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SHAVING ANGLE

DJKELLY

Well-Known Member
I am having a little trouble with weepers and nicks. I used to use a latherless shave cream that was pretty lubricive even after a couple of passes with the razor over the same spot. Since returning to the straight, I have found several creams/soaps that leave the skin "grabby" after the first pass. This is when I am likely to nick myself or form a weeper.

I hear experts for whom I have much respect talk about the 30 degree shaving angle WTG and low as possible against the grain but if I do this, I find that I have to cover the same spot with three or four strokes some time. If I raise the angle, it is more effective in cutting those last stragglers.
If I use a sything stroke, I am really asking for it. I also have a growth pattern near my adam's apple that is parallel to the ground and I have not found a way to get a razor across that patch. I am talking about only the last five percent of a "perfect" shave here.

I have sensitive skin and at my age some well earned wrinkles so that might be part of the problem, but I am humbly asking for direction here. I also think my basic shaving technique is lacking in that I don't stretch my skin enough. I try to use short strokes like Gaz did in the video of Mr. Liam.

I hear guys say they can't get their best shaves with several days growth, but for me the longer the better. Longer whiskers seem to hold moisture and prep better for me.

Some tips would be appreciated. The Bloody Sod, Denny
 
Get Castle Forbes's The Pre Shave, and get one of their creams. Problem solved. Promise.
 
Hi Denny,

Similar here. I have a sweet spot after a couple days where I know I will get an excellent shave, but this fits with my lifelong shaving habits anyway...

I found that, as you say, a high angle on the first pass really does the trick. Then I usually "buff" the same spot immediately afterwords at a much lower angle across the grain. And I find myself shaving short strokes in between a finger/thumb stretch. I tried pinching like Gary does, but it hurts...

Not that I am a big product guy, so my comparison range is low, but MWF never gives me the grip on a second or third pass.
But I'd trust Robin, he's nuts about the Castle Forbes...

regards,
Torolf
 
I wouldn't say that I am nuts about it. But the combination of the pre shave and the cream has worked for anyone I have let it try. That is not to say that there are not gazillions of other creams and soaps out there that might do the trick, but I would not bet money on any of them. That is the decisive difference between CF and other products.
 
Point taken, Robin. But now that you have me perusing The Different Scent's website, have you tried the Castle Forbes sandalwood? I like bay rum and I also like sandalwood, no problems with citrus either, but some sandalwood preparations smell like someone took a dump in a cedar wood box. Would, of course, prefer to avoid purchasing a soap of that nature.

Thanks!
regards,
Torolf
 
Thanks, Robin and Turbo. I will procede to the net for the pre-shave and already have the Castle Forbes cream at your previous suggestion. The only pre-shave I have is Prorazo since it is touted so much for not being oily, but oily is probably just what I need.

After posting, I had a couple of ideas. I did use a higher angle with a featherlight touch and it was better. The other technique that worked very well is that I did not lift the blade from my skin on a short stroke, but left it in contact (like I hate to see a woodworker do with a plane) and it deposited some of the lather from the blade back onto my face, thereby providing said lubricity.

I definitely need to learn to stretch between my fingers. I can imagine how much shorter stroke you would have to use with that method. Now most of my skin stretching is from facial expressions and I am scaring the cats. At the moment, sharpening is much easier than shaving, as once I get irritated, I will stay sore without a break, and I am testing new experiments all the time and hate to wait. Grow up, I hear it. Delayed gratification and all that.

I have strategies that work, like using a super mellow finisher (Yes, Chris, YOURS;) ) but I don't want to have to resort to one stone.

I am looking forward to the pre-shave. Thanks again.
 
The CF cedar and sandalwoood has a unique scent, and I personally do not like it. I have the lavender and lime scented creams, and they smell just the way you would expect them to smell. If you are looking for an interesting wood scented cream, try St James. Big, big bang for the buck, and works if used brushlessly, too. Nice stuff.
 
BeBerlin said:
The CF cedar and sandalwoood has a unique scent, and I personally do not like it. I have the lavender and lime scented creams, and they smell just the way you would expect them to smell. If you are looking for an interesting wood scented cream, try St James. Big, big bang for the buck, and works if used brushlessly, too. Nice stuff.

You just caught me before going online. I'll get them both. I really do value your opinion, Robin. Thanks.
 
Reviewing your article on St. James, Robin, made me wonder if you have tried Maca Root shave cream from the Body Shop. I picked some up at an airport store and it has some of the same thickness and cushion you mention. I don't know if it is in the same league, but it is different than many I have used. It is worth a try.
 
Well, I'm definitely on the sensitive side, too.

While I don't always do it (lazy, I guess), I always notice a difference after using ordinary pre-shave oil; or baby-oil, probably most will manage. I know, I know, it's been discussed many times. Many have said that it's a waste of money, just clings to the basin and all that. Screw this. On a side note, most of these remarks seem to be made by people who don't suffer from overly sensitive skin. So - it does work for me, period. I don't know, if it makes the shave a little less close (didn't notice), or adds glide, but does the job. If I do the third pass with oil, the skin is in OK condition, while normal 3 passes without the oil are a tad too much, and alum stings more than I like it to.

Of course, since oil blocks anything it covers from water, applying it straight after washing - before any lather hits your face - makes little sense, because the lather won't soften the whiskers. My way is to do the 1[sup]st[/sup] pass without it, and use it on another one or two passes.

yours,
Matt
 
For me, CF pre shave does exactly that, minus the negative aspects, because it is water soluble and not oil based. Best of both worlds, so to speak.
 
I think that Castle Forbes pre-shave is somewhat expensive. If you wanted to try it out, I might look for the travel size to see if it is for you. I find that it is a good product. It is definitely different from other pre-shave oils in that it isn't an oil - it is water based and water soluble, which has its advantages.
 
BeBerlin said:
The CF cedar and sandalwoood has a unique scent, and I personally do not like it. I have the lavender and lime scented creams, and they smell just the way you would expect them to smell. If you are looking for an interesting wood scented cream, try St James. Big, big bang for the buck, and works if used brushlessly, too. Nice stuff.

Thanks, Robin. I equate unique with unpleasant, being that sandalwood I like always seems to be a clear scent, unambiguous.

regards,
Torolf
 
This is a good thread. I'm in the camp of "sensitive skin"... sorta, and I'm forever trying to achieve a shave that doesn't leave me with ingrowns. (it's not that my skin is overly sensitve, rather that the nature of my whiskers leaves me prone to ingrowns)
I've yet to try Castle Forbes, though it's next on my list. I've tried a fair range of products, and as strange as it smells, Irish Moos seems to be the most effective I've tried. I've also had good luck with pre-shave oil...( yep, oil, as I'm not too worried about the residue,) and I find that it helps tremendously with glide. (It's actually not even a pre-shave, but an oil-cleansing method that works well for my skin type) I've often wondered if it affects the efficiacy of the lather, but a shave without is more uncomfortable than a shave with, so I tend to think that it is not affecting it at all.
So, Castle Forbes it is....


(Denny you bastard! just keep rubbing it in....:cry: )
 
I still have a deep scar, about 2mm wide, where - over the course of three months - up to seven hairs had grown in. Braun premium line electric shaver. I can still reproducibly reproduce the effect with one of the modern cartridge razors (which is why I switched to electric in the first place). DEs are much better. But only straight razors allowed me to finally get rid of ingrown hairs - after about 18 months. The trick is to use no pressure in the areas where hair is prone to growing in. It really is that simple. I have not had a single ingrown hair for two years now, pre shave or not. As I said, I believe it is the pressure, not the products.

Regards,
Robin
 
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