I'm new to traditional wet shaving- I've probably shaved between 7-10 times with a DE razor- but just now I had a terribly bad shave. I really rather tried to have a good pre shave clean using soap, lots of water and warm towels on my face, I tried to get a nice creamy lather and I tried to apply no pressure when shaving. However, I couldn't finish my shave as I could feel I was going to get really bad razor burn and I did, along with some of those red shave spots (although some Witch Hazel and moisturiser has helped soothe it). I did two, almost three, passes and I noticed on each pass, and I've get this almost every time I shave, I get awfully bad drag when I move the razor. This leads to me think my problem must be my technique, I shouldn't be getting any drag, correct? Should I move the razor faster; people that I've seen shaving with DE on youtube seem to shave awfully quick, I go a lot slower. Perhaps I should get a different razor? Although, I doubt it would solve much. A long with the drag, I also noticed that my stubble seem awfully hard, which I think must cause the drag; maybe my pre shave routine isn't good enough and I need to spend more time soften the stubble. Now, I had a really good shave on Monday, almost BBS, but again I got terrible razor burn on the central part of my neck. Maybe I was a bit too eager to shave again today (Wednesday) and I didn't give my neck enough time to heal. Indeed, the minute I applied the lather to my face it started to tingle. It's all rather frustrating. I think I'm going to take a break from shaving for a week or so- to let let my neck heal properly- and then come back and try again. I may also try a gentler soap, given that my face began to tingle when I applied the lather. Any tips or advice would be welcomed, as I'm determined to get the knack of this wet shaving business.
Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy your shave. What was the equipment used? Sounds like your face doesn't like the soap/cream you used. Razor drag is going to either be your angle or under-hydrated lather.
Sorry, I should have said; I'm using a Merkur HD 34c and Wilkinson Sword blades. I'm definitely going to completely change the soap brand.
Sorry to hear you had a bad shave but it does happen from time to time whn you are starting out. Creamy lather sounds good as does no pressure - you know what you should be doing! If you are getting drag it could be an issue of technique (blade angle), poor 'glide' from the lather or a dud/blunt blade or a combination of those. I know that this is a few things to look at but it also gives you things to work on I'd certainly not worry about going too slow - especially when starting out. Get the angle right - it is 'dragging' the angle is wrong - you are looking to slice not drag. A sharp blade will slice through hard stubble without a problem - but stronger/harder hair will take its toll and mean that the blade needs changing more regularly. I'd change to a fresh blade, focus on getting a great, 'slick' lather an take it slow adjusting the angle until there is no drag. Don't get too concerned about BBS to early. A DFS (damm fine shave) or SAS (socially acceptable shave) is what you probably should aim for initially then ramp it up later as you get more experienced. Going three passes to get a BBS while still mastering technique will almost certainly result in burn. BTW - was the 'tingle' a menthol tingle or a reaction? Sometimes a menthol soap can tingle but be fine. A break sounds like a good idea - as is a pass less probably. You WILL get there. It just comes together and becomes second nature after a while. I'm teaching my daughter to drive and there are lots of parallels - although shaving is MUCH easier!
Thank you for detailed reply Mark, it's much appreciated. I definitely think it's to do with the blade angle and therefore my technique. I'm going to do a search and look into blade angle in a little more detail ( http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/my-first-de-shave-advice-on-blade-angle-and-alignment.13620/ <- this post has a useful diagram on angle, for another newbies having problems with blade angle ). I was using a fresh blade and perhaps the lather wasn't thick enough, I may try and do more research into a really thorough pre-shave routine. It doesn't help that I swim a lot and the chlorine really dries your skin and hair out. A change of soap is a good idea as I think the tingle was more a reaction that a menthol tingle, given that the soap does not, from the ingredients, have any menthol in it. Swarden, I always aim for shorter strokes. My initial thoughts against longer strokes is that the blade will get clogged up and then I wont get a good and consistent shave.
C&E soaps aren't that good from what I hear, so I'd get something else as soon as I could if I were you. If the lather is made properly it won't clog the razor up, and also going slow or fast won't make any difference. Go the speed with which your comfortable with. You should at least take 3-5 days off and let your face heal up before going at it again, and get a good moisturiser balm to help the healing process. It doesn't have to be expensive, like Nivea, Cornhuskers, Afta, anything of that nature. Really I suggest that while your out getting that balm, get yourself some VDH Deluxe soap for less than $2.00, as it's one of the easiest soaps to master. I don't know if you've been told this before but good lather should have a reflective sheen to it, and it will look more like a wet yogurt than cool whip. If it looks like the latter your lather is too dry. I'd work on technique and stay with that blade for awhile, just make sure during the learning process to change them out frequently so that you know you always have a sharp blade to work with. I hope your not going against the grain at this stage and only doing with the grain passes, and if you aren't please do that until you've mastered the wtg pass without any irritation before you move on to across the grain.
I'm thinking you should definitely continue working on your technique but perhaps your lather was dry? You've had a decent shave with a DE already so you can definitely use them appropriately, albeit possibly not consistently... yet! You'll get there. If your skin is pretty dehydrated then it could just be sucking all the moisture out of your lather and leaving you a drier lather which in turn won't soften your hairs.
While I can't really add anything as everyone has given you some excellent advice, I will say that a break would be good to let yourself heal, but then get right back to it. Don't get discouraged and feel bad because you haven't got it as soon as you think you should. We have all been there at one point or another. Keep at it and you will get it. And don't stop asking questions; that's what we are here for.
Just thought I would give my 2 cents. I have tried to use wilkinson swords twice and both times stopped in the middle of my shave to change to a different blade. I got exactly the same result that you are describing. This is the only blade out of probably 15 that I have tried that has ever treated my face this way.
I'd say try some different blades after you give your face a bit of time to heal. It's not the first time I've heard of Wilkinson Sword blades having poor performance, but they also may just not agree with you altogether.
I recommend a blade sampler pack, if you haven't tried one already. Wilkinson Swords and Derby's both gave me a lot of drag and pulling.
Thanks for all the replies and advice, guys. You've certainly helped re-motivate me, I was starting to think the whole exercise was futile; I definitely require more patience! So, I'm going to buy some different blades, try another soap (I have a Trumpers soap, which seems to get pretty good reviews, that I will use for my next shave), really work on my pre-shave routine, really really concentrate on my technique as well as give my face some recovery time (which will be hard as I'm now itching to have my neck shave!). Any recommendations on blades? I've only tried, Merkur Wilkinson Sword and Derby. The Derbys did give a great shave I just got bad razor burn, which would be rectified with improved technique. Thanks for the tips for getting a good lather Williams Warrior, that's a handy description. Working up a good creamy lather is a real skill and I'm really going to have to concentrate on how I'm building it. Thanks for the tip on VDH soaps too. I looked around on the internet for them but they seem a little tricky to get. Thankfully I have a cousin who lives in the Netherlands, so I may ask her to send me some over! Thanks again guys, I really appreciate it
Short Stokes work for me too. Be patient, work on your prep, less amount of pressure works best. You will have days where your shave will off, just learn from it and shake it off.
Astra Superior Platinums, Voskhod, Rapira, Gillette 7 o'clock, Shark, Lord Platinum....I'd get a small package of each and just give it some time with each brand, to see what works best with your face. Until you get your technique down to where you feel easily comfortable, I'd stay away from Feather and Bolzano blades
snip snip If you have a WalMart near you I'd go there for the VanDerHagen soap. The mention of it being hard to find and trying to get it from the Netherlands makes me think you might have it confused for De Vergulde Hand soap.
Yep, watch that blade angle! I think getting the wrong angle with a DE is easy when you are used to pulling the long handle of a cartridge razor. Think more about where the head of the razor is and not so much the handle. I have C&E Sienna soap, and while I love the scent, I find it lacks the cushion and especially the slickness of some other soaps/crams I've tried. For a scant $6, I cannot recommend Speick shave stick enough! Super slick, super thick, even if your lathering technique is still in it's infancy - really nice stuff. Blades are so personal, I really can't say much here, but I personally like the Wilkinson Swords, though I think Rapira blades are quite nice and smooth and inexpensive too. Oh and short strokes has helped me and it apparently has helped others. Just take 'er slow and keep at it with plenty of time to heal after a bad shave. Best to you!
