First straight razor shave review
Hey guys!
I just had my first straight razor shave yesterday and all I have to say is... Wow! I wish I started using these years ago! I have been using a DE razor for almost two years I believe which gave me pretty good shaves but not nearly as good as the straight. To my surprise I couldn't believe how easy it was to use. Did a two pass shave WTG & ATG/XTG with no problems at all. I NEVER go against the grain due to very sensitive skin but as I was shaving I decided just to try a small area. Then, when I felt no irritation, it was like winning the lottery! Needless to say SRD set me up with a very nice razor and TM made one fine strop for me as well. Both of which I'd like to thank. Additionally, getting the stropping down was a lot easier than I thought. For those that are new reading this, practice on your arm using a dull butter knife to get the stropping motion down. Worked wonders for me. I also used SRD soap yesterday with the shave, it's really a nice soap. Most of the scents are good as well. The only three that smell a little funky to me are vetiver, ylang ylang, and patchouli but the others all have a nice scent. Normally, I use Tabac or MWF. Also, bought one of their scuttles which not only looks nice but works well too. I look forward to refining my shave and helping others do the same. For those interested, below is some observations I found that might help others when beginning straight shaving especially those with sensitive, acne prone skin like mine.
Observations:
- Pre-shave prep is essential. Using warm NOT hot water to pre-wash your face. Beard softener (conditioner). pre-shave oil (I use throughout although depending on your skin chemistry you may not need this).
- Keeping the lather on your face hydrated (often a problem if you shave on the slower side).
- Short strokes focusing on correct angle and light pressure. (I felt DE shaving really taught me how to apply light pressure perfectly and that skill immediately carried over into the straight.)
- At the end of the shave wash face with warm water first then cold water. For my skin, using a acne wash at the end of my warm wash followed by the cold wash works well.
- Apply post shave cream. Personally, I apply different creams to different parts of my face due to sensitivity variations.
- A good piece of advise I was given is "don't shave more than your face can handle".
