This started in another thread as a response to a new DE shaver who was struggling a bit and wondering what equipment to change. Writing it I realized I was saying what I wish had been said to me when I was first starting, and getting this advice then would have saved me unnecessary trouble. So I thought I'd polish it and put this down here. This is what I'd tell any new wet shaver just after going over the basics of loading a blade, lathering, finding your angle, shaving with the growth, etc. Let's call it ...
Cutting It Down: The New Wet Shaver's Pithy Little Guide to Success
ON EQUIPMENT
Assuming you have a good razor and sharp blade, a brush and actual shave soap/cream, don't chase more equipment for a while. By far the most important tools in your shaving roster are practice and technique. You want equipment that won't work against you, of course, but beyond that, in the beginning it's much more important to start with one workable set-up and stick with it for a good while so you can focus on technique. It's best not to change other variables. Look at others' SOTD pictures with the undesirous magnanimity of a Zen monk. Okay fine, you're going to buy that second soap. Maybe one more brush. Just know you didn't have to. It's tough. Maybe the toughest thing any person will ever face. Speaking of your face:
WHERE TO PUT YOUR BRAIN
Your technique is the number one thing to have right. That's the big secret. Correct angle (even around curves), very light pressure (shave the whiskers, not the skin). Use short, light strokes that have some quickness and momentum to them. Even more than a year into traditional shaving I'm still refining these basic elements.
Start with the grain. Add an across-the-grain pass if with-the-grain went well. Feel free, feel outright liberated even, to skip against-the-grain for a while. A very close shave is good. Unharmed skin is better.
The second priority for your attention is lather. Stick with (ahem) one cream/soap and get to know it. Load plenty of product. Add water bit-by-bit while lathering until your lather is slick. You're going for slickness, not foaminess or puffiness. Try a test lather where you add too much water and see what that looks like (it will get thin and runny). The lather is there to provide glide, protect your skin, and soften your whiskers. It's much harder to get a good shave if you have bad lather. Bowls are fun and — hot tip! — can even be used to hold soup, but face lathering makes it easy to know when the lather good and slick.
WHERE'S DADDY?
It's too bad most of us have to learn these things from watching YouTube videos and reading things online, not because those resources aren't great (they are; especially this one!) but just because it's so much easier to demonstrate directly in person, the way a father would have done for his son. Truth is, shaving technique and building lather are not complicated. This isn't a rarified skill like kickboxing or finding The Big Bang Theory funny. It's just tough to describe in words. Nevertheless, by focusing on the basics and asking questions when you need to, you'll get there, assuredly, and smiling.
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW.
The New Wet Shaver's Pithy Little Guide to Success
شارك عبر الماسنجر
