Quote Originally Posted by Andrew1016 View Post
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.