Thread: No pressure

I mean NO pressure!

OK, I had a top 5 shave this morning.

The salient points:

Good lather, hot shower- check

A very sharp razor- check

Keep the blade angle very low- check

And now the coup de grace'-- don't use any pressure.....NO! Not just light pressure.....NO PRESSURE!

Just whisper that fine edge across the skin. You have to keep your skin taut as a snare drum, and just try to float that blade along. A nice full hollow helps provide the feedback--listen to those whiskers slicing in two.

Don't grab your razor like holding a hammer, you are a conductor waving his baton, the razor dances across your face like the soaring melodies of Bethoven's 9th.....

I usually go WTG, then shoot right to ATG and get a nice shave, but sometimes a bit of burn (or sometimes a lot of burn) from the alum tells me I could do better.

Don't bear down at all, this is where the whisker reduction part comes in. So, this morning I say to myself I'll make use of a full 3 pass shave and use zero pressure (to borrow a phrase from our friend lieghton "like a hovercraft over your face"), just touching that blade edge to the skin to wipe off the lather.

WTG- OK, that felt nice, but WTG always does...

XTG- Hmm, that was nice too....had to work on blade direction, as I normally skip the XTG pass...between pass wash, my face is feeling smooth and comfy....things are looking good....

ATG- OK, if I had gone direct to ATG, as per normal, I think my very flat laying whiskers would normally contribute to "grabbing" the razor and pulling it in towards my skin, especialy right under my chin, but since I went XTG first, there wasn't the usual whisker length there to do that, so the ATG pass I was able to keep that light touch going....

The result?

Super-smooth shave. My skin felt sort of powdery soft, nicely BBS, and just a bit of tingle, not burn, from my alum block task-master. Usually a three pass shave for me (normally one WTG, one ATG, and one finishing ATG pass) would feel fine during the shave, but the alum would kick my ass afterwards. Not so this time.

There's always room for improving your shave! Get to it, men!

I love it! Thanks for the post. I'm hoping to attain that level of SRZen at some point in my life.

Great post. As much as I know to use no pressure and just let the weight of the razor glide across my face, every once and a while I catch myself pressing down and have to stop and remind myself "hey! this is why your face is feeling uncomfortable! NO PRESSURE STUPID" before getting back to it.

Originally Posted by 8BallAce

Great post. As much as I know to use no pressure and just let the weight of the razor glide across my face, every once and a while I catch myself pressing down and have to stop and remind myself "hey! this is why your face is feeling uncomfortable! NO PRESSURE STUPID" before getting back to it.

Shoot, I still do that nearly every time I shave. I guess if you are a heavy handed person, it's hard to change.

Great advice. I have said before it's like doing a touch and go on an aircraft carrier with your FA-18. Just let your wheels touch the deck then take off again.

bj

Originally Posted by 2Sharp

Great advice. I have said before it's like doing a touch and go on an aircraft carrier with your FA-18. Just let your wheels touch the deck then take off again.

bj

Or perhaps a low level straffing flyby, where you level the whiskers as you pass overhead in your Messerschmitt 109

That all sounds great, soooo why do I get nice smooth shaves and very little irritation by using more pressure than I need to? I don't know...I'm glad for that though cuz I too seem to be a bit heavy handed some times. I'll remember this post during my next shave for sure. Less has got to be more, right?

Originally Posted by danstar250

That all sounds great, soooo why do I get nice smooth shaves and very little irritation by using more pressure than I need to? I don't know...I'm glad for that though cuz I too seem to be a bit heavy handed some times. I'll remember this post during my next shave for sure. Less has got to be more, right?

It may be possible that you simple have tougher skin that isn't irritated as easily. It may also be that you have gotten use to shaving with pressure so you don't notice it. However, if you try with less pressure you might find it more comfortable, or maybe not. To each his own right.

Great thread, I love the detailed description.

Originally Posted by danstar250

That all sounds great, soooo why do I get nice smooth shaves and very little irritation by using more pressure than I need to? I don't know...I'm glad for that though cuz I too seem to be a bit heavy handed some times. I'll remember this post during my next shave for sure. Less has got to be more, right?

Do you shave ATG as well?