I'm always reminded of Charles A. Roberts' "Method Shaving" in the context of shave-by-number instructions, and once again find myself in search of a humorous label. Though there is a history, in the form of barber manuals, leading toward the neotraditional "three-pass shave," I think C.A.R. was onto something with his alternate, martial-arts inspired language of "forms." I'll give a nod to China, too, since I hit on this with my Baili BD-177 "Stella." We're definitely talking about some kind of Kung Fu. Like the shovel of a rebelling farmer, a humble weapon can become fully capable.
Originally, practicing Kung Fu did not just mean to practice Chinese martial arts.[5] Instead, it referred to the process of one's training - the strengthening of the body and the mind, the learning and the perfection of one's skills - rather than to what was being trained. It refers to excellence achieved through long practice in any endeavor.[4] This meaning can be traced to classical writings, especially those of Neo-Confucianism, which emphasize the importance of effort in education.[6]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_fu_(term)
And I do expect you to continue learning, even after receiving this monumental wisdom. It's not meant to be the best shaving method, just the best method for now. (PSA: VDH/MTO owners will still probably need to shim. This is not the prophesied Weishi Wushu.)
Do not begin without having first learned to lather soap (see preceding post). Dry lather or shit from a can WILL KILL YOU. With the razor doors fully tightened, blade fully bent and secured, proceed as in Gillette's original instructions, sliding approximately WTG. That is, accommodating the topography of your face as well as the direction of growth, minimizing the drag on your skin, and shaving in long, straight lines.
Lather again, and loosen the blade slightly, to where it makes full skin contact, but is still safe enough to handle, and not fully loose. The Baili TTO has nice little fins guarding the blade corners, where you can check how flat your blade is; an unshimmed Weishi will already be flat, without loosening. Shave WTG again, more precisely: using shorter, square strokes, steeper blade pitch, more skin pulling and some pressure (together, as leverage). In other words, more deeply. That should result in a close, comfortable shave, all that is recommended for a beginner.
For a still smoother shave, apply what you have learned ATG. Whether to loosen the blade, or not, is up to you, now. Third pass uses sliding; fourth is deeper, with square strokes. Do not press to the hair roots just because you think it's the "last" pass, though. Remain mindful of traction on skin, and never allow excessive exfoliation. If shadows remain in the middle face area, alternate WTG and ATG touch-ups with square strokes, gradually increasing depth. Apply some kind of soapy slickness before each stroke, if not a complete relathering.
What else can I say, to the straight-stroking, hoe-digging, anchor-headed reprobates of the virtual world? Your fine radio voices, charismatic video presence, excellent writing skills, and good old-fashioned capitalism have somehow combined in the internet to create an anonymous, fascist monster. Everyone today is shaving wrong... but feeling really, really good about it! The simple test is sliding. When we shave right, there is no "across the grain."
Considering the blood shed in YouTube mimicry, "against the grain" is painful irony. My novel synthesis of the classic and the modern aims to foster a sense of progressive reduction sooner and safely, simply by stroking in the general direction that doesn't hurt. One shaves as deeply and evenly as possible, without damaging the skin, before moving on. I mean, think about it: if you missed a spot, it would be as if you just started shaving the wrong way.
Which everyone is doing anyway, due to not sliding on the first pass. The multiple levels of error do not compute within Google's inane engine of conformity, but luckily the old paradigm still exists in a few brains, and in reality. TRY a vintage Gillette, if you want to understand how "safe" your highly-rated safety razor really is. OBSERVE the forums' endless stream of "what happened to my neck?" posts. It's not their fault. They know that we're not supposed to be walking around stubbly, waiting three days for skin to heal. Aren't we supposed to be enjoying ourselves?
And I do expect you to continue learning, even after receiving this monumental wisdom. It's not meant to be the best shaving method, just the best method for now. (PSA: VDH/MTO owners will still probably need to shim. This is not the prophesied Weishi Wushu.)
Reform Method
Lather again, and loosen the blade slightly, to where it makes full skin contact, but is still safe enough to handle, and not fully loose. The Baili TTO has nice little fins guarding the blade corners, where you can check how flat your blade is; an unshimmed Weishi will already be flat, without loosening. Shave WTG again, more precisely: using shorter, square strokes, steeper blade pitch, more skin pulling and some pressure (together, as leverage). In other words, more deeply. That should result in a close, comfortable shave, all that is recommended for a beginner.
For a still smoother shave, apply what you have learned ATG. Whether to loosen the blade, or not, is up to you, now. Third pass uses sliding; fourth is deeper, with square strokes. Do not press to the hair roots just because you think it's the "last" pass, though. Remain mindful of traction on skin, and never allow excessive exfoliation. If shadows remain in the middle face area, alternate WTG and ATG touch-ups with square strokes, gradually increasing depth. Apply some kind of soapy slickness before each stroke, if not a complete relathering.
A New Direction
What else can I say, to the straight-stroking, hoe-digging, anchor-headed reprobates of the virtual world? Your fine radio voices, charismatic video presence, excellent writing skills, and good old-fashioned capitalism have somehow combined in the internet to create an anonymous, fascist monster. Everyone today is shaving wrong... but feeling really, really good about it! The simple test is sliding. When we shave right, there is no "across the grain."
Considering the blood shed in YouTube mimicry, "against the grain" is painful irony. My novel synthesis of the classic and the modern aims to foster a sense of progressive reduction sooner and safely, simply by stroking in the general direction that doesn't hurt. One shaves as deeply and evenly as possible, without damaging the skin, before moving on. I mean, think about it: if you missed a spot, it would be as if you just started shaving the wrong way.
Which everyone is doing anyway, due to not sliding on the first pass. The multiple levels of error do not compute within Google's inane engine of conformity, but luckily the old paradigm still exists in a few brains, and in reality. TRY a vintage Gillette, if you want to understand how "safe" your highly-rated safety razor really is. OBSERVE the forums' endless stream of "what happened to my neck?" posts. It's not their fault. They know that we're not supposed to be walking around stubbly, waiting three days for skin to heal. Aren't we supposed to be enjoying ourselves?
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