SteveChuckFrank
Close Enough*
I do use a plain unscented witch hazel. It's not a balm, but it does soothe.
You think a more aggressive razor could help?
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Steve's Journal: The Saga Continues....
- Thread starter SteveChuckFrank
- Start date
I do use a plain unscented witch hazel. It's not a balm, but it does soothe.
You think a more aggressive razor could help?
I would go with a more aggressive razor, less keen blade. The feather is going to accentuate any flaw in technique. Maybe something such as an Astra, Personna, Voskhod, GSB, Nascet...etc...paired with a much more aggressive razor might be the way to go. When doing this, try and stay away from the buffing strokes at first, accept some CCS+ to DFS- shaves, concentrating on comfort over results. At that point you can start to incorporate more short "buffing" strokes to improve the results.
SteveChuckFrank
Close Enough*
Thanks for the advice Josh. I do have some voskhods, Astras, and Personna's. Although out of the razors I have, I'm not sure which way to go for the most aggressive. My current roster is:
G2 (I think) Fatboy
Stirling DE3P6
Fatip Grande
RazoRock Tech II
RazoRock TTO
Micro Touch One
I also have a 1940's Gillette Super Speed on loan from Gonzo44.
I'm thinking the Fatip is the most aggressive. It's the second generation and I've been told they're milder than the originals. But probably the most aggressive of this bunch.
I also think my Fatboy should be taken out of consideration as I think it needs to be tweaked a bit. The doors are starting to stick and not open and close quite right.
My ultimate goal is to be able to shave in the morning. I don't want to have to have an entire night's sleep to allow my face to heal before going out in public haha!
I just really felt like after 5 months I'd be a lot closer to that than I am now.
I would go with the Fatip and pair it with either the Personna or Astra (the voskhod's seem to be a bit more keen than these two). Just concentrate on comfort over result. As always, no pressure...just wipe the lather off the face. If you feel any discomfort, don't go in that direction and alter it so that it's not uncomfortable, and stay away from buffing strokes for the time being.
Do you J-hook at all when you're doing your neck? If not, it might be worth considering reducing the amount of passes in favor of 1-2 passes there incorporating J-hooks to catch more stubble. Just another thought.
Do you J-hook at all when you're doing your neck? If not, it might be worth considering reducing the amount of passes in favor of 1-2 passes there incorporating J-hooks to catch more stubble. Just another thought.
MilkCrate
"I am a Milk Crate with Dreams"
Since the Fat Boy is out, I also would go with the Fatip. I can’t help much with blades, I went VDH straight to Astra and never looked back.
Can you give your face a break for a day or two to heal?
On the FB, maybe a good cleaning and mineral oil down the middle?
Can you give your face a break for a day or two to heal?
On the FB, maybe a good cleaning and mineral oil down the middle?
SteveChuckFrank
Close Enough*
Thanks for the tip. My next purchase is going to be a sampling of blades. I'll be sure to include some Nacets.
SteveChuckFrank
Close Enough*
Yeah Tim, I do plan on taking at least a day off to recoup.
This weekend the FB will be getting a thorough cleaning. I'm thinking that's all it really needs. It was working fine up until about a week or 2 ago, and there's no reason for anything to be broken. It hasn't been dropped or anything.
SteveChuckFrank
Close Enough*
I have used the Grande a few times. Pretty successfully too. I don't think I've ever tried an Astra in it though.
MilkCrate
"I am a Milk Crate with Dreams"
The Astra SP is all I use and it works well for me. But there’s always that YMMV thing.
Bummer about the burn!
Feather DE blade show no mercy IMHO. If your technique isn't pretty much spot on, well you know.
I'd give the Fatboy a cleaning with scrubbing bubbles and see if that helps. Spray it down and let it soak, do that a few times and then take a toothbrush to it.
Feather DE blade show no mercy IMHO. If your technique isn't pretty much spot on, well you know.
I'd give the Fatboy a cleaning with scrubbing bubbles and see if that helps. Spray it down and let it soak, do that a few times and then take a toothbrush to it.
SteveChuckFrank
Close Enough*
A burn hall of fame? Or better yet, hall of shame!
That is a nasty burn Steve. I remember having some of those a few times...okay, more than a few times. You mentioned you have Voskhod blades. I would try those. They are not the sharpest blade...but they are super smooth! Good luck!
SteveChuckFrank
Close Enough*
I took the night off last night. Back at it today.
Today is Derby Day so I'll be using the WSP Ol Kentucky.
My in-laws are big horse racing fans. My sister in law used to be a Jockey and still works for a trainer out of Parx in Philly. And for those of you who follow horse racing, she dated Jermemy Rose for about 3 years.
Still undecided on which way to go razor and blade wise, but leaning towards the Fatip with an Astra or Vokshod....
Today is Derby Day so I'll be using the WSP Ol Kentucky.
My in-laws are big horse racing fans. My sister in law used to be a Jockey and still works for a trainer out of Parx in Philly. And for those of you who follow horse racing, she dated Jermemy Rose for about 3 years.
Still undecided on which way to go razor and blade wise, but leaning towards the Fatip with an Astra or Vokshod....
just remember to concentrate on comfort vice result for a few shaves and tweak little things in technique, especially on the neck area. I had to do that for quite a while and it paid off in the long run, as I don't get near the irritation I used to.
With the more aggressive razor, you won't have to do as many passes, because the passes you do will be more efficient.
With the more aggressive razor, you won't have to do as many passes, because the passes you do will be more efficient.
SteveChuckFrank
Close Enough*
Journal Entry #14
Ok everyone, let's all calm down. Everything is back to normal....for now anyway.
Pre shave: hot shower, WSP barbershop bar soap on beard
Shave: Fatip Grande, Astra SP, Kingsley pure badger, WSP Ol' Kentucky Formula T soap
Post shave: cold rinse, alum, cold rinse, witch hazel, Stirling Sharp Dressed Man AS
Today is Derby Day. So naturally the Ol' Kentucky came back out again.
I realized that in my frustration with the last shave, I never really gave the Ol' Kentucky a review. So here's a bit on that:
I only scooped out a little more than enough for a single shave, but I was able to get a really nice lather with very little effort. I'm really bad at describing scents, but I'll say I definitely smell the bourbon. It's a very masculine smell, a bit spicy, very good haha! The scent was pretty strong, not overpowering, but you definitely know it's there. And longlasting, I could smell it until I rinsed it off and was done the shave.
On to the part everyone is waiting for. The results...
I followed a lot of advice on this shave. The first thing being to take my time and concentrate on angle and NO PRESSURE! The second was to not take a lot of short buffing strokes. The third was to use my most aggressive razor paired with a smooth blade.
I ended up BBS above the jaw line and DFS+ below. The only irritation I recieved was on the neck, but no where near as much as the last shave. Just a few bumps, no blood, and no real burn to speak of.
The alum gave me a bit of a tingle above the jaw and a little more feedback than that below. But nothing major. The aftershave splash was very smooth going on today as well. No burn at all there.
So a lesson learned, go slow and focus. Don't forget about the technique!
In other news, the in-laws Derby party was a huge success and a lot of fun. I got a crash course in bartending from my father-in-law. Ate some good food. Hung out with family.
Good shaves, good times.
Ok everyone, let's all calm down. Everything is back to normal....for now anyway.
Pre shave: hot shower, WSP barbershop bar soap on beard
Shave: Fatip Grande, Astra SP, Kingsley pure badger, WSP Ol' Kentucky Formula T soap
Post shave: cold rinse, alum, cold rinse, witch hazel, Stirling Sharp Dressed Man AS
Today is Derby Day. So naturally the Ol' Kentucky came back out again.
I realized that in my frustration with the last shave, I never really gave the Ol' Kentucky a review. So here's a bit on that:
I only scooped out a little more than enough for a single shave, but I was able to get a really nice lather with very little effort. I'm really bad at describing scents, but I'll say I definitely smell the bourbon. It's a very masculine smell, a bit spicy, very good haha! The scent was pretty strong, not overpowering, but you definitely know it's there. And longlasting, I could smell it until I rinsed it off and was done the shave.
On to the part everyone is waiting for. The results...
I followed a lot of advice on this shave. The first thing being to take my time and concentrate on angle and NO PRESSURE! The second was to not take a lot of short buffing strokes. The third was to use my most aggressive razor paired with a smooth blade.
I ended up BBS above the jaw line and DFS+ below. The only irritation I recieved was on the neck, but no where near as much as the last shave. Just a few bumps, no blood, and no real burn to speak of.
The alum gave me a bit of a tingle above the jaw and a little more feedback than that below. But nothing major. The aftershave splash was very smooth going on today as well. No burn at all there.
So a lesson learned, go slow and focus. Don't forget about the technique!
In other news, the in-laws Derby party was a huge success and a lot of fun. I got a crash course in bartending from my father-in-law. Ate some good food. Hung out with family.
Good shaves, good times.
