Second/Third Shave Experience - The journey continues!

Hi folks,
As my journey into straight razor shaving continues, I am posting my experience with the second and third shaves. Keep in mind that my first shave was with a 6/8 Wacker, Wikinger, round point, near wedge (I talked about this in my post - http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...zor-shave.html).

Ideally, to be able to measure an outcome (such as improvement of a shave over time) and compare "apples to apples", one should keep the variables (such as number of razors, kind of creme, etc...) to a minimum. However, I decided otherwise and my 2nd and 3rd shaves were with two other, different razors (see my tools below).

MY TOOLS:
1a. 2nd shave: The 7/8 Wacker French Point w/Laser Etched Spine straight razor (from John Crowley - ShaveingShop.com)
1b. 3rd Shave: 5/8 Respecto straight Razor (from Trey Dampier)
2. Taylor of Old Bond Street (Eton College) Shave creme
3. ShaveMac D01 (25mm custom) brush with Bruyere Wood handle. I am also blessed with one of John Crowley Vestavia brushes,although I have not tried it yet)
4. Geo Trumper Skin Food (Sandalwood & Lime...depending on my mood) and moisturizer.

MY RESULTS:
3 passes with each shave (2x WTG + 1x XTG)...I do not dare do ATG yet. The shaves got exponentially better with the 2nd and 3rd shaves (compared to 1st shave). I even forced my left hand (the non-dominant one) to think outside the box for a change (scary proposition when you stop to think about it http://badgerandblade.com/vb/images/..._guys/ohmy.gif).

Scientifically/mathematically, one could argue that this variability can be attributed to the fact that I used 3 different razors, with the "increasing quality of the delivered shaves" proportional to the "razor type" rather than my technique. This is definitely a possibility, but given the fact that this 'exponential' improvement happened in a temporally ordered fashion, this is unlikely. However, since I was impatient to try the new razors, I plan to go back to one of these razors and stick to it for the time being, eliminating the "razor variability".


I still have some problems around: 1) chin, 2) neck (I still manage to nick myself), and 3) transition zone (where chin and neck merge)


More later,
Robert

Hello, Robert:

Thank you for keeping us apprised of your adventure.

You're doing fine. Keep it up. The chin and the neck are a problem for everyone, me included, but that is a battle you will win someday.

Continue to be methodical and careful with your shave. Especially keep the pressure light. Maintain your focus. Throw away the clock. A little at a time.

Well done, sir.

Regards,
Obie

I also alternated different razors, I can see the opinion that sticking with one would help one become more consistent easier. It seems to me though that we can learn a little different technique with each razor, which helps out in the long run. Using a bigger razor helps us learn how to manipulate the blade to get into tight spots, a smaller razor helps one learn the right grip, since they love to stop because of them having less momentum. I even think that my western str8 technique got better from using my Jstr8.
The neck is the hardest to shave,IMO, because of the tenderness of the skin, and because of the wrinkles. The neck takes very precise pressures and angles to achieve a comfortable shave. Most wrinkles on my neck are horizontal and I have found for me it helps to keep the razor on an angle to keep the whole edge hitting the wrinkle at the same time, which usually in my case brings blood. The scything motion described in the wiki also helps alot with closeness and comfort. It seem with me my pressure and angles can go all over the board on my cheeks and I wont get irritated, the neck on the otherhand, will let you know right away where you have problems. It took me about a week of shaves to get rid of irritation on my face and took about 2 weeks of shaves longer to get the same results on my neck, about a month after that I got my first BBS shave, then the irritation came back as I wanted that smoothness all the time. After forcing myself to forget about the BBS results and concentrating on comfort, the irritation went away for good, I hope, and I still get BBS once in a while and it seems to be coming more often lately. As long as my shave is as smooth or better than a mach3, and the irritation that type of shaving brought me stays in the past, I am a happy camper.

Have fun, relax, and enjoy, you are on your way to shaving nirvana, it just takes a bit of time and practice to get there.

P.S. I think that you might find that because you are more nervous about using your left hand, that you will be less likely to cut yourself with it. It will take a while to start feeling comfortable using it, but I have cut myself with my right, far more than with my left. It seems I take for granted that my right hand will know what to do, my left I always keep a watchful eye on. There has been advice given around here to use your left for more non-shaving related things, and it will help you feel more comfortable using it to shave with.

Hi Jasongreat,
I hear you loud & clear. I tend to agree with you on the the right-left hand point of view. By virtue of being more careful with my left hand, I experience a better shave. However, the finger muscles are a bit nervous about the form in which they need to securely hold the blade...that will come very soon I think and the natural tendency is for me to switch hands when this happens. I just have to make a conscious decision to keep at it, regardless of the cuts. I think once this muscle memory is learned and becomes second nature, things will roll much smoother and I will experience the Ahaa moment.

Thanks for the words of wisdom adn encouragement...since there hasn't been any casualties in shaving that I know of, I will keep going through the process of "growing pains". I will keep updating the post with my progress over the next week or two.

Thanks,
-Robert

Alright guys,
well, I am 3 weeks into this and after my 3rd shave, things started improving leaps and bounds...Now, I can get pretty DFS, if not BBS on some days.

I am seriously getting hooked to this process...it is fun :y. The learning curve for my left (non-dominant) hand is getting easier, but still has lots of room for improvement. I haven't had any nicks and cuts so far. I think I will soon try other blades (maybe another month or so)...My Wackers and Thiers Issards are waiting anxiously.

My shaves take a bit too long...~40 minutes...Although I don't mind this since it's therapeutic, Zen like.

-Robert

Hello, Robert:

Congratulations on your continued conquest.

Yes, that non-dominant hand takes its time, but it does come around. I have alternated hands from the first day and now both hands are almost equal.

You do realize that wet shaving with a straight razor eventually becomes a sweet obsession. But then, what's life without such obsessions?

Regards,
Obie

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Obie

Hello, Robert:

Congratulations on your continued conquest.

Yes, that non-dominant hand takes its time, but it does come around. I have alternated hands from the first day and now both hands are almost equal.

You do realize that wet shaving with a straight razor eventually becomes a sweet obsession. But then, what's life without such obsessions?

Regards,
Obie

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Thank you again for your words of encouragement Obie,
This forum rocks (as the younger generation will so eloquently put it)...I wish there was a machine of some sort that would lower the slope of this learning curve for the left hand ;). Hmmm...I smell "patent application" somewhere :idea:. I am a str8 convert and patient with the process and have seen the light...now, there's no turning back...for me, it's now a matter of fine tuning my technique so as to make that light shine as bright as possible. After my wife, it will become my beacon in the mornings.

On a serious note...I just finished shaving with a slightly different routine (beard prep, that is). I used Stephan's Smooth Conditioning Shave Creme (note that it's not a lathering creme like GFT or other) to coat my beard, leave 2-3 minutes and lather (with your soap/creme on top of it and proceed as usual with shaving. Boy...did this give me the closest shave I had attained so far...Wowwww :dropjaw:. That's honestly the only expression that comes to mind.

The drawback of this creme seems to be that since this contains "mineral oil", the second lather was not as good. I will play with the protocol to see how to get around this and will post results soon.

Cheerios,
-Robert