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Hello guys I’m new in this forum but having really hard time with my shaves. Please help

Maximo77w said:
Thanks Spider. Will give it a try. My only problem, and again I think it’s a problem, is that since I get irritations every shave I have to wait 2 to 3 days to let the face heal but that also makes me hace to shave with a 2 to 3 day facial hair and I also feel it becomes harder to shave while having longer hair. Unless you also have some tips for that?


Thanks


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A few days growth (longer beard) shouldn't make the shave any harder or less comfortable, I wouldn't worry about it so much. If your beard grows very fast you could trim with trimmers first. Since you let your beard grow out some before you shave you have a great opportunity to map your beards growth pattern. By mapping the direction of growth you can adjust your approach to ensure you are going with the grain for your first pass, this usually helps reduce irritation and might even make the shave feel easier.

One last suggestion. Even though you arent shaving every day I recommend lathering on your face everyday. As long as your skin isn't so irritated you can rub it with the brush the daily face lather will help you learn to build better lathers and in my opinion it makes your skin healthier and more forgiving. I lather my face every evening, usually in the shower.
 
NurseDave said:
One tip given to me by the old and wise and old barber Dave. Shave the lather, not the hair. Doesn't matter how long your hairs are if you're just talking days. Some guys even prefer several days of growth. The difference sure does feel cooler. But just think about your pressure and just worry about shaving the lather off. The hair will go with it.
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Old???? I am now going to send you a bottle of Boone's Farm Strawberry, LOL
Maximo77w said:
That’s a great idea. Haven’t thought of that

Thanks Dave


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Welcome to the TSC and lots of great advice here, one word of warning... Do not try to incorporate too much too fast. Basic technique and prep are the main take-aways right now. The one Pass Idea is not a bad one, will it give you a great shave no, but will get you technique consistent try one pass only with the grain ( down ) for a few days. You will have some stubble but it is a Marathon not a sprint, and you will find taking a slow methodical journey will result in pay offs for you later on.
 
HandleBarberDave said:
Old???? I am now going to send you a bottle of Boone's Farm Strawberry, LOL


Welcome to the TSC and lots of great advice here, one word of warning... Do not try to incorporate too much too fast. Basic technique and prep are the main take-aways right now. The one Pass Idea is not a bad one, will it give you a great shave no, but will get you technique consistent try one pass only with the grain ( down ) for a few days. You will have some stubble but it is a Marathon not a sprint, and you will find taking a slow methodical journey will result in pay offs for you later on.
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Hello Dave. thanks! I honestly have tried to have a one pass shave. I would love to just start with a one pass shave to get the technique better, but the patches I end up with after one pas are ridiculous and I end up looking ridiculous. Haha

That’s why I end up doing 2 passes WTG and then 1 pass XTG. From what I’ve been told today it seems I’m not putting any pressure at all which causes the razor & blade to just skimp along causing every time irritation and cuts. Right now I do have the worst irritation with cuts since I started this 3 months ago


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Maximo77w said:
Hello Dave. thanks! I honestly have tried to have a one pass shave. I would love to just start with a one pass shave to get the technique better, but the patches I end up with after one pas are ridiculous and I end up looking ridiculous. Haha

That’s why I end up doing 2 passes WTG and then 1 pass XTG. From what I’ve been told today it seems I’m not putting any pressure at all which causes the razor & blade to just skimp along causing every time irritation and cuts. Right now I do have the worst irritation with cuts since I started this 3 months ago


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As much as I love my Tech razors, they are very mild and very light. As mentioned, the sweet spot on a mild razor is very small and can be tough to hit consistently allowing you to scrape. Also being a light razor, you can tend to push, or as you stated, not have enough pressure.
Both (or even one) of those combined with an ATG pass can cause some serious irritation.

I'm certainly not a certified Barber like Dave, nor have I been doing this as long as some of the gents here. I do have very similar skin/whiskers to what you described though. My personal recommendation would be to switch to your 34C as spider mentioned, cut out the extra cold water and towel stuff, watch this video from Dave to see how your lather compares
, (don't worry so much about the fancier J hooks and such just yet) and stay with the grain for a bit until you are more proficient with your angles.

Also, try keeping to only 2 passes. For me, it doesn't matter if I use a DE, SE, or a straight razor, if I do much more than 2 passes I get some irritation. Not as much now since I've got 5 or 6 years under my belt, but it will still let me know that I over-did it a bit. I get one WTG and one ATG and I'm done. Early on though, I stuck to WTG passes or else I wouldn't be able to shave for the next 3 days.

Again, I'm not an expert, but just my recommendations based on similar issues.
 
Maximo77w said:
Hello Dave. thanks! I honestly have tried to have a one pass shave. I would love to just start with a one pass shave to get the technique better, but the patches I end up with after one pas are ridiculous and I end up looking ridiculous. Haha

That’s why I end up doing 2 passes WTG and then 1 pass XTG. From what I’ve been told today it seems I’m not putting any pressure at all which causes the razor & blade to just skimp along causing every time irritation and cuts. Right now I do have the worst irritation with cuts since I started this 3 months ago


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I have not read where it indicated that you are not putting pressure, but quite the oppsite may be occurring once the razor angle is correct, you should not have to use ANY pressure what so ever the angle coupled with the movement and weight of the razor should be enough, Do you have the means to take a video of you shaving? That would help all of us assist you in getting better shaves, and they will get better so dont give up. Based on what you have indicated I think it may be shave angle and prep. Also in my opinion try cold water shaves entirely. This may sound contradictory, however when hot water is applied to the face it swells the capillaries and brings blood closer to the surface. In contrast cold water will constrict and acually allow the hair to stand up more, It also allows for less irritation. Again this is all guessing until we can actually see your technique, lather and so forth. You will get there however
 
HandleBarberDave said:
I have not read where it indicated that you are not putting pressure, but quite the oppsite may be occurring once the razor angle is correct, you should not have to use ANY pressure what so ever the angle coupled with the movement and weight of the razor should be enough, Do you have the means to take a video of you shaving? That would help all of us assist you in getting better shaves, and they will get better so dont give up. Based on what you have indicated I think it may be shave angle and prep. Also in my opinion try cold water shaves entirely. This may sound contradictory, however when hot water is applied to the face it swells the capillaries and brings blood closer to the surface. In contrast cold water will constrict and acually allow the hair to stand up more, It also allows for less irritation. Again this is all guessing until we can actually see your technique, lather and so forth. You will get there however
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Hello Dave. Thank you very much for your suggestions! I’ve never recorded myself while shaving but will definitely do it on my next shave!! I think it will probably be next week since my face is pretty banged up right now with cuts and a lot of burning/irritation.


I really appreciate all you guys help!




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Hello guys. Finally decide to shave again and recorded the shave. I just don’t know how to do it so you guys see it?

Any suggestions?

Thanks




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dangerousdon said:
@Maximo77w You will have to upload it to a sharing site like:
Once you do that you can then share the link here to post the video. If you need more help we will see what we can do for you. We appreciate you doing a video for us and can't wait to see it!
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Ok will try with YouTube.

You definitely will NOT LIKE this video. It is horrible and on my right side unfortunately you will see my bald ass head most of the time. Lol


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Maximo77w said:
Ok will try with YouTube.

You definitely will NOT LIKE this video. It is horrible and on my right side unfortunately you will see my bald ass head most of the time. Lol


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Looking forward to it!
 
Maximo77w said:
How do i make sure only you guys see the video and not anyone else?


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There should be an option in the video’s settings on YouTube to set it so that it can only be visible to those who have the direct link to it.
 
Ok guys a couple of things so you guys would know.

Tools used:
- Merkur 34C
- Voskhod Blade
- Tabac Original Soap
- Synthetic Brush

Decided for the first time to shave first and shower next just because my mirror gigs up pretty bad after a shower.

Did use a hot towel on face for 3 min.

Shave went horribly bad. Tried not to put any pressure at all. Definitely didn’t end up with razor burns but you guys will see why lol.

I really apologize for my bald head!!! I thought the position of the recording was going to be fine.

Again had major problems with my mustache and chin area!!

Either way here you go guys.

Hope to receive great pointers with my problems!!

https://youtu.be/wFkDg4T80KE


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Oh forgot to put pictures of the result


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4da6e3ffbb8497b4c02b7ba41b7c4edc.jpg







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Watching it now...don't worry...the rest of us have been where you are before. There is a learning curve to this...but we will get you there!
 
Oh...and I thought you said you were bald? You have a LOT more hair than Dave does. Which Dave you ask? Pick one...I think they are all bald to some extent here? 🤪
 
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