Thread: What am I doing wrong?

I have a Brand New TI that I have stropped on a new leather, and nylon. I have also polished it with TI Strop paste on denim, then back to the leather and nylon. It glides thru my arm hair/ leg hair with ease, no pulls, no second pass needed. I've tried the HHT, from what I can understand that it is, and it cuts a hair quite well. I also read somewhere you should test a blade by the thumbnail method, and I can shave a piece off a thumbnail without much effort.
I prep my face with a moist hot towel, pre shave oil, and apply a rich lather with a Badger brush.
My face is still coming out raw, and it takes several passes to get the smooth finish I desire. I can't get near smooth on my chin, or under my jaw, and my neck is absolutely on fire by the time I am done.
Does all this mean that I am still doing it wrong, or can it still be the blade?
Is a raw face, neck and indication of too much pressure? too sharp of an angle?
What about needing multiple passes?
I know patience is required and 5 shaves won't make me an expert, I just need to know where to focus my efforts. Should I send my blade to a honemeister? Should a buy a shavette and find if I can shave effectively with that, or do I need to buy a rasoir from one of the honemeisters here?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
I am letting my face rest today, and maybe tomorrow. Back to an electric until my face heals.

Right off the bat lay off the thumbnail. That is a test reserved for bevel setting and not used again once passed with that particular razor. It can dull a shave ready edge to an extent. Shave technique is learned. No short cuts IME. Stretching the skin, blade angle, stroke, all are critical. Takes time to get them all together. Until you put all that together and can do them with no pressure the shaves won't be optimum. Be patient and keep at it and little by little it will get better. That has been my experience.

I have just had my second DFS this morning on 2 passes and it took me about 60 shaves to get this far. On my 5th shave I was still working on cheeks only WTG one pass. My advice from my own experience is slow down. You didn't mention if you got the razor from a bona-fide shave ready purveyor.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Right off the bat lay off the thumbnail. That is a test reserved for bevel setting and not used again once passed with that particular razor. It can dull a shave ready edge to an extent.

Isnt the thumbnail test(TNT) just dragging the edge over the nail, feeling for consistency in the bite of the razor while it is trying to cut into the nail.
Not: "I also read somewhere you should test a blade by the thumbnail method, and I can shave a piece off a thumbnail without much effort."

To me that sounds like pretty a very harsh test for an edge as fine as a razor, and one that could effect your shave.

With a shave ready razor you should only do the HHT, which for some is considered not a very consistent test atleast not without a bit of experience doing it, or the thumbpad test(TPT). With either one, it will be difficult knowing how to do them, what your looking for, without having a truly shave ready sharp razor in your possesion for reference.

And as others have pointed out, slow down and quit expecting perfection over night, there are a lot of different aspects to shaving which need to all come together before you will get great results.

First off, You shouldn't really need any kind of paste if the blade was freshly honed. I'm assuming it was shave ready when you got it...It should be stropped on linen or cotton, then leather. The thumb nail test is mearly dragging the blade across a weted nail, not cutting a piece off, that could severely damage the fine shave edge, and it may well need to be honed now. Your prep sounds good, so I'd bet it's your angle. A common mistake made by many new shavers. It takes some time and patience.

Honestly, Don't worry about tests, cutting hairs and thumb nails, etc...
The true test is the shave, and again, it takes some time to master shaving with a straight razor. There are some good videos on youtube, Mantic59 comes to mind...and you might want to read the wiki here....

After stropping, I just very lightly touch the edge with my thumbpad to sense if it is "sharp enough" before stropping more. This comes with experience. Facial hairs are thicker and coarser than other hairs on the body. So they take more technique to get a BBS (baby butt smooth) shave.

Technique is a big hill to climb, but well worth it. Go lightly and multiple passes tend to give the best shave.

Perhaps taking steps to shaving some of the face with a straight razor is better than trying to shave the whole face initially. Then build upon the success in sections.

Keep trying and referencing the Wiki and welcome to SRP and straight shaving.

Pabster

I have read the Wiki, one of the first places I started. But of course I am not patient enough to wait for 60 shaves.
The razor I got from a commercial venture at a local mall. The Art of Shaving. But of course now I understand that factory 'shave ready' ain't necessarily so. Live and learn. As far as the thumbnail ruining the blade, maybe I misunderstood what the test was supposed to be. I merely shaved a piece off the flat part of the nail, a very tiny part ( not from the tip) I only did it once, very minimally, so I don't think that is it.
I guess I am leaning toward my problem being technique, not blade.
My plan is to go to a local Barber who does full straight shaves and get one done. Maybe even take my razor and ask him to do a pass with it.
What do you think?
Thanks for all the replies.

As a fellow Newbie, I was having a huge problem with razor burn leaving my face feeling like a sunburned steak. I would highly recommend watching Jockey's videos on youtube. In them he says repeatedly "A VERY light touch it paramount."

I had though I was going very lightly - and I was - compared to my previous cartridge razor. I experimented with just how light I could go while still keeping the blade under control. What. A. Difference. I immediately got rid of nearly all discomfort. The rest is coming as I improve technique.

YMMV, but the pressure required with a properly sharp razor is quite literally that of tickling yourself with a feather.

Good Luck, and Good Shaving.

60 shaves for some, but it took me about 20 shaves before I become consistent with a BBS shave. I did start with a disposable straight razor so I could fully concentrate on the shave and not question whether it was "sharp" enough. At about 50 shaves, I started to transition over to traditional straight razors.

Pabster

Originally Posted by Pabster

I did start with a disposable straight razor so I could fully concentrate on the shave and not question whether it was "sharp" enough.

Pabster

Was it a higher quality one?
I thought about using a dispasable, the local Beauty Supply sells an inexpensive dispaosable for about $12.
Would this be a mistake, or would this give just as decent a shave as a Shavette, (assuming a quality blade is used)?