Hello! Swedish newbie in need of a bit of a help here!

Hello!

Newbie from Sweden here. Glad to have found this place, which has a great reputation as the place to go with questions about shaving!

It was through reading The Art of Manliness that I discovered wet shaving, and more specifically, the art of wet shaving with a safety razor. I've long had issues with ingrown hairs, razor rash and the like while shaving with a typical cartridge razor. My beard grows very densely, and it's always a bit of a hassle to shave.

After chewing on the topic for a bit, I decided to take the plunge and try out shaving with a safety razor. After everything I've read, it seemed to be what the doctor ordered to help me with my shaving related issues.

I got myself a Benjamin Barber set (Nobel, 4 part set), a bowl of Truefitt & Hill shaving soap, a 10-pack of Merkur Super Platinum blades, a shaving stick (that came in handy!) and a bottle of Clubman Pinaud after shave.

Yesterday I proceeded to have my first safety razor wet shave, after having had a hot shower. And it... went as well as I suppose I should expect from the first time with a completely new method of shaving.

I followed all the advice I had read and watched: using a loose grip and letting the blade do the work, keeping the blade warm, short passes, and not going over the same area (or areas uncovered by lather) too much. Despite this I ended up with a fairly large amount of razor rash, bleeding and soreness that I'm still feeling. The major thing that stands out to me was that the blade never went smoothly over my beard: there was a lot of tugging or "stuttering", rather than a clean sweep.

In the videos I have watched one pass has always smoothly removed all the lather in that area (and the beard/stubble underneath the lather). But one pass for me was not enough to smoothly remove all the lather, perhaps because the blade didn't pass smoothly. I even went so far as to change my blade, but I don't think it made a difference. It was probably a technique issue, rather than an issue with my equipment.

Any advice on this? I really want to get into this, but I'm a little disheartened by my sore face this morning!

Thanks for reading!

 

Welcome to TSD!

I have found that angle is very important. I see a lot of advice on a 30 degree angle of attack, but this is too much in my opinion. If you start with the razor on your cheek and parallel with the ground, then rotate the handle towards the ground slowly as you start your stroke, you can hear when it just starts to cut. This is the angle you want to try to maintain. This all comes with practice, and it took me a few shaves to get past the discomfort.

I am glad you are here. Enjoy your stay!

 

Thanks for the tip!

I suspected that it was a question of angle, and I'll definitely try this next time.

As a beginner, should I stick to one pass, with the grain? I wanted to get a really smooth shave so I went two passes, one with and one against the grain and I think that also contributed to the skin irritation I experienced.

 

You listed that you bought the Benjamin Barber Nobel 4 set. I had to look it up, and the Nobel sets are all cartridge razors. I'm sure you meant the Imperial set, if you are using Merkur blades.
I address several areas:
Lather- Make sure it's slick, not necessarily fluffy. Put some between your fingertips, press together and rub. It should feel very slick. If not, add more soap.
Irritation.- 1. Use very light pressure
2. Use short strokes, until you get the hang of it.
3. Shave with the grain of the hair first pass, and against the grain on the last pass.
Ingrown Hairs- 1. If on the neck, myself and many others only use a single pass, not against the grain.
2. Try shaving every day. It will lessen the chances of the hairs curling back into the skin.
Finally, use a good aftershave that moisturizes.
Blades- Try other blades. I like most Russian blades. They are smooth, sharp, long lasting, less expensive, and their quality seems to be more consistent.

Good luck.

.

 

Hi.
First, I would recommend a blade sample pack. While a few folks like the Merkur blade, the majority here do not.

I can never get close enough with a single pass to be satisfied. I make three passes. Some here can only make two. You have to learn proper technique and come to know your limits.

 

@DaltonGang
The set I got comes with a choice of two types of cartridge razors, or a safety razor. I went with the latter.

Thanks for the tips! I noticed that my lather dried on my face. Had I lathered it up wrong, or was it simply because I was taking it slow as it was my first time?

Once my face recovers from my first attempt (I'm exaggerating for comedic effect) I'll see about daily shaving.

@swarden43
I didn't realize there could be such a difference between brands. Thanks for the info! I'll get myself a sample pack.

 

Welcome to TSD. The advise above is good sound advise. I would only add that once you have a blade that works for you, stick with that set up for 30 days or so. This will allow you to spot and correct problems. Once you have this mastered then you can take the skills to different razors much more easily.

 

Lather drying on your face could be one of two things...

1 - you are going slow, taking your time and the lather is drying. If so, don't rush! Just wet your fingers and rub over the area that has dried. You'll get faster as your technique improves. It isn't a race.

B - your lather is too dry to start with. Add more water. Sure, big, thick fluffy lather looks nice, but more often than not it got that way because a lot of air was mixed in during the whipping process. Given the choice, I'll take a thinner, wetter lather over a thicker, dryer lather every time. The thinner, wetter lather will be slicker.

 

High their, @BladeBushido , glad you found us. Angle is very important. Short strokes and a light touch are, too. May I also suggest the cold water shave. Some like ice water, but just cold water from the tap is fine. It will reduce irritation.
Fellowship of Cold Water Shavers

 

Welcome!

Stick with it, things will improve!

A couple of thoughts:

Make sure your face is wet prior to applying lather.

I find that a thin layer of slick lather protects as much as a full 'lather beard' with DE razor shaving. Matter of fact, I often apply only a thin 'wash' or film of lather for final pass or touch up. This allows me to feel missed areas with my non shaving hand while not really effecting the protective nature of the lather. I re-wet my face between lathering as well.

As mentioned shorter strokes. This will keep the blade cutting and prevent it from riding on top of the beard and not effectively reducing your beard.

Try shaving with cold water. Many here find it helps reduce irritation and adds to the pleasure of shaving!

Dialing in the angle is the first priority. That's the keystone of a good shave experience. Sticking WTG and XTG while building technique is a prudent choice.

For blades to try: Gillette Silver Blue, Astra SS and SP, Vaskhod, Rapira, Lord Platinum, and PolSilver. These are not the only ones to try, but I've had good shaves with them, and they are popular choices in the shave of the day threads. Ultimately, you will have to find the blade that works best for you through trial.

Again, Welcome!

 

Hi from Seoul, nice to meet you.

Lots of good advice already. If the lather dries just put down the razor and relather, it's not a race.

Angle and pressure was my challenge when I started.

 

Thanks for all the kind replies and advice!

I don't think I've ever seen a forum this active, friendly and especially welcoming to newbies!

There's a lot of food for thought here, and I'm all fired up for my next shave.

 

Welcome to TSD!

 

Welcome @BladeBushido ! Lots of advice already. The idea of reducing variables and fine tuning technique can point you in the direction of you best shaves yet. Look into the 30 Rule/Focus group. It's a bunch of folks all sharing tips and hints, experience and advice. No obligation but that you are interested in improving YOUR shave experience.
Plus there may be shenanigans.

 

Welcome! Great screen name and avatar by the way.
These guys have given great advice, so it's tough to add to it. I will say that taking things slowly helped me when i started. It is not a race. Short strokes, plenty of lather.

Tryablade.com offers sample packs of blades. I recommend starting there. It is surprising how different blades are.

Lastly, as previously mentioned, watch your shaving angle as well.

 

Thanks! It's an adaptation of my usual screenname. I've been playing a lot of Metal Gear Solid V lately, so my mind has been running around in MGS-formed circles. On a beard-related note: Venom Snake's beard is a shameful example of facial hair!

Thanks for the advice as well: as soon as my face is healed up (call me Ishmael?) I'll get right back into the fray!

 

I see you've got plenty of good advice so far so I will just offer you a warm welcome!

Sent from my Galaxy S6 using Tapatalk

 

Welcome to TSD @BladeBushido your English is outstanding!

 

Welcome to TSD! Nothing for me to add that hasn't been said already. Please let us know how your progressing.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab using Tapatalk

 

Welcome the The Shave Den, @BladeBushido! Lot of good advice here! Angle, different blades, and wetter lather are the answers! Regarding this forum, you are spot on in your observation. When I was thinking of getting into DE shaving, I looked at different forums and I thought this one was the best for the exact reason you stated. In addition to some of the blades mentioned, I have had good results with Gillette Blue Platinum, Gillette 7:00 Yellow, and Personna blue labs. And I second using cold tap water, at least during the warmer months.