Thread: Righty Tighty; Lefty Loosey

So, made my first attempt at a straight razor shave. Surprised myself by having a nice smooth (with the grain pass) right out of the gate. Then switched hands to tackle the left (non-dominant) side of my face...and the wheels fell off.

My razor instantly dulled in my left hand, and snapped back to life in the right. My hand shook, more than usual. The left side of my face looked like a dog with the mange.

Any of you have similar problems? Any tips?

Darren

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.

Thanks for the advice Ryan. I'll practice patience. Not my strong suit. In truth, I did a complete shave by "accident", originally only intending to make a single swipe along my right cheek.

Yea, I think most people have had similar problems using the non dominant hand at the start. Its very hard to trust the non dominant hand to do what you want it to do when it is holding a very sharp piece of steel to your face. That automatically makes it nearly impossible to hold the razor with a firm confident grip that you need to. That trust and confident grip come with time and practice. take it slow, use short strokes and it will come.

Bob

Originally Posted by TaipeiJake

So, made my first attempt at a straight razor shave. Surprised myself by having a nice smooth (with the grain pass) right out of the gate. Then switched hands to tackle the left (non-dominant) side of my face...and the wheels fell off.

My razor instantly dulled in my left hand, and snapped back to life in the right. My hand shook, more than usual. The left side of my face looked like a dog with the mange.

Any of you have similar problems? Any tips?

Darren

The best tip I can give you is that at the end of the day, what works best for you is what you should do.

I learned to use both hands and would recommend that you experiment with it because for me it's easier to reach various places on my face with the option of switching hands. But you're working with your hands and face, not mine. You are best able to determine when to stop experimenting and settle on a technique that works for you.

Sounds like your first effort was really successful. I sincerely congratulate you, because my first straight shave was a disaster. It was only because of my problems with multiblade and electric razor shaving that I persevered and learned to use the straight.

Thanks all for the tips and encouragement. This really is a wonderful forum.

Did my second shave today. As expected (by me) I exhibited next to no patience, and ended up shaving my entire face again, with the grain. Right side, really very good all the way from cheek top to neck root. Left side, much improved. Maybe similar to the right side yesterday.

Less nervous - that really helped a lot. Avoided my usual pre-shave oil, which made my hold on the blade less slippery (something I never considered before). Changed my grip from two fingers on the tail and two on the spine to one finger on the tail and three on the spine. Seemed to help me. Also, watched a video on skin stretching techniques and the advice seemed to really help my shave.

Darren

Hey Darren,

Welcome!! I did the same as you, full face from the start. I didn't have any trouble with the left hand at all unless you count...in the mirror, right was left, up was down, in was out, the sweat rolled off my forehead so bad it was washing the lather off my face, and...I finally realized breathing was beneficial.

But, in very short order my left hand became the more proficient hand, and still is. I think it didn't have any bad habits to overcome.

Hang in there....it'll surprise you how quickly it develops!!!

Regards,

Howard

Thanks Howard.

You're right - it is easy to concentrate on manual tasks so hard that you forget to breathe. Wouldn't think it would be possible, but it is. I used to work as a goldsmith and when I was doing something really delicate my hands would start shaking and I couldn't figure out why, until the master goldsmith I worked with informed me that I wasn't breathing. The mind-body connection is weird.

Yeah, having someone looking over your shoulder could really ratchet up the stress. Watched a goldsmith in Toledo Spain once and he was masterful with his craft. He made it look so easy and natural that I started thinking I could almost do it.

But, you wait.....that left hand will shine!!!

Howard

Originally Posted by TaipeiJake

Also, watched a video on skin stretching techniques and the advice seemed to really help my shave.

Darren

For me the whole skin tension (and direction) was the big key. Much of the process comes down to muscle memory, and that = practice.

The problem areas soon become match-book sized zones that you learn as you go, some times with a light-bulb moment - sometimes you will wonder why that area ever gave you problems.

It is a skill worth learning - but there are no hacks or cheat codes to the process.

It's like Yoda says: "There is no try - there is do...and not do"

Enjoy the journey...you are off to a good start.