G'day gents! I received my first DE on Sunday as a gift (Merkur 33C Classic) and gave it a go right after my daily evening shower. I've been reading about wet shaving for a while, and been preparing for this day (brush, shave cream, pre and post shave preperation, etc.) while using a Mach3. I've been able to generate great lather directly on my face with the brush and was getting decent results with the Mach3 (except for those darn ingrown hairs). Perhaps I was pushing too hard, but it felt like the edges of the Merkur were sticking to my face rather then gliding across it. No razor bite, just sticky. Two days later I gave it another go, with the same result. Can you guys make any recommendations? Here's what I'm using: Merkur 33C Classic with the Merkur blade that came with it Noxzema face wash Silver tip badger hair brush Proraso pre shave cream Proraso shave cream Nivea shave balm Thanks a bunch!
Suggestion 1: try a different blade - get a sampler pack and start with Derby or Crystals... Suggestion 2: Because you apply more pressure with the mach3, your lather might have been fine before. However, your lather might not be lubricating enough for the DE. If it is too dry, a DE tends to drag.
Trash the Merkur blades is going to be suggested a lot. Maybe too much pressure could do that. Some of the smarter people will scoot through soon. keep up the practice.
The natural tendency as Justin suggested is to use more pressure. Its one of those learning curves. Try going back to a cartridge That sucks! Anyways....merkur blades sucks...period. I would suggest a sampler as well from westcoastshaving.com. very inexpensive and a nice range of blades. Then I would start over. Watch the mantic videos on blade angle as well and try to master that key step. If your angle is off you will rip your face to hell and the razor will drag like mad or nothing at all. I had the same razor without great results and I personally prefer the vintage gillettes though. You still can get good results though with the correct blade. I would also like to add to make sure that the lather isnt dry which could result in dragging as mentioned before. You really want a thick and glistening lather not airy and flat looking. Dont give up! You will get there and never look back
You got great advice so far! My two cents to add. Pressure is key hold the razor at the tippy bottom of the handle but high enough so you have control, and let the razor lean it's weight against your face applying no pressure to the handle. Holding lower on the handle helps fight the urge to apply to much pressure. Learned that when I started. Very hard to get over in the beginning but makes a huge difference. Lather: You want to use the lather thats built up inside the bristles of the brush. When you feel you have built up enough lather, brush some on your hand and rub your fingers over your hand where you applied the lather, does it feel nice and slick? If not keep lathering maybe add a lil dab of water and build again. If your fingers do not glide over your lathered hand, then the razor wont either. Try the hand test again. Is it slicker? with enough practice you'll know exactly where you want it and how to get it there with less work. Build up a few brush fulls of lather with out shaving and keep testing the differences of each consistency over time you will start to understand what a true slippery lather is all about.
OK, I'm just going to throw this out there. One: WHEN is this happening? And Two: WHAT is sticking to your face? I had something that sounds at least a little similar to your story, maybe. I was using TBS maca root cream and on the SECOND AND THIRD passes only, I was having trouble with my razor (NOT the blade) sticking--it would stick and skip and stutter across my face, rather than sliding smoothly. The problem came about because after my first pass I was rinsing my face and then applying the lather over the top of the water. It turns out that this water was kind of "eating" the lather from underneath and rather than having a nice smooth cushion of lubrication, I was getting a weird suspension of lather particles in water that actually increased the friction instead of reducing it. The solution? Pat the water off your face a bit before you relather, or work the water into the lather instead of applying over the top. But that's only if you have a similar problem to mine...
All excellent advice thus far the only thing I can say is I would try a variety of different blades the Merkur may not be the right one for you. I would recommend a purchase of blade samples from West Coast shaving, Conngaught and Razor and Brush.
All excellent advice, thank you all. I'll try my lather to see if it's been slick enough (those cartridge razors have the aloe strip that helps with gliding). I know with complete certainty that I've been using too much pressure. I will hold it from the bottom and resist the urge to press down. I'll let you all know how it goes, thanks!
Just an FYI, Proraso is one of the slickest creams out there. When testing you lather, if you even have to question whether or not its slick, than its not slick enough. There should be no question when made right, this stuff glides.
When I switched to a DE, I experienced a similar problem. Try more water with your lather and experiment with razor angle on your face. I think the large surface area of a DE head tends to "grip" the face more than a cartridge. Hope this helps. Aaron
This has been said before but it bears repeating. Seriously, merkur blades are dull, dull, dull. You might try picking up some personna blades at walmart. They're worlds better than a merkur blade.
Well then, turns out I was applying too much pressure, and I needed just a couple of drops more water in my lather. The shave was much better! ... Except this time the blade was skidding slightly. I've ordered a blade sample pack to try some new blades. Thanks for the advice everyone!
