Thread: My first shave....Well I guess I did all right. Or not

Im posting this as a beginners perspective to the straight shave and to receive some advice on some issues i ran into. So, here is my first experience.

So I got my new Dovo wet shave SR kit from straight razor designs yesterday so i couldn't wait to attempt my first shave. So I worked out this morning and jumped right into the hot shower to prep my face with much anticipation.

I got the unscented shave soap and standard brush with the kit and started my first lather. It lathered as nicely as i could expect and applied a nice thick coat to a 3 or 4 day growth of whiskers. I then jumped right in with the razor in my right hand and began on the sideburns as lynn instructs with very light pressure. I had a little tugging with the whiskers but eventually got the right angle and it went smoothly. Then did the left ones. Worked great.... THen I got cocky

I know, I know Against Recommendations. But anyways, I began the cheeks then the jaw line. Seemed to work fine. As I began on the neck i began to feel some irritation on my face. But i pressed on and finished with only one small nick under my chin. I applied nivea after shave balm with some stinging sensation and realized i got too cocky.

So, all in all, i did not kill myself and really cant complain too much but have a few questions.
If I do not put enough pressure will it cause that irritation that i experienced or did I do something else wrong. Again it was a dove 5/8 shave ready from SRD. I have fairly sensitive skin with a not to thick beard(i am swedish so it doesnt grow in thick).
These are just my first experiences i wanted to share with other beginners and maybe even give a chuckle to some of you experienced shavers at my misfortune and bad decisions.
Thanks for your time!
KS

I'm a jump into the pool kinda person and did the same thing. Expect some irritation for a while I would say, but trust me keep practicing. Maybe limit number of passes until you get your technique down to limit irritation? Did you strop the blade prior to shaving without, hopefully not so you will have a true sharpness benchmark. I find the shorter my whiskers the easier it goes; though it's a lot cooler to wipe a ton of hair off your blade. Things I have found super important is skin stretching and making your strokes very deliberate. Not downward pressure, but forward pressure. As always watch you angles and some true experts should chime in shortly.

Sounds like it went well! I don't think you're being cocky at all, I did the same thing, only I honed my own razor too.
I would think that going from whatever you used to shave with, to a straight would cause some irritation and only because of the lack of experience.
Keep your face wet & Lathered, watch your angles, and keep the pressure light. With time, practice & patience these thing's will disappear or lessen, or not. If they don't step back and examine your bread prep, maybe explore preshave oil's or pre/post creams.

Um....I like my bread with butter..........but my Beard prep, is totally different, haha lol -on night shift forgive me....

Congrats on the shave. Sometimes the irritation is caused by blade angle, too much pressure as stated. Since the razor came from SRD, it is not the edge. Keep an eye on your angle. If the angle is too great, your literally scraping the hair off instead of cutting it. Another important aspect is pulling your skin so the whiskers stand up. Eventually you'll learn the direction the whiskers grow. This allows a more comfortable shave since you can get the whiskers to stand up by pulling your skin.
In due time, you'll be getting close, comfortable shaves. It takes time and patience.