Thread: Chreees's Shaving Journey

Really interested to hear about your experiences, I'm kinda in the same boat. I found better strokes and was more effective as my coincidence and experience grew.

Originally Posted by fuddstar

Really interested to hear about your experiences, I'm kinda in the same boat. I found better strokes and was more effective as my coincidence and experience grew.

I will definitely keep updating this thread as I continue. I admit, it's discouraging when it ain't going right, but I know I'll get better with time and eventually have those great shaves.

All that was said above is correct, and if you listen, and hang in there practice makes perfect. Of course i feel the need to put in my 2 cents even though the wisdom has certainly chimed in on this one already..... My advice and something the wasnt mentioned is skin stretching.... Now i dont know how old you are, And i am young my self (27) but i know that making sure you stretch would doing your pass by either pulling with your hand or making funny faces it pinnacle for a close shave. It is about beard reduction as mentioned above. Each pass should bring you closer to complete smoothness. It will give you a better closer shave if you remember to stretch.

Another thing is confidence.... Confidence is a good thing..... Confidence is also earned....... Dont ever forget for a second what that blade is capable of and remember that it has certain rules. Learn what your razor can and cant do. IF YOU BREAK A RULE BECAUSE OF YOUR CONFIDENCE AND INEXPERIENCE THE RAZOR WILL REMIND YOU.

Happy shave---- You'll be fine!

Originally Posted by JoeLowett

All that was said above is correct, and if you listen, and hang in there practice makes perfect. Of course i feel the need to put in my 2 cents even though the wisdom has certainly chimed in on this one already..... My advice and something the wasnt mentioned is skin stretching.... Now i dont know how old you are, And i am young my self (27) but i know that making sure you stretch would doing your pass by either pulling with your hand or making funny faces it pinnacle for a close shave. It is about beard reduction as mentioned above. Each pass should bring you closer to complete smoothness. It will give you a better closer shave if you remember to stretch.

Another thing is confidence.... Confidence is a good thing..... Confidence is also earned....... Dont ever forget for a second what that blade is capable of and remember that it has certain rules. Learn what your razor can and cant do. IF YOU BREAK A RULE BECAUSE OF YOUR CONFIDENCE AND INEXPERIENCE THE RAZOR WILL REMIND YOU.

Happy shave---- You'll be fine!

Thanks for the advice, guys! I am definitely working on learning how to stretch the skin and what angle to use. Once I get it down I should be golden...

Also, I just took my first shot at honing... Now it's time to see how they shave:

Shave #3: Okay, so I KNEW something wasn't right... I shaved today using my Dovo my brother gave to me, after giving it a quick 10 x-strokes on the hone I purchased from Whipped Dog. It shaves beautifully. Waaaaaaaaay better than the Henckels. With the Henckels it was more so just scraping off the lather, whereas the Dovo I was having complete whisker removal in one WTG pass. Amazing. Not knocking Larry's honing job on the Henckels, but it just wasn't as sharp as it should've been, IMO. I will shave using it next time and see how it performs now that it's had 10 x-strokes on the barbers hone, and let you guys know how it goes. But I did do the arm hair test, and it seemed to do just as well as the Dovo. I am completely satisfied with this shave! I did one north-to-south pass, and then one south-to-north pass. My face is completely smooth. There was no need to finish with my electric this time. I am soooo happy that I finally figured out this issue, and it wasn't just me.

Shave #4:

Did the same two passes as before, WTG and then ATG (although technically it's XTG on my neck, the way hair grows there). I first tried the Henckels razor that I did 10 x-strokes on the barbers hone with, and it just wasn't "cutting it." So switched to the Dovo. Perfect. I guess I need to take the Henckels back to the hone, see if I can't get it sharpened up a bit.

Shave went well overall. Had some resistance on the ATG pass around the chin area. Razor burn on my neck, but that's likely due to me using Aqua Velva (my old go-to) as aftershave instead of the Proraso Pre-Shave cream, like I've been doing since I started this adventure. Reason I tried the Aqua Velva is because the wife doesn't like the smell of the Proraso. Looks like I'll be looking for something that is alcohol free as an aftershave... Any recommendations? I know I need to pick up some Thayer's Witch Hazel for a good post-shave treatment... Trying to find it locally but coming up empty-handed.

As for closeness, it's getting better. Running my hands WTG, completely smooth. ATG, there's some stubble, especially on my neck where I shaved moreso XTG due to the direction my hair grows there. I am completely satisfied with this shave, though I would like to someday be able to get that BBS shave. With patience and practice, I shall get it someday...

Well, Larry is really taking care of me... I told him about how the Henckels wasn't shaving properly compared to my Dovo, and asked what I could do to get a sharper edge on her. He offered to rehone it free of charge plus free return shipping, and also a free honing in the future. Excellent customer service, IMO.

Shave #5:

Got my Wade and Butcher back from being sent off to get honed, along with two vintage razor cases (I'll post pics later). Did Proraso pre-shave cream, Proraso soap, and two passes, WTG/ATG. Everything went well. I think I'm going to run the razor on my hone a few strokes, as it didn't cut as close as my Dovo. Still did a good job, though. I picked up some Nivea post shave balm and man, I really like it. It really calmed things down and left my face and neck feeling great. I think I'll keep using it.

All in all, a decent shave.

Shave #6:

My first time in a LONG time that I have shaved two days in a row... It went well in terms of closeness, but not well in terms of irritation/razor burn (did the usual WTG and ATG passes). Even with the Nivea sensitive skin post-shave balm. I used the Dovo, which has easily become my favorite in terms of sharpness (gives me a closer shave), weight, stability, and size of the blade. Using the Wade and Butcher and then the Dovo, I realized I really like the tang on the Dovo more. It allows me to hold the razor more easily than with the W&B. Irritation may have come from using too much pressure, but I'm not too sure. I'll try to ease up next time. I also ran the W&B on the hone a few times and will be using it next time, see if it shaves any closer.

Question: I'm considering just doing two WTG passes next time... How well does that work for you folks?

If I shave daily I skip the WTG and do XTG for one pas and can do AGT if I choose.

My facial hair does not grow what I would consider fast so this works well for me.

The only time I do a 3 pass is if it has been two days or more.

PS you can pick up regular witch-hazel for $2 at any Wal-Mart or Walgreens/CVS,

the smell does not linger and add essential oils, Rose water ect. later if you choose.