Thread: Righty Tighty; Lefty Loosey

Originally Posted by Ryan82

Welcome to SRP Darren, from a fellow Canadian

It sounds like you didn't have the right angle when you switched to your left hand, and the infirm grip probably didn't help either. I'd recommend taking baby steps when using your left for now - just do small sections until you don't feel comfortable anymore and then switch back to your dominant hand to finish it off. It will become easier with practice, I promise

In the mean time you can practice using your left hand by doing tasks like brushing your teeth. Another popular task is using a butter knife to "pretend" shave.

Keep us posted.

That is really solid advice. I'm just starting out in the straight razor world, but have been doing ambidextrous shaves with my DE for a few months as sort of a training exercise.

Originally Posted by MisterClean

The last six months or so, I shave right-handed, lather up again and shave left-handed. I'm getting
really close shaves. Each hand does the opposite pass. The other day I started to shave and realized
I started with my left hand. Left hand shaving has become second nature now.

With one pass by each hand the mistakes of one would be covered by the other.

Are you left eye dominate? I am but right handed for most things. That can create some interesting situations/processes.

32t
I'm right eye dominate. I play guitar maybe my left hand is trained a little better than non players,

Welcome guys. Yeah, for me anyway, ambidextrous shaving didn't take too long to become second nature. Personally I think it is worth the effort. Now when I DE shave, using just my right hand, it feels slightly awkward.

Shave #250.6 - Unexpected Shave

Palmolive Shave Cream
TOBS Badger Brush
Edwin Jagger DE89L + Feather (2)
PAA CaD

I was planning a straight razor shave, but I received a "request" for a meeting. It was short notice. So I had to grab a very quick 2-pass shave. I got to SAS and that's about it. Good enough for a meeting.

A Two-Fer

Shave #250.7 - No Screens Sunday

I shaved last Sunday. My friend had challenged me to go the entire day without looking at a screen; no computer, iPad, TV, or cellphone. It was a bit liberating, but I couldn't post my shave that day, and then forgot all about it.

QCS Shave Soap + Palmolive Shave Cream
TOBS Badger Brush
Edwin Jagger DE89L + Feather (1)
Thayers Witch Hazel
PAA CaD

I do remember that it was a lovely shave, in which I whacked a pile of hair down to a total BBS.


Shave #251 - Still Some Honing Issues

I did a straight razor shave today. I decided to test out my honing on the smiley Henckels.

QCS Shave Soap + Palmolive Shave Soap
Semogue 2012
J. A. Henckels 94 9/16" (1)
DOVO Palisander 5/8" (1)
Thayers Witch Hazel
Gentlemen's Tonic AS Balm

I started out the shave with my Henckels razor, that I had tried to renowned. I didn't have much faith in this going well as it has pronounced smile and it was the first time I had ever tried to deal with that. I had heavy beard growth, and it cut it, but not a smoothly as I thought necessary. Partly this was because its a small blade in heavy weeds, but also I just hadn't gotten it sharp enough. So I did about 1/2 my face with the Henckels before putting it aside for further honing work, and pulled out the DOVO that I had also freshly hone. The DOVO cut through everything like a scythe through margarine. I ended up doing a three pass shave, instead of my usual two, just to clean up some of the sloppiness left over from the Henckels. I'm a very good DFS. I didn't do my usual final neck pass where I try to scythe as ATG as I can get, so DFS is all I could expect.

The weather has finally cooled down a bit, so my post shave program is beginning to use some balms to reflect that. Usually I'm too hot and sweaty to use them.

Shave #251.1 - Post-Apocalypse Shave

Running out to meet a friend for beers and political discourse, so I wanted to feel comfortable and look acceptable.

QCS Vostok Shave Soap + Palmolive Shave Cream
TOBS Badger Brush
Edwin Jagger DE89L + Voskhod (2)
PAA CaD

A simple 2-passer, N-S and then S-N, followed by some aftershave and I'm a perfectly fine DFS.

The more astute will notice that this is the second shave on the Voskhod, somewhere along the line I missed posting my last shave.

Shave 251.2 - ...

QCS Vostok Shave Soap + Palmolive Shave Cream
Semogue 2012
Edwin Jagger DE89L + Voskhod (3)
PAA CaD

DFS


Shave #252 - Wizz Bang WISS

Just a quick shave to look presentable tomorrow, I have a presentation to give.

QCS Vostok Shave Soap + Palmolive Shave Cream
Semogue 2012
WISS Ugly Duckling 9/16" (1)
Captain's Choice Bay Rum

A 2-passer with no extra clean up...DFS/SAS. It is suitable for a business presentation. (I'm not expecting any kisses, unless things go exceedingly well).

The QCS soap is little more than a thin ring-of-death around the inside of the jar. So hopefully I'll be done with that soon. It takes a real concerted effort to get through soap. This one I like the menthol, but it is not slick enough, actually it is downright sticky, so I want it out of the den.

And, what can I say about the WISS? It sharpened up like a champ, and it is really a great shaver. I keep thinking of giving it to a newbie - it is so d@mn ugly - but, it is a real performer. I just like shaving with it, warts, boils, subcutaneous cysts and all.

Shave 252.1 - Sunday Night Special

I'm watching the World Chess Championship, game 3, thus far it's as dull as ditch water. So, I broke for a shave.

QCS Vostok Shave Soap + Palmolive Shave Cream
Semogue 2012
Edwin Jagger DE89L + Feather (1)
Thayers Witch Hazel
Captain's Choice Bay Rum
C&E West Indian Lime AS Balm

There is little finer than the first shave off a Feather. I'm a super comfortable BBS. Ready to rejoin the replay of the game 3 "slugfest".

Shave #252.2 - Another Typhoon

We've been ravaged by typhoons this year. Apparently there's another one in the neighborhood, screwing with our weather. So, I decided on a rainy day shave followed by a bit of world championship chess. I'll be watching game 5 today, thus far most of the games have been technical masterpieces (which is a nice way of saying a total snore). Hopefully I'll find something interesting in this game.


QCS Vostok Shave Soap + Palmolive Shave Cream
Semogue 2012
Edwin Jagger DE89L + Feather (2)
Captain's Choice Bay Rum

I'm BBS, and it was a good shave, except I was buffing ATG on my neck (paralleling the floor) and gave myself a bunch of weeper under the chin.

Well, the wife is watching the Golden Horse Awards, and I'm about to start the chess video, so have a good weekend all.

Shave #252.3 - Perhaps

I'm toying with the idea of trying a beard for a couple months. I've had mustaches and goatees before, but never a beard. I have bald patches in my beard that have always made me think twice, but I think I might be able to trim around them in a natural looking way. Anyway, if I can stand the growing out process/look I may have a closer look at my hersutical situation.

QCS Vostok Shave Soap
TOBS Badger Brush
Edwin Jagger DE89L + Feather (3)

So, I just did a little clean up on my neck, to get rid of some of the itchiness, and make the scruffiness looked planned rather than lazy.