Thread: Str8-Edge Shaving & Follicle Bump Woes

Interesting account. Glad that it's going well!

Well, it seems that emulating the carefree attitude of some of the youtube guys has resulted in mild genuine razorburn on two of the problem regions of my bearded areas. The middle of the sides of my center beard. Near the corners of my mouth, the part of the skin unsupported by jawbone. I definitly can't get away with casual second-hand technique. I have to stretch all the way. It was the pseudo-ATG upwards movements that got me. Only one side (the right) is burnt enough to be a visual failure. Not painful, just overly tender. It counts as real razorburn if it lasts more than 1-2 hours. Exposure to cold probably didn't help (have to do that to make sure the shave qualifies for this lattitude and season). Oh well, live and learn.

I'm thinking of ending the proraso run as a cream. Proraso is quality but I'm getting tired of hydration issues during the shave and applying more, then water and resuming the shave. I'm going to go back to a glycerin soap (chelsea's soap garden, mama bears is superior but I'm going to continue the experiment with the shaving soap that has many DE shaves under my belt for a comparison) and a badger brush. My brush setup is very cheap, basic and compact. I have a Tweezerman (owned by Henckels) badger brush that fits into a clear plastic Kent stand (no drip tray but not a problem as it sits on the edge of the washbasin). I don't need a large brush because I feel it would waste more soap and I don't have a large face. The soap I'm using gets very slick with water-tipped follow ups later in the shave, such as later stage clean up and I've done str8 shaves with it before.

Got Noxcema at the grocery store today and will try that as a pre-shave wash in addition to the Neutrogena face wash (which contains salicylic acid). This purchase was inspired by the posts in this forum. I'll eventually try shaving with the stuff with a DE eventually but I'm on the str8 shave kick and will continue as soon as my skin gives me permission. Morning shower scheduled tomorrow so hope it's ready, if not I won't cry. My skin is smoother than it's been in a long time, I got another great shave and despite this mild setback I'm more enthusiastic about shaving with this archaic method more than ever before.

Another note: I just measured the width of my Swedish C.V. Heljestrand square-tip and Geneva and their both 5/8ths. The profesional honer for the Geneva (Earl) informed me he had to hone it beyond what he thought I'd expect it to be because of a rust spot that ate all the way through the blade (responsible to let me know in case I'd despair). He called it a largish 4/8th, instead of a smallish 5/8th. Upon measuring I think it's really a smallish 5/8th. It has been honed so far it's round point looks more like a French point, which looks cooler IMO. The Dovo "Best Quality", my first and most used razor, once measured, is actually just slightly bigger than an 6/8th, a smidgeon larger than 13/16ths. I'm certainly not resentful of the seller, who sold it to me for a very kind price. It's between a 6/8th and a 7/8th. Having read on these forums for several months before purchasing a razor I'd determined I might have been better with a 5/8th for a first razor, but it was such a good deal and I thought "what the heck". I must retract my statement about 4/8ths being my favored str8 width. I think 5/8ths is best for me. The Dovo is between 6 and 7 eigths. More steel and longevity for a very kind price.

Originally Posted by AxelH

Okay, so in the title is the main problem and it can be seen immediately after the shave (ATG or aggressive XTG) or the next day. The next day is the most reliable onset of mild folliculitis. It is not ingrown hairs, not sycosis, just mild mechanically-induced follicular bumps.

I should clarify that I don't have sycosis, per se, but develop it from close shaves. There is a term for shave-induced folliculitis which I think can be used interchangeably with sycosis, which is what I develop from the shave. Technically I have folliculitis, locally, which is more prevalent when not shaving regularly (as the consecutive str8 shaves attest). Folliculitis is the right term, but the real problem is my individual skin which was diagnosed as keratosis pilarus on large regions of my arms and upper back and legs. I was diagnosed in early teens through my family's insured local clinic. I haven't seen a dermatologist in over 15 years.

Originally Posted by AxelH

In addition to the mechanically-induced folliculitis I have sporadic outbreaks of the sycosis. Nodules (tiny bumps) can be called folliculitis or sycosis, but the larger bumps that could be mistaken for ingrown hairs are also sycosis. With proper second hand (non-dominant hand) pulling/stretching technique the acne and sycotic bumps don't become bleeders.

The unavoidable, aggressive, bump-cutting properties of a straight-razor seem to smooth the skin's terrain with consecutive shaves that actually circumvents the sycosis phenomena. The relatively harsh after-shave with the entry-level aftershave balms like both Niveas and the skin-tonics, where alcohol is the harshness, helps give me additional feedback. The short-term exacerbating effects of these harsher aftershaves enhances the diagnosis of the last str8 shave, allowing me additional insight to technique. I know I'm using (relatively) inferior products (you get what you pay for) for my sensitive skin, but my particular sensitivity probably exaggerates this and the pinkness only lasts an hour or two. At this point I'm not trying to find the system of products that eliminates the tender pinkness from the beginning, just diagnosing what needs work in my technique from shave to shave.

I used the generic Noxcema clone (Albertson's brand from a Rainbow Foods supermarket) the first time this morning and it has a strong camphorous and menthol smell. I can see why people would compare it to some shave creams. No irritation. By hour 19 after the genuine razor burn it appears to have healed well. I should be ready to go again tonight.


First Self-Honed Razor Woes

I bought a "Krank" stubs 4/8th square-tip razor from a local antique shop. I got it because it had St. Paul, MN engraved on it. Though it was made in Germany for this local barber who expanded to making barber shop products I thought it would be nice to have a razor made for a barber-entity in my home state. One of the first razors I honed from the first re-beveling, I removed most of the chips and brought it up to Norton's 8k and shaved with it. First time was a success, second time burned myself and honed it again, thinking there was a wire-edge (burr) that broke off. Third time after re-honing shaved well again, 4th time burned again. From PMs with a professional honer I learned razors can sometimes have crappy, semi-corroded steel if left for decades without care by exposure to humidity. Had a microscope from early on and was inspecting the edge while honing, didn't see much evidence of a burr when adjusting angles at magnification but this may indeed be the case.

The silicon carbide flattening/lapping stone that I purchased with the two double-sided Norton waterstones turned out to be defective (arrrgh!!) so I can't use the Nortons anymore (can't currently afford a new lapping stone). I'll soon attempt to re-hone for a third time this smallest of razors in my humble arsenal with the Spyderco sapphires. The ultra-fine, of course, will be an angst-ridden ordeal. If (no, when) I get it to 12k on the finishing hone I'll put it to the 30k pasted paddle strop and tame it on the latigo and shave with it eventually. The 4/8th Krank and the 6/8th Chas M. Beach will have to wait until I've sufficiently investigated the 13/16th Dovo with this consecutive str8 experiment. I'm excited all over again from this success and feel like a young boy again eagerly awaiting Christmas presents (only this time they are presents I've personally worked to create and given to myself). The Krank has been about two years in the making and the Beach sometime in 2008. It's about time I made use of them!

Originally Posted by northpaw

Hmm... you say you've shaved with a straight before, and that you know what a sharp blade feels like, how to prep correctly, etc. If all that is true (not suggesting that I doubt it, just that it does require a considerable amount of experience), then it's your shaving technique. You should be able to cut the hair without abrading the skin so much. It's just a question of experimenting with different approaches until you get it right.

I'm sorry, but just realized I still haven't been thorough enough in this thread.

I purchased a Vincent brand cheapo 1/2 DE blade holder straight-edge. Eight bucks to get in and a free five pack of DE blades. It lacks the heft of a quality disposable str8, but I acquired it specifically for the purpose of having the option of a guaranteed sharp blade with str8 razor action. Just in case there was any fault in my stropping or honing/refreshing ability. Considering I had previous success with the thin, light Krank "Stubs" razor (before the edge collapsed/deteriorated) I'm very confident it's the skin that's an issue. Skin feels ready for another shave already (25 hours post-burn). Will wait for the shower though...

Okay so I betrayed myself and honed up the little 4/8th Krank "stubs" on the ultra-fine spyderco. Then did a quick, light stropping on a tightly folded over newspaper on my thigh to tame the microscopic jags. Didn't use the chromium oxide pasted paddle strop. Just curious. Used it after the shower. Okay shave. Not as smooth as the Dovo, some regions (of the razor) could use more work. No burn/nicks/cuts. Just little blood spots here and there. The bumps are still there, just not nearly as pronounced as in the past. I'm really good at the corners/sides of my jawline and under the jaw. That little 4/8th isn't just my best trimmer, it's fantastic in the tight little places. Smooth as can be, even with my skin. Remember: upwards under chin is pseudo-ATG, so it isn't that impressive.

I used all the same products to reduce variables ('cept the razor). Hot shower, little alum (brand: "Axel's Armpit" scented!), Proraso cream, cold rinse, alum, Kiehl's skin tonic, Nivea "cooling" aftershave balm.

Since my skin has gotten better and have managed good consecutive str8 shaves I gently wiped that little Krank over my face after the shave not just to eliminate any leftovers but to watch the exfoliation process. I have very dry skin and the additional moisturization of the hot shower gave me permission to try a little more exfoliation. I managed to scrape off a good bit of skin, removing some miniature ant hills that are the sycosis of a chickenskinned jewboy. Interesting I have to intentionally go over those ant hills after the shave is basically complete, how could a plain old razor in direct contact with the skin miss those? Maybe I'm just getting better at this. Then I went ahead and did something I know makes the next day's bumpiness worse: I rubbed the places that develop bumps with my fingers. I rubbed off even more scales of dead skin and little bumps. It's amazing how much skin I could manually slough off, even after shaving with a straight razor! I'm impressed how safe and gentle a straight edge can be when used correctly. So I intentionally pushed it to the limit, actually OVER the limit of my own non-regularly str8-shaved skin.

No burn. This morning no additional bumpiness. I know for sure that the manual rubbing exacerbates the sycosis. Some pinkness in the regions that were rubbed intentionally beyond any good. No exacerbation of sycosis, though. That does it. There has been some kind of qualitative change in my skin. It's become conditioned to the straight razor. It must be tougher, or less likely to develop the irritation that leads to the sycosis. Something.

During this consecutive str8-shaving experiment I was more diligent to use the salicylic skin clearing neutrogena "face wash" product. Did the full shave-prep. Applied moisturizers due to my skin's tendencies. I dunno. Always have the raw pinkness that looks like razor burn but it clears up within 2 hours. Definite success, even with next-day pinkness, because it usually results in a break-out of sycosis. (Or, a sycotic break!)

I might suggest that you try and separate your exfoliation needs
from your shaving program by half a day.

Not being a skin doctor and never having played one on TV
I wonder if the combination of goals opens the skin to bacteria
unnecessarily and causes short term infections. By separating
shaving from skin care in your case you can apply healing products
that protect the skin wounds from the razor from bacteria shortly
after shaving and at another time apply skin care products unrelated
to shaving.

When I saw the first couple posts I almost went on my too many
product -- simplify things rant. After reading more I suspect they
are all needed but as a pile some do seem to argue with each other
for example: a salicylic (acid) exfoliation product and a slightly basic shaving
soap would neutralize each other and reduce the quality of each depending
on the application sequence... Thus I suggest the AM and PM split.

I have always been of the opinion that a bad
shave today was in fact a bad shave yesterday
and that any evaluation of a change needs to run about
three days...

I learned some stuff when I found this site, while not specific
to you the last bits about "Microcomedones" might validate
my conjecture.

Types of Acne - Non-Inflamed Types of Acne Blemishes

and a twice a day program seems apropos to your needs for keeping
your skin clean enough for your conditions.

"By separating shaving from skin care in your case you can apply healing
after shaving and at another time apply skin care products unrelated to shaving."

Hmmm. I'm doing at the very least a regular hand soap as part of the pre-shave to maximize the shave soap/cream's effectiveness as a beard softener, as suggested in Kyle's pre-shave prep at B&B. You may be right that the "face wash" salicylic product may be overkill, but when I use it as part of the pre-shave protocol it is a replacement for the hand soap (it strips the face of skin oil from what I can tell so functions the same way IMO). Doesn't the salicylic acid also have specific skin softening and hair softening effects? The directions on the back of the tube say to use it as a pre-shave and a cleanser (twice daily). Also, I'm a little confused at this line: "[.] that protect the skin wounds from the razor from bacteria [.]" Do you mean from the bacteria on the razor?

As far as exfoliation goes, there is no way a str8-razor shave (at least the level of skill I currently have) is not also a major exfoliation session! With or without Neutrogena's face wash, or Nivea's face scrub, or regular hand soap.. a str8-razor shave for me is an exfoliation!

"I have always been of the opinion that a bad shave today was in fact a bad shave yesterday and that any evaluation of a change needs to run about three days..."

Oh yeah, I'm with you there. Totally agree. You put it very well. Sometimes I miss the concise way of making a point. You clearly have a high thanks : post ratio for a reason.

When I use the salicylic face wash I count the pre-shave use as one and only use it once more that day. That counts as twice a day.

I have what are the tattered dead surface skin remains of my already naturally irritated hair follicle heads, which are easily wiped off by finger swipes after the shave. The direct razing of the str8 edge takes many clean off, I'm sure. I think it's the regular, consecutive str8 shaves which reduces their numbers (curse them!). Reading that site, I think I also have some hard closed comedones. I almost always have hard little pebbles, sometimes lodged under the surface of the skin, which I can "tweeze" out when my fingernails are long enough. Most of the time the tweezed out hard pebbles turn into sycosis bumps (small nodules, luckily).

niftyshaving wrote:

"I learned some stuff when I found this site, while not specific to you the last bits about "Microcomedones" might validate my conjecture."


From the site you linked to:

"4. MicrocomedonesAppearance: Although most acne sufferers have many microcomedones, they are too small to be seen with the naked eye. Development: A microcomedo is the very beginning of an acne lesion. It occurs when the sebaceous duct and pore opening becomes blocked by excess sebum and dead skin cells. Every blemish begins as a microcomedo.
Treatment: Treatment is similar to that of soft closed comedones and involves reducing excess oil on the skin. Regular exfoliation helps avoid buildup of dead skin cells. Treating comedones at this level helps prevent larger acne breakouts from occurring."



Specifically: "Regular exfoliation helps avoid buildup of dead skin cells." As I said, the str8 shave is definently serving as a mechanical exfoliation, which I theorized is helping to inadvertantly treat my shave-induced sycosis (when done more often than isolated str8 shaves). I always dried and exfoliated my bearded face/neck area when I did the full wet shave. Str8 or DE or disposable or Mach 3, using the shave soap and moist/heat and shave (specifically if close enough) my skin would be drier afterward. Some post-shave lotions helped recover from the dryness better than others (kind of), but obviously dousing the face after a close shave with a post-shave lotion/balm/aftershave that contained alcohol would exacerbate the dryness.

My skin is looking better than usual, the only part that doesn't look better are small patches of skin on the left and right sides of my mouth. Unsupported by jaw or gum or tooth it is trickier to stretch well and cut at a more aggressive direction. This has always been a problem area for me but I'm working on it. It seems to be like you said, about a bad shave from yesterday or the day before that's showing up today.

Thanks for the link and the advice.

Considering the half DE blade in the cheapo "Vincent" brand disposable str8-edge holder, I kept it in the bathroom (occasional showers) for over a year and only used it once during that time. Looking at the blade under the 60x-100x microscope even the relatively stainless steel of the DE blade was stained and corroded. Chucked it and used a new blade last month before the move, when I resumed with renewed vigor these str8 shaves. Just lettin' you know.

Reading the newbies, of which I am kind of sort of one, I should re-introduce myself, especially regarding my first str8-razor shave. I had been reading for some months, was already aware of the moist/heat towelling of pre-shave preparation, had many successful DE shaves under my belt and knew the directional patterns of my beard fairly well. Used a non-functional "master" and "krystal" str8 edge to practice stropping before putting a real str8 to a real strop. Purchased and watched Lynn's DVD. With a TM double-sided paddle strop (latigo/smooth) and a Dovo 6/8 shave-ready razor purchased by one of the members I started my first str8 shave.

Started with the sideburns, success. Went on to shave the entire face. The razor caught here and there but no cuts or bad nicks. Continuing on to a right-left XTG, which at this point I consider to be more ATG than XTG achieved a near BBS shave on the heavily bearded parts. The skin, much like subsequent shaves, was raw and reddish and threatened to turn into real razor burn. Did not use a quality, moisturizing aftershave (or witchhazel (didn't have)) and walked to work (8 minutes) in the freezing cold of winter. The weather that day was a hard, bitter wind with ice crystals, not flakes, further exfoliating my raw face. At the two hour point my face had magically healed. That was the first and most magical str8 razor experience I've ever had. It was all due to the collected wisdom of reading the mistakes of others, newbs and veterans. Had gleaned enough wisdom and already possessed the innate skills for it.

Honing Woes

Eventually purchased two combination synthetic waterstones from Norton (220/1000 & 4k/8k) and the silicon carbide lapping stone along with free stone holder and slurry stick. Also purchased (different site) three Spyderco synthetic whetstones, which a number of members here suggest may best be used as dry hones.

Although successful during the first few honing sessions with the non-shave ready razors I had acquired (one a local antique shop and others from eBetray) I eventually found, to my horror and dismay, that the lapping stone was warped. It was concave on the grooved/lapping side and convex on the flat side. This angered me. Yes, I did the graphite (pencil) ruler-measured grid pattern on the Nortons and diagnosed the problem from the get-go. Tried various improvised schemes of fixing my Nortons with unorthodox perpendicular use.. but it was a lost cause. Dammit.

As if that wasn't enough by the time I'd gotten to refreshing the edge of my shave-ready str8 Dovo I then discovered, to my horror, as the beautiful blade caught on some microscopic imperfections of the ultra-fine (finishing) Spyderco hone. I really wish I'd put a cheapo false str8 from China or Pakistan on that thing before the Dovo. I looked at it under the 60-100x microscope and.. yep. Found 3-4 micro trenches in the otherwise perfect edge. They weren't even chips, exactly. They were little rectangular impactions. My beard is sparse enough for it not to be a problem, undetectable degradation to the performance of an otherwise fine razor. I tell you, from those two major disappointments I was in tears. Manly tears of frustration and anger.

Although both sets of hones were bought on the cheap, both on sale, I feel betrayed. Unfortunately I hadn't used them on the real razors until months after purchase. I had practiced using those stones on the fake razors but not the ultra-fine Spyderco. Just to get used to the motion, get the honing program into muscle memory and develop good honing habits.

In addition to the disgusting lapping stone, which of course isn't needed on the Spydercos, I discovered to my continuing horror that the 4k side of the Norton had micro pits that the swarf of the until-then pristinely re-beveled eBay finds would embed into, creating little pegs that also created chips and micro trenches just like the ultra-fine Spyderco. So even if I purchased a truly flat lapping stone the Norton system was flawed. That's Mexican quality for you. Yes, it was made in Mexico. Great.

The first few razors, real razors, that I honed were great, given I had finished them on the 8k Norton. (didn't experiment with the thinner (8"x2") Spydercos until later). I had fixed all but one deeper, wide chip on a 5/8th W&B wedge (whose fully tarnished blade was beautiful, IMO). I had brought the local state barber consigned German 4/8th blade to a shave-ready edge, made a cheaply purchased Dubl Duck "Dwarf" in good condition shave-ready (have yet to bring it to 12k finish). I had successfully re-beveled and brought to shave-ready status (old school 8k) several blades, even futzed with a basically shave-ready Wapienica with all steel scales. Almost fixed the tip, which had a troubled patch. Hadn't even expected the Wapienica to be shave-ready, but apparently the seller at the time was doing it as a hobby. Actually managed some very nice, smooth shaves with the Wapienica. I inspected these blades under the microscope many times during these initial forays into honing and tested them at various points on my face.

I intentionally tested the little 4/8th (and thin) Krank on my face with various micro-chips on my face, finished at 8k, to see what a combination of sub-optimal grit (to me) and an imperfect, micro-chipped edge would do to my sparsely bearded face. Just to see what some of those hardier, tougher men on the "Frontier" may have gone through to shave themselves. Kind of a historical investigation of shaving. I eventually got some other people, not friends, just acquaintences, interested in str8 razor shaving. They wanted the real thing, shave-ready. Some of these guys admitted that they weren't even going to shave with them, but also gave me the contradicting, tentative idea that they might shave with them in the future, which would justify having them brought to a perfect, shave-ready condition.

So what did I do? Possessing two seperate hone systems.. expensive, professional honing systems? With all my experience in free-hand cutlery and miscellaneous metal part perfecting, gifted, sensitive little Jewboy hands and the apparent success, right off the bat, with honing these hard metal razors? Why.. I sent them off to a professional honer from this site! What else could I do? They wanted them brought to a level of perfection that only someone with good stones could. I eventually refreshed my beloved Dovo on a small part of the ultra-fine Spyderco. Always an angst-ridden task, to finish a razor at the highest grit I have in my accursed honing arsenal. No more micro-trenches (that I can count) and it apparently shaves my face well enough.

Now that I have a 11 megabits-per-second connection I've been diligently searching and watching various youtube videos. After watching the ultra-cool bad boys and the sad newb's shaving videos I watched johnny coronado's little honing tutorial series.. and was delighted to watch Rupkalvis' videos recently!

Given my relative inexperience, but, as with the shaving techniques I'd viariously learned months before even possessing a real str8 razor, I was delighted to see that Rupkalvis' techniques and verbal wisdom was almost exactly how I'd been learning along the way from the very beginning. With Lynn's DVD, the knowledge from this board and my own capacity to imagine and figure out how to tackle the next individual blade's situation.. I had successfully honed some razors (just for myself) to an old school 8,000 grit.

I think Lynn's advice, however conservative, is good advice for a lot of newbs who jump into honing much too soon. I was one of the exceptions. I still enjoy healing other people's butter-knife impacted cutlery free-hand more than honing a str8, but the str8s are the most difficult to accomplish. I noticed the difficulty in bringing a razor after honing a few to shave-ready on those Nortons. With frustration I tried to fix a tip here, re-establish a bevel there on a concaved Norton. I knew I'd only be further exaggerating the slight upswing of a razor's tip with those Nortons. At least I'd learned a wedge, fixed a heel and a few tips without changing the blade edge's shape. Still haven't entirely fixed the Wapienica, though I can shave with it and use the tip it has the visibly troubled tip. Don't get red scratch marks on the edge of my sideburns near the ears, but it just doesn't feel right and I KNOW I have the innate talent and skills to bring it back to the level of perfection it's steel alloy can aspire to!

I absolutely loved the sucking feeling as the eBetray razors glided, vacuum-sucked tightly onto the surface of the 8,000 Norton! The reason I hadn't experimented with Spyderco's ultra-fine finishing hone was because I already had one good, truly shave-ready razor from a member and wanted to "learn" str8 razor shaving primarily on that one razor (okay, and also the Wapi before I tried to fix the tip). So while I delved into the world of honing I was taking it one conservative step at a time. I really enjoyed those initial, messy experiences with the synthetic water stones. It's worth the effort. I did some work with the Spydercos but mine are just 2" wide and they aren't as fun. The 8k Norton is addicting!

In despair I gave up on the Nortons. I know understand the prudence in using a conservative, slow-paced X-pattern, especially with flawed, imperfectly lapped Nortons in my dismal situation. So I used the coarser Nortons to fix a few ludicrously ground cutlery. I made a major structural change to a misshapen seven inch Santoku, one of Calphalon's VG1 core damascus-style forge-welded beauties. I swear, some of these manufacturing facilities out of China making American corporation's German stainless or Japanese high-carbon core cutlery are a joke in the final grinding process of the actual edges. I've taken several blades, purchased new (NEW!) from a ridiculously blunt or ragged or unbalanced bevel to a perfect (by cutlery standards) edge. It's crazy!

If it weren't for the fast cutting action of the Norton waterstones it would have been quite a chore to shave off as much steel as I did on my seven inch Santoku. I just had to make that thing flat. Whatever Chinese joker ground the edge on that thing must have resented the American it was destined to be sold to. It had an upswing towards the heel that defeated the purpose of a santoku's design. Two and half inches of subtle space. Now it's perfectly flat until the last 2-3 inches at the tip. That's what I've got: a two hundred + set of cutlery sharpening stones.

Well. Had a quicker, smooth shave with the Dovo again. Tenth or eleventh shave? Maybe the edge is getting "dialled" in by the repeated shaves, maybe my technique is getting better. But now the irritated pinkness has disappeared within minutes. (Harsh cold will change that.) Or maybe I woke up extra early yesterday to go to something and didn't shave yesterday. About forty hours since the last shave. Skin is changing in quality, two places I picked at with fingers, one being the corner of my mouth, are red and irritated. Did better shaving the other corner of the mouth, no excessive irritation. I think my skin is still getting smoother and more conditioned to the razor, the results are no doubt also due to the razor's dialling in but.. I don't want to futz with other razors finished on a 12k because I'm still relatively new and they are too different in size/balance/feel.

Used some glycerin-based "Chelsea's Garden" soap. I kind of wish I was using a very well established, standard brand of soap to best compare notes on.. but I bought a number of them and they get very slick with a rewetted brush if I feel the need for intense (i.e. ATG) touch-ups on the wickedly slanted hairs that only a free-hand blade can pick off without excessive irritation (can do it with a Mach3 or DE but the pressure razes the skin beyond the point of comfortability). Funny that my rough/sensitive skin with weakly bearded/coarse-hair facial hair would benefit from the straight edge so much, both from conditioning and wickedly angled hairs.

Dialling in blade, forty hours since last shave, getting more experienced/better technique and learning the particulars of my face, used a glycerin soap instead of the previous cream... feels fantastic. No nicks, cuts, nothing. Shave went faster, too. Probably less rewetting because I put an electric radiator in the bathroom (house around 52 degrees today) and using the badger brush instead of a fingertip cream reduces dry-off time.

Those carbon-steel Dovos tarnish quickly and easily! Doesn't look like corrosive rust, though. Will have to follow-up with the microscope.. mass+"0000" steel wool makes quick work but I am hesitant to take off non-reactive, non-corroding tarnish because it's a protective layer and I don't want to take off the lettering in the hollow. Think I'll just leave it tarnished as a poetic allegory of the aging process in general. The tuff-glide seems to help with the shank, jimping, inside the hard-to-reach scales (like near the pivot pin) but it may be getting washed off with the after-shave light soaping and cloth-drying.

So, went to the last day of a workshop yesterday and didn't shave. Funny.. since the last shave with a 40 hour wait was the best str8 shave ever.. I was feeling along the jaw bone and I swear that jaw was almost BBS in a pseudo-ATG direction for basically 24 hours! Crazy. Just insane. I guess the skin conditioning and close shave is a reality, even to a relative newcomer. Incredible. Simply incredible. I had the nagging doubt about the claims, thinking at the very least that it wouldn't hold true for my own particular skin type. But it is. I thought the allure of the straights.. as a kind of elitist, exclusive community sub-culture was encouraging a kind of devotion on the verge of "magic" that didn't apply, or at least not to my complicated dermatological situation. The initial success and the relative plateau with infrequent str8 shaves was not a letdown, just didn't inspire me to progress to the next step (consecutive str8 shaves). With the new living quarters and easy access to suitably hot water serving as the tipping point, with newfound impetus to investigate further it would seem I was almost immediately rewarded with a plateau-breaking improvement both in shaving closeness and clearer, less problematic skin condition.

Wow. Consider me a believer now. So that is the purpose of this long-winded thread. To keep a consistent, hopefully thorough log of my descent into straight razor madness! I'm going to have another shave today. The only thing I can do now is not let my raised expectations lead to disappointment or a disenthused state of mind. Think I'll go for a faster, less thorough shave today. I think a major hurdle was that I simply cannot use that thirty degree angle on the north-south first pass as it is not really a WTG pass, especially near the jawline, where a majority of the densely bearded area is on my face. I can only do a true "WTG" pass on the upper lip and sideburn areas; on the jawline with north-south and right-to-left has to be considered combination XTG/pseudo-ATG pass. Some parts are actually better off as pseudo-ATG with south-north movement for the particulars of razor holding and stretching over parts of the beard (i.e. near the corners of the mouth) which even if properly stretched have a terrain that is not sufficiently flat and even when taut don't have the underlying gum/jaw structure. Interesting that a more aggressive pseudo-ATG is safer and results in less irritation. I'll have to learn to live with it.