Thread: Reaching back to go into the future

Originally Posted by foldedandhoned

Righty-O Chaps,
Still learning, still scraping my face...but an odd thing happened just a few days ago; I'll tell you the story, so gather around the soap dish and hold the Badger in high regard...
I went into a local shop a few days ago with a very wounded face from a recent attempt at a shave and a friend who works there asked me what the hell happened to my (Hollywood) face? Did I say the wrong thing to some young lady?
I told her that I recently took up SR and the result is what you see.
She then asked me why the right side of my face was more cut up than the left...I thought about it and said that I'm right hand dominate and so I suppose I was more cautious with my left hand when switching sides. That was an Ah-ha moment! My customary speed with cooking knives, or hunting knives, was not what was needed. Slow and steady...like...well, y'all know.
I still get the (*%($*$( cut outta my face but I go about it a lot slower now.
I still don't know if this is for me, but I'll give it a try until I can't.
Anyone want to buy a couple of nice razors?
F&H

Heck you have only been at it a month, i am 4ish months in and still haven't got it perfect. In fact I have a "duelling" cut on my cheek from last night.
So all I can say is slow down, reduce your pressure, keep your angle low, stretch well and confirm your angle of growth.

Yes, yes I know, but please bare with my American need for results immediately.
The thing that is hardest for me is getting the angle right whilst looking in the mirror. It becomes so very counter intuitive.
And then I think about the blind shaver who shaved Michael Palin when he did his series for the BBC.
So I close my eyes, take a deep breath and cut myself.
The angel and pressure are it.
Another question is that my beard grows fast so how long before I shave? Should I do it every day with SR just as a matter of course?
F&H

That would be, as many things, personal preference. If you find you cut yourself up too badly to shave every day, you could take a DE every other day.

I understand your desire for immediate results, as I find I do the same thing. What helped me was taking a lot of time and concentrating hard on all the advice I had read, trying to perfect every single stroke. If you rush your shave, it will take many more shaves to develop your technique, whereas trying to make every stroke count will get you there much quicker.

this will sound bad. Shaving is a simple thing relax, slow down and it will be over soon. Seriously, worrying about shaving perfectly leads to mistakes. providing that the edge is sharp and well stropped the angle needs to be low and the pressure light.

As for how often to shave no more than once a day. If you are only doing a WTG pass daily shaving should be a breeze. Also if you have any cuts on your face let them heal up before using your straight, my experience is that if you don't you will just open them up again when the blade passes that area.

i sometimes close my eyes and shave WTG in preparation for old age or if i am not wearing my glasses, darkness is better than seeing the very blurry reflection in the mirror.

jim