I thought I'd do a quick update of the shaving today.
Last time I posted I think I was basically at the stage of using the DE blade, doing the prescribed 3 passes for each shave.
Well I'm not currently doing that. Unfortunately the results were not all I'd hoped for and the time issue became a real pain.
I mean, the results were okay - I could get a reasonable shave doing the 3 passes (with, across and against the grain) - the problem was that it was giving me a lot of razor burn. I'm not sure of the root cause of this - when I did with and across I was getting little burn, but then I wasn't getting a particularly close shave. As soon as I added against the grain I got lots of burn (a lot more than with my Mach3), though the shave was acceptably closer.
It could of course be technique, but I was rather unsure how to really improve the technique. It worked okay with 2 passes, but not with the third one. Also I found that adding the third pass seemed to eat through the blades - if I used them for 3 shaves I would get nicks. Now, to be fair, this is not a new phenomenon, as my beard is so tough it basically kills any blade. However, it did mean that the cost wasn't quite as much of an improvement as it could have been.
The other issue was time - it was taking ages to do 3 passes. 2 took long enough, but adding in the third meant it seemed to take a small ice age. I actually tried switching so that I just did across and against, but this gave poor results (yet still with burn!).
As such, I have basically switched back to my Mach3. I still do a 3-pass DE shave on Sunday mornings when I have plenty of time and can take a very long shower to help soften the beard further.
I may still have another go at the DE blade, but for now I'm happy with the Mach 3.
What I think the DE shaving experiment has done is improve my technique. The additional beard prep and just generally how I hold and manipulate the blade and the way in which I shave my face has been considerably improved, I think.
Showing posts with label shaving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shaving. Show all posts
Thursday, 11 April 2013
Friday, 22 February 2013
less burn
So I've been using the DE razor to shave all this week.
I'm still going with the grain so the shave is not close, but I think I'm starting to get used to it. I've not really had any particular problems with nicking myself.
I've also noticed that I am having less razor burn, although if I do get razor burn it's a lot fiercer than when I get it with the Mach 3. The problem area for burn is my chin. I'm not massively surprised with this as the chin is obviously the area where there's more in the way of extreme contours and bumps and wiggles.
However, saying that, obviously I'm not get a smooth shave either so razor burn is less likely anyway. What I mean is that I'm using the same shaving pattern and getting less burn so that suggests I'm getting used to the razor.
I've also found the blades I'm currently using last the same amount of time as my Mach3s, so I get about 3 shaves out of them and then they're noticeably duller. Those were the blades that came free with the razor and there weren't too many of them. I've actually bought some more and they're a different make.
Apparently different makes of blades are quite different to shave with. Once you have your technique down you're actually supposed to try out a bunch of blades to find one that works best for your razor/skin/beard.
I have to confess I'm not fully sold on the DE - the poorness of the shave is such that the fact it's gives slightly less razor burn hasn't really sold me. When I get to going against the grain is when it will be a true test, though, so we'll have to see.
In other news I'm shattered from the amount of work I've had to do recently and I'm going to be in this weekend.
There's been some developments on that front and I'll hopefully find a bit of time to write some blog posts when I'm not working this weekend, but otherwise it could be a bit quite on the blogging front next week.
I'm still going with the grain so the shave is not close, but I think I'm starting to get used to it. I've not really had any particular problems with nicking myself.
I've also noticed that I am having less razor burn, although if I do get razor burn it's a lot fiercer than when I get it with the Mach 3. The problem area for burn is my chin. I'm not massively surprised with this as the chin is obviously the area where there's more in the way of extreme contours and bumps and wiggles.
However, saying that, obviously I'm not get a smooth shave either so razor burn is less likely anyway. What I mean is that I'm using the same shaving pattern and getting less burn so that suggests I'm getting used to the razor.
I've also found the blades I'm currently using last the same amount of time as my Mach3s, so I get about 3 shaves out of them and then they're noticeably duller. Those were the blades that came free with the razor and there weren't too many of them. I've actually bought some more and they're a different make.
Apparently different makes of blades are quite different to shave with. Once you have your technique down you're actually supposed to try out a bunch of blades to find one that works best for your razor/skin/beard.
I have to confess I'm not fully sold on the DE - the poorness of the shave is such that the fact it's gives slightly less razor burn hasn't really sold me. When I get to going against the grain is when it will be a true test, though, so we'll have to see.
In other news I'm shattered from the amount of work I've had to do recently and I'm going to be in this weekend.
There's been some developments on that front and I'll hopefully find a bit of time to write some blog posts when I'm not working this weekend, but otherwise it could be a bit quite on the blogging front next week.
Monday, 11 February 2013
face scrape
Had my second double-edge shave this weekend.
I can't honestly say it was much of an improvement. Obviously it's still early days so I'm not quite going to give up yet, but I have to say I'm kinda wondering what all the fuss is about.
I did my best to keep the angle right - certainly I had less razor burn than I did last time. The key word there is "less" - I still had razor burn, it just wasn't as sharp as it was the first time.
I have a particularly tough beard. This second time I was shaving after my long Sunday morning shower and did all the usual stuff so the beard was really at maximum softness (well, without spending half a day in the bath). I mention this because this is always when I get my best shave out of my Mach3. I generally change the blade and the shower + stuff gets me a super-close shave that has little burn and lasts for a good while.
The DE shave was again more like the 4th shave I get out of the Mach3. I didn't change the blade - I understand you're supposed to get 3 or 4 shaves out of a DE, but then you're supposed to get 8 or 9 out of a Mach3 and I get half of this so perhaps that's an issue. If I have to change the blade every time I shave I won't actually mind. Each DE blade only cost 20p, compared to several pounds for a Mach3 blade so it'll still be massively cheaper.
What I would say is that there's a big part of me suspects I won't get a good shave out of the DE until I've had more practice and I start going against the grain.
The truth is that I really only get a good shave with the Mach3 if I go against the grain as well. See, the problem is that that really tough beard I mentioned doesn't really grow out of my face so much as along it. The grain of my beard is rather unusual, going strongly in odd directions (up at the base of my neck, but down for the rest of it so I have an "anti-parting" about three quarters of the way down my neck, for example) but also the hair almost universally emerges very much in the that direction.
So if I shave with the grain I cannot possibly get a close shave - the hairs simply lay down as the blade comes near. If I go across the grain then it will feel smooth if you run your finger in that direction, but rubbing against it feels like sandpaper and (more significantly) you can see stubble left behind. Only by going against the grain (and I really do mean going against - the blade has to travel in all sorts of weird directions for me to achieve this) can I get what looks and feels like a reasonable shave.
Since I'm not comfortable enough to do that yet with the DE I've a feeling I will continue to have what seem (comparatively) like poor shaves. And that's the problem really - I'm trying this because it's meant to give a good shave more consistently with fewer issues like razor burn, but so far no joy!
Tomorrow I'm going to be out at a meeting all day so I won't be posting.
It's also Shrove Tuesday, so I'll probably be stuffing myself with pancakes!
I can't honestly say it was much of an improvement. Obviously it's still early days so I'm not quite going to give up yet, but I have to say I'm kinda wondering what all the fuss is about.
I did my best to keep the angle right - certainly I had less razor burn than I did last time. The key word there is "less" - I still had razor burn, it just wasn't as sharp as it was the first time.
I have a particularly tough beard. This second time I was shaving after my long Sunday morning shower and did all the usual stuff so the beard was really at maximum softness (well, without spending half a day in the bath). I mention this because this is always when I get my best shave out of my Mach3. I generally change the blade and the shower + stuff gets me a super-close shave that has little burn and lasts for a good while.
The DE shave was again more like the 4th shave I get out of the Mach3. I didn't change the blade - I understand you're supposed to get 3 or 4 shaves out of a DE, but then you're supposed to get 8 or 9 out of a Mach3 and I get half of this so perhaps that's an issue. If I have to change the blade every time I shave I won't actually mind. Each DE blade only cost 20p, compared to several pounds for a Mach3 blade so it'll still be massively cheaper.
What I would say is that there's a big part of me suspects I won't get a good shave out of the DE until I've had more practice and I start going against the grain.
The truth is that I really only get a good shave with the Mach3 if I go against the grain as well. See, the problem is that that really tough beard I mentioned doesn't really grow out of my face so much as along it. The grain of my beard is rather unusual, going strongly in odd directions (up at the base of my neck, but down for the rest of it so I have an "anti-parting" about three quarters of the way down my neck, for example) but also the hair almost universally emerges very much in the that direction.
So if I shave with the grain I cannot possibly get a close shave - the hairs simply lay down as the blade comes near. If I go across the grain then it will feel smooth if you run your finger in that direction, but rubbing against it feels like sandpaper and (more significantly) you can see stubble left behind. Only by going against the grain (and I really do mean going against - the blade has to travel in all sorts of weird directions for me to achieve this) can I get what looks and feels like a reasonable shave.
Since I'm not comfortable enough to do that yet with the DE I've a feeling I will continue to have what seem (comparatively) like poor shaves. And that's the problem really - I'm trying this because it's meant to give a good shave more consistently with fewer issues like razor burn, but so far no joy!
Tomorrow I'm going to be out at a meeting all day so I won't be posting.
It's also Shrove Tuesday, so I'll probably be stuffing myself with pancakes!
Friday, 8 February 2013
first shave
So I had my first shave with a double-edge razor last night.
It was okay.
I was somewhat worried I might slice my face to pieces - that is the traditional criticism of DE shaving and certainly my dad always said he used to slice himself to bits. That didn't happen. There was a tiny nick on my jaw line, but we are talking scrape, rather than cut.
I have been using the prep technique for a good few months now as I wanted to have all that to a stage where it was natural and normal so that when I did finally give the DE razor a go I would be able to focus on that as the single new element, rather than totally confuse myself. I think that worked well, although I was a bit heavy with the shaving soap and I think the lather produced dried out a bit much, but I don't think there was anything wrong on that front.
It wasn't a spectacularly close shave. Partly I was a bit nervous, as I say, but also I had a lot of razor burn. I went back and consulted the book I had read when working out DE shaving and it turns out that I had gotten the angles all wrong.
The blade for a DE sits between two edges of the razor (one above and one below, where it's clamped in) and I had done my angle based on the lower of these. I'd remembered it should be a relatively shallow angle (30 degrees-ish) but because I was doing that from the lower edge, I essentially ended up scraping the blade across my face, scratching the skin and causing the razor burn.
I should have been going from the upper edge. In other words, I'd started with the razor parallel to my skin and moved it up, where I should have started with the razor perpendicular to my skin and moved it down.
Other than that it was okay. I don't think I applied too much pressure - I was all very "light touch," though as I say, difficult to really tell with me having the blade at the wrong angle.
Certainly the overall shave was not close one. It was a brand new blade and I did two passes (one with, one across - I'm saving against until I'm more comfortable with the blade as a whole) and the resultant shave was similar to what I end up with after about the third or fourth shave with my mach3. So not baby-soft smooth but clearly shaved rather than unshaved and with a touch of razor burn that would tell me to change to a new cartridge.
I'll keep going - this weekend I'll give it another go and see if I can get a better handle on the technique.
It was okay.
I was somewhat worried I might slice my face to pieces - that is the traditional criticism of DE shaving and certainly my dad always said he used to slice himself to bits. That didn't happen. There was a tiny nick on my jaw line, but we are talking scrape, rather than cut.
I have been using the prep technique for a good few months now as I wanted to have all that to a stage where it was natural and normal so that when I did finally give the DE razor a go I would be able to focus on that as the single new element, rather than totally confuse myself. I think that worked well, although I was a bit heavy with the shaving soap and I think the lather produced dried out a bit much, but I don't think there was anything wrong on that front.
It wasn't a spectacularly close shave. Partly I was a bit nervous, as I say, but also I had a lot of razor burn. I went back and consulted the book I had read when working out DE shaving and it turns out that I had gotten the angles all wrong.
The blade for a DE sits between two edges of the razor (one above and one below, where it's clamped in) and I had done my angle based on the lower of these. I'd remembered it should be a relatively shallow angle (30 degrees-ish) but because I was doing that from the lower edge, I essentially ended up scraping the blade across my face, scratching the skin and causing the razor burn.
I should have been going from the upper edge. In other words, I'd started with the razor parallel to my skin and moved it up, where I should have started with the razor perpendicular to my skin and moved it down.
Other than that it was okay. I don't think I applied too much pressure - I was all very "light touch," though as I say, difficult to really tell with me having the blade at the wrong angle.
Certainly the overall shave was not close one. It was a brand new blade and I did two passes (one with, one across - I'm saving against until I'm more comfortable with the blade as a whole) and the resultant shave was similar to what I end up with after about the third or fourth shave with my mach3. So not baby-soft smooth but clearly shaved rather than unshaved and with a touch of razor burn that would tell me to change to a new cartridge.
I'll keep going - this weekend I'll give it another go and see if I can get a better handle on the technique.
Thursday, 18 October 2012
more on shaving
So I’ve not actually made the jump yet and bought a DE razor yet.
A big part of the problem is I’m not exactly sure what to buy. You see when you use cartridge blades you have only two real options - but he official blades, or buy the knock offs, but the knock offs take a while to turn up (part of the real reason new types are launched, I’m sure). So you lack choice.
For DE you’re drowned in choice. There are loads of different razors - three different construction types and then several manufacturers of each. But there also different types of blade too (stainless steel, carbon steel, different types of coating, different styles, different manufacturers). And here’s the thing - apparently what works for you may not work for me.
I actually bought a book (on the kindle), mainly so I could learn about how to shave, but most of the book is actually taken up with stuff about all the different types of razors and products. Because it’s not just razors, it’s products too - there’s brushes (badger, boar and horse hairs, different sizes, different manufacturers), pre-shave oils (loads of different types and makes) shaving creams and soaps (different makes, different styles, different scents, different ways of getting lathers from them) shaving soaps (high-glycerine, but loads of variety again), styptic sticks, powers, alum blocks...
And I didn’t even mention the use of ancillary accessories like bowls and mugs to help you work up a lather and moisturisers for after you're shaved.
It’s a bit of a minefield. And as I said before - all of it appears to be “this works for me, but may not work for you” stuff (or “your mileage may vary” YMMV as the book calls it).
As such I’ve kinda been in compromise territory - I’ve implemented a few things to see if they help me, but I’ve not gone the whole hog. I mean I think I’ve finally narrowed down most of what I want to buy, but I’ve only pulled the trigger on some of it. Most of what I’ve bought o far or am going to buy next is focused on the pre-have prep.
My theory is that I should be able to tell if these things actually help me with cartridge razors. So I found the brush to be okay, but I’ve now switched from the chemical type shaving gel to a shaving soap to see if the two make much difference. However, I’m also aware that one of the things that is recommended for the shave problems I have is a hot towel (like in proper barbershops) and I need to add this in before I’m happy that I’m giving all of the pre-shave things a fair chance (I’m going to buy some towels tomorrow as I type this and so will start using them this week).
I’m going to give them a go until the end of the month to see what difference it makes - can I do more passes and not have so many skin problems? That sort of thing. The end of the month is when my current cartridges run out so I’ll probably team up buying some more with buying a DE razor and some blades when my paycheque hits. I don’t want to be without cartridges in case I have real problems with DE, but hopefully things will work out.
I’m trying not to expect too much of it, but it’s proving a little difficult.
A big part of the problem is I’m not exactly sure what to buy. You see when you use cartridge blades you have only two real options - but he official blades, or buy the knock offs, but the knock offs take a while to turn up (part of the real reason new types are launched, I’m sure). So you lack choice.
For DE you’re drowned in choice. There are loads of different razors - three different construction types and then several manufacturers of each. But there also different types of blade too (stainless steel, carbon steel, different types of coating, different styles, different manufacturers). And here’s the thing - apparently what works for you may not work for me.
I actually bought a book (on the kindle), mainly so I could learn about how to shave, but most of the book is actually taken up with stuff about all the different types of razors and products. Because it’s not just razors, it’s products too - there’s brushes (badger, boar and horse hairs, different sizes, different manufacturers), pre-shave oils (loads of different types and makes) shaving creams and soaps (different makes, different styles, different scents, different ways of getting lathers from them) shaving soaps (high-glycerine, but loads of variety again), styptic sticks, powers, alum blocks...
And I didn’t even mention the use of ancillary accessories like bowls and mugs to help you work up a lather and moisturisers for after you're shaved.
It’s a bit of a minefield. And as I said before - all of it appears to be “this works for me, but may not work for you” stuff (or “your mileage may vary” YMMV as the book calls it).
As such I’ve kinda been in compromise territory - I’ve implemented a few things to see if they help me, but I’ve not gone the whole hog. I mean I think I’ve finally narrowed down most of what I want to buy, but I’ve only pulled the trigger on some of it. Most of what I’ve bought o far or am going to buy next is focused on the pre-have prep.
My theory is that I should be able to tell if these things actually help me with cartridge razors. So I found the brush to be okay, but I’ve now switched from the chemical type shaving gel to a shaving soap to see if the two make much difference. However, I’m also aware that one of the things that is recommended for the shave problems I have is a hot towel (like in proper barbershops) and I need to add this in before I’m happy that I’m giving all of the pre-shave things a fair chance (I’m going to buy some towels tomorrow as I type this and so will start using them this week).
I’m going to give them a go until the end of the month to see what difference it makes - can I do more passes and not have so many skin problems? That sort of thing. The end of the month is when my current cartridges run out so I’ll probably team up buying some more with buying a DE razor and some blades when my paycheque hits. I don’t want to be without cartridges in case I have real problems with DE, but hopefully things will work out.
I’m trying not to expect too much of it, but it’s proving a little difficult.
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
a good shave
I mentioned before that I’ve been investigating shaving technique.
Currently I use what are called cartridge razors. As the name suggests you buy a cartridge that clips into the handle. You know the sort of thing - they’re heavily advertised, so it would be difficult not to know about them.
I actually have two - a Mach3, which has 3 blades and a Fusion Pro, which has 5. The Mach 3 I’ve had years but my Dad got me the Fusion at Christmas.
And I think it’s really the Fusion Pro that’s been a big part of why I’ve been looking at the whole issue. The cartridges are staggeringly expensive - around £14 for 8, so nearly £2 each!
Now if I could get plenty of shaves out of then that might be okay, but I don’t- I can get 3 good shaves and then one okay shave. I know that’s a lot less than other men, but my beard is incredibly tough and very dense. If I try to get more shaves than that then I just end up with horrible razor burn.
So if we say 4 shaves per blade then that’s 50p a shave. If you say I have to shave about 200 times a year that’s £100 on blades alone. Add in shower gel and aftershave balm and I must spend £150 a year on shaving. That’s a lot of money.
The Mach 3 is a bit better in price terms in some ways, but I get fewer good shaves out of each blade, so it becomes a bit swings and roundabouts.
Now if it was a good shave then I wouldn’t mind, but in all honesty it isn’t. To shave closely I have to take multiple passes, going with and against the grain. However, this causes me to get razor burn, razor bumps, in-grown hairs and all sorts. My neck is a particular problem area - the hair grows up on my neck, meaning it’s difficult to go with and against the grain and not miss bits.
One of the weir things with cartridge razors is they’re big - a good 1cm wide, so the front blade is in a different place to the back blade and it’s difficult to know where you’re shaving.
The compromise I’ve come to is a light shave each day - I take one pass and it involves going with the grain on my neck (so up) and against the grain on my chin and cheeks (so up again). But with my beard being so thick and heavy and dark I therefore get five ‘o’clock shadow my mid-day.
It’s all a bit rubbish really, which is why I’ve been reading up about the possibility of going for a Double Edge (DE) safety razor - going old skool, basically.
I’ll continue later in the week.
Currently I use what are called cartridge razors. As the name suggests you buy a cartridge that clips into the handle. You know the sort of thing - they’re heavily advertised, so it would be difficult not to know about them.
I actually have two - a Mach3, which has 3 blades and a Fusion Pro, which has 5. The Mach 3 I’ve had years but my Dad got me the Fusion at Christmas.
And I think it’s really the Fusion Pro that’s been a big part of why I’ve been looking at the whole issue. The cartridges are staggeringly expensive - around £14 for 8, so nearly £2 each!
Now if I could get plenty of shaves out of then that might be okay, but I don’t- I can get 3 good shaves and then one okay shave. I know that’s a lot less than other men, but my beard is incredibly tough and very dense. If I try to get more shaves than that then I just end up with horrible razor burn.
So if we say 4 shaves per blade then that’s 50p a shave. If you say I have to shave about 200 times a year that’s £100 on blades alone. Add in shower gel and aftershave balm and I must spend £150 a year on shaving. That’s a lot of money.
The Mach 3 is a bit better in price terms in some ways, but I get fewer good shaves out of each blade, so it becomes a bit swings and roundabouts.
Now if it was a good shave then I wouldn’t mind, but in all honesty it isn’t. To shave closely I have to take multiple passes, going with and against the grain. However, this causes me to get razor burn, razor bumps, in-grown hairs and all sorts. My neck is a particular problem area - the hair grows up on my neck, meaning it’s difficult to go with and against the grain and not miss bits.
One of the weir things with cartridge razors is they’re big - a good 1cm wide, so the front blade is in a different place to the back blade and it’s difficult to know where you’re shaving.
The compromise I’ve come to is a light shave each day - I take one pass and it involves going with the grain on my neck (so up) and against the grain on my chin and cheeks (so up again). But with my beard being so thick and heavy and dark I therefore get five ‘o’clock shadow my mid-day.
It’s all a bit rubbish really, which is why I’ve been reading up about the possibility of going for a Double Edge (DE) safety razor - going old skool, basically.
I’ll continue later in the week.
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