Some advice?

A

adman

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After many years with a beard, I have recently shaved it off, (barber in Turkey, the full works and a great experience), I am giving wet shaving a go.
I've started with proraso pre-shave cream and shaving cream together with an Edwin Jagger DE razor.
I'm not too sure what the terminology used in many posts refers to exactly. Many people refer to achieving a close shave as a good outcome (for everyday use?) and then go onto describing a state (BBS - assumed to relate to the state of a babies rear end) that can be achieved with extra effort (for special occasions perhaps?).
I have a Phillips electric razor that can remove the stubble from my chin to a state where I can feel practically no stubble at all anywhere on my face afterwards. I am assuming that this is BBS, rather than just a close shave.
I can achieve the totally stubbleless state after many passes of the razor and about 10-15 minutes. Three passes (down, across and up) leave me less than than perfectly smooth face, would this be a close shave?
I've borrowed a Merkur Vision 2000, set to 'O'. whilst this feels as if it is doing a great job and I can achieve what is termed the 'BBS' state eventually, it still takes a fair bit of time.
Using a Mach 4 clears the stubble very well and does it quicker, however I am swayed by the cost arguement.
I intend to stick with DE razors and am willing to assume that I am doing something wrong, my thoughts centre round the angle of the razor. I've followed advice in some online videos and experimented a little, but have noticed no real differences.
Am I expecting too much?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Anthony
 
How many passes do you do with the DE? With the gain only or do you go against. The oonly way for me to do a BBS shave is to go against the grain as a third pass. However even though BBS is acheivable for me I tend to avoid against the grain shaving as that definately gives me soreness (I'm a wuss....I admit it!).

I used to use a philishave, followed by a mach 3 and finally a fusion, they gave a decent result, but, with either redness/soreness, in-growing hairs and well were just boring to use. For me DE shaving (and SE shaving to boot), is about comfort, no in growing hairs, no red blotches and a nice way to wake up in the morning.

Sam
 
Each of us has our own level of satisfaction. I love to feel a completely soft hairless skin after my shave. And I have plenty of time. So I patiently shave down, up, across and then have a final tidy up with the lather I squeeze out of my brush. Short light strokes of the razor do it for me. I have no specific aim as to razor angle. I guess I've simply stumbled upon what works for me. So my advice to anyone is just keep plodding along , be patient, and you will develop a method that suits you and gives you the closeness that satisfies you.
 
I think you're looking at it the wrong way. If you want to go from A - B you can go there in a Porsche, a Lada or the bus!

DE shaving is more about the sum of the parts. Although it sounds a bit 'poncy' it is about male pampering I suppose.

The satisfaction of choosing a razor, brush and soap then whipping up a great lather and (after a fair bit of practice) getting a great shave.

The enjoyment of using razors that your Grandad could have used, and the admiration at how well made and attractive they are.

I could go on, but I'm sure you get the point!

However, there's no doubt it's not for everyone but, in time, I think most faces would benefit from using DE or straight razors.
 
Personally, I never go for the BBS shave. I usually do too much damage to my face, as my skin in some areas cannot handle a straight against the grain pass. My daily shave leave me with a close shave, being that there are still some rough patches in some areas, but I can live with those because I 'look' clean shaven.

I turned to shaving with DE/SE razors, because of the EXTREME lack of irritation and in-growns. When I used cartridge razors this would be horrible, and now it is pretty much non-existant.

With regards to razor angle, the best advice given to me was to do a shave test on a little pot on the underside of your forearm (a dry run with no lather). Hold the razor perpendicular then slowly tilt it down so the blade can contact your skin then do little practice strokes until you find a comfortable cutting angle...now you have a visual of how the razor should look when shaving your face.

But going back to my main point, my shaves are never 100% perfect, it is the resulting comfort and joy I get when i shave, that keeps me comming back for more.

Good luck with finding what works best for you! Ask lots of questions, there are lots of answers here!
 
sammatty said:
How many passes do you do with the DE?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply.
Three to start with, down (with the grain), across and then up (against the grain) for the cheeks. Several passes under chin and neck - seems to grow in all directions and several under the nose where growth seems to be the strongest. Then many touch up passes to get the final smooth effect. None of this causes soreness (maybe down to proraso), its just the time that is the problem.
I've noticed, elsewhere that others mention only shaving every two days. I shave every morning as smooth as I can get it, I am usually stubblely by late afternoon and if I were to go out in the evening would probably have a quick shave. Having said this I would not really describe myself as having a particularly heavy growth.
I have to say I am really enjoying this approach to shaving and look forward to shaving, as strange as it might seem. I suppose I just need to get the approach and outcome sorted.

Regards

Anthony

Tall_Paul, Fido and Lradke,

Thanks for your advice, I have to admit that I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments Tall_Paul, I suppose it is this that I enjoy most about this approach to shaving.

Many Thanks

Anthony
 
It sounds like irritation isn't an issue for you in which case experiment with different blades and by increasing the aggression of the Vision by a level or two. It'll take a bit of time for your techniques to improve, discover what works best as well as your beard to adjusting to a new regime so keep at it.
 
I've alway believed that in shaving, like a lot of other things, it's the journey and not the destination that's important. Part Male pampering, part science experiment.
 
Total reverse here, have grown a beard over the last couple of weeks to see at what point it starts to get irritating and uncomfortable.

Had some irritation for a few days at the 8 to 9 day stage which settled and it hasn't been to bad.

The other half has informed me that it has irritated her from day four onwards and if it hasn't gone by Sunday night "you scruffy t**t" forget all about any jiggy jiggy.

SOTD posts will commence from Sunday then.:icon_rolleyes:




Oh yes, sorry, go with whats been said.
 
^^ Like it.

OP: I'm actually slightly confused. You need up to six passes with a DE to get BBS? And yet an electric razor can get you there in half that time... do I have that about right as a precis?

If that's the case then it's just odd, electric razors mangle hairs and rarely achieve a very smooth shave at all.

EJ razors are a bit mild (though not bad) so all I can suggest is to set that vision to the max and throw in a feather and go really easy, just see if there's any improvement there. If not, and if we're still taking 5 or 6 passes, then I think maybe DE shaving is not to your liking. I do 2 passes and it's smooth as anything, not BBS, but it's good enough for a daily shave.
 
Like Canuck, I reckon 2 passes with a properly sharp DE blade ought to give a very clean shave, so I'm wondering what blades you're using for a start. BBS as I understand it (and you've decoded the wretched acronym correctly unless you prefer the classier "billiard ball smooth") means that you can't feel any stubble whatsoever in any direction. For that you need accomplished technique with a DE/SE razor or a cut throat - more than three passes are not recommended, well certainly not on a regular basis. What I guess would work best is sticking with it, not overshaving, good preparation and lather, and paying attention to the basics like growth direction and pressure.
 
When I tried using a Philips for 10 or 12 weeks (arm was broken in 3 places) I found that whilst a fairly smooth shave was easily achieveable within a couple of hours I could feel slight stubble on my own "problem" areas and by 8 hours later I needed another tidy up if I was going out anywhere. My habitual wet shaves last pretty much all of my waking day. So, for me, longevity of the shave would also come into it. Not to mention the skin irritation electric shaves cause me.
Really good advice so far on stepping up the aggresiveness of your blade & razor earlier, believe that may be the way to try for you.

JohnnyO. \:icon_razz:
 
I found that, without changing any variables, the closeness of my shaves improved after around 6 months of DE shaving, after I thought I had the technique sorted. I can only presume that several small improvements came together to improve the closeness and (for me much more importantly) the comfort of my shave. Even so, given my dark hair and fairly heavy growth, I always have a very slight shadow if you look closely in the right (wrong?) light, and, if I tried to get BBS results (which to me means no stubble even if the face is stroked against the grain) then I tend to get irritation. I therefore opt for a DFS (damn fine shave) which, to me, is smooth with the grain and across the grain.
 
Thanks for the comments - it has certainly made me think.
I've been using Derby blades. My skin seems to be fairly resistant to irritation so the number of passes hasn't been a problem apart from the time. Equally I've had very few nicks over the last few weeks since I shaved the beard off.
I popped a new blade into the 'EJ' this morning, prepped with proraso pre-shave cream etc. Paid real attention to angle etc. and got a really good shave with no more than 3 passes and a little touching up - everything seems to have come together - probably best shave yet.
I'm wondering if the Derby blades loose their edge very quickly, I'll see what happens over the next couple of days. I've ordered some feather blades as advised to see how they go.
I appreciate the more sophisticated interpretation of 'BBS' - thanks for that.

Regards

Anthony

Kit: Proraso pre-shave cream; Proraso shaving cream; EJ DE87/Merkur Vision 2000
;Alum block; Proraso after shave.
 
Hi Anthony

Like others on here I agree that a BBS shouldn't be taking so many passes.

I'm fairly new to using DE razors having converted from cartridges in May this year. However, I am able to get an almost BBS finish every morning with just three passes and the odd bit of touching up. I say "almost" as I always tend to find a patch that I've missed. Today though was a particularly good shave :D If I want to save time, the I could settle for just two passes which would leave me more than presentable for a day in the office. Even a single pass would probably be OK if I was really short on time!

Finding the right mix of kit takes time. Experiment a little with different blades and razors (if possible). With your vision that you current use on setting 0, try cranking it up a little each day until you get the result you are looking for.

Yes, it does take more time, and it does take time to get the technique nailed (I wouldn't say that I have it completely nailed just yet) but it's an experience I look forward to every day.
 
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