Background: Not new to wetshaving, but first time ever in using a DE. Sick to death of buying cartridges. Electric razors simply don't work. Complained and I received a gift set for Christmas: Merkur 178, Merkur blades, Badger brush, Col. Conk soap. Shower, hydrate, hot towel, did all the things I read about here (and watched videos), etc. Pretty good results, with the exception of under my nose (moustache area). I cannot get that area close no matter how many passes: WTG, ATG, no matter. And to top it off, that is most sensitive area of my face, so even the slightest bit of pressure (which I try not to do), causes nicks. This is an area which I could always get with a cartridge (with some razor burn), but now I simply cannot get it with this razor. Is it the blade? I've heard mixed things about Merkur. Should I try something else for preshave in this area? Should I just let it go and grow a porn-style 'stache? Any help is greatly appreciated....
The only thing I would recommend is maybe getting used to the DE and then see if that area shaves any better. Another tip would be to make sure you do really good prep there, maybe put some prelather on that area and let it sit for a while. Once you have your lather made wipe it off and then lather the entire face. It could just need some beard softening in this area.
Recently there has been quite a few threads like this one(I created one myself ) The outcome is almost everytime either a technique or blade issue. It takes a while to get used to the DE and finding the right blade. Pick up a samplepack of blades and keep trying. Try to avoid ATG for a few weeks and work up the technique and i think it will sort out! Good luck!
if you haven't already perhaps try making an "O" face with your mouth open and your upper lip down over your teeth, that may stretch the skin there enough for you to get closer without using any pressure on the Merkur blades some like them some don't if your shave is ok the rest of your face then it most likely is not the blade
I'm going to break from the crowd and encourage a 'stash. I mean, can you name a cooler sounding grooming product than "moustash wax"? Now for style... Porn Star? OK, but overdone Fu Man Chu? If you have the right face it looks tough, otherwise it looks stupid. Handlebar? Work, but a true classic. Pencil-Thin? Don't think it solves your problem. If you really want to be creative, look at some of the classic 'stashes from India.
Fu Man Chu might work.... Seriously, thanks for the suggestions, I'll trying and report back... I've also ordered some Derby blades as the second shave with these blades has not been nearly as good as the first.
I'm not a fan of the Merkur blades, so that might be part of the problem. Most of the issues you're going to face when you start using a DE is related to blade angle and pressure. If you're getting nicks, it is almost always that you're holding the blade at too steep an angle and/or you're pressing down on the razor. Other things might be contributing, too: How thick and rich is your lather? How good is your beard prep? It just takes a while to get the hang of all of it. Trust me, I know. My upper lip is the place where my beard is the heaviest, but the skin is the most sensitive. It took me three months eek to be able to make three passes on my upper lip and get BBS without any razor burn or nicks.
Somewhat of a breakthrough this morning, and it all had to do with blade angle. I angled the the head of the razor nearly flat against the skin (I don't know how to better describe it), and voila, a pretty close shave. A very minor nick, but worth it. Before today, I am ashamed to admit that I had to finish the area under my nose with a Sensor, because I needed to use pressure. Not today. Progress every day.
