Bought a merkur 34c, spieck shaving cream, and a stand (wife bought me a boars brush last xmas). From what I gather, I should probably shave on a Friday night to give the most time to recover before Monday in case anything should go wrong **Update 07/19/10** Just arrived: To wait until Friday, or just give it a go tonight
That Speick is AWESOME. go easy on the pressure. remember keep your face moist. if it dried wash with warm watter and reapply your cream.
Remember the do's and don'ts: Do prep properly first... Do take your time... Don't apply any pressure... Don't keep going over the same spot... Don't worry if your first time isn't BBS.... Do let us know how it turns out for you... But most of all, enjoy the shave, over time your shaves will get better and better, and the really smooth shaves will fall into place.
Any good links on doing 'all' prep properly? I have read and will reread "Comprehensive Guide to Lathering soaps, creams, shavesticks in a bowl and on the face" and "Sources of common beginner problems". I plan on shaving after showering, and will try not to dry off my face too much. Other than that, anything else I should know?
Follow Bill's do's and don'ts and you'll be fine. If you are going to shave after showering your prep should be good already. If you put a bit of condition on your face while showering it'll help a bit more. You can still dry your face when you get out, just pat, don't rub. It doesn't have to remain dripping wet, moist will do. Then lather up and let her rip (bad choice of word, perhaps). Just remember that these will deliver a much more comfortable shave than carts and canned goo, but you have a small learning curve to climb. Right now though, no pressure will be your best "do", IMO. Good luck and enjoy. The first one is the worst one!
When I first started I didn't completely believe the "no pressure" advice. I thought that pressure was just relative -- like, less pressure than with a cartridge shave. But, really, NO pressure. If the blade is touching your face, that is all the pressure necessary. It was easier for me once I thought of "brushing" rather than rubbing the razor against the skin. It is the whisker you are after, not the skin.
Even after a hot shower, I find a hot towel over a thin coat of soap takes my shave to the next level. Just something to consider down the road. Enjoy!
Pay special attention to the audio feedback. What you will hear will be completely different to anything you have heard during your cartridge days. That and no pressure are the keys. I was as worried on my first day - and it was difficult to keep the pressure off after being using to bearing down on the razor. But I was pleasantly surprised at the result - DFS with only one nick and that too due to getting my WTG and XTG mixed up and pulling the blade horizontally on my skin!!! EDIT: DON"T shave over any part of your face that has no lather on it. In other words, don't go over a spot twice. That is one bad habit of cartridge shaving that I had to unlearn pretty quickly to precent razor burn.
Just relax and all will be well. I was expecting to be a bloody mess my first time too, but it didn't materialize.
