Thread: Introduction and first question

Hi Richard,

Since Neem is a plant oil, it's probably going to do what all vegetable oils eventually do, and that's polymerize. Like linseed oil, the base for paints and many other finishes. Best to stay in the mineral world for oil on your blade. I favor gun oil because it spreads out over the metal, rather than beading up like mineral oil (baby oil) tends to do.

And, like the others have said, Welcome!

On a side note: this morning I shampooed and conditioned my brush for the first time (I didn't think to do it when I first got it - just rinsed it really thoroughly), and holy smokes does it lather up AWESOME now. Plus, the bristles were fairly coarse - not uncomfortable - before, but now it's like brushing my face with Angel hair. It's not an expensive brush - $12 on Amazon and the only thing printed on the side of the wooden handle is, "Escali."

Something I thought of today during my shave: when I rub in a little neem or olive oil before lathering up, it feels like the blade it sloughing through mud and pulling harder on the skin. There's no hair pulling, and the blade cuts nice and clean, but there's just a lot more resistance to the edge sliding.

Any suggestions?

Originally Posted by rkuchenbecker

Something I thought of today during my shave: when I rub in a little neem or olive oil before lathering up, it feels like the blade it sloughing through mud and pulling harder on the skin. There's no hair pulling, and the blade cuts nice and clean, but there's just a lot more resistance to the edge sliding.

Any suggestions?

Personally I'd Skip the oil before shaving!!!! Be sure to either apply some lather to your face and rub it in and then rinse it off and re-lather OR use some shampoo and then lather and go! I've found that this removes any body oil from the face and facial hair so that the lather can soak in to the whiskers and allows the lather to do it's job and lubricate the skin!!

Give it a go and see what happens!!!

Also, I use some liquid dish soap to remove any soap scum after shaving then dry the blade well and use Ballistol to lightly coat the blade and edge to prevent oxidization.

Enjoy the Ride! It's a long strange trip but it's worth the journey!

Yes, oiling before the shave makes a slippery mess. I use vitamin E oil, several drops rubbed into the face, the night before I shave the next morning. It has soaked in good before the shave, but seems to make the shave go nicer.
Try a hand towel soaked with really hot water over a lathered-up face (2 applications) for a minute or so before lathering up to shave.
Makes all the difference in the world.
What lather are you using? Many will benefit from 4 or 5 drops of Glycerine in the mug as well!

Gotta add my 2.5 cents (inflation you know). I cold shave. Before I lather I splash cold water on my face and rub a small amount of Cremo or Kiss My Fase into my beard. It mixes with the lather and forms a nice cushion for my shave..

My names Andrew. Im 26 and picked up a straight razor for the first time a couple weeks ago. I went to the barber shop a couple months ago and got a straight razor side shave with my haircut. Ive been hooked ever since. I did some research and finally settled on the Buffalo Horn Damascus Straight Razor and Luxury Shave Set from straightrazor.com

So far ive enjoyed it. been shaving with it for about a week. after a little practice on a balloon i found myself trying it on my face with some pretty good results. Im getting more comfortable with my own face and holding a sharp razor to it. My questions are what kind of preshave oil should i use? How can i get a closer shave on the neck, my hair is fairly course and i feel like there is too much tug if i try against the grain. yes my razor is shave ready and i strop it atleast before i shave daily. what would someone recommend as a second razor. The one i have is a round tip.

Originally Posted by Andrew1016

My names Andrew. Im 26 and picked up a straight razor for the first time a couple weeks ago. I went to the barber shop a couple months ago and got a straight razor side shave with my haircut. Ive been hooked ever since. I did some research and finally settled on the Buffalo Horn Damascus Straight Razor and Luxury Shave Set from straightrazor.com

So far ive enjoyed it. been shaving with it for about a week. after a little practice on a balloon i found myself trying it on my face with some pretty good results. Im getting more comfortable with my own face and holding a sharp razor to it. My questions are what kind of preshave oil should i use? How can i get a closer shave on the neck, my hair is fairly course and i feel like there is too much tug if i try against the grain. yes my razor is shave ready and i strop it atleast before i shave daily. what would someone recommend as a second razor. The one i have is a round tip.

Welcome Andrew,

As Rich can probably tell you there is a big difference between what the factory calls shave ready and what we call shave ready on the forum. I started with a Gold Dollar as well, Funny how college kids seem to find those, and thought it was good until i used a properly honed edge. World of difference. It looks like you got some good stuff in the kit but from personal experience unless you paid a fortune for a Damascus blade it is probably not a good one. They tend to be to hard and therefore brittle and will not hold a proper edge. I tried. never worked.

Originally Posted by Andrew1016

My names Andrew. Im 26 and picked up a straight razor for the first time a couple weeks ago. I went to the barber shop a couple months ago and got a straight razor side shave with my haircut. Ive been hooked ever since. I did some research and finally settled on the Buffalo Horn Damascus Straight Razor and Luxury Shave Set from straightrazor.com

So far ive enjoyed it. been shaving with it for about a week. after a little practice on a balloon i found myself trying it on my face with some pretty good results. Im getting more comfortable with my own face and holding a sharp razor to it. My questions are what kind of preshave oil should i use? How can i get a closer shave on the neck, my hair is fairly course and i feel like there is too much tug if i try against the grain. yes my razor is shave ready and i strop it atleast before i shave daily. what would someone recommend as a second razor. The one i have is a round tip.

Andrew, forget the preshave oil. There are many other, cheaper methods. Some people use a little olive oil as a pre and post shave.. Some use a dab of Cremo or Kiss My Face as a preshave. Just wet your face and rub it in and then apply your lather. You need to got to the SRP wiki's and read all you can about shaving different parts of the face. A lot of questions will be answered there. Like different types of shaving strokes for different parts of the face and neck. Unless you are adventurous I'd stick with a round tip for a second razor. Spike points, unless you stay almost hyper aware of where that point is on your fave, will bite you without mercy - I speak from experience. Just in case though, get a styptic pencil for the little nicks and weepers. A number of shavers would suggest that with coarser hair a razor with a wedge grind is best. They seem to mow it down better than the hollow grinds.

Originally Posted by sharptonn

What lather are you using?

Typically, I go back and forth between Aveeno's shave gel for sensitive skin and Barbasol, but I have a can of Proraso in the mail and on the way, and I plan to start trying out different soaps. I prefer to change only one variable at a time (to ensure I know what does what), and since I have been fighting some pretty wicked acne for the last two years (no issues through teen years, and then BAM), my options are limited with face products. It has been slowly clearing up, though.

Rich

Edit: Before trying out a lot of different products, I wanted to get comfortable with the razor and brush using what I know already.

Edit: Just a side note: I also tried Dr. Carver's Easy Shave Butter (non-lather), and while I love it with a two-blade cartridge, I gave it to my girlfriend because I didn't care for the results with a straight razor.

Try a tube of Coate's Superior Tea Tree Shaving Cream for Problem Skin, under $4 a tube. Sent a tube to a teenage shaver with acne and he said it has helped a great deal.