Getting started wetshaving - the early days and a painful lesson

I received a safety razor as a gift for Christmas a couple years ago.  Woot.  I was finally making the switch from cartridge razors to double-edge.  I was excited and a bit nervous.  I do have sensitive skin and I shave everyday for work.  So, naturally, I was a little bit scared about how shaving with the double-edge razor would go.  The safety razor came with a five-pack of double-edge blades.  They were decent quality, but not the best.  I figured it would be best to do a trial run of the wetshave using a double-edge razor on a day I wasn't scheduled to work.  So I chose to do the unthinkable and shave while on vacation.  I usually sport a vacation beard whenever possible, so this was a big departure from the norm.  Anyhow, I began my wetshave routine and then it hit me that I really didn't know how to use the safety razor.  I stopped, read a little about it online, and decided to give it a go.  I was disappointed with my initial results.  I wasn't placing the razor properly onto my skin, so I gave myself some nicks.  I also used way too much force with the razor, rather than letting the weight of the razor do the work.  Unhappy with the results, I regrouped and read a bit more online.

Next time I shaved, the results were much better.  Not too bad.  After a couple shaves, I got a little bit of shaving swag and decided to try the double-edge razor on my head.  Bad mistake.  I was nowhere near comfortable enough with it and it was a painful lesson.  I gashed my ear pretty good and didn't have any styptic at the time.  Ears can bleed like mad if you don't have a way to stop the bleeding!  There were a number of other nicks on my head too - not fun.  Proficiency with a safety razor takes a bit of time.  It's like re-learning to shave.  It's all part of the process I suppose.  Don't be discouraged if your results aren't great at first.  It takes practice, but to me it was well worth it.