first "shave" and no blood !!

had the privilege of getting a razor honed by Brad Maggard while i browsed his shop yesterday. Nice guy and very helpful. if you have a chance and are close to Adrian MI do your self a favour and stop by and see him. Anyway i couldn't wait to give it a try so this morning i had a go at it. i must say i was surprised at how awkward it felt (i'm usually coordinated with my hands). just stuck to the side burn areas and jaw line. Felt like my view was blocked (no matter which hand i used) in the side-burn area and could just see myself cutting an ear off. This made me nervous since it was a Sunday morning and i could just imagine SWMBO having a fit getting me to the hospital before church. the other problem i had was the razor sticking to my face.( i'm pretty sure i was holding it too flat) or maybe my lather was too thick? Using my left hand seemed even worse. Guess they're right when they say there's a learning curve.

Congratulations!

Yes, it's the learning curve, but eventually you will shave and wonder how you shaved any other way. On the weekends, I'll do a nice hot shower,and a hot shave, but when I'm busy and the time's not there, I love my cold shave.

Once you get a good shave routine down with the hot, then you get to try the cold shave. My cold shave is done in under 10 minutes...great shave.

This is a video that got me into str8 shaving, his name is Willi, and it turns out he was / is a member here. Great video, and shows that with practice, we can become experts as well.

It's called, "The Manliest Shave Ever", and first time I read the title, I thought he was going to shave with the large knife hanging on his kitchen wall. Enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=_Q4IRoaJH34

Congrats. I still remember how I felt when I first started. You need to watch many videos. It is amazing how much you can take in from them. Focus on technique and most important just shave. Practice is the key. My last piece of advice is to work on your technique but listen to your body and find your own style (meaning slightly different grip - keep angle low and shave on).

Luis

Congrats. Yea, it will feel awkward at first and there is indeed a steep learning curve. Take your time to get comfortable with the whole process, make haste slowly. You will eventually get a handle on how to deal with the blocked view.

Bob

When I got my stuff in the mail I went straight upstairs to try it out, I got all set up, made some frothy bubbles&Water mixture off of the soap, grabbed my razor and bamm started shaking like a little girl, that sharp blade scared the crap out of me at first. Keep at it eventually it will be second nature.

Also, I wish I only had to shave as much of my neck as the guy in the video it would be so much more convenient

I noticed he used mainly north and south direction, is that just a matter of individual hair growth direction or was he skipping the WTG pass and going straight to the XTG?

In the video he does what works for him. We all have different hair growth and types. Some are happy with a wtg and a touch up others need 3 passer and touch up. Its all ymmv. Only way to find out is shave and see whats good for YOU. Best advice I got is wipe the lather off only and don't shave. Yes the preassure needed is really that light. Too much preassure means burn, nicks and irritation. Good luck finding your routine.

congratulations!
there was no blood on my face until 6 attempt.

Quick update: second attempt went much better though it was several hours after my shower so i'm not sure about some of the tugging around the chin. I stuck mainly around the sideburns, jawline and even ventured to try the neck a little. A few nicks but nothing that required band aids or toilet paper!

Sounds like you're off to a fine start. A few small nicks once in a while is par for the course.