King of Pain?

Well I have been DE shaving since JAn this year.
My lathering over the last 3 weeks has got a lot better. Why because I am applying more soap to the brush and giving it plenty of air.
Small improvements over the last few months have started to improve the results.
Results there's a thing. A result for me is about what I do rather than what I achieve. I like the journey so to speak and the destination is less important. Becoming fixated on the end result could hinder what otherwise is a grand experience.
Enjoy the shower, the brush the razor the morning the quiet (or not in my house) the sunshine take it easy and relaxed.
This is me personally but I think the a really close shave is not as important as the smells and sensations that surround shaving.
Just treat yourself!
Lovin it
Tim.
PS I use Lush shave cream or KoS oil as a base which I later on top of. :shave
 
Canuck said:
Then put aside an hour and whip up a few cups of lather
Click to expand...

Yep, practice makes perfect lather.
I think it's not hydrated enough by the sounds of it, my earlier efforts (for quite a while) were a bit dry. Like whipped egg whites, stiff, whereas it needs to be more like whipped cream, i.e. forming peaks but soft and with a bit of a wet gloss to it.
Click to expand...

I actually found initially that my lather was too wet, but then overcompensated and found the same thing as Canuck - the way I differentiate between a dry lather and a well-mixed, moist one is partly the glossy or pearlescent surface of the lather, and partly the peaks themselves - if you can get a peak on the brush, give the brush a gentle shake. If the peak says stiff, the lather needs either more mixing, a few drops more water, or a bit of both. What you want to see is the peak wobbling but not completely collapsing (if the top of the peak folds over that's OK). If the peak falls apart completely (i.e. disappears) or can't form in the first place, then it's a touch too wet.
 
I don't subscribe to the notion that the soap and brush are the most important part so don't ditch the DE and go back to multi blades before giving yourself time to get things right. Try the suggestion of rubbing the lather between your hands and feeling the slickness.Might be worth comparing your lather to the lather the gel makes, once they start to feel similar you will be on the right track.
 
p.s since it is summer you should try some Proraso pre/post cream, slap some one while you spend the time building your lather and it will help soften the beard. Will also make your eyes water but it will wake you up :D
 
Many thanks everyone for all you encouragement, I think perhaps I have been a little too ambitious in trying to revert back to DE shaving after 30 years, I realise now it is a marathon and not a sprint and I am still very much on the learning curve.

I will persevere, but probably limit the DE shaving to weekends when I have more time (plus giving my face time to recover!)

Thanks to JohnnyO for your advice, I believe you are a veritable font of knowledge on such things.

Postby dodgy » Sun Jun 12, 2011 1:42 pm
Dear Mr Foo (that your first or last name may I ask?)
Click to expand...

It is neither, thankfully. US pilots during WW2 referred to UFO's as foofighters.
However you have inadvertently given me a new user name :shock:

From this day forth I will be known as ...................... Mr Foo
 
foofighter said:
Many thanks everyone for all you encouragement, I think perhaps I have been a little too ambitious in trying to revert back to DE shaving after 30 years, I realise now it is a marathon and not a sprint and I am still very much on the learning curve.

I will persevere, but probably limit the DE shaving to weekends when I have more time (plus giving my face time to recover!)

From this day forth I will be known as ...................... Mr Foo
Click to expand...

Hiya Mr Foo,

Actually, this DE thing wouldn't really be a marathon, but it does take some time before everything comes together. There's a bunch of stuff to learn all at once, and any weak link(s) are gonna diminish the overall shave quality. It's trial and error in the beginning, and it's something that can't be avoided.

Figure it'll take maybe 12-15 shaves to sorta get the hang of how this system works, and another couple weeks until the shaves are mostly consistantly good (but not great). After that period it gets lots easier and that's where the fun really starts. You do have to go on your own little DE journey though, and trying it only on the weekends will never get it done. Yep, muscle memory is a big help that needs to be used often at first.

Heh, it's nothing compared to straight users problems when they start. I've heard it takes six months before they start getting consistantly good shaves, and longer to refine it even more.

So that's the deal Mr Foo. You gotta make a month long committment or this 'hobby' probably won't work out too well. I hope you stick around, and we'll all do what we can to enab......help you.

Martin
 
dodgy said:
Heh, it's nothing compared to straight users problems when they start. I've heard it takes six months before they start getting consistantly good shaves, and longer to refine it even more.
Click to expand...

Yup, Marvin's right, well certainly in my case. I got my straight for Christmas and gave up after three or four months. Progress wasn't exactly slow but I wasn't enjoying the experience. Then I got a loan of a different razor and things have picked up. Muscle memory, as Marv says, is very important. Just like driving a car you need to get used to doing some things automatically before you can progress. Soon you'll be wondering what all the fuss was about! :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom