Shave 3

Just finished up shave number 3, so far....pretty good. I'm finding my cheeks to be breeze, the sides of my neck are not as simple but I'm getting decent results. No problems using both left and right hands. Which brings me to the trouble areas which of course are the chin and lip. I've made improvements on the chin. I'm finding using the center of the blade and heel area provide more control as well as using very short strokes however the end result is still pretty stubbly. My lip on the other hand is a whole nother monster. I can't find a good starting point for my stroke without it pulling and being rather uncomfortable. I manage to get it smoother than my chin but it's patchy. Any guidance or suggestions you guys can offer? I'm sure these are the usual difficult areas everyone has trouble with in the beginning so I'm not getting discouraged in any way.

All in all I'm having a great time and look forward to running my hand across my face and feel enough stubble to know I get to shave that day.

I'd say you are doing better than 90% of us when we all started.

Watch for pulling cause that often means the razor needs honing. Those area you mention are the more challenging ones and they just take more practice and experimenting.

Because the whiskers on the chin and upper lip tend to be the coarsest, this area can be the biggest hurdle to a close shave. For me, I need three passes there to do the job: WTG and 2-XTG in opposite directions. Combined with some moderate skin stretching and a sharp razor = a smooth shave for me. What you want to do is avoid going over the same area again and again trying to get it smooth - that will lead to irritation.

Good luck.

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I'd say you are doing better than 90% of us when we all started.

Watch for pulling cause that often means the razor needs honing. Those area you mention are the more challenging ones and they just take more practice and experimenting.

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Thank you that definitely gives my confidence a boost. As to the pulling would it really be possible that my razor already needs honing. I'm only three shaves into a freshly honed razor. It seems to have no problem in the other areas. Could it just be the angle, or over sensitivity in that area? In the past when I've had a shave at a barber shop my lip has always been extremely sensitive. If so will it gradually become more used to this way of shaving. Even when it doesn't tug it still is very uncomfortable.

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Originally Posted by Ryan82

Because the whiskers on the chin and upper lip tend to be the coarsest, this area can be the biggest hurdle to a close shave. For me, I need three passes there to do the job: WTG and 2-XTG in opposite directions. Combined with some moderate skin stretching and a sharp razor = a smooth shave for me. What you want to do is avoid going over the same area again and again trying to get it smooth - that will lead to irritation.

Good luck.

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I have noticed when doing a XTG pass on my lip it seems to feel better than the WTG. Would it be advisable to maybe skip the WTG and go straight to the XTG?

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Originally Posted by bottomfeeder

I have noticed when doing a XTG pass on my lip it seems to feel better than the WTG. Would it be advisable to maybe skip the WTG and go straight to the XTG?

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No reason why you couldn't try it and see if it works for you. When you start SR shaving the first stage is getting the basics of shaving down pat. Second is refining your technique. Third is examining your processes to see if you can streamline the routine.

I do think it's curious that your razor is shaving uncomfortably WTG. It should be fairly smooth. I don't think your edge is rolled, otherwise it would hardly shave, if at all. It is possible that it is less-than-ideally sharp. But since you are only 3 shaves in it's most likely due to technique.

You are really doing well. Take your time and don't push it on the upper lip. I have found that it takes two to three passes to get it done comfortably. When my razor is sharp, the first WTG pass removes 90% of the growth. If my razor is dull, it just tugs and pulls. Sometimes, I will stop and do an extra 60 laps on the leather and that really helps.

Hope it goes well for you.

Happy Shaving!