Love the Old Spice ship's wheel decanter Doug! How do you manage to get a splash of aftershave out of it in the morning without upsetting the ship?
Second shave went a little better, two nicks, in the exact same spot. I am able to get my cheeks, and mustache BBS, but the jawline and neck is extremely difficult for me right now. Definitely subpar. I think I'm going to do this whole month with my 52 Gillette SS instead of the Parker 71R. The Parker seems a little more aggressive and I don't have as good of control. I'm having an extremely difficult time getting any kind of non dissipating lather out of this classic brand soap, it is admittedly a very cheap soap though. I have a couple nicer soaps coming, as well as a sampler blade pack. Hopefully a nice lather will help, as well as a decent after shave. My current after shave is alcohol based and doesn't sit very well. I will update with my next shave.
The shaves will get better over time. Like any skill it takes time to develop the muscle memory. I had problems with the same areas.
I agree with Clint and Herm, it will get better. Something you might want to try is shave cream. I switched to it early on and haven't been back to soaps. I will, but the Proraso cream is just so easy. Need more product, squeeze a little more out. As for the jaw line, if you haven't already, try stretching your skin up or down to give yourself a flatter area to shave. On the neck, hold the pressure off and take it slow. Once you find the right angle and the direction, it will get better. I just recently found that for one of my trouble spots I need to hit it from two directions while pulling my skin a bit toward my left shoulder. Whatever it is you need to do, you'll discover it and it will make you smile. And when you finish your shave and find you missed a spot or two, take that opportunity to figure out what direction the grain is (opposite the direction it feels roughest). Then, next shave, make sure you do an across and an against the grain in that spot and see if it makes a difference. We're glad you're part of the Shave Den family!
I have the Proraso green and red tubs of soap on the way, I'm hoping they work better than this classic brand. In the reviews some more experienced shavers said they had issues getting a lather with them. My next purchase may be a cream if neither of these work out. Still focusing a lot on technique. I realized after I completed my first shave, I had completely forgotten to pull my skin tight, and tried a few different techniques on the second shave. I will capitalize on this weekend when I have ample time to put into a shave. After I got the Proraso soaps, I plan on a 30 day focus on technique, and different blade types. I haven't had a "wow, this is what I've been missing" moment yet. Staying optimistic though. After all, all good things take time.
Congratulations on your 1000th post. We've enjoyed watching your move to straights. Here's to your next 1000 posts.
Congratulations Adam! I enjoy reading and learning from your posts. It has been fun watching you progress from DE's, to the Feather kamisori, and now to straight razors. Keep 'em coming!
One of the things that helped me a ton is to lock in on my focus. If you can figure out things that work, even if they are sub-par, using the same soap, razor, brush, and blade for every shave for a month will get you a great shave. The Black Tip is a great razor. I did a focus with it in February or March of this year.
Every time I read one of your posts on Mandom, I want to buy it. I just don't know if I am awesome enough, though.