Thread: What's the secret to really smooth?

I had a pro shave at Art of Shaving a few weeks ago and my face was literally as smooth as a baby's butt. No matter what direction I moved my hand I could not feel a single stubble hair whatsoever. Completely smooth.

I can't replicate this at home yet. Given, the man who shaved me has been a pro for 35 years.

My shaving routine consists of a first pass that removes most everything, then a second shave against the grain that removes all the hair but is not extra smooth to the touch. I pull my skin tight with my free hand, which the pro did not do.

Is his razor sharper than mine or something?

Nahh...I doubt it. Like you said, the man has 35 years experience compared to what you've got.

Myself, I go WTG 2 times and then follow up with ATG only once. Maybe, change up your routine and try something new. I used to do the straight one pass WTG and one pass ATG and always found that I had to do touch up and such. Now, there is no need to and almost everytime is BBS...

You'll find your stride, just keep at it.

-Pary

He probably used a disposable of some kind. However smooth like that doesn't mean anything. Was it still smooth 12 hours later? Thats whats important. I can shave with an electric and get that smooth feel but 4 hours later there's stubble.

I'm with the big spendur, it's not always great to just be smooth.
At the moment I favour slightly less than smooth and it seems to last me longer. It's very easy to get caught up in the 'I need the smoothest shave' instead of 'I need the best shave.' Keep at it and your perception of smooth will change too.

I found my barber got a much smoother shave then I could but I realized he was using a feather - which to me is cheating but it is sharper than my str8. In addition I guess he has been giving shaves for 30 some years.
I like my smooth -one pass with and one against. If I really want and have the time I will feel around and sometimes go across the grain. However since I shave every morning before going to work I don't always have that time to go for BBS.

For the sake of argument, isn't "the best" shave a smooth shave? Can a shave that leaves you with stubble, by definition, be better than one that is completely smooth?

Sounds like a hard sell to me...

like RichZ, i go WTG and the ATG. then a few touch ups. i have found that when i try for the ultimate shave, i get nicked or cut or irritation. i am BBS in most places and am happy with that. still cannot go ATG on the chin or upperlip so it is not perfect, but no sweat for me.

what amazes me is that you got a great shave from AOS. they normally know nothing about shaving. i love their products, but i have always found their staff to be utter morons.

i will chime in again after 30 years and let you know if i can get my chin smooth. till then enjoy.

vgod

Barbers have some advantages. Disposable blades are sharpest, so that helps. Barbers also are familiar with the "zones" of your face, as hair doesn't always go the same direction. A standing barber has more maneuverability than you would trying to shave your own face. And then there's those years of experience they got.

Good prep, a light touch, good feel for the whiskers and skin tightening give me BBS results. Any of my straights gives me as close a shave as my DE's or displosable-blade straight.

A barber does have greater flexibility and a better view of the direction of grain on your face and they can give you a smooth shave, but I can do better myself with a 3 passer (WTG, XTG, ATG) Once you get comfortable with a str8 12hr bbs is very easy to achieve.

My BBS tends to even last longer than 12 hours. I can almost get a good 18hrs with my best straights.

I can easily get a smooth shave but it won't necessarily be the best. It sacrifices some comfort definately. I'm not willing to give smoothness the priority over comfort and burn.