Thread: Righty Tighty; Lefty Loosey

Shave #97.5 - Post-Workout Shower Shave

The heat of summer isn't on us yet, but temperatures are running +30C to +36C with 80% to 90% humidity, so though not yet "hot", it is a bit uncomfortable for doing long cardio sessions. So, I really appreciate a long cool post-workout shower, and shaving in the shower just gives me an excuse to prolong the cool down.

Proraso (Green Tubed) Shave Cream
TOBS Badger Brush
Mach III
Thayers Extra Cool Witch Hazel
Baxter of California AS Balm

Refreshed and BBS.

Shave #98 - Getting Ready for the Centennial

A quick 2-pass shave:

Tabac Original Shave Soap
TOBS Badger Brush
DOVO Palisander 6/8" (40)
Alum
Nivea AS Balm

In 2 passes, I went from a SAS to a pretty solid DFS. I'm pleased. I was scything on the N-S pass, and then I scythed the neck on the S-N pass, while guillotining towards the nose on my face. The results are pretty reasonable.

As is my habit, I do a mega-stropping every 10 shaves. Today I did 100 laps rough leather, 100 laps newsprint (about the same length lap as my paddle strop), and 400 laps smooth leather. I kind of think the addition of the newsprint to my mega-stropping ritual does add a little something. So, now my DOVO should be ready for its starring role in my 100th straight razor shave.

Shave #99 - Surprisingly Good

Shower prep followed by a cold water 2 pass shave.

Proraso Green Pre/Post Shave
Klar Heidelberg Classic Shave Soap
TOBS Badger Brush
J. A. Henckels 94 - 9/16" (13/5)
Alum
L'Occitane Cedre & Oranger AS Balm

I went from very stubbly to solidly DFS. My neck is surprisingly good, being in the DFS range along with the rest of my face. This is quite surprising because my little Henckels is a finesse razor. It is small and light weight, good for zipping around corners, but mowing down swaths of stubble is not its forte. I changed to quick short strokes, rather than the long smooth strokes that my other razors favor, and the Henckels responded delivering a nice irritation free shave.

PS - In some previous posts I've referred to the Cedre & Oranger balm as a C&E product. I'm not sure why I made that error. It is a L'Occitane product. Likewise, my Henckels is a 94, not a 64. Little errors have cropped into entries, and then been repeated in subsequent entries. Sorry about that.

Shave #100 - Thoughts On My Centennial of Writing Razor Porn

For my 100th straight razor shave I made one pass with each of my functional straights, that works out to be 4 passes, then I used my DE for clean up. Thus, giving each razor that has made my journey into traditional wet shaving such a joy a bit of face time.

Here we go, a hot water shave with:

Synergy Cavendish Shave Soap
TOBS Badger Brush

Pass 1: DOVO Palisander; N-S (WTG-ish), guillotining towards the nose on my face, and barber-poling (guillotining) my neck from right to left all the way around the neck.

Pass 2: J. A. Henckels 94; XTG, ear to nose on the face (scything), N-S on the neck while scything from right to left.

Pass 3: WISS Ugly Duckling; XTG, S-N on the neck, barber-poling from right to left, then nose to ear on the face (scything).

Pass 4: Don Jae Chopper w/Derby Extra; ATG-ish, S-N on right side of neck, scything towards the center of my neck. W-E-ish on left side of neck, with a downward scything motion at the end of the stroke. S-N on the face, guillotining from ear to nose.

Touch Up Pass: Edwin Jagger DE + Feather Blade; took the cream (crema) from the brush and did a few strokes parallel to the floor on my neck, a bit S-N on the jaw just in front of the ears, and a DE Fool's Pass under the nose. (I still haven't got that down with a straight).

Alum
Captain's Choice Bay Rum
L'Occitane Cedre & Oranger AS Balm

After all of that, of course I'm BBS. Perhaps surprisingly, my skin feels good.

Well what a difference a hundred shaves makes. My first straight razor shave I was a nervous, twitching mess. It took me something around 2 hours to shave. Though my results weren't terrible, considering the situation, they weren't great either. Now, I shave with confidence. My results are consistently acceptable and I can expend as much or as little time on a shave as I want. In other words, straight razor shaving has moved from affectation to a practical part of my personal ritual.

Some extremely random ramblings on the completion of a hundred straight razor shaves:

Shaving is 99% art, 1% science. You can read about various theories and techniques [science], but until you attempt to apply them to yourself, use your feel to see if they work for you, to what degree, and how to alter them for yourself [art] - you ain't got jack.

I wish I'd been a little more minimalistic in the beginning of my straight razor journey, and just used the one straight razor, really learned its use and maintenance, and months later considered adding one more to the rotation. I didn't go too crazy, but I ended up with three straight razors plus a shavette early on. It would have been a better learning experience if I'd just stuck with my DOVO.

Cold water shaving rocks.

Spend some time loading your brush. You can't make a good, thick, rich lather if there is no soap in your brush.

The K.I.S.S. Principle makes sense when starting out straight razor shaving.

I know it seems like I'm always chasing a BBS. It's a little true, but mostly DFS++/BBS just happens. It is relatively easy for me to achieve excellent results, not because of superior shave technique, but simply because I have a light beard and skin that can withstand the blade. I do find aiming for such results a bit desirable because I will remain BBS for quite a long time.

If you're going to hot towel shave, buy a cloth big enough to cover your face and neck simultaneously.

All the thousands of pages of shave wisdom on this site can be summed up in the beautiful phrase "your mileage may vary" (YMMV).

Necks suck!

There is no need to worry about honing until you are far down the straight razor path. I have a hundred shaves, most of them 4-passers, and I haven't needed to try to hone anything yet. That particular wormhole is in fact still a ways away. Indeed only one of my razors has seen a pasted strop so far. Many grow a more manly beard than me, but none grow cactus thorns - honing can wait.

Experimentation makes straight razor shaving fun.

Aim to do the minimum. With a new hobby most people want to try to participate in it, so they overdue everything. "Ahh, is that a waterspot on my new razor? I better pull out the metal polish and take care of that immediately!" Bang - one new razor with a ruined edge. "I've shaved five times. Better pull out the hones." Few of us have been taught the merits of laziness. In Taoist terms one should strive for wu wei (無為) roughly the path of doing nothing, not trying, or inaction.

If you have a philosophical bent of mind, Zen has a lot to teach us about learning physical tasks. It applies to shaving.

Don't take anyone's word for anything, even if they are the greatest of shave gurus. If it works for them doesn't mean it'll work for you. For something so traditional, straight razor shaving is surprisingly nihilistic.

YouTube is an amazing resource for straight shavers. I assume most are familiar with the better videos on straight razor shaving and honing. But, if you're having problems with lathering, try watching some of The Mad Scientist of Wetshaving's videos. For product reviews I like Nick Shave's channel.

No bubbles; no troubles.

I was surprised to learn, after switching from shaving every 5-7 days with my Mach III, to shaving every day or every other day with a straight or DE, that I have a bit of skin sensitivity to some shaving soaps. Used sparingly most these soaps are still okay for me, but some had to go.

Change your shave routine to match the season. Your routine is not written in stone and can be changed to match changing circumstances. Different seasons is but one example.

Since starting to take shaving more seriously and beginning to shave more regularly and frequently, I think my stubble has begun to get coarser. It might just be my imagination.

Far be it from me to criticize other people's ADs, but Soap Acquisition Disorder is the cheapest while still having a comparatively large impact on shave quality. Think about it. This is the one you want to cultivate.

Consider keeping a shave journal. It is fun, requires a minimal amount of time, organizes your thoughts on shaving and ultimately aids in the learning process.

YMMV!

i'v developed ways to use teh dominant hand for both sides

Wyldr: if it works for you, that's great. Nobody can say your way is either right or wrong. Enjoy.

Shave #100.5 - Let the Misery Begin

Summer is here. I'm shaving at night, but the humidity is still causing me to almost disintegrate, that's precisely why I bought the Vostok.

Proraso Green Pre/Post Shave
QCS Vostok Shave Cream
TOBS Badger Brush
Edwin Jagger DE89L + Feather Blade (5)
Osage Rub
Baxter of California AS Balm

3-pass BBS. The combination of cold water, Proraso Pre, and Vostok cream was very refreshing. Almost enough menthol to make the eyes water. I think I will be enjoying this throughout the summer, while my non-mentholated products take a bit of a backseat.

Shave #101 - Titaniced

Finally finished off my tube of Truefitt & Hill.

T&H 1805 Shave Cream
TOBS Badger Brush
WISS 9/16" Ugly Duckling (23)
Alum
Captain's Choice Bay Rum
Nivea AS Balm

Two passes, first N-S, then S-N, with plenty of creative scything. I have a pretty solid overall DFS. I'm beginning to love these quick 2-passers, sure the end result is not the greatest, but they are a quick shave that never edges into tediousness. It might convert me into a daily shaver.

Shave #102 - A Bit Off

I tightened the pivot pin on my DOVO, it has been getting progressively looser for awhile. It felt nice to do a little metal work again, even something as simple as this. When I got married, I had to shutdown my jewelry/metal shop because of lack of space. I miss it.

C&E West Indian Lime Shave Cream
TOBS Badger Brush
DOVO Palisander 6/8" (41)
Alum
C&E West Indian Lime AS Balm

Not as good as some of my other 2-pass shaves. I'm in between a SAS and DFS--. I'm going to blame my lather. I haven't used the C&E much, so I'm not sure if it was my fault or the cream's, but the lather was thin, lacked staying power and the slickness went away quickly. (It could very well be my lathering technique). I love the smell though.

Shave #102.5 - That was Unacceptable

Woke up pretty gritty after my less than stellar shave last night. It bugged me, I've become a lot less tolerant of stubble. So, during a break between my morning and afternoon classes I grabbed a shave.

Proraso Green Pre/Post Shave
C&E West Indian Lime Shave Cream
Edwin Jagger DE89L + Feather Blade (6)
Alum
C&E West Indian Lime AS Balm

I tried the C&E again, this time I did a bowl lather. As soon as I began I got a HUGE mass of bubbly foam. It surprised me as face lathering yesterday was almost the opposite, I had creamy lather without much volume. After working the lather, and working the lather, I was able to work the air bubbles out and get a nice peaky, clumpy lather that looked awesome in the bowl. Once I got it on the face it was okay, but I thought still a bit lacking in glide, slickness and density. Good enough for cartridge and DE shaving, but I'll have to keep working on it to see if I can make it come around to how I like my straight razor lather.

Three passes with a bit of touch up on the neck and I'm very BBS, and that just feels so much better - I'm ready to face the rest of my day now.

I love this whole thread. It has helped me a lot, both by letting me know someone else is having the same "problem" on any given day, and by letting me share your thinking on the cause and possible solution. If I had commented every time I thought, "oh, me too!", you'd have a much longer thread and I'd have a lot more total posts. Thanks for sharing!