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Hello guys I’m new in this forum but having really hard time with my shaves. Please help
- Thread starter Maximo77w
- Start date
PAA Preshave Cube
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Ah..I see. I just hadn't seen that before.
You definitely have some lather going. You might benefit from a little more water.
I know it is awkward now...but shave in one direction per pass. And I would go for longer strokes. The more strokes you take the more times you are putting the blade on the skin and the more times you have the opportunity to cut yourself.
You may want to only do a "North to South" pass or a With the Grain pass for now until you get the handle of how it feels. Others will come along and be able to give you better advise. But all in all...you gave it a go and that is what is important. We will get you fixed up in no time.
I know it is awkward now...but shave in one direction per pass. And I would go for longer strokes. The more strokes you take the more times you are putting the blade on the skin and the more times you have the opportunity to cut yourself.
You may want to only do a "North to South" pass or a With the Grain pass for now until you get the handle of how it feels. Others will come along and be able to give you better advise. But all in all...you gave it a go and that is what is important. We will get you fixed up in no time.
Thanks dangerousdon. I wouldn’t mind doing a one pass shave but as you can see from the results i would end up looking horribly with patches everywhere
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Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
One thing I notice is no pressure you have down pat, but that means to not push hard. There is a need of some pressure to hold the blade firm enough against the skin to cut the hair near the skin at the correct angle. At times yours seems to not even remove the lather so it can't be cutting thru the hair. I wonder if your hair is so coarse/stiff that a sharper blade would help.
Also you use way too much of that preshave soap which may prevent natural oils from softening the whiskers. Just a couple things I noticed. I'll let KJ fill in.
Also you use way too much of that preshave soap which may prevent natural oils from softening the whiskers. Just a couple things I noticed. I'll let KJ fill in.
Last edited:
GearNoir
“The Disney Princess’s Apprentice”
First off...great video! As uncomfortable as you thought you were, you seemed very natural and comfortable.
Some observations from the video (I’m going to try and keep these concise, but read these with positivity behind them, you can conquer this!):
- Load was way too long. Even with the Tabac unbloomed (no water out on the top of it to soften it up before you load), with a semi wet brush that you used, 30 seconds was too much. You probably could have stopped at 15 seconds and had plenty of lather for 3 passes. It was good that you tried to add more water, but it was still too thick when you began shaving.
- When you finish your hot towel and preshave period, begin building your lather on the face as soon as possible. The less time you have in between those steps, the more hydrated your face and whiskers will stay, making the shave easier. I know you had to do the video today, but there were many minutes in between your preshave and the time you started building lather.
- Your angle on the razor still seems off, I think this is evident from the lack of reduction that you feel you are getting (it’s not getting as close as you like). That would also mean the blade is not contacting the skin/hair in an efficient manner.
- You are trying a bit too hard to avoid pressure, so the razor is not having solid contact with the face. This and the point above I deduce from the amount of lather still on your skin after you’ve moved the razor over it. There should be little to no lather left after you stroke an area with the razor. Some of this also has to do with the thickness of the lather, making good contact harder for the razor.
- The strokes you are making with the razor are a bit too small and because you are picking up the razor off the skin so often, you are missing patches of stubble; try to at least cover an area of an inch, then when you pick up the razor off the skin and put it back on for another stroke, start it a little more over where you left off, not in an entirely new patch.
- After your shave, before your post shave, I’d recommend a fresh cold water rinse, then an application of witch hazel.
In your photos the actual result looks pretty good, except the patches missed of course. It doesn’t look like you have an allergy to the soap, which is great. Your skin and stubble look a lot like mine, fair/olive skin with very dark, heavy stubble - difficult to get a clean shaven look.
I think you’re doing just fine honestly. There will be some adjustment to the way this type of shaving feels and various methods to try and get a good result. It takes some good discovery and knowledge of your face, that’s for sure!
Some observations from the video (I’m going to try and keep these concise, but read these with positivity behind them, you can conquer this!):
- Load was way too long. Even with the Tabac unbloomed (no water out on the top of it to soften it up before you load), with a semi wet brush that you used, 30 seconds was too much. You probably could have stopped at 15 seconds and had plenty of lather for 3 passes. It was good that you tried to add more water, but it was still too thick when you began shaving.
- When you finish your hot towel and preshave period, begin building your lather on the face as soon as possible. The less time you have in between those steps, the more hydrated your face and whiskers will stay, making the shave easier. I know you had to do the video today, but there were many minutes in between your preshave and the time you started building lather.
- Your angle on the razor still seems off, I think this is evident from the lack of reduction that you feel you are getting (it’s not getting as close as you like). That would also mean the blade is not contacting the skin/hair in an efficient manner.
- You are trying a bit too hard to avoid pressure, so the razor is not having solid contact with the face. This and the point above I deduce from the amount of lather still on your skin after you’ve moved the razor over it. There should be little to no lather left after you stroke an area with the razor. Some of this also has to do with the thickness of the lather, making good contact harder for the razor.
- The strokes you are making with the razor are a bit too small and because you are picking up the razor off the skin so often, you are missing patches of stubble; try to at least cover an area of an inch, then when you pick up the razor off the skin and put it back on for another stroke, start it a little more over where you left off, not in an entirely new patch.
- After your shave, before your post shave, I’d recommend a fresh cold water rinse, then an application of witch hazel.
In your photos the actual result looks pretty good, except the patches missed of course. It doesn’t look like you have an allergy to the soap, which is great. Your skin and stubble look a lot like mine, fair/olive skin with very dark, heavy stubble - difficult to get a clean shaven look.
I think you’re doing just fine honestly. There will be some adjustment to the way this type of shaving feels and various methods to try and get a good result. It takes some good discovery and knowledge of your face, that’s for sure!
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
Yes I should have added it was a well done video. Volume low but you were very natural. We all feel awkward when doing them but seldom appear as bad as we think. Good job and you will get there. Chris did more clear in writing things down than me.
Yea I definitely know my blade angle is a huge issue for me. I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to keep a good angle.
This was also the first time using a voskhod with the merkur 34C. It definitely went a lot better before the voskhod with the Gillette tech.
Don’t know if I should try a sharper blade with the 34C or instead just keep trying the voskhod until I get the darn blade angle and pressure correct but it’s just really frustrating. Can’t believe it’s this hard to hace a DFS wet shaving
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This was also the first time using a voskhod with the merkur 34C. It definitely went a lot better before the voskhod with the Gillette tech.
Don’t know if I should try a sharper blade with the 34C or instead just keep trying the voskhod until I get the darn blade angle and pressure correct but it’s just really frustrating. Can’t believe it’s this hard to hace a DFS wet shaving
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GearNoir
“The Disney Princess’s Apprentice”
As long as you have some decent post-shave products to help keep your skin healthy after the shave, you definitely have all the tools you need to get the job done!
I’d say keep practicing with what you have! Some guys learn it very quickly, others take some time to get there. In general though, it’s definitely not an instant gratification thing. You already have some good basics down though.
Ok so what I use is witch hazel, and Nivea Sensitive post shave balm. And if I feel I used too much pressure causing razor burn or bumps, I first use Tend Skin or lucky tiger before putting witch Hazel and Nivea post shave balm
Where I live it is also really dry so I try to keep my face moisture as much as posible
Is it good?
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My problem is my mustache and chin area. The problem I have with the mustache area is that my nose is on the way and doesn’t let me start shaving smoothly like my cheeks.
The chin area it just feels like I’m cutting my face instead of the hairs so that area I just don’t know what to do
Anyhow I really appreciate all your help guys
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The chin area it just feels like I’m cutting my face instead of the hairs so that area I just don’t know what to do
Anyhow I really appreciate all your help guys
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GearNoir
“The Disney Princess’s Apprentice”
Yes, that sounds like a very good routine! If you are happy with it, I’d stick with that too.
First thing I noticed is like Chris said, you loaded way too long. Between that much soap and the preshave stuff, you didn't have near enough water. Also probably more of the reason it dries on you than hard water.
Light load on the brush. If it starts slopping out of the bowl when loading the brush, you have more than enough. Then add the water and build it on your face. You just kind of painted soap on instead of building a good slick lather.
Again, that sticky soap is a big part of why you aren't getting a close shave. As mentioned, every place you still have all that lather, you haven't really shaved.
To me your angle seems a little off too. You do what I find myself doing a lot and riding the safety bar instead of the top cap. That makes the blade scrape more and can be a cause of irritation. Try starting on the cap then rolling down a little until you feel it start to cut.
I also agree with the suggestion for using longer strokes and using only north/south with the grain passes until you get a little better handle on your angles and lather.
You said your left side seems easier. Probably because you are reaching across and the angle of your arm is a bit more natural. Try switching hands. May be easier to do your right side with your left hand.
As far as the top lip, it may just be rough anything you do. My whiskers are very coarse and no matter what blade I use I get tugging for the first pass if I have a couple days growth. Again, angle is a lot to do with it also. You use a strong scraping motion there being on the safety bar so hard. On coarse whiskers, that really amplifies the tugging. Try "scooping" your razor. Start on the bar to get close, then roll the razor to the cap before moving it down when under your nose.
Chin area is a lot of scraping too.
I will say you are leagues ahead on the lathering aspect then I was when I started. Just load a bit less and get some more water in there. Work on the angles is going to help with irritation also. Personally, I would do away with the preshave and just wash your face good. The only thing I ever noticed from them is my lather wasn't as good and my wallet was lighter.
You did well on the video, it was nice to "meet" you, and you have a good start. Now it's just refining angles and dialing in the lather, and you should be fine.
Light load on the brush. If it starts slopping out of the bowl when loading the brush, you have more than enough. Then add the water and build it on your face. You just kind of painted soap on instead of building a good slick lather.
Again, that sticky soap is a big part of why you aren't getting a close shave. As mentioned, every place you still have all that lather, you haven't really shaved.
To me your angle seems a little off too. You do what I find myself doing a lot and riding the safety bar instead of the top cap. That makes the blade scrape more and can be a cause of irritation. Try starting on the cap then rolling down a little until you feel it start to cut.
I also agree with the suggestion for using longer strokes and using only north/south with the grain passes until you get a little better handle on your angles and lather.
You said your left side seems easier. Probably because you are reaching across and the angle of your arm is a bit more natural. Try switching hands. May be easier to do your right side with your left hand.
As far as the top lip, it may just be rough anything you do. My whiskers are very coarse and no matter what blade I use I get tugging for the first pass if I have a couple days growth. Again, angle is a lot to do with it also. You use a strong scraping motion there being on the safety bar so hard. On coarse whiskers, that really amplifies the tugging. Try "scooping" your razor. Start on the bar to get close, then roll the razor to the cap before moving it down when under your nose.
Chin area is a lot of scraping too.
I will say you are leagues ahead on the lathering aspect then I was when I started. Just load a bit less and get some more water in there. Work on the angles is going to help with irritation also. Personally, I would do away with the preshave and just wash your face good. The only thing I ever noticed from them is my lather wasn't as good and my wallet was lighter.
You did well on the video, it was nice to "meet" you, and you have a good start. Now it's just refining angles and dialing in the lather, and you should be fine.
First thing I noticed is like Chris said, you loaded way too long. Between that much soap and the preshave stuff, you didn't have near enough water. Also probably more of the reason it dries on you than hard water.
Light load on the brush. If it starts slopping out of the bowl when loading the brush, you have more than enough. Then add the water and build it on your face. You just kind of painted soap on instead of building a good slick lather.
Again, that sticky soap is a big part of why you aren't getting a close shave. As mentioned, every place you still have all that lather, you haven't really shaved.
To me your angle seems a little off too. You do what I find myself doing a lot and riding the safety bar instead of the top cap. That makes the blade scrape more and can be a cause of irritation. Try starting on the cap then rolling down a little until you feel it start to cut.
I also agree with the suggestion for using longer strokes and using only north/south with the grain passes until you get a little better handle on your angles and lather.
You said your left side seems easier. Probably because you are reaching across and the angle of your arm is a bit more natural. Try switching hands. May be easier to do your right side with your left hand.
As far as the top lip, it may just be rough anything you do. My whiskers are very coarse and no matter what blade I use I get tugging for the first pass if I have a couple days growth. Again, angle is a lot to do with it also. You use a strong scraping motion there being on the safety bar so hard. On coarse whiskers, that really amplifies the tugging. Try "scooping" your razor. Start on the bar to get close, then roll the razor to the cap before moving it down when under your nose.
Chin area is a lot of scraping too.
I will say you are leagues ahead on the lathering aspect then I was when I started. Just load a bit less and get some more water in there. Work on the angles is going to help with irritation also. Personally, I would do away with the preshave and just wash your face good. The only thing I ever noticed from them is my lather wasn't as good and my wallet was lighter.
You did well on the video, it was nice to "meet" you, and you have a good start. Now it's just refining angles and dialing in the lather, and you should be fine.
Hello Shawn
Thanks for your suggestions m.
Will try tomorrow to load a lot less soap then and see how that goes.
Regarding the mustache and chin areas what did you mean by “You use a strong scraping motion there being on the safety bar so hard. On coarse whiskers, that really amplifies the tugging. Try "scooping" your razor. Start on the bar to get close, then roll the razor to the cap before moving it down when under your nose.”
Thanks again
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When you hold the razor straight up and down, the blade is almost at a 90 degree angle. (Slightly less from the top cap curving it a bit.) If you put the razor to your face in this straight or close to straight position and let it ride on the safety bar (on the base plate) the blade will scrape.
I noticed in your video that you keep the razor handle almost parallel to your face and riding on the safety bar in these areas especially. This is making the blade scrape more than cut.
You need to roll the razor up (handle away from the face) so the top cap is what is contacting your face, not the safety bar. That puts the blade at a better angle to cut.
For the "scooping" motion under the nose. Start with the razor straight up and down and bring the top cap up tight under your nose and the safety bar against your lip. (I know.... it's contradictory to what I just said.
) Instead of pulling the razor down though, roll the handle upwards to get onto the top cap. Kind of like scooping ice cream out of a tub. That rolling motion will probably tug just a bit at the beginning, but smooth out as you get the razor into a better cutting angle.You are doing a lot of #3 in this drawing.
Hey Max! I been reading your thread and vid. You seem to be a bundle of nerves around your lip and chin. I noticed that’s where you got your worst razor burn at first. With more shaves under your belt you will get the feel of how that razor is working for you. I noticed on your passes you actually cleared the Lather on your neck. Try to remember how that feels on your fingers. At that point you were on angle and pressure. You have a pretty thick beard so you will need get used to how the razor feels when it’s gathering in the harvest.
I also used the Intergalactic space coupe as a pre-shave. I gotta say you are using a lot of product there. A single wipe over your face and rub it in to stimulate the skin and get that little menthol tingle going. I typically bowl lather, but it appears you were going after that Tabac like it owed you money! That’s good soap, an over the pre-shave you shouldn’t need quite that much product.
Your strokes looked good as far as the grain of your hair appears. Just try tiny bit by tiny bit to find the angle where it feels like the razor is acting like a squeegee taking the lather off your face. Once you find those feelings and can replicate it on a regular basis, you are golden! Relax my friend, sometimes over thinking can lead to more problems.
Rich
I also used the Intergalactic space coupe as a pre-shave. I gotta say you are using a lot of product there. A single wipe over your face and rub it in to stimulate the skin and get that little menthol tingle going. I typically bowl lather, but it appears you were going after that Tabac like it owed you money! That’s good soap, an over the pre-shave you shouldn’t need quite that much product.
Your strokes looked good as far as the grain of your hair appears. Just try tiny bit by tiny bit to find the angle where it feels like the razor is acting like a squeegee taking the lather off your face. Once you find those feelings and can replicate it on a regular basis, you are golden! Relax my friend, sometimes over thinking can lead to more problems.
Rich
Thanks a lot rich. To tell you the truth you are right with what you said. I’ve never had a problem on my neck area for some reason. And thinking about it maybe I do hold the angle and pressure there different. Just don’t know what exactly I’m doing different there but going to try and see.
Thanks
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Your angles do look better on your neck. Now that you have done a video though, you can go back and watch yourself and see what we are talking about and what you are doing where you don't have issues vs where you do have issues. I'm sure you'll get it, you have the basics down. It's just a matter of fine tuning everything now.
OK, watching now, and commenting as I go.
1) You loaded that soap for a solid 60 seconds. That's more than necessary. It's not about the length of time. I say 30 seconds as an average, but each soap is going to be different. some need more, other need less. It's all trial and error. You lather for a little bit, and if you don't have enough, you go back to the puck and get some more, no big deal. Tabac should lather quickly, and 20 seconds may be all you need. You just go by feel and looks.
2) Pre-shave cube. If it's a pre-shave, then you use it before you shave, right? Seems like you should have just lathered the pre-shave soap, let it clean your face, then rinse it off. Then you lather with your shave soap. I'm not sure why you would lather your shave soap on top of your pre-shave soap. If you've watched our other videos, most of us don't use any pre-shave products at all. My preshave is my shower, that's it. But regardless, you used a ton of pre-shave soap, and the Tabac lather on top of that was way too much. It did not appear that you had enough water worked into your lather and that your lather was quite thick. You mentioned that you felt like the lather was drying as you shave.... evidence you didn't have enough water to begin with.
3) Each pass you should be removing the lather right down to the skin. If there is any lather left from the pass, then your angle is off, or your pressure is wrong. But based on you repeating how you were trying to not use any pressure, I think you werent using enough pressure. It looks like you were letting the razor glide on top of the whiskers, and not allowing it to cut.
We say no pressure, because most people are coming from a Gillette Mach3 or Fusion razor. You can press those razors as hard as you want into your face and they will not cut you, so most guys are used to using a lot of pressure. That's why we have to stress over and over about no pressure..... but you actually do need some pressure. You need to hold the razor on your face, and use enough pressure to keep it there. It almost looks like you are intentionally holding it off your face at times.
4) It also appeared that you were holding the razor handle too parallel to your face, which makes your angle too steep, and makes the blade scrape across the whiskers, rather than actually slice and cut them. You mentioned in your PM to me about your riding the cap, but it did not look like you were riding the cap at all.... just the opposite.
5) You also asked me about blades. If you feel that one of your other blades would be more comfortable, or you've had better results with, then switch. But your issue is not with the blade, so whatever blade you want to use, stick with it until you figure out the rest of your shave.
6) your video was very good, and helped a lot.
7) I'd recommend re watching the instructional video I posted, and especially watching the portion where I'm shaving. Also watch a few of our other members videos and view their techniques.
1) You loaded that soap for a solid 60 seconds. That's more than necessary. It's not about the length of time. I say 30 seconds as an average, but each soap is going to be different. some need more, other need less. It's all trial and error. You lather for a little bit, and if you don't have enough, you go back to the puck and get some more, no big deal. Tabac should lather quickly, and 20 seconds may be all you need. You just go by feel and looks.
2) Pre-shave cube. If it's a pre-shave, then you use it before you shave, right? Seems like you should have just lathered the pre-shave soap, let it clean your face, then rinse it off. Then you lather with your shave soap. I'm not sure why you would lather your shave soap on top of your pre-shave soap. If you've watched our other videos, most of us don't use any pre-shave products at all. My preshave is my shower, that's it. But regardless, you used a ton of pre-shave soap, and the Tabac lather on top of that was way too much. It did not appear that you had enough water worked into your lather and that your lather was quite thick. You mentioned that you felt like the lather was drying as you shave.... evidence you didn't have enough water to begin with.
3) Each pass you should be removing the lather right down to the skin. If there is any lather left from the pass, then your angle is off, or your pressure is wrong. But based on you repeating how you were trying to not use any pressure, I think you werent using enough pressure. It looks like you were letting the razor glide on top of the whiskers, and not allowing it to cut.
We say no pressure, because most people are coming from a Gillette Mach3 or Fusion razor. You can press those razors as hard as you want into your face and they will not cut you, so most guys are used to using a lot of pressure. That's why we have to stress over and over about no pressure..... but you actually do need some pressure. You need to hold the razor on your face, and use enough pressure to keep it there. It almost looks like you are intentionally holding it off your face at times.
4) It also appeared that you were holding the razor handle too parallel to your face, which makes your angle too steep, and makes the blade scrape across the whiskers, rather than actually slice and cut them. You mentioned in your PM to me about your riding the cap, but it did not look like you were riding the cap at all.... just the opposite.
5) You also asked me about blades. If you feel that one of your other blades would be more comfortable, or you've had better results with, then switch. But your issue is not with the blade, so whatever blade you want to use, stick with it until you figure out the rest of your shave.
6) your video was very good, and helped a lot.
7) I'd recommend re watching the instructional video I posted, and especially watching the portion where I'm shaving. Also watch a few of our other members videos and view their techniques.
Just finished the video. Great job on that part. We all have to find the camera angles that work best for us and what space we have.
I think the guys above have given you plenty of great info/advice so i will just say to think about what they said, rewatch your video with that in mind and then just keep at it. You will get there for sure.
I think the guys above have given you plenty of great info/advice so i will just say to think about what they said, rewatch your video with that in mind and then just keep at it. You will get there for sure.