Salutations from a guy with 15 years of electric shaver experience

Welcome to the Den Steve, Jody's spot on about the master sticky and if you can't find it there just ask. Te knowledge base here is incredible.

 

Welcome to TSD

 

Welcome to The Shave Den Steve, a great community of guys and gals that enjoy wet shaving, I hope you enjoy your stay!

 

@tomnat: Thanks. So it sounds like face lathering is quicker than bowl lathering. Is face lathering harder to learn than bowl lathering since you're lathering a vertical surface?

@burnout961: Thank you, I've looked at the sticky and will be examining it more closely over the coming days!

@Neolithium: Thank you, I look forward to good conversation with you in the future!

@Dridecker: Thanks for the welcome. I think my stay will be inevitably enjoyable with as friendly a group (that's passionate about wet shaving and the simplicity and care it represents). Glad to be aboard!

 

Mug or bowl lathering vs face lathering: see this Mantic59 video.

Lathering technique: see this Mantic59 video.

Hope that helps. It helped me!
In the end it is up to you what feels best. Try both techniques for some time. You'll find what works best for you.
There are of course many other video's om Youtube. Try searching on 'lathering'.

 

Steve, exactly what Mike just said above. Watch the videos and then try each and see what you like. Face lathering isn't any harder than bowl lathering, just different.

 

Not at all. You do have to play around a bit with the water to soap/cream ratio to find your happy medium but I started out almost exclusively face lathering. Only once in a while do I really bother with a mug or a bowl.

 

Thanks, guys. You've all been very helpful. As soon as my chosen hardware is back in stock (grrrrr), I'll place my order, give it a go, and will report on my experience. If things go according to plan, triumphant day. And if not, I'll post my graphic photos to the "No Holds Barred" threads...

 

Welcome! There is a lot of info on this forum. Have fun reading and experimenting.

 

Thanks, soapbuddy—mind if I call you Irena? I've really enjoyed myself so far. Now if only WCS would get some EJ DE89BA11s back in stock, my adventure could begin. It's kind of like sitting through a long layover on your way to a much needed vacation! I've read lots of travel brochures and gone over my itinerary and am now anxious to get there!

 

Italian barber's got plenty last time I looked..http://www.italianbarber.com/safety-razors

 

Oh, you're right, Slipperyjoe! But now I hit the shipping and blade sampler dilemma! I like the selection of blades in the WCS choice package a little better than IB's offering (Personna, etc.) and I was going to pick up some Speick AS lotion as well, which IB doesn't carry. I could split the orders, but it would up my shipping cost. I'm trying to be fairly frugal as I start out, hammer down my technique, and then start shopping for scents and thrills.

My current shopping list:
EJ DE89 barley
Omega 27mm chrome razor/brush stand
WCS choice blade sampler
Speick AS lotion
RazoRock Alum
Blade bank ($1)

My current "den" if you can call it that yet:
BodyShop synthetic brush
Maca Root shaving cream (tub)

My wishlist/future shopping list after I'm proficient:
Proraso
Tabac
TOBS 74 lime
CF coconut
...it's futile writing it all out here, as there are so many things that sound good...

 

The day has come. I go now, like my ancestors before me, to the blade. After more than 15 years of zero experience with wet-shaving, I step to the ledge, put the rubber to the road, and place the blade to my face. If I'm not back in an hour, I always loved all of you.

 

hmmm... from the time of Smott's post to the time of mine, it's been an hour and eight minutes.

You okay, Smott?
I hope he's not...

 

Not to worry, ladies and gentlemen. Steve M. lives. So I'll go ahead and report!

My tools:
EJ DE89BA11
Maca Root shaving cream
Body Shop synthetic brush
Derby blades

Steve Mott's Shave​

Chapter 1​

It was not a dark and stormy night. It was a rather pleasant afternoon, so I decided that it was time to shave. I filled the sink with hot water, and let my soup mug sit in it. I took a quick shower, washed the beard with a Cetaphil cleanser, then put some Dove hair conditioner on it to sit while I finished the rest of my shower. Rinsed and hopped out, drying only my body, not my face. Went to the sink and washed my face with some Dr. Bronner's pure-castile soap. Rinsed it lightly with warm water, and then started the lather in the bowl: put an almond-sized dollop of cream in the bottom of the drained mug, took the brush and rinsed it, then half-squeezed most of the water out, then started working the lather. After about a minute, and a few drops of water later, it looked pretty similar to the consistency I've seen in the grainy Youtube videos, so I started brushing it on my face. This is where things kinda got questionable.

As I was rubbing it on my face, I'd notice that every few swipes looked almost like the brush was able to rub the cream from my face (ie, I could see my chin or my cheek, etc). I'd try to repaint those spots by putting the side-edge of my brush (which had a little froth) against those patches and painting them in. I continued to rub it in and then let it sit for a minute or so. I noticed that letting it sit like this almost made me feel like it was drying out or something, but because I thought it almost looked a little thin on my face, I hesitated to add more water. Despite these uncertainties, I decided to proceed. Was it madness that drove me on? Yes. I think so.

My Derby blade now in my razor (it doesn't matter which side of the razor blade goes up on when installing it, does it?), I placed the razor head to my cheek at about 90 degrees and slowly decreased the angle until I felt what seemed to be the blade "catching" on my skin. And this was where the most annoying part of the whole shave began. As I very gently (read "no pressure") allowed the blade to ride slowly down my cheek, it felt like it was landing on each whisker, coming to rest, and then almost "jolting" through it, kind of stop and go, like a cheap pachinko game. I decreased my angle, no noticeable change. I increased my angle, no noticeable change. I felt like the blade wasn't pushing through the hairs, but that I had to gently pull it along. The other most noticeable issue was that as the blade moved through the cream, it didn't actually clean the cream away! Watching Geofatboy with his DE89, it looked like he was shoveling soft snow and the razor/blade would clear a path for him. Not once during my shave did it ever look like I was clearing a path in the shaving cream. It looked more like I was just smearing it around. I tried adjusting my angle, but no matter what "approx 30-degree" variation I tried, it still looked like the cream wasn't going anywhere.

I rinsed my face and re-lathered, thinking it was just kind of drying out (as I noticed a dry film forming on the outside of my shaving mug). Repeated the steps and just never felt comfortable from then on. I felt like I was just kind of going through the motions, feeling like the blade was going over a bumpy road on the way to Scout camp. I tried my neck despite my discouragement, and if I was having trouble finding the right angle above the jaw, I certainly wasn't going to find it below. I timidly traveled with the grain, finally deciding I'd better quit before I did anything life-threatening, and rinsed with some warm water. Ran the alum block over my face and neck knowing it was going to be a terrifying ordeal and only noticed the mildest of sting on a tiny spot on my neck. Huh? How?! No nicks, cuts, or weepers anywhere else. Let the alum dry and then rinsed with warm and then cold water, throwing on some Speick AS to finish it off.

As I look in the mirror, I notice that I've most certainly "reduced" beard. I had about 1 1/2 days growth (which is quite noticeable, as my beard grows fairly quickly), and it's as if I went through a forest of trees and randomly cut down half of them. In other words, I still have whiskers, but the field on my face is fairly sparse. My neck is a little less reduced. Overall, I'm pleased that I didn't cut myself, that my face, though mildly warm right now, doesn't hurt at all. There are patches where it almost looks like a decent shave (despite only doing 1 to 1 1/2 passes WTG overall). However, aside from the really pleasant Speick scent that is now patting me on the back and reassuring me in a very kind manner, it wasn't a very enjoyable experience. I was frustrated by the lather, frustrated by the tugging/resistance of the blade, frustrated that the lather didn't seem to clearly slough away from my skin with the passes, bamboozled by the angle I was trying to find, and a little frustrated by my still fairly-ragged appearance. I smell fantastic, though. Seriously, come here and smell my cheek!

[cue friendly sitcom piano music for concluding the episode]​

​

But you know, I learned something today. I learned that things don't always go right for us the first time. I learned to be grateful for the things that do go right for us on a daily basis, even when it's not everything we hoped for. I learned to just try to ignore the derisive ridicule coming from my electric shaver's drawer (who, to be fair to her, has been with me for years...I still think you're a nice gal, Phillis). Alright, take it away Annie!​

​

​

 

Well..your story was quite entertaining Mr. Smott, and it seems to me you've had a decent start. I'm sure you'll get more suggestions, but two things come to mind. Maybe some practice lathering in the bowl and you can apply it to an arm just to refine a little bit.. and I can't help wondering if you've put the razor together correctly..though you probably have, I'd check that anyway cuz we've all done it. Those 89's are funny that way..it's easy to put the baseplate on upside down. Anyways just a thought. So keep on going cuz it's definitely gonna keep getting better and congrads on your first wet shave!..

 

Thanks, Slipperyjoe. I'm pretty confident I got the razor put together correctly (though I did have the dumb question as to whether or not blades can be inserted upside down within a razor). Here's a close-up photo:

I think practicing lather a few times without the shaving would be a good idea and I intend to whip up several batches just to see if I can get a better result. As far as blade angle, I'm not sure how to practice that, as each angle I tried didn't seem to make the pass any smoother (and as mentioned, it just kind of seemed to smear the cream despite the fact I could feel the blade tugging on my hairs). Strange, eh? Ah well, I'll keep practicing, but am open to any suggestions as well!

Thanks again!

 

Ya looks like you've got it on correctly. There is a 'sweet spot' in the razor angle where the cutting will be just right..if your too shallow or too deep you'll miss the target and I think this is what could be going on. It does take a while sometimes to find just the perfect angle. With practice you should be able to gain a feel for the right cutting angle. A combination of feel and hearing what the razor head is doing is often what DE shavers do. Also make sure..without over tightening, that the razor head is tightened up all the way. I put a dab of Vaseline on the screw of all my 3 piece razor heads to protect them and help ensure they'll tighten all the way. Sometimes on a new shaver the screw is a little stiff and this sort of lubrication can help...

 

So, I'm way late in saying it, but Welcome!

 

I skip the bowl thing and apply the cream directly on the brush(pre-soaked and shaken-off). I build the lather on my face. If its' too thin, add more cream. It should be thick, from what you wrote, it looks you got thin lather, maybe you can add more cream to the brush. I have the same razor, most of my shaves I can't feel the blade at all, sometimes I check to see if I didn't forgot to put the blade in. The right angle is the trickiest part, it will take awhile to find the right angle and even when you'll find it, you're not gonna be sure it's the "sweetest" one.