Blade "scooting"

I've only been DE shaving for about 2 weeks now and mangling myself with each one, while barely getting an acceptable shave. I've mostly been using starter soaps (blimey it's surprisingly difficult to get good shave products in Nashville), such as Van Der Hagen deluxe and Williams, but I recently received the gifts of Crabtree and Evelyn "Sierra" shaving soap and "Nomad" shaving cream (in a tube). Herein lies my question.

With all of the soaps, I notice that after the first shave, with all subsequent shaves, my razor, a Merkur Progress, seems to "scoot" along my face, with an almost audible squeeking action, similar to how a squeegie slides along glass. I can actually feel the razor sort of bouncing and skipping along my face. It's very unnerving, and not at all comfortable, and it allows me next to zero blade control. I guess I sort of want to know if anyone else has had this particular issue. Our water is notoriously hard (rusty) and has a pungent chlorine-ish smell to it. I'm also pretty lousy at making lather in general, if that information helps.

I don't have this issue with the creams (aside from just a general lack of lathering skill), so the obvious solution is to just use the Nomad instead, it just seems odd that I have this crippling problem with a product that gets such glowing reviews from other users. Thanks in advance for any advice you all can provide.

 

I would suggest maybe lathering with bottled water and work on your lathering tech. If you havent I check out Mantics you tube vids. Good stuff on there.Crappy lather is just no good. Hang in there and Nothing wrong with VDH.

 

As suggested above, try bottled water to see if that helps.

VDH is a fine soap and easy to lather for most people, Williams can present a challenge for some, but it definitely has its fans.

Also when first starting out, there is nothing wrong with making practice lathers to help you get your lathering technique right, so practice, practice, practice.

The Shave School Master Sticky List has links to lathering guides and videos, so be sure to check it out if you haven't already found it.


What other gear do you have?

 

Good question Jo! Not re-lathering between passes would present quite the discomfort level!

I am also with the "your water is too hard crowd."

I was just talking with Williams Warrior / Keith about his distilled water usage. Perhaps you might try it?

I have also heard that a bit of baking soda in the shave water might help, although I have not tried it.

 

Oh, absolutely. These re-lathers are generally the problem passes. The first pass is so-so, but then I re-apply and then it's just squeek-squeek-argh and a visit with Mr. Styptic Pencil.

I do like the advice of using bottled water, I've tried water from my Brita filter, but that doesn't quite seem to do the trick. Guess I'll try microwaving it first?

 

Water filters will not remove the ph (hardness), only chlorine, lead, and other chemicals and bacteria. A gallon of distilled is less than a dollar and should last at least a month, pretty cheap fix for perfect lather every time.

 

Can't add to what's been said - sound advice.
Hope you find out what works.

 

I have experienced this problem primarily when traveling and using hotel water, which can be hard, so I concur with the hard water hypothesis. My response to this, when no distilled water or other means are available, is to take shorter strokes, rinse the blade more frequently, and increase the blade exposure (if using an adjustable) and angle until full contact is assured. I have also found that using preshave oil somehow reduces the negative effects of hard water.

 

I will also throw in that your lather may be too thin. I had to fix my lather this morning for precisely the same reason you posted this thread; my blade was "scooting" across my face.

I have been adjusting the amount of product I use recently and went too far today with the water. The lather was not super thin, but it just did not have the "glide" I was looking for. A bit more croap added to the brush and I was back in business.

 

I'm going to go ahead and say it, but really I'm getting tired of the "Hard Water" excuse, yes you may need to clean the brush more but you're still capable of making great lather with it.

The OP's lather could be too thin, he could have seriously dry skin, or just not the right angle and pressure on his face with the razor.

 

I have very hard water in my house. We have 22 grains per gallon. It can be a pain with it at first but I can usually get lather no problem.

All i can say is that start with a damp brush. Add drops at a time and put some elbow grease into it. You will get a nice lather when you get the balance right and know how to get it.

 

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all the advice. I think I'm just going to put the soap on the back burner and stick with cream for now until I get the knack of the rest of the process.

I actually got a pretty decent shave with the cream this morning barring a knick or two.

 

Sounds like a plan, but don't give up on VDH it is a wonderfully good soap for cheap, and yes I let the Plisson frolic in its lather. :happy102

 

Good point. Poor lathering/prep is probably the leading cause of poor shaves in my early wet shaving experience. Lather and prep is one of those things where a fixed routine/technique is not as important as "doing what it takes." It may take extra time and effort, however there are limits to what most can commit to, so effort alone only can take us so far. We must work smarter too. Ideas like face lathering, super lather combinations, finding better brushes, better soaps/creams, and possibly better water source-even bottled water- need to be on the table to help the process. Lather problems not only can be overcome regardless the causes, but must overcome IMHO to reap the benefits of wet shaving.

 

+1, I prefer to work smarter. I make it as easy as I can so I can enjoy my hobby/grooming lifestyle. I can make lather with my incredibly hard well water, but I don't feel like giving myself carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis in my elbow to do it.:happy102