Originally, my vision for this post was "What I learned after my first five straight razor shaves" but as some of you already know, after my fourth shave I noticed a nice ding in the blade and sent it off to get repaired. So as I sit here licking my wounds, I'll reflect on my first four shaves:


1. The blade is sharp. Like all things dangerous, it can hurt you and must be respected. It is also very delicate, ref. above. If I had a time machine, I would have spent a couple days to practice handling the blade and getting a feel for it before holding it to my face.


2. Prep really is important and not all shaving creams/soaps are created equal. I started with a brand you can find at many shopping malls (first word starts with an A and second with an S). That didn't cut it. Moved on to Proraso cream (green & white tube), and started to see much better results right away.


3. Most say to use a 30 degree angle. What works well for me is to lay the blade flat against your face and open the angle to approximately one spline width and adjust from there to find that "sweet spot".

4. Stropping, like straight razor shaving, is an acquired skill. I've sliced my strop more than once and will probably do it again. Go slow and pay attention. Rotate on the spline, don't roll on the blade edge.


5. I never considered using witch hazel until I saw it was highly recommended by other members. I'm glad I "discovered" it. Soothing and refreshing after shave treatment that can be used before a fragrant aftershave/balm. I'm using Thayer's original with aloe at the moment.


Again, these are my lessons learned after just four shaves so take it for what it's worth. Hope this helps anyone out there thinking about starting or is just starting out.


Cheers.