Thread: First Shave, Needs Work

Well the order from whipped dog came in today so I jumped right at it. I didn't cut myself as much as I figured I would so that's a plus! I stopped at two WTG passes, the hardest part was getting the angle right and trying to maneuver around my jawline. Not the best shave ever but it felt great, albeit a bit shaky. The order I got from Larry over at whipped dog was fantastic, I will definitely be a returning customer.

"Colonel Conk" Dovo 5/8"



All this for my first shave, Yikes.
(RAD I believe you fellas call it?)



Silvertip badger from Larry



One tiny little cut

I'm gonna go watch some more videos and try to figure out what I need to work on.

Thanks Y'all!
Brandon

It is good to hear things went well.

Nice set-up for your entry into SR! I think it would be cool to see a time-progressed photo/video of a bathroom or cabinet from when one first starts SR shaving then at 3 months, 6 months, year, 2nd year. It would be neat to see all the gear added and those areas of space disappearing steadily. :-)

I saw your location was here in WA so wanted to drop a line to let you know to keep an eye on this area of the forum:

Get Togethers and Meetings

.. as there will be a Meet coming up in the Spring-ish in Yakima and there has been some discussion about a new Meet in Seattle, Portland or Area going on with no details set but some great initial interest!

Looks like your first run went great! Expect some ups and downs but have fun and enjoy the journey! :-D

Shawn
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Prahston,Can you PM me some more info on the get together in yakima?

I went at 'er again this morning, another cut but I got a much better shave than yesterday. My other half says I look like Edward scissor-hands after he scratches his face, but as long as the mountain-man style beard is gone she stays happy.

I do have a couple questions though;

How often do you guys normally strop your razors?

I cant seem to get a good lather, it's very thin and wont build up, am I using too much water? I have been using the col conk glycerin soaps and the AoS cream soap.

I can see a seven day set in my future, what are your favorite razors? should a 7-day be all 5/8" or is it okay to mix it up a bit?

I strop 20 laps on linen and 60 on leather before shaving, then 12/20 or 20/20 afterwards as part of cleaning & drying the edge.

Others will have advice on lather, but rest assured it's normal to have a learning curve there, and it'll be worth it!

I like for each razor in my rotation to have its own personality: variety is the spice of life. But 5/8 or 6/8 seems to be a beginner-friendly place to start.

When it comes to lather, be sure to put a little hot water on the puck of soap several minutes before you shave. While you showere is a good time to do that. This helps soften the soap and allows it to be pulled off the puck a little easier. Then, be sure to load the brush well with soap.....really work the hell out of it to be sure there is plenty in the brush. I like a very rich lather and probably use a lot more soap/cream than most. Once the brush has taken on a lot of soap, add dribbles of water and work it in thoroughly to whip up your lather. I'm not familiar with that soap but AOS creams lather well enough. Do the same thing, add a gob of cream the size of two dice and load the brush with it. Then add little dribbles of water slowly. You want it rich and thick with a glossy sheen bid you see large bubbles that won't work into the lather, you've got too much water.