My SR journey

[TheBeast]

As a new member of P&C, I would like to share my traditional shaving journey.

I started shaving as a teen and at the same time I had acne. I was using a Mach 3 which resulted into what I thought was breakouts or more acne, on my neck. I switched to a Mach 5, watched some videos on how to shave (they were awful). What a surprise, even more pimples on my neck.

So I started digging around more and found out about a Philips OneBlade. I got it and voila - I was able to shave against the grain with it, very closely - and no more pimles. Problem solved! Or was it? nope.

A year or two later I really wanted to get back into wet shaving, because using OneBlade was just... bleh. I think around that time I was also starting to get some ingrowns (which I considered pimples) from it as well. So I got a cheap set of Wilkinson Sword brush, soap, safety razor and blades. I destroyed my neck on the first shave and made it worse the following days when I tried to shave again. And so from that day forward, my hunt for a bump free wet shave didn't stop. I just took a break from writing and shaved my neck with the old OneBlade, to see if I still get bumps from it.

I kept trying more and more DE razors, blades and soaps, creams, aftershaves. Then a shavette and straight razors. My first straight was a Titan honed to "shave ready" by a local guy. It was a terrible edge. My shavette does get me into a better place, but for some reason my skin just doesnt appreciate DE blades. So @rbscebu sent me his shave ready Comoy of London, which looks a lot like a rebranded Gold Dollar. This was my first contact with a well honed SR. I struggled with it and eventually ruined the edge and didn't get good enough with honing to try and refresh it. Since then I kept trying to hone my other straights with 10mm Naniwa superstones up to 12k but they were warping so I never had them truly flat. Last week I upped my game and got a set of Shapton Pros, Atoma 400 and a certified straight edge. Two nights before I set a very very decent bevel on my new Gold Dollar 208 on the new Shapton Pro 1.5k and it is dangerously close in sharpness to my other straights which I took through the whole progression up to 0.1 um diamond loaded balsa. So my honing should only get better, as well as my shaves. So I'll get this edge as fat as I can get it and then try my best to get a bump free shave. If that doesn't work out, I'll be taking a break.

With all this I was kind of on and off. I kept trying, actively, for a better shave for a few weeks, then I just rolled with whatever the outcome of the shave was and hoped it will magically get better. Now I am paying attention to every little detail. Going back to basics helped out a lot - pressure and angle. I can get a shave with zero irritation, the next day no bumps/ingrowns in sight. If I leave it like that and don't shave, the next day ingrowns show up. But they are gone 2-5 days later and I can repeat. If I keep shaving every day, my skin eventually ends up very irritated and covered in bumps. So I am considering a 12 week brake, to let my skin rest and get rid of leftover inflamation on my hair shafts. Sort of start with a clean slate. But that's no fun!

My favorites are my open comb safety razors with a Feather or KAI blades. Shavette with a Feather/KAI also works pretty good. Proraso white helps keep the irritation down, red helps to get an effortless cutting action and a smooth shave. Tabac and Saponificio Varesino are also very good soaps. Stirlings are usually my favourite. I like my plissoft brush but I have been using the AP cashmere exclusively for the past 6 moths since I got it. It's great. Aftershaves don't really matter much. As long as my shaving technique was acceptable and I hydrate my skin after the shave, it's pretty good.

My beard isn't dense, but the hairs are tough, dark and curly, growing extremely flat to the skin on my neck. So that's a perfect ingrown hair recipee. My shaves are a single WTG pass. I sometimes keep a beard and only shave my neck, so that the beard hides the bump covered pale neck. I can shave above my jawline against the grain no problem.

My goal is to get to a place where I can hone a decent edge and shave at least every other day without having to deal with bumps and ingrowns. I don't want to pull out hair with tweezers, I don't want to see red, inflamed spots on my neck. It would also be great to use up all the products that I have accumulated, as well as get some more use out of my safety razors. Obviously I love shopping new products, trying them out and shaving with edges that I honed. I just want to do so without being annoyed about what's going on with my neck after shaving.

Not giving up anytime soon, even if I didn't get far after 3 years. I remember the handful of shaves that I had which were juuust perfect. I just need to find them again and keep consistent with them. Honestly I got lost in trying out different stuff and lost the sight of my primary goal. But I'm back, ready to close this chapter and go on enjoying my hobby.

Safety razors:
Wilkinson sword Classic edition
Muhle R89
Muhle R41
Fatip Picolo
Parker 24C
Gillette Black Beauty short handle

Blades:
Feather
KAI
Astra green, blue
Personna blue
Gillete green, yellow, silver blue, platinum
Voskhod
Derby
Wilkinson
Muhle
Shark
Perma-sharp
some more I can't remember

Straigh razors:
Parker shavette
2x French vintage
2x USSR vintage
Sheffield vintage
2x Solingen vintage
Few gold dollars
Titan
Next month I will recieve a custom made River Razor striaght, 8/8 near wedge

Brushes:
Proraso boar
Nom badger
Bodyshop synthetic
Razorock plissoft
AP cashmere

Soaps/Creams:
Proraso white, blue, green, red
Muhle sandalwood
Nivea protect & care
Stirling, a few
Saponificio Varesino 70th edition
TOBS tobacco leaf
MWF
Tabac
Speick
Cella green
Barbus
Palmolive
Haslinger
Arko
and a few random cheap creams I cant remember

Aftershaves:
Proraso white blue
Nivea sensitive balm/splah, ultra sensitive balm, deep lotion
Alpa 378 splash
Barbus splash
TOBS lotion
I stopped using alum after 2 years because I think it dries out my skin and doesn't offer me any benefits

 

[TheBeast]

I'm just going to go ahead and use this thread to write Down some information that I find useful in my efforts to eradicate the presence of razor bumps/ingrown hair after a traditional wet shave.

So I did some light reading after finding a very nice rescource [Pseudofolliculitis barbae; current treatment options - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6585396/]. I was considering a 12 week break from shaving, to ensure all the leftover inflamation heals, allowing my skin to be less likely to form ingrown hairs with the use of proper shaving. Then I remembered I have a Philips OneBlade, that I used as a teen with no problems. As my skin was in good condition I went ahead and test shaved with it. No bumps or redness in sight. I tried to ride it extremely lightly and barely make contact with the skin. In some places it got very close, but still, no bumps.

Now this could be because:
-I didnt get any irritation from the electric shaver, because it's sort of designed to cut hair and not skin, and so there wasnt any swelling, which resulted in the hair not falling below skin level
-The electric shaver did not cut the hair like a sharp blade would. A blade would leave a pointy, sharp tip. The trimmer might have tore the tip of the hairs leaving them blunt and so they didnt get a chance to pierce the hair shaft on their way out, or the skin while curling
-I might be hyper sensitive to "mechanical" irritants - brush, sharp blade - since my skin is damaged from the acne breakouts and exfoliating treatments for it. I tried to counter this by not using hot water in the shower, only painting the lather on my skin after palm lathering, using the softest synthetic brushes (AP cashmere/razorock plissoft) and working on every detail of my technique. Seems like that might have not been enough and either I will need to work on it even more, or give up wet shaving...

 

[StratMan]

hey @TheBeast can't say much about ingrowns cos I rarely get them but noticed in your post you mentioned you had a few ripper shaves and trying to find that

try working on your lather, not saying it's not good but make sure that is spot on, needs hydration and slickness balanced with a little body.. could also be the soap

I've had the same gear give me perfect shaves most of the time but occasionally I get uncomfortable shaves and it's usually the lather

 

[Holiday]

@TheBeast I really empathise with you, that must be terrible not being able to achieve BBS daily without getting ingrown hairs and infected hair follicles.
I agree with @StratMan regarding a really well hydrated lather but watch the soaps, some can be irritable and enflame the skin.
I would also avoid ATG and only go WTG
Avoid aggressive razors, definitely not the R41 and even the Piccolo might be a tad too aggressive
What about the Black Beauty on lowest adjustment (1) and fresh sharp blade
Maybe shaving only 1 or 2 a week and if all else fails , then some of us are just meant to be at one with nature and have beards

 

[Gargravarr]

...and if all else fails , then some of us are just meant to be at one with nature and have beards

Nah, there are limits. We're not supposed to be feral animals.

 

[TheBeast]

hey @TheBeast can't say much about ingrowns cos I rarely get them but noticed in your post you mentioned you had a few ripper shaves and trying to find that

try working on your lather, not saying it's not good but make sure that is spot on, needs hydration and slickness balanced with a little body.. could also be the soap

I've had the same gear give me perfect shaves most of the time but occasionally I get uncomfortable shaves and it's usually the lather

I spend my sweet time lathering. I have done some testing with different soaps, creams and types of lather. I found I love a lather that is hydrated until shiny and wants to drip from the brush, but is still dense enough that I can put it betweent my fingertips or palms, rub and feel it giving some resistance to make skin to skin contact. I never shave until my lather is spot on. Sometimes I even prepare it before the shover so I can jump out and lather my face while still dripping wet.

@TheBeast I really empathise with you, that must be terrible not being able to achieve BBS daily without getting ingrown hairs and infected hair follicles.
I agree with @StratMan regarding a really well hydrated lather but watch the soaps, some can be irritable and enflame the skin.
I would also avoid ATG and only go WTG
Avoid aggressive razors, definitely not the R41 and even the Piccolo might be a tad too aggressive
What about the Black Beauty on lowest adjustment (1) and fresh sharp blade
Maybe shaving only 1 or 2 a week and if all else fails , then some of us are just meant to be at one with nature and have beards

Yes, some soaps have ingredients that can irritate my skin. But I found it is far worse to shave with dry, foamy lather. That way my skin dries out and the razor tears it apart.

I actually love agressive and open comb razors. I started off using the mildest razors and blades. When I switched to R41 and a Feather, my first ever shave with it was my best up until that point. With correct technique and proper lather, the whiskers are flying off with a single WTG pass. My respect for the sharpness of the razor-blade combo does not let me buff any areas in order to get them closer. With black beauty, anything lower than 3 is not cutting enough, so I do more passes or buff = irritation -> ingrowns. If I use a mild razor+blade and don't buff, I end up looking comical, with some spots clean shaven and some left untouched. Some blades are more micro-convex than others, some coatings do not agree with my skin. But generally the stiffer, sharper and keener, the better.

I am a strong believer that shaving technique is a number one factor in the shave. Given that the products dont contain ingredients which you are alergic to and your blade is sharp enough to cut through your hair effortlessly. I didnt master the technique after three years. And I can see the difference between a shave on a good day and a bad day. It's astonishing how little is enough to make or break the shave. At least for me. Some guys have the advantage of a rhino's skin and could shave with a spoon sharpened on a brick. More aggressive, preferably open comb razor and a sharp blade, when I focus on every stroke, will give me a great, irritation free, close shave. Sometimes there will be some bumps, rarely there will be none. Most of the time there will be more than I am able to tolerate - but that's after shaves during which I felt the: "oh I messed up over here".

I do shave once or twice a week for a few weeks after I had a ton of bumps. But I always try to shave more and more frequently, hoping that I will finally get it right and be consistent. I often get too cocky after a few succesfull shaves and ruin progress for a week or two by scraping the heck out of my neck or slicing my cheek. But that's due to me being impatient and having zero eye-hand coordiantion. Less so "the feel" for it. My hands are shaky in my mid 20's...


Its also challenging to find the perfect stroke, my neck has a few directions of growth and it's tricky to manouver a straight around all that. And hit every stroke exactly where it needs to and nowhere else.

 

[Gargravarr]

I spend my sweet time lathering. I have done some testing with different soaps, creams and types of lather. I found I love a lather that is hydrated until shiny and wants to drip from the brush, but is still dense enough that I can put it betweent my fingertips or palms, rub and feel it giving some resistance to make skin to skin contact. I never shave until my lather is spot on. Sometimes I even prepare it before the shover so I can jump out and lather my face while still dripping wet.


Yes, some soaps have ingredients that can irritate my skin. But I found it is far worse to shave with dry, foamy lather. That way my skin dries out and the razor tears it apart.

I actually love agressive and open comb razors. I started off using the mildest razors and blades. When I switched to R41 and a Feather, my first ever shave with it was my best up until that point. With correct technique and proper lather, the whiskers are flying off with a single WTG pass. My respect for the sharpness of the razor-blade combo does not let me buff any areas in order to get them closer. With black beauty, anything lower than 3 is not cutting enough, so I do more passes or buff = irritation -> ingrowns. If I use a mild razor+blade and don't buff, I end up looking comical, with some spots clean shaven and some left untouched. Some blades are more micro-convex than others, some coatings do not agree with my skin. But generally the stiffer, sharper and keener, the better.

I am a strong believer that shaving technique is a number one factor in the shave. Given that the products dont contain ingredients which you are alergic to and your blade is sharp enough to cut through your hair effortlessly. I didnt master the technique after three years. And I can see the difference between a shave on a good day and a bad day. It's astonishing how little is enough to make or break the shave. At least for me. Some guys have the advantage of a rhino's skin and could shave with a spoon sharpened on a brick. More aggressive, preferably open comb razor and a sharp blade, when I focus on every stroke, will give me a great, irritation free, close shave. Sometimes there will be some bumps, rarely there will be none. Most of the time there will be more than I am able to tolerate - but that's after shaves during which I felt the: "oh I messed up over here".

I do shave once or twice a week for a few weeks after I had a ton of bumps. But I always try to shave more and more frequently, hoping that I will finally get it right and be consistent. I often get too cocky after a few succesfull shaves and ruin progress for a week or two by scraping the heck out of my neck or slicing my cheek. But that's due to me being impatient and having zero eye-hand coordiantion. Less so "the feel" for it. My hands are shaky in my mid 20's...


Its also challenging to find the perfect stroke, my neck has a few directions of growth and it's tricky to manouver a straight around all that. And hit every stroke exactly where it needs to and nowhere else.

I wonder if you might benefit from one of the Artist Club razors that are out there. The blades are somewhat thicker and more rigid than DE blades, and many people say they're sharper, but I'm not entirely sure about that. I love them, especially with the Schick Proline P-30. For entry-level you might be best served by one of the Shield AC razors, or the Yaqi Excalibur/Raster V3 or the RazoRock Hawk V3 OC or SB (your choice, I'd say SB for daily shaving).

The gold standard, as far as I'm concerned, is the Blackland Vector, but the price might involve a leap of faith for you. Mine is still my grail razor after 3 years.

 

[Holiday]

More aggressive, preferably open comb razor and a sharp blade

+

or the RazoRock Hawk V3 OC

=

 

[TheBeast]

Interesting. I might give that a shot, but only after I uncover the limits of my honing and straights. I am not going to believe this will magically resolve all my issues. They were supposed to be resolved after getting the R89, then the R41, then something in between, then a shavette, then a straight... But I have found a nice little hobby in honing and SR shaving so that's what I'm sticking with until I deduct there is no more room for improvement. So thanks for the recommendation, I'll put those on the wish list!

 

[Holiday]

Interesting. I might give that a shot, but only after I uncover the limits of my honing and straights. I am not going to believe this will magically resolve all my issues. They were supposed to be resolved after getting the R89, then the R41, then something in between, then a shavette, then a straight... But I have found a nice little hobby in honing and SR shaving so that's what I'm sticking with until I deduct there is no more room for improvement. So thanks for the recommendation, I'll put those on the wish list!

Admittedly I don't think I could use the HawkV3OC as a daily driver without getting razor burn and irritation after a week or so

If you are enjoying honing that's half the fun

 

[rbscebu]

.... But I have found a nice little hobby in honing and SR shaving so that's what I'm sticking with until I deduct there is no more room for improvement. So thanks for the recommendation, I'll put those on the wish list!

Therein lies a problem. With SR shaving and honing, there is always room for improvement. Approaching 1,500 daily SR shaves and honing over 100 SRs, I am still noticing improvements.

 

[TheBeast]

Therein lies a problem. With SR shaving and honing, there is always room for improvement. Approaching 1,500 daily SR shaves and honing over 100 SRs, I am still noticing improvements.

I'll take that! I haven't found any other activity for myself that can take so much attention and time and still leave me wanting to squeeze out a better result.

Let me rephrase, if I get to a point in honing, where I can reliably produce an edge suited to shave my face comfortably and when I can reliably shave my face with that edge comfortably, that's when I will consider buying more toys. Just last night I had three razors ready for a test shave. I had to finnish the shave with a shavette. No point in new tools if I can't use what I already have. I have seen gentleman with denser, thicker beards use straights with wicked edges for the first time and they were left speechless when the straight plowed through. That's what I'm looking for.

For some reason even after HHT-4 and occasionaly HHT-5, the razor will skip along and leave hair behind. My whiskers are thicker and stronger than any hairs that I use for HHT though. So I will need to produce a keener edge.

 

[rbscebu]

I have never had much luck with consistency using HHTs. One edge can be a HHT5 and still be a poor shaver while another can be a HHT2 and be an exemplary shaver. The only test that I can rely upon is the shave test.

 

[TheBeast]

I aim to get consistent scratch marks on my bevel faces, reaching the edge when setting the bevel. Then I look straigh down and if there are reflections, the bevel set is not done. When they dissapear, I know I should have a bevel and an apex. From that point, when progressing through grits, I look at scratches on bevel faces as well. But to be sure I am doing something "good" for the edge, I want the edge to cut hair from 5k. Usually the edge is poping hair around 8k and it turns into slicing at 12k, further improves on diamond paste. If the HHT improved after going up a grit, it gives me a sense of security that I have improved that edge. It would be best, in terms of proper testing, to shave after every grit, and that's what I might do at some point. But at the same time, I would like to dial in a way for myself to tell if I am getting closer to a better edge for me with the work that I am doing during honing. A way that is simple and reliable. I cant say my HHT is a reliable way of judging the edge. I am still dialing it in.

 

[TheBeast]

It is confirmed, I can use Philips OneBlade, dry, ATG, with next to zero issues. The only reason why I don't is beacuse it's so boring... Honed a fresh edge tonight, gave myself razor burn because I was surprised how sharp it is and forgot to focus on my technique. Worth it.

 

[TheBeast]

I improved my last edge with about 30 laps on the finisher - in this case balsa with 0.25um diamond paste. It was much sharper and much more aggressive, but that allowed me to alter my stroke. I could just gently wipe away the lather and the edge took the hair with it. Very close and no spots left. But it takes verry little to deviate from that perfect stroke. I could feel where I nailed it and where I messed up. So not only is there room improvement in the sharpness of my edges, but also in my strokes during the shave.

So the next task on the list is to keep this edge going, creep up to its full potential by returning to the finnisher after every shave. And pray I dont roll it on the balsa or the strop, dont ding it or not "over hone" it, if that even is possible. And then shave with it, making every stroke a perfect one.

My biggest lessons learned:

while honing ( currently on Shapton Pro's), stick to one stroke, be surgical and obsessive about having the stone flat, clean, focus on keeping each stroke the same - same pressure, same amount of tourque, while using a rolling stroke, dont focus only on hitting the toe and the heel, hoping that I hit the rest of the edge in between, make the roll veeeery smooth and consistant, always make sure all the edge is being hit and if I detect that one part of the bevel is not making enough/as much contact, focus on it for a little bit, then go back to trying to hit it all in one stroke and watch it come together, finishing with the use of a different stroke will ruin the edge if I dont know what I am doing, so just stick to basic rolling Xs, start off with light pressure even if you have to work a little more, then you dont have to alter anything by the end and you still have a decent edge, the stone will do amazing things on its own - you dont need to force it.

while shaving- move from the shoulder, lock the elbow, lock the wrist and only allow some give in my fingertips - that way I can feel what is going on. dont focus on removing the hair from my face, focus on swiping away lather, gently, as lightly as possible, the hair will follow (only works with a very sharp edge), forget about dense lather, it is only making resistance for the edge, making me want to push through and end up using way too much pressure=>razor burn,


Current state:

Daily SR shaves possible, there is still a little redness and razor burn after every shave, but its mostly gone when its time to shave again.. there are no more areas or patches where the hair struggles to grow out, only few stubborn hairs, which are either in a hollow so it's hard for me to shave them without pressing a little bit or use agressive stretching- cutting it below skin level. Razor burn will die out when I dial in the lather and every single stroke,all the hair should stop digging into the skin when I find good way to cut it. Making all this perfect might take a while, because my pale skin is going deep red after I dry it with a towel a little too agressive, or massage in any products..

 

[Gargravarr]

Sounds like you need to ease up on yourself a bit, skin doesn't grow by magic you know, it takes a little time. Shaving isn't an athletics sport. Maybe time to take a step back and ask what you're trying to achieve. Maybe an "efficient" shave (with less trauma) rather than the ultimate GBS might be what you really need.

If your skin is going deep red, it's a sign that you're overdoing things. But a liberal application of witch hazel might help. I tried Thayer's for a few months, but ended up going back to the T.N. Dickinson product, which does sting and dry more, but followed up with a good, SIMPLE moisturiser ends up being a nice space for me.

 

[TheBeast]

Sounds like you need to ease up on yourself a bit, skin doesn't grow by magic you know, it takes a little time. Shaving isn't an athletics sport. Maybe time to take a step back and ask what you're trying to achieve. Maybe an "efficient" shave (with less trauma) rather than the ultimate GBS might be what you really need.

If your skin is going deep red, it's a sign that you're overdoing things. But a liberal application of witch hazel might help. I tried Thayer's for a few months, but ended up going back to the T.N. Dickinson product, which does sting and dry more, but followed up with a good, SIMPLE moisturiser ends up being a nice space for me.

An efficient shave is what I am looking for! It's been the same for years, with a cartridge, DE, shavette, SR. What I am looking to achieve? To wet shave daily without having to see those annoying bumps. No one ever told me that they are noticable. Only if I ask first and they take a good look at me the answer is: "yeah well I can see something but only if I'm looking for it". So it's not catastrophic. I evaluate it very closely to the mirror, with light facing me. My skin goes deep red if I use a towel with a scrubing motion or if I scratch an itchy spot - nothing unusual. What I am looking for is those last 10% of an ultra comfortable edge and an ultra comfortable shaving stroke, and to keep the hair growing out of the skin. It's more for fun than for anything else really. If I use an electric shaver designed to leave the skin alone and only take the hair away it works. But I want to be able to tame the sharp edge on a piece of steel. Edge that I put there by rubbing said piece of steel on a piece of rock. It has that never ending cool factor for me.

 

[TheBeast]

l did it fellas! Not only did I make my Naniwa 12k SS work for myself, I nailed the shave as well. Its my first shave that was oh so good. Not a single flaw.

The edge, while really good as far as I Can tell, probably Has more potential. The razor- Extra 1954 5/8 (USSR) is really nice. I had trouble figuring out how to hone it. I removed a chip, worked out a frown. When I got it the bevel angle I measured was 14°-15°. I honed without tape for a bit. The spine was already really thin and it was wearing out quickly, so when the hit was so-so even, I used tape from that Point on. I finnished it once, wasnt Happy, went back all the way again. Its good enough for now.

I went a few days without honing and shaving cause I wasnt feeling like doing it. Today I wanted to do both and worked out perfectly. With my skin rested from SR training, with a nice fresh edge, I was in full zen mode. Maximum effort, maximum focus. Every stroke was surgical and spot on. Close shave, absolutely Zero marks left, no discomfort, no problem. It was all in the stroke. And I finally got it. The aftershave, 4711, should Sting a lot right? Nope, note after a beautiful shave like this. Smells nice.

Now I have a confession to make. I lied to myself for three years. I thought I was trying everything, I thought I was doing good enough to get a good shave and I only had like 1 in 50 that was kind of decent. I thought different products or razors would save me. Nope. Its all in the way you drag the edge along the skin. I felt bad about Every purchase, I just wanted to try all there was to buy, I wanted to enjoy it. I know I wouldnt, because my shaving sucked. I would post how I struggle, yada yada. But Every shave would be on autopilot, repeating All the mistakes that a person first time using a razor would do. So I felt terrible after Every shave. I doubted myself. I felt less of a man. For three years I was blaming my skin type, my hair type, the alignment of the stars that day...

Not now baby, life just got sweeter. I am THE MAN. I bought a 70 year old straight razor, I sharpened it, I shaved with it and did not hurt myself at all. Now I Can truly enjoy everything I bought. Now I Can buy more stuff and enjoy it because I know how to freaking use it! And it's not about the ingredients of the creams/soaps/aftershaves, not about the fibers of the brush, not about the water temperature and hardness, not about performing a ritual before shaving. Its about having an edge that Has the ability to cut my hair, making my face a little slippery, my hair a little soft. And mostly, about dragging that edge along my face with utmost care. And it's beautiful.

Now, lets spend ungodly amounts of my income on stuff I don't need to have more fun! But more importantly, spend more time and energy on how to use it to it's full potential. And see how much better this Can get.

Oh and lets pray that I don't see any bumps and ingrowns in two days, that would suck.

 

[rbscebu]

Congratulations!

SR shaving is like golf in being consistent. It only gets better from here.

Do not change anything. Stick with what you are doing now until you are consistently getting the same results. Once you are achieving consistent results, then and only then change one thing at a time to see if there is any improvements.