Thread: First Post, First Shave, Lots of Questions.

Hi welcome aboard!

First shave(s) are always interesting, the steepest part of the learning curve! I stuck with pretty much one razor, DOVO 5/8th, for my first 100 shaves...I used one additional razor while my DOVO was out getting honed and restored from me destroying it. But I found getting to know one razor, while getting to know how to map my face helped a lot.

You'll always be learning new things!

For instance, I have two nice TI razors honed by the same person, one gave a really smooth, beautiful shave, the other was much harsher!?!

Finally just acquired a DOVO Bismarck 6/8th, shave ready, and aside from feeling like a much bigger and heavier blade, the first two shaves with it have been rather harsh. Noticed as well, not getting as close a shave as with the others. Now I know, from my own little experience, that it is me getting used to a new razor, which is obviously affecting my angles etc....but I also know, 6 or 7 shaves from now, it will be second nature and I will be comfortable with it. If I'm not or just don't like it? Off to the Classifieds it goes.

Point is, give yourself lots of time, like Ed says, to map out your face, get comfortable holding and using the blade, and with time, it will all come together. After all, just think, people used to shave like this all the time, and to them it was normal, par for the course, they did it, you can do it - and it's fun!!

Thanks for all the support guys, I'm going to keep at it until I get it right. I'm sure I will have many questions along the way but hey thats half the fun of it right? I know what you mean about being a contortionist.. I was wondering how in the world I was going to get to parts of my face.. I need a couple extra hands or something..lol

Hey LFS,

Welcome! I'm relatively new myself. Lurked for a long time and soaked up as much info as I could before delving into the rabbit hole. I've been SR shaving for less than 6 months now and I don't have a ton to add that the more experience users haven't already

Having a shave ready razor honed by someone who knows what they're doing is definitely the most important thing. Then comes technique and prep (IMO). The learning curve is certainly going to be different for everyone, and while I don't profess to be close to perfect, my first shave (a ralph Aust 5/8 full hollow bought from SRD) took around 45mins, but with no nicks/cuts and irritation. Never underestimate the power of good hand eye coordination . The better your hand eye cord, the easier you'll pick up using the proper angles as well as proper stropping technique. speaking of stropping, I really only strop around 20 laps max and with very little pressure on the blade. Others do it 40-50. To each their own. I'm certainly in no position to tell the more experienced guys anything different.

My routine for prep is usually just using cold water. I like it better just because I live in an insanely hot climate and with hot water, i was just sweating the whole time haha. I soak my brush first and leave it for a few minutes. Wash my face with cold water. Fling the excess water from my brush and do a tiny dip into my Castle Forbes shave cream. A little goes a LOOONG way. Then i work up the lather in my wide mug. If it's too dry just add a few drops of water. Lather up the face... rinse and repeat if you want to. I usually don't. Sometimes I even use some shave oil before lathering up. Again, not necessary I don't think. Then I'm ready to roll. I think the biggest difference from my first shave to now (besides getting my time down to around 10-15 mins), is the pressure I use. Very little pressure, almost let the weight of the blade do the work for you. Particularly when I'm using a heavier grind and a larger sized one like my TI 6/8 half hollow. This will help prevent you from rolling the edge with too much pressure, particularly with the softer steels. Same thing with stropping.

Anyhow, patience is the word! Good luck.

Ape arms are useful. It's also worth playing around with different grips. I need to utilise quite a few to get all my face shaved. Tilting your head down to one side and pulling your neck skin up above your jawline makes neck shaving easier sometimes.

Originally Posted by edhewitt

Ape arms are useful. It's also worth playing around with different grips. I need to utilise quite a few to get all my face shaved. Tilting your head down to one side and pulling your neck skin up above your jawline makes neck shaving easier sometimes.

Like this?






Mick

Originally Posted by MickR

Like this?





Mick

No, you need more neck on your face