Thread: Second Shave, First Blood.

After the success of my first straight razor shave last evening from the SRD provided Dovo BQ 6/8, I couldn't wait to have another go at it this morning. Last night the new Merkur 34c arrived, which is a really high quality safety razor -- I'm very impressed. I figured if anything felt unsafe or uncomfortable I'd just finish up with the Merkur. I laid everything out and went through the routine and started shaving with the Dovo. Now, being a one shave expert, I spent less time planning the attack and just stayed focused on blade angle coupled with smooth, short, gentle strokes and letting the razor do all the work. This time, I was done with two passes in probably less than 10 minutes and including prep time (which included putting a blade in the Merkur and admiring it, less than 30 minutes total.

Then it happened. After the second pass, I was wiping soap away and I saw a tiny spot of blood on my left cheek. Alas, my record for consecutive shaves without a nick didn't last very long. Looking for where the blood came from though didn't reveal the location of the gash. Once I washed off my face no more blood appeared. I rubbed the styptic pencil around in the vicinity, but didn't feel any stinging. I'm afraid the exact location of this injury will remain a mystery.

However, one thing that I have noticed is that, while the Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Shaving Cream smells great and lathers great, I do wish that it was a bit slicker. There were a few occasions where it felt like there was a bit of friction of blade and skin. Perhaps it's the lather drying, or my technique, but it was noticeable here and there. Luckily, I have more shaving creams on the way, including several sample pucks of Stirling, RazoRock XXX and Catie's Bubbles LVT, so I'll see if those are slicker. I can see early on that slick is the trick for comfortable SR shaving.

After If finished with the SR shave, I decided to give the Merkur a test drive, just to see how it felt. Unfortunately, I didn't learn much from the experience because it only occasionally made contact with a maverick whisker that had somehow escaped the SR. In fact, at first I didn't think I was holding it right, until eventually I heard the pop of a single whisker. Thus, that exercise turned out to be, for the most part, just a test of how well the Merkur removes lather from a whisker free face. I do congratulate it on easily removing those 4 or 5 rogue whiskers that it encountered in various nooks and crannies. It performed that task very well and I expect it will be a great backup/vacation/in a big hurry razor.

This time though, I see a little redness in my neck (which is, after all, an expected fashion in Georgia anyway.) I imagine that is because I just shaved last evening and then again this morning and my face isn't used to that much contact with a sharp object. I guess one way to look at it is that my neck is now very thoroughly exfoliated. It does not burn, however, and I don't feel any discomfort at all. In fact, right now my face is very, very, close to BBS and I smell so good that I may start speaking with an English accent. Seriously, this is the very best shave I've had in 50 years of shaving -- except for once, decades ago, when I had a barber do it, just to see what it was like. I'm impressed. Soon, we're going to have to talk about hones.

Congratulations on the great experience. That's really what we're all here for.

Congrats on getting a second shave relatively unscathed.

The lather slickness depends a lot on having a good water to soap ratio. A lather that is too thick and pasty will dry faster and not be slick enough. Too thin from too much water will not be slick either. Add water slowly as you build lather till you see a sheen/opalescence to the lather.

Bob

The nicks you can't find and you don't feel when you make them don't count...lol! I got my first real nick at about shave 7 when I nicked my upper lip, by number 7 I was starting to get over confident and lost some focus which is bad as muscle memory hadn't really kicked in yet

Originally Posted by Uzi

This time though, I see a little redness in my neck (which is, after all, an expected fashion in Georgia anyway.)

I just wanted to acknowledge your joke!

Also, I'll point out that sometimes a cut can happen in another way. You can do a mis-stroke and be certain that you cut yourself, but you see neither blood nor wound. Then maybe a minute later, it finally starts bleeding. A cut can be so fine that it just takes a long time for the (ahem) floodgates to burst.

You seem to be off to a great start. Have fun!

I believe that you are hooked on this shaving style now.

Every now and then I too will get a random drop of blood that seems to come out of nowhere and the cut is never found.

As for your red neck it is possible that you gave yourself a little razor burn with the Merkur.
I can't speak for the redneck issue, since I'm from South Carolina.

Originally Posted by Uzi

I do wish that it was a bit slicker. There were a few occasions where it felt like there was a bit of friction of blade and skin.

This is the reason I started using a preshave. Now I'm always slick as .......t.

Great start. Your soap is probably just fine but for most of us mere mortals it takes a little practice, just to make a good lather, let alone get a good shave. Even though your neck is a little red, but with no felt irritation, I think it takes your skin a while to just get used to a straight. Mine was red for quite a while when I first started but was never sore or irritated and then it just stopped being red and I was a northerner, again.

I do enjoy reading your posts. Keep up the good start.