What is the most important technique that you use when you shave or you think is involved with shaving? I myself think that it would have to be the blade or shaver that you use/used if your using some walmart type shaver ( no offense ) then you won't get a smoothe clean cut. Another one that I think is important would have to be the way you lather your face. If you can't lather your face correctly the you defeated the purpose of shaving. What do you guys think?
Welcome to The Shave Den! Most important technique would be no pressure, IMO. Let the weight of the razor do the work. Lathering is important too, just not as much as no pressure.
The most important technique is probably to use zero pressure and go for "beard reduction," rather than hitting a home run, on each pass. It is okay to use three or four passes, if needed, as long as each one is effective. Angle is also important. Too much, and the razor sorta skips over your face. Too little, and the razor scrapes over the whiskers and will cause nasty razor burn. Good prep is as essential as good lather. Shower, hot towels or at least splashing hot water on your face a few times will soften the beard up and make your lather more effective.
That is most important thing for me too and i always give it a lot of time . You can say the most it is the most lengthy part of all the process .
For me the most important technique is knowing in what direction to shave my beard off. I've gone in for a few straight razor shaves, and they can never get my whole face BBS the way that I can, because they just don't know my face the way that I do. I know where my beard changes directions. It wasn't until I got the right directions to attack my beard at, that my shaves were BBS.
My opinion: 1) No Pressure and watch the angle! You press down on your razor or make the angle too steep and you're asking for trouble. No amount of beard prep, the type of equipment you use, the cream or soap you use or beard growth direction knowledge will help you with a face that looks like a Martian landscape. 2) Know your beard growth direction. 3) Beard prep. 4) Equipment and cream/soap. The reason I put the equipment and cream/soap last is that with the first 3 in hand you should be able to get a good or great shave with almost anything you use.
For me .....I think razor angle is the most important. Find the right angle for each razor you use.....then you can use any blade you want with no nicks.
In terms of basic fundamental techniques I think that finding the correct angle is of paramount importance. The traditional method of holding the handle parallel to the floor and then slowly lowering it until you feel the blade starting to cut is good when you are first starting out, but once you are more experienced I think there is room for further experimentation until you find the angle that works best for you. With the Merkur HD, for example, I find that I need to use a steeper angle than 30 degrees to get a good shave. On the other hand the Wilkinson Sticky needs a shallower angle or you just end up scraping the lather off of your face with the safety bar. Once you find your perfect angle for whichever razor you happen to be using at the time other factors like correct pressure should come much more easily. When you have the basics mastered, I think that paying more attention to prep yields the greatest results. Once you have everything else working for you pay more attention to softening the beard with hot towels, massaging in lather etc and you should see good results turn into great results. Regards, Alex
Alex, I agree. Finding the correct angle for a particular razor, assuming it is loaded with a good blade, is paramount. I was greatly disappointed with my first Wilkinson Sticky shave after all the hype the razor receives. After I figured out the angle I understood. Angle of approach seems to be one of the primary keys to a good straight razor shave also. I'm still working on that.
There two techniques for me, holding the razor at the bottom so the pressure is light and getting the correct angle of the razor to the skin. If a maintain both, I get a great shave, BBS all the way with no nicks, cuts or irritation. Most mornings I can do this with little effort now. Practice makes nearly perfect. Then there are those morning were it just isn't working. That's when I look forward to the next day to get it right again. The price of being human.
For me, the most important shaving technique is knowing when to stop. It's tempting to go for BBS with every shave but the truth is, IMHO, that this usually results in an increase in cuts, irritation, and burn. Who needs that? I usually stop after two passes WTG and XTG. Maybe some minor touch up where I missed a patch. It's not BBS but I have no cuts or burn and the shave looks great. Best of all I can shave every day because my skin stays healthy.
I'm with you, Rich. I, too, get in to trouble if after two passes with my str8 - the shave is great, passable, comforitable, but NO, I reach for the DE and go for BBS everywhere on the neck. Why did I do it? 1st comes the Lavender Whichhazel, next CSF (two or the times, more throughout the day, too), and then a balm. Yea, I need to be satisfied with those first couple of passes and leave it alone, if I do, I am very comforitable all day and my skin feels great. Steve
Welcome to TSD xEGX... I agree fully with JoAnna and the other members, pressure is counterproductive because with the right blade in the DE you are able to peel your skin off:shocked003 and that is not what you want, isn't it??? Also important is to let the lather soften your beard, a soft whisker is easy to cut for the blade. Go with the grain, that's the first stroke and then across or against, all as you like...
Howdy Steve. I'm with you, I'm a big fan of waiting for post-shave satisfaction. Like, an hour after the shave. Then all those rough patches I feel right after shaving have disappeared because my hairs have retracted smoothly like they are supposed to.
