Thread: Intro and First try. :)

I am a forty-something that has been interesting in giving the art of manly shaving a try for a while.

I bought a Sight-Unseen razor, Poor Man's Strop kit, Badger Brush, Soap sample, Safety Razor (for backup) etc. from WhippedDog.

Broke everything out for the first time last night. Been reading, watching vids, etc...

After shower I prepped and lathered. I took the straight in my left (dominant) hand and lightly shaved a small patch on the left side of my face in the sideburn area all the way down to my neck without any drama.

Tried the same area on the right with my right hand. I was remarkably uneasy on this side, and only touched a tiny area before chickening out.

I figured that was enough for the first night and finished up a nice close shave with the safety razor, cleaned up my stuff and called it good.

The whipped dog stuff was remarkably inexpensive and seems to be adequate to the tasks.

Is it normal/OK to shave with a straight in one hand only, or is there some unseen pitfall that may result in me slashing my throat if I try?

Richard

It would be worth it to use both hands if possible as it can get hard to see whats going on with one hand on the opposite side, that being said there are quite a few on here that only use one hand. You can practice by lathering up and using a dull razor shaped object with the weak side hand to get some muscle memory.

I am by no means an expert. But I believe that your less likely to slash your throat if you are confident with what your doing. Personally I did my first dozen or so shaves with only my dominant hand. And have slowly worked in my non Dom hand. I know this isn't what's preached here but I believe the technique that works best is the technique you're most comfortable with. Stick with it. It's worth it

Welcome to SRP! Think of this way, you have the rest of your life to practice shaving using both hands. It definitely takes time to get used to using your non-dominant hand. Take it slowly and it will come.

Hello, and welcome to the SRP forum. Yes it is quite normal to shake with your weak. hand. Just keep at it and it will come around, and only shave what you are comfortable with on your weak hand, and you will find you will be covering more area with each shave. Take it slow an enjoy the journey !!

You should do what is comfortable for you.
I learned with two hands and got better shaves from my non dominant hand starting out.
Then I had to go back and learn to do it all with one hand as I picked up a Kamisori and wanted to do it right/traditional like.

Many here use one hand, many use both.

Relax and enjoy!

Hi and welcome. I tried using both hands to start but gave up and just went one handed. Lately now I'm more proficient I've started trying again and found it easier this time. Really it is personal preference and what works for you.

G'day and welcome to SRP ....Speedster, Walter,eddy79, Pfries and the rest of the gents have made excellent observations.
Take it easy, don't rush, be comfortable and find your own personal "groove".

As a matter of interest, what type of straight did you get from Whipped Dog ?
When starting out, I found a round point razor best and the least likely to cut my face !!

I have been shaving with the one hand for almost 3 years now, the main issue in my case with shaving with one hand is the first with the grain pass on the opposite cheek. (your right cheek in your case since you are a lefty) it is hard to get it as smooth.

With that being said, when you re-lather and take your second across the grain pass. It will all even out to be about the same on both cheeks.

I recently tried shaving with my left hand for that cheek and I must say, I got much better results from that first pass so I am slowly incorporating it now into my shave. I dont regret learning with one hand to begin with and then trying the left hand, I know a lot more about angles and pressure now so its kind of a safer approach.

Thanks for the encouragement!

I think I will be able to use both hands eventually with practice.

As for the razor from WhippedDog, I will take a photo of it tonight.

I was very pleased with the three pass shave with safety razor and Bald Frog Soap. I will be very excited when I get to do more with the straight.

Never used anything except cartridge/disposable razors in my life. Always been an against the grain guy, so I am used to a pretty close shaves. The result with the safety was more luxuriously close than I expected and feels very nice. No irritation or blood, but since I am cheating by working on a mustache/goatee at present, I did not have to do the hard parts

I've had barber shaves (shavette) a couple of times with mixed results (not close enough or missed spots).