My very first DE Shave: An Empirical Photo Account of Hits & Misses by this newby!

Today I lost my DE Shaving Virginity!

Last week I joined this site and ordered my DE Shaving Gear from West Coast Shaving (They have THE BEST PRICE on Merkur Vision Sets!). The package was mailed promptly and I received it Friday, right on time to get me initiated this weekend. I decided to skip shaving Saturday to have some more stubble to get rid off today.

Before starting I reviewed the excellent suggestions and tutorials in The Shave Den and in Badger & Blade and recruited my 16 year old to document this first attempt with digital photographs. So here I share with you this first experience, my surprising successes and my BIG mistakes as well. Your comments and recommendations to improve my technique are welcomed!

First off, allow me to show you my gear:


I got the Merkur Vision Set, and the Col. Conk Almond shaving soap that came with it as well as an Art Of Shaving sandalwood shaving cream. I also got the Alum Block from West Coast Shaving (and their choice blade sampler pack).

This first time I used the sample Merkur Blade that came with the Vision Set. Was that a mistake?



Here is my face before the shave:




Before I jumped in the shower I placed the Vision Brush (Silvertip Badger) in what I devised as a shaving mug. I put in plenty of hot water inside and around the dish. By the way, the brush handle is made of metal (brass?) and it got very HOT! In the shower I also applied some coconut oil to my face already wet with hot water..



I decided to get a traditional experience this first time around so I used the Col. Conk shaving soap. Here I am loading the brush on it after I let the puck soak up a bit of hot water.



It was easy and fast to get that brush loaded. Look at the results after 15 seconds!



I guess I used the right amount of water because not much lather was formed on the soap puck itself.



This was my first time doing this and it was amazing to watch how fast the lather began to form.



This is fun!



I just couldn't believe how much lather came out from so little soap.



I guess I am ready to begin lathering the face!



This is one soft and luxurious brush!



It is fairly easy to control and quick to work around the face.



Face painting ready on my account. Does it look allright to you?



This is were I REALLY SCREWED UP! I am not well familiarized with my razor yet and it seems that instead of adjusting it to the tamest setting I opened it up to the MOST AGGRESSIVE setting instead. OUCH!



I watched the Mantic videos and I am hoping this is the right blade angle!



And here I am doing DE shaving for the first time. First pass, going down. I tried to apply as little pressure as possible.



I should have known by now that the blade adjustment was off...



The lighted, magnifying mirror is valuable



Whether it's a matter of technique or razor choice, I found it very difficult to shave those mustache hairs closer to my nose



Once I started seeing all those bleeders I should have realized my mistake with the Vision adjustment.



But I pressed on instead re-lathering and then with a second pass ATG



Re-lathered again and went for a third pass CTG



By now I still had lather left and used it to retouch under my jaw and chin and then rinsed with cold water. I could feel my face on fire so I decided to use the Alum Block to deal with the bleeders. Soaking the stone...



I had never used this thing, but I could feel it burning my cheek as it slided across!



My face hurts but the stone did stop the bleeders



So, at the end of this first shaving experience... this is the result!





The cheeks look OK IMHO, but my chin was quite irritated and if anyone called me a red-neck I guess I couldn't disagree!!! :mad:



So, this is the empirical account of my first DE shave as illustrated by my son Gabriel. I did apply some witch hazel water at the end and some antibiotic cream as well to deal with the face sections I hurt most.

I guess my biggest mistake was not to double check my razor settings. Next time I'll make certain to be down to the tamest setting. Also, perhaps I should have gone with a Derby blade this first time around but I have no way of judging that yet.

On the positive side, I did get a very close shave on my cheeks and they feel VERY SMOOTH!

Also, I was quite pleased with the lathering exercise. It was easier to accomplish good lather than I expected and the experience was fantastic. Cleanup was easy too.

So in closing, I'll stick to DE shaving and I am hoping to enjoy it more, and suffer a lot less, in my future iterations of the process. I want to thank my son Gabriel for helping me out and taking the time to help me document this experience. I asked him how he liked it and he was a bit put off by the time it takes to do the whole thing. I am hoping he comes around to trying DE shaving himself soon!

Perhaps you gents identified additional mistakes I made in looking at the pictures. Any recommendations?

 

Congrats on the first shave Eliut, and thanks for putting up some great pics too!

To me, it looks like you lather is too light and airy. Looking at the picture of the brush loading, I'm not sure you got enough soap on the brush. Loading the brush on top of the puck in the small plastic container probably didn't help much, try moving the puck into a coffee mug, and really load up the bristles until you get a dense creamy lather on them before moving to a bowl. This video will help show what I mean, even though Zach uses a boar brush, the principle is the same.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIsj58fqVjY

Next time I would recommend using your cream, since creams are easier to lather correctly for the new wetshaver.

Don't worry about going against the grain yet either, work on getting comfortable shaves with the grain, and across the grain first, then after your technique improves, try against the grain.

As far as the blade, Merkur blades are generally not well received around here, sure some people like them, but the majority don't recommend them. I would try a Derby next time.

Finally, the Vision has such a large head, that many gents have trouble getting the area under the nose.

 

Thank you for the feedback!

I like the recommendations. I'll try them all. Thank you Bill!

 

Hi.

Boy that looks like a nice razor and brush. I had a futur but the blade was miss aligned so I got a refund. I did notice that your lather was kinda thin. you should try a cream. I recommend Speick, Taylor of Old Bond Street, and believe it or not the inexpensive arko creams (bullgooseshaving dot com) the maximum comfort is nice. I did not see what blade you used but I highly recommend the Iridium Super blades. to start try using very short strokes you might also want to try some shave oil. you don't need anything fancy I personally like plain old olive oil its good for the skin. also put the vision on its lowest setting. the alum block is painful can I suggest some skin bracer that stuff burns only if you over do it on the shave and it cools your skin after wards. once you get the hang of it you should not bleed or get razor burn. if you do you are doing something wrong. I almost gave it up. because all I was using was derby blades. then I got some Iriums, havent used anything else. also check out mantics videos. happy shaving

 

One thing to note about the Vision is the head is quite bulky and difficult to get in under the nose. I would start off with the mildest setting and once you develop a better technique which suits your face start opening up the blade a little. Due to its weight the vision is quite aggressive anyway. I also agree that the lather seems a little thin and is probably not offering the protection it should be. The video posted above is an excellent method of getting the correct lather.

When starting out DE shaving I would hold off going ATG until your skin has been given time to adjust to the new method of shaving.

Well done on the first DE shave!
________
Honda VTR1000

 

Not bad.
Bill gave some great advice and I second all of it. I'll add a couple pics look like you're using just a bit of pressure, be sure not to do that. It's a difficult adjustment from a cartridge so it's nothing most of us didn't do our first time.

 

+1 on that, Erik :happy088

Smooth is good

No pressure whatsoever, but that's not so easy as it sounds in the beginning.....

I myself had the same issues when I started my first DE shave and in due time it all cam to me. Not without bloodshed, but that's all part of the game in the beginning

Keep up with it and you will definitely get the best shaves of your life!

 

Haven't heard about thye Iridium Super blades

Thank you for the recommendation about the Iridium Super blades. I'll get some next time I order shaving supplies.

 

To get those pesky hairs under the nose

If I can't get them with the vision I'll either use the electric trimmer I also have or of of those disposable shaper blades guys use to trim eyebrows. Thanks!

 

One forgets it's a brave new world!

You are quite right Erik. I had to remind myself continuously to turn the razor around to use the other side, and to remember that no pressure was required. It's a matter of building new habits and muscle memory I guess!

 

I'm so glad to see you aren't throwing in the towel. Right now I would recommend lathering up in a coffee mug. Don't even worry about switching over to a bowl just yet. Whip that luscious lather right there in the mug! Then try again. The good news is that the hardest part is over. Now you know what you are up against and know how to attack it so much better next time.

Also, you may want to get yourself a sampler pack of blades just in case the above mentioned blades are only good enough, not just right for you. That way you can test several of them and see which one likes your face. Loading that whisker whacker with the right blade is imperative.

No pressure, proper angle, go slow!


Thank you, btw, for taking us down the path with you. I was enthralled. Excellent job with the pictorial. :happy096

 

Thank you for the encouragement!

I appreciate your feedback Bob! My son did a great job with the pics, didn't he?

I got the Choice Blade Sampler Pack from West Coast Shaving and I am ready to begin testing.

Tomorrow I am getting back on the saddle (after a two day rest for my face) and I plan to use:

1. The Art Of Shaving cream
2. Switch to an Astra or Derby blade
3. Go WTG and XTG, no ATG this second time

Also, today I made CERTAIN that the adjustment of the Vision is down to the tamest. I should be thankful I still got a face after doing my first attempt with the most aggressive setting (an accident, of course). I'll keep you guys posted of my progress.

 

you should try them

both westcoast and bullgoose have those Iridium Super blades, they are not the cheapest but they are smooth and well worth the price. I think they are just as good as feathers but smoother. I usually go across the grain, then against plus final touch ups.

 

Nice pics, good job done by your son.

I call the Alaun block "my little red cross helper"

It's a good idea to change the blade. I started with derby and my favorite is Astra. I don't like Merkur blades.