Thread: Chreees's Shaving Journey

Originally Posted by Chreees

Oh I saw all that. I just got brave and went ahead and went for it, haha. I guess I wasn't supposed to?

Nope - you weren't "supposed to".

I think the point is to set your expectations appropriately. You are of course free to be as aggressive as you wish. But the advice in the beginner's guides are there for a reason and intended to make your experience a pleasant one with realistic expectations.

I can read alot about how to play tennis but I'm not a tennis player until I've put alot of time on the courts. Take your time! This isn't a race...

Originally Posted by EggSuckingLeech

Nope - you weren't "supposed to".

I think the point is to set your expectations appropriately. You are of course free to be as aggressive as you wish. But the advice in the beginner's guides are there for a reason and intended to make your experience a pleasant one with realistic expectations.

I can read alot about how to play tennis but I'm not a tennis player until I've put alot of time on the courts. Take your time! This isn't a race...

Noted. I shall pay closer attention to the advice given here and pace myself.

Shave #2 tonight.

Razor moved much easier tonight... maybe it just needed a bit of stropping even though Larry said in the instructions it did not? I dunno. I was able to go quicker, and I didn't take near as long to shave, but I did still have to finish with my electric (which feels completely childproof after just shaving your face with a sharp blade, lol).

One thing I don't get yet is how to cut completely close so no stubble is left. Went all angles and still had stubble left. It was like I was just scraping off the lather. I need to work on my angle technique more (obviously).

Less nicks this time... but a bit more irritation (razor burn). Not sure why. I did get a gusher on the left side of my neck, right under the jawline, that took a bit of time to clot (styptic was no match for it).

At least I actually felt like the guys in the YouTube vids this time... Just didn't get the closeness I needed. I'll work on it. I think my next shave will be in a day or two. Definitely can't shave everyday right now while learning this new skill.

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...