Frustrations of the first week...

Good afternoon, gentlemen,

So...I went all in on this shaving thing. I didn't but the most expensive razor, but I did get a DOVO Best Quality. It seems like a solid starter razor.

I ordered it from Amazon along with a basic starter kit. I have not had it professionally honed. The first shave was alright, but by no means comfortable. The second shave was a disaster. It looked like I joined a fight club or something. Here are a series of questions that I hope the wise among us can assist:

1. Does it all hinge on a professional hone?
2. Why is lathering so hard?
3. If I have already nicked the hell out of my strop, then should I just get a new one? Will the nicks mess up my blade?
4. I'm an over-achiever. Is part of this learning experience a lesson in humility that will ultimately pay off?

I hope that I am just going through the normal growing pangs of learning this art.

Thanks for those that take the time to help.

1. Yes. You must have it honed. Everything depends on that. Think about your cartridge experiences, you threw them away when they were dull right?
2. Its not too hard. But I'm not sure what you're trying to lather. It could be your water or the soap itself. Let us know what you have.
3. Hold off on that. It might not be too bad and you might want to ensure you have the hang of it before you invest in another.
4. Yes.

All aspects of this way of shaving does require some practice.
The shaving itself, stropping(a big factor imho), making proper lather and the ALL important Beard-prep.

Have your razor honed properly so that you can check that off of the list of culprits when your shave doesn't equate a cartridge/electric shave.
(eventually it will surpass both, by a mile)

Keep at it mate, you'll get there eventually:)
And we'll try our very best to help you along the way!

Welcome to the group. I am still fairly new myself, but here are my 2 cents.

1) The hone is the most significant thing you can do. While it is advertised as "shave ready" I would bet apaycheck it doesn't measure up to what you really need.
2) I recommend two things. Read all of the how-to articles you can and then watch the videos. Practice a few times. I bowl lathered (playing with face lathering now) and would go through the entire lather routine multiple times, each time adding a bit more (or less water) and laoding up the brush more (or less). Makes a huge difference figuring out what works well for the type of soap you have and the water type you have.
3) Sand it out and keep going. Chances are you will end up getting another razor and strop down the road anyway. You're learning, sh*t happens.
4) Kinda... it makes me slow down and appreciate the time I have to spend on myself... lets me "center myself" a little before I start my day.

Above all, stick with it. It's a great community of people and an impressive skill set.

Well most of it is fairly well covered. I require skin stretching to go nick free. If you nick your strop there is a possibility that you may have also rolled your edge. Many have done it, I like rolling my edge so much I did it multiple times. If it is it requires a touch up on the hones, but it sounds like you need to go there anyway. Focus is key, both on the strop and shave.

should have gotten the razor from Straight Razor Designs. They come professionally honed.

Not only SRD has professionally honed razors. There more honers doing outstanding job... I would say SRD is one of the options...

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Originally Posted by bouschie

should have gotten the razor from Straight Razor Designs. They come professionally honed.

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If you are an overachiever...slow down. Work on your technique, having a sharp razor is very important, but, you do want to have good technique with a sharp razor or you will look like you got into a fight with a Bobcat. Every time I start cutting myself, I think it is because I hurry and have a poor blade angle. When you get that first BBS shave you will be amazed. Small nicks come and go, but if you put a good scratch or a large nick, you may have been in a hurry. I had started out slow, learned a little, got fast with the blade and then I started having poor shaves and red lather. Take your time and enjoy.

Thank you. I found on the community services a guy that will hone it.

I have a Proraso shave soap. The stuff just dries on my face in only a couple of minutes.

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Originally Posted by DOGRAH

Work on your technique, having a sharp razor is very important, but, you do want to have good technique with a sharp razor or you will look like you got into a fight with a Bobcat.

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That is EXACTLY what I looked like!

1. Does it all hinge on a professional hone?
Most if not all the guys here would say a properly honed razor will give you the best chance of sucess, though don't expect miracles overnight.

2. Why is lathering so hard?
What are you doing and what are you doing it with? A starting point will give us something to expand on.

3. If I have already nicked the hell out of my strop, then should I just get a new one? Will the nicks mess up my blade?
Post some pics, but it'll probably be ok, at least until you stop damaging the one you have, mine has a lot of minor nicks that I just tidied up.

4. I'm an over-achiever. Is part of this learning experience a lesson in humility that will ultimately pay off?
Yes as far as i am concerned. As i said before dont expect miracles overnight, in fact sometimes my face didnt heal over night.

am i just going through the normal growing pangs of learning this art.
Again yes.

Don't panic, it can take a while, I am not there yet, but that's just me, some guys get it quickly, and some take a lot longer.

Sorry it must have been a posting frenzy, no-one had replied when I started my original reply, but as has been said, experement with your lather, and wet your face first (maybe). You can just whip up lather , try it, ditch it and start again. Have a few practice runs while you are waiting for your ra,or to be honed.
Good luck, ed.

Have it professionally honed. Accept nothing less. As for the lathering I'll assume your starter kit included a brush. Proraso is generally very easy to work to a good lather. Keep scrubbing and adding small amounts of water at a time until the lather starts to build. You'll be on the right track at that point.

Everyone before me pretty much gave you the correct answers to your issues thus far. The only thing I'd add is that if the lather is drying on one side of your face before you can get to it, you either need a bit more water or you are taking a long time in shaving the opposite side (which is completely normal when starting out).

In the midst of a shave if this happens, try wetting just the tips of your brush with a slight bit of water and work the lather still left on your face again to wet it.

If it happens continually, you need more water in your initial lather. Try adding 3-5 drops of water at a time until you have a nice, thick, creamy lather worked up. It shouldn't be cake batter thick, but it shouldn't be runny either.

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Originally Posted by edhewitt

Sorry it must have been a posting frenzy, no-one had replied when I started my original reply, but as has been said, experement with your lather, and wet your face first (maybe). You can just whip up lather , try it, ditch it and start again. Have a few practice runs while you are waiting for your ra,or to be honed.
Good luck, ed.

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Good advice. The stuff was expensive and so I was hesitant, but I guess it's no good to me if I don't know how to use it.

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Originally Posted by crouton976

Everyone before me pretty much gave you the correct answers to your issues thus far. The only thing I'd add is that if the lather is drying on one side of your face before you can get to it, you either need a bit more water or you are taking a long time in shaving the opposite side (which is completely normal when starting out).

In the midst of a shave if this happens, try wetting just the tips of your brush with a slight bit of water and work the lather still left on your face again to wet it.

If it happens continually, you need more water in your initial lather. Try adding 3-5 drops of water at a time until you have a nice, thick, creamy lather worked up. It shouldn't be cake batter thick, but it shouldn't be runny either.

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Mine has looked like cake batter. I'll keep going.

Here are 2 pictures of the strop that I am wondering if I slaughtered too much. Thoughts?Attachment 139089Attachment 139090

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Originally Posted by theRevCol

Good advice. The stuff was expensive and so I was hesitant, but I guess it's no good to me if I don't know how to use it.

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It'll probably not take that many goes to get something reasonable, once there you can just modify as you go. If you do it before a shower, save the lather and have a luxury wash :)

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Originally Posted by theRevCol

Here are 2 pictures of the strop that I am wondering if I slaughtered too much. Thoughts?Attachment 139089Attachment 139090

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Seeing as no one else has put their two penerth in, I will give you my very unreliable opinion. If their are substantial flaps, you can glue them Down and clamp them, if the nicks are at the very ends, just don't use that bit of the strop, if the razor is going to catch on them, sand them down.
i wouldnt replace it until you stop damaging it or you cut it in half :)
Lots of guys seem to have and use fairly battered strops, mine has quite a few nicks, as they are mostly in the same place I can see where I was going wrong ( heel side handle end).
There are a few threads on nicked/ cut/ damaged strops in the strop forum, and probably thr beginners too, best to look there for the right sort of glue to use (i think its contact adhesive but don't trust me on that).

no worries about that strop those nicks don't look deep

SR shaving depends on getting and keeping a shave ready edge, a topic of neverending discourse.. One cannot learn to shave or even shave, if an experience user, without a shave ready edge. It takes time to learn to shave, strop, and hone, just like learning to play a musical instrument, golf, or use chop sticks. The starting point for learning these skills is getting a shave ready edge so you will know how it feels.

I hate you had a tough start. Persist and the road becomes as smooth as our cheeks.

Looks like the bases were covered above. When I gored, nicked and chopped my first strop into dogfood I carefully rubbed out the problem spots with a fingernail file. Surgical precision, that. After that I practiced a lot with a plastic knife from Bojangles before putting a razor to it again. I found a plastic (or butter) knife very helpful to learn the moves. No more nicks.

To stop nicking strop: make sure you start moving in the opposite direction before you finish flipping the blade.

Michael