Thread: First experience with a straight, need some feedback

I recently purchased a "ready to shave" dovo astrale from shavingsupplies.com . Along with the razor I also purchased a Jemico Razor Strop 18" Rindleder Leather Single Sided and a badger hair brush.
I started off by stropping the blade maybe 15 times, washed my face with warm water then lathered up with shaving cream and proceeded shaving downwards on both cheeks. I have to say that i have really thick hair and that the blade was pretty smooth until I reached the chin area where it was pulling and "jumping" as i tried to shave. Is this normal for someone who has really thick and dense chin hair?

Also, do i really need to have a double sided strop (linen/leather)?

Finally, whats the difference between shaving soap and shaving cream that comes in a bottle.


Thanks in advance

Originally Posted by oogi

I have to say that i have really thick hair and that the blade was pretty smooth until I reached the chin area where it was pulling and "jumping" as i tried to shave. Is this normal for someone who has really thick and dense chin hair?

It's normal for a razor that isn't quite sharp enough (common for a new razor), hasn't been stropped enough (common mistake for new shavers), or a beard that isn't quite prepped enough (common for new guys). Most guys here strop for 20+ laps before shaving (I do 40, some do 60). Also most of us wash our face and lather up, then strop, so the lather has a few minutes to work on our beard.

Originally Posted by oogi

Also, do i really need to have a double sided strop (linen/leather)?

Not really. My main strop has leather on both sides.

Originally Posted by oogi

Finally, whats the difference between shaving soap and shaving cream that comes in a bottle.

Shaving cream in a bottle is designed to protect your skin from the 2-5th blades after the first blade has scraped most of the cream off. Some of them also contain mild anesthetics to minimise the feeling of razor burn. The aerosol shaving creams in a can generally don't do much at all, to be honest, except tell you where you've shaved.

The shaving soaps (and lathering creams like Palmolive "red") helps hold water against your whiskers and contain oils which do a very good job of softening them for the razor, and provide enough slipperiness to minimise the risk of the razor catching and nicking you. The brush helps lift the whiskers so the lather can get underneath them, and helps blend the soap and water together into a creamy lather. The lather doesn't need to be as thick and gummy as a gel because there's only the one blade to worry about, not a whole battery of them coming in all at once.

And a $1 puck of shaving soap will last you 6 months to a year.

lots of questions there.

- do you need a linen/leather strop. no you don't need one. alot of people use them and like them but its not 100% essential. maybe people only use leather and that works fine for them also. the linen is a bit more abrassive which heats up the metal which helps to align the micro serations which form in the edge. this is what you are doing on the leather side also but the linen helps heat it up before hand. oh it also helps to remove very badly aligned serations in an overhoned edges by the same abrassive properties.

- soap/cream. first the soap out of gillette that you buy in the store. its mass produced, isn't of the highest quality ingrediants, some people say it actually dries out their skin. where if you buy nice shaving soap/creams it will cushion and moisturize and be good for your skin. this is part of the mistique of shaving is enjoying your lather and the smell from the scent choices. now, between good soaps and good creams..thats own personal opinion on whichever you like. i started out with creams becuase they are easier to get to thick creamy lather and they cushion more meaning will help as you learn your technique. i have since moved to only using soaps as i feel they give closer shaves, come in many more scents and rinse off nicely.

- as for the pulling. there are a number of factors..each of which is probably in there but i can't tell you which you are experiencing from that description. so here they are:
- sharp shave ready razor. makes huge difference. it says its shave ready but was it honed by someone who knows how to hone razors. many are advertised as shaving sharp but really are not. if you had it honed or they had a service to hone it then so be it.. if not and its straight out of the box then it probably needs to be honed by someone who knows how.
- technique. this is the biggest factor for new people. learning angles to hold the blade, angles of hair growth and how hard to push are the most important and they are things you will learn with some patience and time. it takes TIME....let me say that again, it takes TIME so go slow, do a new added part of your face every few days or a week till you learn it all.
- lastly and this is for all people starting. your skin and face need to get used to the straight razor. there is a slight "pulling" or friction feeling when you first start straight shaving. its becuase you are cutting more hair per stroke and there isn't 15blades to raise and multichop each strand of hair. this feeling is normal to the experienced users and soon you won't notice it (until you need to sharpen the razor again).

overall you really need to take your time to learn. do parts of the face and grow into it. if you are red or raw or tender from shaving, take a day off. let your skin heal. this is important in the first couple weeks as you learn your technique and your skin learns the feeling.

hope that helps
~J

thanks alot for the help everyone

Do you think its not ready to shave if it came from shavingsupplies.com?

I have Zirh shaving cream i cant seem to get it lathered that much, can this brand get lathered?

Probably not shave ready. Sounds like you got lucky though or have a knack for stropping. A little honing is probably in order.

Zihr shaving cream is non-foaming.

Can a beginner like myself hone a razor correclty by watching a few videos?

I'll probably get a lot of dissent, but I'd say "No". I would practice first on another razor and read a lot first. A razor this close to shaving properly is often made more dull by the first honing attempts. Watching videos is a great first step, but not enough to pull it off with the first attempt.

There are a lot of options though, like a paddle strop or a really slow barber hone that might give you a decent shot, say 75% chance, of getting it really quick.

I have to agree with AF. I would not attempt to hone that razor. I would send it out for honing and in the meantime get a junk razor off Eboy and use it to practice honing just to get the right feel and practice the moves. Once your comfortable with that and your razor needs honing again you'll be ready and you'll have a benchmark for what sharp is once it comes back sharpened.

You can teach yourself to hone, but I have to agree with the other members and strongly suggest that you use a cheap razor, and have the other razor honed up by a member as a standard for comparison. The most important thing is to make sure the razor stays completely flat against the hone and very little pressure is used. Lifting the razor and pushing it against the edge of a hone is a great way to dull it or knock out a chip of the razor. However, I think honing is a great skill to have.

Here's another vote for learning to hone on an e-bay special. You will learn just as fast, not ruin an almost shave ready blade in the process, and certainly get more immediate tactile feedback from a razor that starts out as sharp as a butter knife.

Just another data point,
Ed