for responding. 'Hope we get some more guys nearby that Kry can benefit from meeting & learning from.

In the near term: nick remediation. First - dont shave over a nick - it'll never heal & will scar. Let it heal before shaving over it again. Lynn once shared that he found nicks to heal faster w/ a dab of Neosporin. This has been my experience also. Its not just the antibacterial part, but the 'inactive' ingred. read like a who's who of good things for skin. I will often remove the lather from the nicked skin so I can keep track of where it is and not shave over it again

Keep going Kyr

Great reminder, skullz! Mephisto replied to an earlier message about welts from me with just the same advice - watch the angle and the pressure. I suspect you were both right - I did watch the angle the first time afterward, but I'm pretty sure I reverted to improper form for my latest batch of cuts. That pressure stuff is pretty tricky.

Hey pinklather - thanks for all the advice - the nick remediation is a great thought - I've been just shaving over, and it did seem like a mistake. I'll dab the neosporin and take it easy. I appreciate the help!

Yup, best thing to do is let it heal. Now, I do not follow my own advice all the time but it is the best one.

Originally Posted by Kyriaco

...but I'd love to check in with a mentor.

Thank you Sir for looking for a shaving mentor. They don't have to be a "badged" mentor, just someone who has been at it for a while. How long depends on how quick a study they are, you be the judge. Please, by all means find someone relatively nearby...but make a short drive if you have to. You can learn more in just a few hours than you can in weeks on end by yourself. On top of that, it's really cool to meet a fellow SR user!! I have yet to meet one that I didn't care for.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

Thank you Sir for looking for a shaving mentor. They don't have to be a "badged" mentor, just someone who has been at it for a while. How long depends on how quick a study they are, you be the judge. Please, by all means find someone relatively nearby...but make a short drive if you have to. You can learn more in just a few hours than you can in weeks on end by yourself. On top of that, it's really cool to meet a fellow SR user!! I have yet to meet one that I didn't care for.

Couldn't agree more!