Thread: Cry like a baby

Waaa, Waaa! I felt like crying like a baby....

Last night I took a shower and decided to attempt my second shave. For extra softening, I did the hot towel, applied soap, did the hot towel again, re-lathered the soap, did my strop duty, and started shaving.

Again, no blood, but much dragging. After a second pass on the down stroke (with a hot towel and a re-lather in between), I decided to try to do a cross grain. The results are somewhat better. Again, no blood.

After I was done, I applied some Gillette after shave gel for sensitive skin. Well, the closest way I can describe my reaction is McCauley Culkin in 'Home Alone'.

OUCH!!!

Talk about razor burn. My whole face is on fire. After an hour, I re-applied the gel and it still burned. Another hour passed, I re-applied the gel and felt another wave of pain.
At this point, I think that I really need to consider my stropping technique. As my razor did not even come close on the 'hanging hair test'. Since the honemeister put an edge on my razor, I know that isn't the problem. Has to be my stropping.

Oh well....

Hopefully, tomorrow night will be better.

pete_bogg

Sounds like you'll also need to touch up the edge before shaving with it.

OK, stop man, you are killing me - first thing, if the razor is pulling, even a little - making you uncomfortable - stop! Do not continue with the shave, all you are doing is setting yourself for that scraping nasty shave - and remember what they told you in Scouts, you will cut yourself easier with a dull blade then sharp..

I have had this same problem, and sticking it out with a not so sharp blade will just kill the experience for you - because tomorrow you will try again, your face will not have healed and you will hurt more, and then you will want to toss the whole thing - and that is bad. I have to assure you as I sit here with a super close shave, that it really does get better, and the shaves are at least comparable to any electric or BIC wihout the razor burn. BUT I wanted to stop the whole thing too, with my bloddy razor burn...you are lucky, I have gouged whole divots of flesh with dull razors, due to my frustration. My last good cut is still healing three and a half weeks later, no lie. But I think I licked the problem.

What I would tell you is yes, it sounds like, if your razor was sharp before, that you have rounded the edge - you need to really look at and think about your stroke on the strop. Go very slowly marking everything you do; my initial problem was very infuriating - I got a batch of freshly honed razors that over the period of a week, I dulled everyone of them on my strop and what I was doing was so simple..I would make sure the edge was on the blade, roll on the spine and return, no pressure - roll on the spine return, blade flat, etc - Sounds good right? However, I noticed that on the very last stroke, when I was lifting the blade off the strop I would do a flourish off the end of the strop essentially rolling the edge against the leather for the final stroke - destroying all of my work! Keep the strop flat and tight, and you are most of the way there.

It can be this easy and this stupid; since then, after some work on a .5m pasted and watching my stropping, I am good to go. Be critical and analytical, and you will discover the process - if you have to, send the blade for honing to Lynn - get it back and try not to roll it, if that is the problem.

Let you face heal, don't go back after it in frustration.

K

this may have answered a question I was going to post!

after 3 weeks of shaving with my Dovo Astrale I am finding that the blade is 'catching' and starting to scrape my skin leaving me with sore spots and it's also taking more passes to remove the hair.

Is this the same problem?

I think yours just went dull with lots of shaving.

Listen guys, You put the razor to your face and make one stroke by your sideburns and if the razor doesn't go SMOOTHLY down your face you STOP. I really don't understand why guys continue with what is obviously a dull razor and mess up their faces. We don't give any medals here to the guy with the worst case of razor burn (maybe we should eh?). Remember that old movie "the red badge of courage"

I realize you want to shave bad and want to do it now but if it ain't working it ain't going to get better as you shave its only going to get worse, you can't strop on your face.

So if it doesn't start out good stop and review your shave technique, your stropping technique and the keenness of you blade and figure out where the malfunction is and address it before you take up the razor again.

Now I don't want to have to call up the SRP Straight Razor Police to come to your house to adjust your attitude.

Guys, I think I found out where my problem was.

Reviewing Lynn's DVD, I noticed that he was stropping from the side of the strop. I was stropping from the end of the strop. I got the razor out, adjusted myself to the side of the strop and ran several passes. It felt more 'natural' to do it that way. I even ran a few passes on the linen side, then back to the leather side. I also noticed that the spine roll is 'natural' in this position and I did not feel the need to lift the razor.

The only regret is that I wasted the fine job Lynn did on my razor. I now have to either find a hone locally (barber's or Norton 4k/8k), or send my razor back to Lynn. Bummer!

As far as giving up..... Never!!!

I made my mind up that I am going to straight shave, and now I have to slay this beast. I will not give up.

There is one good thing that came about from my short experience. I was able to shave down the front of my neck without causing a major problem. I cannot do so with a cartridge razor, without major razor burn and a lot of ingrown hairs the next day. Actually, the front of my neck was fairly smooth after I got done with it, compared to the rest of my neck. No ingrown hairs today.

I hope a local barber supply has hones. (Fingers, toes and eyes are crossed.) I am eagerly wanting to try again tomorrow, but I know that I need to take a few days off from shaving.

pete_bogg

Originally Posted by pete_bogg

I made my mind up that I am going to straight shave, and now I have to slay this beast. I will not give up.

Just be careful not to slay yourself.

I have to agree with thebigspendur here.
if there is one place where hairs should yield to the razor without any resistance at all, it's on your cheeks below the sideburns.

Make a slow stroke WTG. If that pulls, review your technique, your stropping or (if you did so yourself) your honing.
And make no mistake, beard prep and lathering are at least as important as the razor itself.

My rookie mistakes were to use a wrong angle and skimping on the beard prep.
And not stropping before a shave.

I don't think stropping side / position matters that much.

You do seem to have a dulled edge, indeed.

However - check your angle too. You might be using too big of an angle and then you scrape even with a sharp edge

Cheers
Ivo

Today, I went out and found a Colonel Conk Barber hone (model 110 - white Arkansas stone). I proceeded to water the stone down, and very deliberately (slowly and lightly) hone my razor.

I put in several strokes before moving to the linen side of my strop, and then the leather side of the strop. Several iterations of this process (hone, linen & leather) took about an hour to do. On each iteration, I reduced the number of hone strokes and linen strokes, but kept the leather to 20 strokes.

After I finished, I was able to dry shave some hair off my arm (only a little patch on the bottom, near the wrist). It pulled a little, but not near the pull I was feeling on my face the other night.

I think some more iterations of the hone, linen and leather is in store for my razor before I attempt to shave with it again. (I have to let my face soften up again before I try again.)

Hopefully, I will be able to pick up a Norton 4k/8k and linen paste before too long. Maybe even getting something in the 12k range. (Dreaming...)

Oh well, I thought that a follow-up would be prudent on this thread.


pete_bogg
(On a journey to learn how to shave with a straight razor)