Thread: Soooo smooth

I'm getting BBS shave almost on every shave now. Just have a couple of whiskers cut in the wrong direction across the chin and jawline. Seems I have to go WTG, then XTG then ATG on those areas. If I don't do all 3 it'll still scratch a bit.

Congradulations on the bbs shave. It really does get easier the more you do it. When it comes to the "fools pass", I had real issues with this when I first started, and finally decided there had to be a better way. I then realized that in order to cut something, one can either move the knife or move the object, and arrive at the same destination. So inorder to perform the "fools pass", I make the blade stationary at the top of my upper lip at about a 10 degree angle, and then roll my upper lip down over my teeth to cut the beard. Move the blade up a little and do it again until the blade stops at the base of the nose then start over again with the next pass. I have not had a problem with this since I figured it out, and perhaps you won't either.

Good luck!

Ray

Originally Posted by Pabster

I get BBS results every time I shave and I love the smooth feeling it gives. The results are well worth the effort of learning to straight shave and once you arrive to getting BBS results everyday and knowing how to maintain your blade, there is no going back!

Pabster

I'm looking for some encouragement. I'm about 5 ~ 6 months into shaving with straights, and started to get kind of discouraged, for the first time, last week. I've got good razors, and I have my razors just about as sharp as to be expected, some newly honed by Ken at Ruprazor, and others I've honed myself, and both groups of razors are pretty much equal in the HHT and the actual shave. I won't blame the razors. The shave is where I'm getting discouraged. It's got to be that my technique is simply not right.

I work on the prep, the stropping, the lather, etc., but the bottom line is generally that I just don't get as close a shave with the straights, even trying different razors every day over a period of several days. And on top of that, after about three days of straights, my skin is painful for the rest of the day, in the problem areas where I've got to make so many passes in order to get the tough beard shaved, specifically the chin and neck.

I'm wondering maybe if this is just normal, and will slowly get better with practice? Do you think maybe I'm just too impatient?

Any ideas what I am doing wrong? Do you guys have ideas about something that I might be overlooking, or maybe just making some adjustments to my techniques such as the angle, pressure, direction and number of passes, or other specifics?

Of course, any and all observations and suggestions are welcome! Thanks guys.

Preparation and a wetter lather stopped my razor burn, at least in the last 75 shaves or so. Lynn has a great prep video on his CD that explaines this. I start with a towel, as hot as I can stand it, and a little moist. I put that around my beard for about 30 to 45 seconds. Then I take a very moist lather I have made and lather up and then cover it with another towel for about the same time. I then moisten my face and lather again being sure the lather is somewhat wet and then shave. You can tell if the lather is to dry when you rinse your blade off. If the lather doesn't rinse off then it is to dry. Dip the tip of your brush in hot water and make it wetter. When the lather rinses off your blade it is wet enough. I also always rewet my face between lathering. This along with a shallower angle on the blade should help.

Ray

Originally Posted by brothers

Of course, any and all observations and suggestions are welcome! Thanks guys.

I would certainly try shaving every other day if that is an option for you, should tame the skin irritation. It might also be indicative of an angle that is too steep, or too much pressure - but more likely your skin after so long.

Also, shake things up as much as you can, apparently what you're doing right now is not providing the desired results, so making a change would be a good place to start.

You might find that you have simply got in rut in regards to your routine, I had a similar problem, I'd got complaisant, I was shaving every day and the results were not what they should be. I took a break for three days and when I went back to it, rather than just getting on with it I was much more deliberate about what I was doing. I have been getting very impressive first pass results since then, and an end results of a BBS.

You know it's possible, so don't get too discouraged, you just need to work it out for you.

Originally Posted by brothers

I'm looking for some encouragement. I'm about 5 ~ 6 months into shaving with straights, and started to get kind of discouraged, for the first time, last week. I've got good razors, and I have my razors just about as sharp as to be expected, some newly honed by Ken at Ruprazor, and others I've honed myself, and both groups of razors are pretty much equal in the HHT and the actual shave. I won't blame the razors. The shave is where I'm getting discouraged. It's got to be that my technique is simply not right.

I work on the prep, the stropping, the lather, etc., but the bottom line is generally that I just don't get as close a shave with the straights, even trying different razors every day over a period of several days. And on top of that, after about three days of straights, my skin is painful for the rest of the day, in the problem areas where I've got to make so many passes in order to get the tough beard shaved, specifically the chin and neck.

I'm wondering maybe if this is just normal, and will slowly get better with practice? Do you think maybe I'm just too impatient?

Any ideas what I am doing wrong? Do you guys have ideas about something that I might be overlooking, or maybe just making some adjustments to my techniques such as the angle, pressure, direction and number of passes, or other specifics?

Of course, any and all observations and suggestions are welcome! Thanks guys.

It will get better with practice. The good news is, you're only feeling irritation in the problem areas. What this suggests is that your technique isn't as good as in those areas that tend to be easy like the sideburns.

You might try different beard prep, and definitely take a day off between shaves. Sometimes if my beard feels rough, I like to lather up in the shower and keep the lather fresh throughout the shower (I just use regular bar soap for this). After the shower, I wash it off and make my usual lather for shaving. You might give that a whirl for making the hair easier to shave.

The main thing, however, is going to be your technique. In the problem areas, remember that you're trying to gradually reduce your beard, not eliminate it. Take as little an angle as possible, and stay EXTREMELY light on the blade. If it starts to tug, back off, take a deep breath, and try again. Don't feel bad if you have to tidy up with a DE or M3.

At the end of it all, I rub straight rubbing alcohol over my face. Yes, it's going to burn like the fires of hell for a few seconds, but it'll keep that residual burn you feel to a minimum. When I first started, I hacked up my face similar to what you're saying, and I couldn't bear to even touch it for several days. Alcohol changes that. The neat part about the alcohol is that, if you shave well, it will burn less. If you get what I call a perfect shave, it feels like cold water on your face.

In all of this, just keep going. Remember why you started all this in the first place, and keep thinking about it. Make it your goal. After good practice and experimentation, you'll meet your goal and be glad you did.

Congratulation. It doesn't get any better than this.

Lewis

Originally Posted by Lewis

Congratulation. It doesn't get any better than this.

Lewis

Lewis, If you're referring to the quality of these responses. You are correct. Thanks guys for taking the time. In posting here, I am very glad that I had the good sense to do it. I am encouraged, and am going to follow the good advice I've been given. It doesn't get any better than this. Best regards,

Great job getting that BBS shave to enjoy. I don't even attempt it on my morning shave (Tuesday through Friday). That's just a quick pass to be acceptable at work. But Sunday night I go all out, take my time and really enjoy it. It still amazes me and it still freaks out my wife, but she has to check it out every Sunday.

Keep up the tradition!