Thread: A bit confused

Originally Posted by Obie

Aztec,
About a minute or so is all you need to start lathering after you apply the pre-shave oil.
Also, strop before each shave. After the shave, the hairs on your face leave microscopic ridges on the edge. Not only that, but the pressure of the blade on your face also dulls the edge somewhat. Stropping before each shave, therefore, reconstructs the blade's edge from the previous shave. I also strop after the shave, about 10 strokes on each component, but that is to further clean and dry the blade.
Stropping before the shave is essential.

One thing that I notice is small hairs near my Adams apple area, I try to shave as much as possible but seems like I cannot get them out. It feels a bit bumpy like sand paper.

Originally Posted by aztec87

One thing that I notice is small hairs near my Adams apple area, I try to shave as much as possible but seems like I cannot get them out. It feels a bit bumpy like sand paper.

Aztec,
A good way to shave these hairs is to hold your swallow for a few second, a practice that flattens the Adam's apple area, and shave in short buffing strokes.

Remember, neck hair for most of us grows in multiple directions. It does on mine. I have a difficult time getting a perfect shave on my neck because of this problem. I suppose I can with five or six passes, which is bound to fry my skin, especially since I have a heavy beard and sensitive skin, so I do the best I can in a maximum of three passes and call it quits. In the past couple years I have trimmed my shaves to two passes with some cleanup. This applies to other parts of my face, too: three passes maximum, two passes preferred.

Comfort over perfect defines my straight razor shaving: I would rather have a comfortable shave than a perfect shave.

10/4 on the comfort vs perfect!
Make comfort your goal through the learning curve. Perfect comes after we die!