My Second DE Shave

Well, today I got my second DE shave. The learning curve is different for everyone, with that being said, I feel I did a little better the second time around. I still got the skin irritation on my neck but it was noticeably less than Monday's shave.

My face feels nice and smooth and my neck and chin also feel smoother. I attribute this to getting familiar with the blade angle and also not putting pressure onto the razor. I just let it glide and guided the razor. Noticeable improvement.

For the pre-shave, nice warm/hot shower. Washed face with Nivea For Men Mousturizing Face Wash(I like this stuff). For the shave I used Alloy Shave Gel and my 1966 Gillette Super Speed loaded with a Gillette 7 O'Clock blade. Man, I love the sound of the stubble being shaved off.

First pass was north to south. Rinsed off and re-applied shaving gel and did my second pass south to north. Rinsed off and re-applied shaving gel for my third and final pass against the grain. I did use caution on my third pass so I wouldn't irritate my skin. I have a thick growth(according to my barber's opinion) and sensitive skin.

Rinsed off with cool water and followed up with a post shave wash with the Nivea For Men Moisturizing Face Wash (really refreshing). Patted my face dry and applied Alloy After Shave. Face looked great, refreshed and healthy. I feel good!

I received my order from BullGoose after I had shaved. For my next shave I will be using products that are more conducive to a old school traditional shave.

Here's what I got: Omega "Scarlatti" boar brush (looks great), Musgo Real shaving cream, Musgo Real Glyce soap, RazorRock alum stick, Derby blades, Personna blades, and Feather blades. Phil from BullGoose was generous and kind enough to include a sample of Cella and Edwin Jagger after shave creams and a blade bank for my used blades. (Photo coming soon.)

I look good and I feel good. I gotta put up another post under the Shave of the Day.

I'm loving this experience!

Cheers to all.

Keep it up and good to see you have chosen some quality products, remember that what works best for you is not going to be the best for everyone!
Sam

Good the hear all is going well for you. I love my Gillette with the Feathers, hope you find a good combo that works for you. When you conquer the DE shaving you might need another challenge, SR perhaps?;)

Hello, PaulCam:

Congratulations on the shave.

A good way to avoid some of the skin irritation is to refrain from shaving over the same spot excessively during a given pass. Try only one stroke on the same spot during each pass, maximum two. Also avoid going against the grain on the neck — or anywhere else. You might not get the perfect shave, but at least your skin will appreciate you.

I generally do one pass with the grain and two across — and my Hollywood face loves me for it. Also, beware of pressure and razor angle at all times. Indeed, the double edge can be a sweet shave.

What's more, you have good products — and Phil at BullGoose is a prince.

Regards,

Obie

Paul,
Phil had sent me a sample of Cella soap also. I liked it so much I ordered a tub from him. It really is good stuff, and not overly costly either.

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My face feels nice and smooth and my neck and chin also feel smoother. I attribute this to getting familiar with the blade angle and also not putting pressure onto the razor. I just let it glide and guided the razor. Noticeable improvement.

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That change in technique will do you more good than all the pre-shaves / soaps / creams / after-shaves / balms in the whole world.

Charles

My only advice is to make sure you've mapped out the grain of your beard growth. Shaving S->N might be too much on the second pass since that direction may very well be (and probably is) ATG in some spots. Rather than shaving N->S and then S->N, try shaving WTG, then XTG, then XTG in the other direction (not always necessary, but helps if you have sensitive skin), and then finally ATG very carefully. Some people just can't shave comfortably against the grain... at least not in the beginning. If this is the case for you, it may be worth it to just shave WTG then 2x XTG and leave it at that, but it sounds like you've been shaving ATG and it has been OK. In that case, shave away!

Sounds like you're on the right track. Keep it up!