DE shaving. Learn from my mistakes.

Hello everyone,

So I just got done shaving with my DE. And let me tell you, the angle I was using was way too steep, so I flatted the head of the razor, and I immediately felt a difference. I was able to go against the grain a bit without feeling that my hairs were getting plucked instead of shaved. All I know is that it's going to take me a long while to learn. I couldn't go to every spot ATG because of the plucking hair feel. The no pressure rule was hard to follow, it felt like I wasen't shaving the hair off at all.

Right? I started on DEs only after having become accustomed to the straight, and I couldn't _believe_ how badly I could mess up my face with a "safety" razor! I guess I thought it would be a lot like using a cartridge, but it sure isn't. Learning the angles all over again was a big part of it: starting with no blade (basically the handle at a 90-degree angle to my skin) then only bringing the handles down far enough for the blade to shave (and no further).

Eventually, of course, it became easy. I love the speed and ease of a DE shave now.

Keep watching the angle and the pressure, you will get there.

Bob

I first shaved with a DE 50 or so years ago, and started again as a substitute when I don't have time to use a SR...My suggestion...take the angle approach opposite to yours (if I understand what you're doing correctly), by which I mean put the edge of the razor against your face first (no blade contact) then rotate it SLIGHTLY away from your face. With a quality DE blade, you should be able to hear whiskers being removed, and not feel hardly anything at all. Also, no pressure should be needed in most areas.

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Originally Posted by Glow

So I just got done shaving with my DE. And let me tell you, the angle I was using was way too steep, so I flatted the head of the razor, and I immediately felt a difference. I was able to go against the grain a bit without feeling that my hairs were getting plucked instead of shaved. All I know is that it's going to take me a long while to learn. I couldn't go to every spot ATG because of the plucking hair feel. The no pressure rule was hard to follow, it felt like I wasen't shaving the hair off at all.

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Three things come to mind after reading your post:

-Find the lowest angle that will shave hair and maintain it throughout the shave.
-Zero pressure means using the weight of the head to do all the work (one reason why I like heavy DE's :)).
-If you use the same prep and techniques as you would with a straight razor you have a surefire recipe for success.