Hi all, I have just began the life of wet shaving. After watching many tutorials, my shave is close and I have very little irritation. However, I still have a few questions. Lets begin with my sideburns. I do not have a very thick beard, except for the hair on my sideburns. I also achieve a nice, close shave on the rest of my face, but I have difficulty getting a close shave on my sideburns. Is it possible to use too little pressure? After three passes I still seem to have stubble wear my sideburns were. My shaves end with almost no razor burn. However, when I do get razor burn it is always on my jawline and chin. I have tested preshave oil and it helps, but with it I still get some razor burn. Is there a correct way to shave my jaw/ chin? My dominate hand is my right and I am not very good with my left hand. I try to shave the left side of my face with my left hand, but still seem to always unconsciously using my right hand for my entire face. Is there a problem with reaching across my face to shave? I see which-hazel is very popular here, and I would be willing to try it. I have tried an after shave splash and like the cooling effect of the alcohol. I see there are some after shaves that have which-hazel in them. Is this just as good of an option as which-hazel? Finally, how much cleaning is done after each shave? I notice my razor is coated in white residue after each shave. Also, what is don with the left over lather in the soap tub?
Welcome, Jacob! There is a fine balance between pressure and blade angle. Once you have the blade angle dialed in, you can use a little pressure. There is a thread around here somewhere about "Riding the Cap" that explains it really well. Are you doing a WTG, XTG, and ATG pass in the sideburn area? A little burn here is likely a result of pressure. Knowing your equipment will probably help us diagnose it a little better. Are you lathering between each pass? I use both hands with a straight and injector, but only my right for a DE. Its up to what you are comfortable with. Use what you like. My post shave is a cold water rinse, rub with an alum bar, wipe off and splash with witch hazel, wipe off and put on aftershave. Some of my aftershaves have witch hazel. It works for me, so I go with it. This may be dependent on the soap you are using. Some are messier than others. I rinse the razor and brush to remove soap. With straights, I wipe and dry them. I rinse the soap off the outside of the soap tub, and set it on the counter open to dry until I get home from work. Then put it away. The stuff inside the tub can be left, it will get used next time. It can also be rinsed out. I assume you are building a lather right on the soap, rather than in a lathering bowl? Consider checking out the 30 day focus thread. Its a bunch of guys talking about how to make shaves awesome, with some shenanigans thrown in for fun.
Thanks for the quick reply, Adam! Also, thanks for the advice. To answer some of your questions, I use a Maggard's V3A head with M5 handle and a Frank's Shaving Finest badger brush. I go WTG, XTG, and finish with ATG. I lather between ever pass. I am lathering right out of the soap, as far as I know my lather is decent.
Check in my signature line below for links to Ride The Cap, and The 30 Day Crew. Fear of doing it wrong is only that - fear. If you are pleased with your results then it's all good. Just like chefs in a kitchen two people can take the same equipment and one makes a mess, the other a gourmet meal. There are subtle tweaks that make a good lather into a great one. Personally I prefer to bowl lather. I have a suribachi bowl (Google it now!) that I fill with water and use to moisten my brush. Boar brush needs to soak a little, badger less so, and synthetic bristles just need a dip. Some soaps benefit from softening by a little water let set on top. It aids in getting product into the brush, and that right there is a a common lather issue. Use more product! Soap is generally inexpensive & consumable. Once you've been at it a while having a number of soaps to choose from means storage problems for all those tubs, tubes, mugs, and bowls. Using up a products means time to shop for another! The downside of being miserly with loading soap is lesser quality lather. No one wishes that on their friends. I could go on, but you are getting tired of reading my blather about lather. Stop by The 30 Day Rule/Focus group if you have an urge to improve ANY facet of your shave. Lots of New Shavers trying out Vintage Gear, and vintage shavers learning new gear!
Seems like your technique is fine, but could probably be refined. The 30 Day Rule/Focus will definitely take care of consistency. Especially, with any issues on your neck. Just a comment on your sideburn issue. I would imagine that you might be changing the angle of the razor subconsciously. You may be riding the cap a little too much on your sideburns. I think that whatever you do (one-hand vs both hands) you need to consciously stick to the same method and routine.
