I'm shaving with a Merkur Futur adjustable and a Gillette 7 o'Clock yellow, using oil only, no lather (at this point). Doing the typical WTG/XTG/ATG passes with some buffing around the chin and jawline. I'm running the razor at a pretty mild 1.5 setting, and finding there are spots where I need more buffing, which causes more of a tingle with the alum hits. Interested in thoughts, vis-a-vis face irritation, whether I'm better off exposing more of the blade to cut down passes (and risk nicks, etc.) or sticking with the less aggressive setting and buffing a bit more. Thanks!
What I do with my Merkur Progress and aggressive blades: First pass WTG at setting 3 - after that I turn the dial to 2 or even 1,5. Next pass is a mixture between XTG and ATG, using pretty short strokes. There are 1 or 2 areas under the chin that might need a little extra work, but I usually get a pretty smooth shave that way without too much skin irritation.
Interesting. We have so may choices and tools today. I wonder what was the final shave quality years ago with one non-adjustable razor and an Old Spice mug?
That has been speculated about in numerous threads. The concensus seems to be that the norm was one pass good enough, not the 3 pass go for BBS mentality most of us on shaving sites have today. If you're curious about what is was like for them, grab an old DE, a vintage blade (I've tried 'em, don't like 'em), a puck of Williams (shudder) and have at it, one pass only.
Sounds like you are over working your skin and not lubricating enough. Try a more open setting first. No buffing, no pressure. Let the blade do the work. If that doesn't help Then trade your oil for some Proraso soap. The trick is always finding out what products work for you and what you are willing to go through to get an acceptable shave. On the other hand BBS is not necessary. Why injure yourself to get one? I mean if your neat and well groomed why go for an invisible effect that only lasts and hour or three anyway?
That would explain the common "curse" of 5 o'clock shadow referred to back then, which (barring the more hirsute among us) for most today isn't a problem.
My Dad shaved with a Gillette Ball Tech with the blue blades (the one he taught me on) and a Gem Micromatic Open comb. He usually did a pass then relather for a touchup, he always seemed to have a close shave. But my first razor was a Gillette Slim that I liked much better than my Dads Tech. I always lather twice ATG and touchup. And yes I used Williams soap for a long time then graduated to Van der Hagan soap.
Extremely short strokes, usually more rapid than your normal strokes, done very lightly over the same area.
I've found buffing to be a recipe for irritation. Different people get different results, but I get great results with one pass WTG and one pass ATG with a little touch up on the neck. Keep it simple and have fun
Having learned how to shave in "those days" I can say that we learned to shave correctly for our individual skin/beard conditions through trial and error and did not rely on gadgets and gimmicks for a good result. Ps, we did it all without the support of "Net" forums. I'm convinced we all instinctively learn how to shave simply by feeling our way through the process and those natural processes get hosed up by too much advice from others.
Starting out keeping it as simple as possible with as few variables. My brother has been shaving with just oil for several years, so figured I'd try that first. I imagine it also cuts WAY down on the time needed to shave - no lather prep, repainting between passes, etc. With that said - I have a bowl and brush, and as soon as I get the variable of razor/blade combo narrowed down, I'll be trying a few shaves with soaps/creams to see what works - especially on the weekends. Considering lavender products - the earthy ones, not floral/perfume-y ones.
I didn't start to get super shaves until I got my prep and lather to optimum levels. good luck, but I couldn't image a great shave without great prep. if you can great.
I agree with the idea that improving your lather will improve your shave. I can get a great shave from any of my straights, and DEs or SEs using pretty much any blade when I use a good soap and produce good lather. I'd go so far as to say that I would likely get a very good shave even with my coarse beard from my pairing knife as long as I have great lather. The opposite is not true; even with my best DE and blade setup, regardless of how much experience I have, I cannot get a great shave if I have poor lather. I think the oil is creating a thicker layer between blade and skin than good lather would do. This is causing you to miss some of the closeness that you are expecting. Creating lather really doesn't take that long and it is one of the elements that contributes to the enjoyment of the traditional wet shave - keep in mind that this should also be a positive, relaxing experience. And, if you are having to go back and touchup areas you have missed, then using the oil probably isn't saving you any time. As far as irritation is concerned, I'd recommend allowing yourself 3 passes and then putting the razor down without looking too closely in the mirror to find the little areas that could use more attention. Or, do no more than 2 passes with buffing and then call it quits. Dial that sucker up a few notches if you feel like you aren't getting enough blade. It is strange, when you first start out it is tough to get a good close shave effortlessly. But, somehow, the longer you keep at it, the more good shaves become routine and you somehow manage to get closer shaves in less passes and in less time without feeling rushed. Sounds like you are off to a good start, keep at it Blade buffing refers to a quick back and forth motion with the razor, the buffing stroke is probably less than in inch long in almost all cases. The key here is that, unlike other strokes, when using a buffing stroke you do not remove the blade from your skin when "pushing" back to the starting position. So, basically you use a back and forth motion over a small space while keeping the razor on your skin. The reason why this works well without necessarily causing irritation is because with very good lather, the return/push stroke relathers the area that you are buffing. So, even though you are essentially doing multiple passes in one area, you are never shaving without lather under the blade. If your lather isn't thick enough, slick enough, or stable enough, blade buffing will cause more irritation than using regular strokes. If you have great lather, in my experience, blade buffing is a good way to give a bit of extra attention to areas with more coarse or denser beard growth. I have a coarse beard, shave daily, and using blade buffing everytime I shave (including with straights) and do not show any signs of irritation.
I was experimenting with this very issue this morning. More oil is NOT necessarily better, for the exact reason you describe. I got a tremendously good BBS shave - my best to date - yesterday on my first day with a Slim (thanks, @Streambrewer !)and Nacent blade, both new to me. It was just after noon when I shaved, and even by 0430 today not much was back - in fact, I could have passed on all but my neck with no one much the wiser. However, I gave it another go, and even with the razor opened up mid-way I was not able to get the shave I wanted on the very small stubble with too much oil. Had to wipe it off and re-wet my face for the finishing touches. Every day a new learnin'.
