- Joined
- Jul 13, 2011
- Messages
- 2,090
Well, its been 37 days since my first wet shave. You can read my entire shaving odyssey, from my first gear buy to my first ATG pass here:
(http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...then-I-m-jumping-in-with-both-feet-Here-we-go!)
(http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/905064-My-first-ATG-pass!)
As mentioned in my last post, when I finally started adding an ATG pass to my shaves, I was getting a few wee nicks on my upper lip/mustache area every other shave or so. This was annoying me. I hate having to use the styptic pen, partly because it stings like hell but mostly because it feels like Im failing at shaving. I speculated that it was my technique that was at fault and vowed to try something new.
Well, after letting my skin heal and my beard grow out for five days this week, I did my usual Kyles prep and got in the zone for a fresh shave with a fresh feather blade. My Merkur Futur was dialed to the usual 2.5 setting, and off I went. First pass WTG, no problem. Second pass XTG, no problem.
For the third pass, ATG, I started by first dialing the Futur down to the lowest setting, 1 for the lower neck, no problem for the jaw line and cheeks, no problem. And then I got to my mustache area, and it dawned on me that no matter how careful I was, I was probably just going to nick myself again unless I did something differently this time. Wasnt it Albert Einstein who said, Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? I tentatively began to shave against the grain, working on the sides of the upper lip, when--almost by sheer, whimsical inspiration--I started blade buffing as I had seen on the Mantic59 videos and read about on these forums, keeping the blade on the skin and very lightly scrubbing at the beard. I did the entire upper lip this way. Result = no nicks.
Im very happy with the results: a very smooth shave with no irritation. The Witch Hazel and Nivea ASB went on without a problem, and I felt great afterward. I will say that I would never have had the confidence to try blade buffing without first going through the first 37 days of gradual, small improvements in my technique and refinement of my muscle memory. So, Ill try it again tonight and see if it was just a fluke or if this will really work for me.
(http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...then-I-m-jumping-in-with-both-feet-Here-we-go!)
(http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/905064-My-first-ATG-pass!)
As mentioned in my last post, when I finally started adding an ATG pass to my shaves, I was getting a few wee nicks on my upper lip/mustache area every other shave or so. This was annoying me. I hate having to use the styptic pen, partly because it stings like hell but mostly because it feels like Im failing at shaving. I speculated that it was my technique that was at fault and vowed to try something new.
Well, after letting my skin heal and my beard grow out for five days this week, I did my usual Kyles prep and got in the zone for a fresh shave with a fresh feather blade. My Merkur Futur was dialed to the usual 2.5 setting, and off I went. First pass WTG, no problem. Second pass XTG, no problem.
For the third pass, ATG, I started by first dialing the Futur down to the lowest setting, 1 for the lower neck, no problem for the jaw line and cheeks, no problem. And then I got to my mustache area, and it dawned on me that no matter how careful I was, I was probably just going to nick myself again unless I did something differently this time. Wasnt it Albert Einstein who said, Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? I tentatively began to shave against the grain, working on the sides of the upper lip, when--almost by sheer, whimsical inspiration--I started blade buffing as I had seen on the Mantic59 videos and read about on these forums, keeping the blade on the skin and very lightly scrubbing at the beard. I did the entire upper lip this way. Result = no nicks.
Im very happy with the results: a very smooth shave with no irritation. The Witch Hazel and Nivea ASB went on without a problem, and I felt great afterward. I will say that I would never have had the confidence to try blade buffing without first going through the first 37 days of gradual, small improvements in my technique and refinement of my muscle memory. So, Ill try it again tonight and see if it was just a fluke or if this will really work for me.
