I am still new to using anything other than a cartridge razor, but I've got facial hair that hits 5'o-clock shadows in a single day. Unless I'm heading out for a date after my shave, it's useless ;_;
Two things helped me get BBS nearly every time: 1) Cold Water Shaves remove the possibility of irritation and razor burn so I don't have to worry about 3 passes. 2) Truly knowing the direction of my whisker growth lets me get the most out of every pass.
Definitely true for me aswell....just as my EverReady 1914 SE razor leaves me cleaner shaved even longer than my DE....even though I doubt it, I imagine it is possible the YMMV factor could raise its ugly head on this one.......
Just reading about some of the stuff guys do can give me irritation. Facial scrubs, exfoliating, hot towel after hot towel, 3 or 4 passes in every direction...
I agree shaving is more a pleasant ritual than a necessary evil. Some shaves might require the BBS feel i.e. Date Night, but for the most part I'm satisfied with DFS.
I like to shave every morning. by five I'm ruff again. if I want to look sharp for an evening encounter, or whatever( you married guys know what I mean), I'll shave again.
Just had my first comfortable BBS head shave since starting with DE razors last month. Merkur 37c with a Personna Red. Proper angle = no pressure needed. No pressure = no irritation, even ATG.
In the beginning I would BBS or DFS would be easier to accomplish. Even though I know there is a lot of practicing left to do, I try to get smooth enought that I don't see clear rough patches. But I have not learned when to stop =P I do 2 passes WTG and 1-2 passes XTG in the same direction. I'm doing this so I get the right technique and angle and I have gotten to the place where I don't irritate my skin and get razor burn or bumps. I'm gonna keep doing this for a while and then change one of the XTG with XTG the other direction because I have noticed that that gives good results. I have just under 6 months of DE shaving under my belt and I like to skip days so I have not gotten the practice I need to get BBS. But I'm patient =P
Never go for BBS. Just like many other aspects of life, take what you can get away with. If you can do WTG, XTG, ATG for BBS with no irritation, why not. I would if I could. Many of us are not able to and stick to 1-2 WTG passes which leaves me plenty satisfied. What I feel bad for is the guys trying to find BBS while causing terrible irritation. Why put yourself through that? I think it happens a lot with new shavers because some of the big youtube guys do a traditional 3 pass for BBS with no irritation so they get fooled into thinking that's how everyone should shave.
I'm still learning myself, but so far I think when I do get BBS, it prevents me from getting a good comfortable shave the following day, so I really only attempt it once a week at most. For me it's important to not shortcut on a pass. No matter how short my stubble is, I still need at least 3 passes to get a decent shave without irritation.
Now that I am head-shaving with a safety razor I still cannot go ATG. I have naturally wavy/curly hair so I can still get Razor Bumps. I have learned to just settle for a CCS.
Still skeptical about switching from cart to DE. I feel like it'll take quite a bit of time before I know what I'm doing, or at least that's what I've read. I can't even think of how I would shave without applying pressure.
You will find it very easy to do. Once you get used to it, you will find that a DE shave far surpasses a cartridge shave for comfort and closeness.