Newbie with ripped face

Novice Shave

Novice Shave

Joined
Tuesday March 15, 2016
Location
Pontefract West Yorkshire
hi I am completely new to wet shaving I am 28 and come from West Yorkshire
I've always used hair clippers to trim to stubble and left it at that but recently got into dressing better so sharing has become necessary to look right,
I got a brush and some wilkinson sword soap and a disposable from Tescos badly smothered a lather on my face and carved away until smooth now 3 days later I'm on here looking for help to heal my face lol
I've got a DE in the post and some blades (unsure what they are yet) I've been told my cheap brush will be fine and my soap will do until I get more but I need to get the prep right and some post shave balm and some alum is there anything else I'm missing???
 
Styptic pencil.

Take some time to figure out the directions your hair grows on your face (face mapping). Shave in those same directions. Don't try to get absolutely smooth your first few outings.

Splash water on your face (rubbing wet hands over it will work too) before you apply the lather. There's a reason it's called a 'wet' shave.

Resist the temptation to go back over a shaved spot to catch a few missed stray hairs. You always want to have lather between the razor and your skin. Stop for a moment, reapply lather, then shave them.

Reapply water before putting the lather on for your second pass. (Yes, you will need to shave your entire face at least twice.)

Watch your pressure. DE razors don't need to be pressed hard into the skin to shave.

If you follow my advice about pressure and always making sure there is lather between the blade and your skin, you should be able to get irritation free shaves right from the start.
 
First off prevention is always better than cure.

The Wilkinson soap is known as the 'Blue Bowl of Death' for good reason. Get yourself a stick of Palmolive shaving soap, grate it into a tub and you have a decent product which works as it should for just 50p. You can even lather directly on to your face if you prefer.

As you say preparation is key. The missing bit of the jigsaw before the shaving soap is to make sure your pores are wide open. Shower first, hot flannel or hot wash with a good slippery face soap. Any of these will work.

To be honest I've never found much use for alum, a decent balm and a styptic pencil for nicks (rarely used touch wood) should suffice (although others may have differing views).

If you face is still tender give it chance to recover and even possibly wait for the DE to arrive and when it does give yourself 20 minutes+ so you can have that first shave unrushed.

Good luck and trust in things getting better as they will.
 
Novice Shave said:
hi I am completely new to wet shaving I am 28 and come from West Yorkshire

I've got a DE in the post and some blades (unsure what they are yet) but I need to get the prep right and some post shave balm and some alum is there anything else I'm missing??
Click to expand...

Hi there,

Main thing you're missing is any sort of technique, which only comes from experience. Right now there's no reference point for anything, such as the angle of attack and amount of pressure needed. Muscle memory takes a few weeks to kick in and till then it's fumbling around trying to figure things out.

Prep for me and some others can be as simple as a few minutes of holding a hot towel to your face. Other members use pre shave oils but I find it's not needed at all.

Also, it takes a while to learn to create a decent lather with the right amount of slip and cushion.

Post shave balm of some kind is fine, but rather than alum I would suggest an inexpensive styptic pencil to minimize any red spots.

No idea what razor and blades you have decided on...most are ok for starting out but not all are suited for a beginner. What did you order?

As I said, figure on a few weeks before things start coming together.

Martin
 
Last edited:
PLANofMAN said:
pores don't actually open and close.
Click to expand...

Hello...


QllOW.gif
 
SeanC said:
First off prevention is always better than cure.

The Wilkinson soap is known as the 'Blue Bowl of Death' for good reason. Get yourself a stick of Palmolive shaving soap, grate it into a tub and you have a decent product which works as it should for just 50p. You can even lather directly on to your face if you prefer.

As you say preparation is key. The missing bit of the jigsaw before the shaving soap is to make sure your pores are wide open. Shower first, hot flannel or hot wash with a good slippery face soap. Any of these will work.

To be honest I've never found much use for alum, a decent balm and a styptic pencil for nicks (rarely used touch wood) should suffice (although others may have differing views).

If you face is still tender give it chance to recover and even possibly wait for the DE to arrive and when it does give yourself 20 minutes+ so you can have that first shave unrushed.

Good luck and trust in things getting better as they will.
Click to expand...
Blue bowl of death lol it's what they had I will look for the Palmolive stick and grate it when SWMBO isn't about, any recommendations on a balm, septic pencil,face wash??
I am a HGV mech by day so don't need to be clean shaven for work so can leave it until my face is better but do have to wash daily as I'm covered in oil and grease etc daily so need a good face wash anyway
 
dodgy said:
Hi there,

Main thing you're missing is any sort of technique, which only comes from experience. Right now there's no reference point for anything, such as the angle of attack and amount of pressure needed. Muscle memory takes a few weeks to kick in and till then it's fumbling around trying to figure things out.

Prep for me and some others can be as simple as a few minutes of holding a hot towel to your face. Other members use pre shave oils but I find it's not needed at all.

Also, it takes a while to learn to create a decent lather with the right amount of slip and cushion.

Post shave balm of some kind is fine, but rather than alum I would suggest an inexpensive styptic pencil to minimize any red spots.

No idea what razor and blades you have decided on...most are ok for starting out but not all are suited for a beginner. What did you order?

As I said, figure on a few weeks before things start coming together.

Martin
Click to expand...
I've got a vintage Gillette Tech coming from a friend with some blades he got in a job lot
 
Novice Shave said:
Blue bowl of death lol it's what they had I will look for the Palmolive stick and grate it when SWMBO isn't about, any recommendations on a balm, septic pencil,face wash??
I am a HGV mech by day so don't need to be clean shaven for work so can leave it until my face is better but do have to wash daily as I'm covered in oil and grease etc daily so need a good face wash anyway
Click to expand...

Boots Freshwood aftershave balm at £2.79 does the job well. Alternatively Dove when on 50% off (it is quite often) is another good choice, possibly a fraction better. Alternatively if you can find either of these instore at Boots:

http://www.boots.com/en/Gillette-Irritation-Defense-Post-Shave-Balm_1232208/
http://www.boots.com/en/Gillette-After-the-Series-intense-cooling-balm_1042404/

They are a steal at £1 on clearance. I bought half a dozen. The stock checker will tell you the nearest store with them.

Styptic Pencils are pretty much generic. From what I can remember about £1.79 in Boots and £1 in Savers

Another bargain from Boots for face washes:

http://www.boots.com/en/Gillette-Irritation-Defence-Soothing-Face-Wash-150ml_1260155/ or alternatively Bulldog Original Face Wash works well (buy it when on promotion again)
 
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