Thread: Beginner, First Shave With Oxford Razor -- Germania Cutl Works

Welcome to SR shaving!!!! Well it sounds like it didn't go too poorly. My guess as to why not much hair came off is perhaps your angle was too small. Generally you want angle of 30 degrees when going WTG. That is about a spine width off your skin I have heard in other places. Try that next time and see if it works better for you. Good luck and keep us updated.

Welcome Bob. It is one of those things that takes time and practice . There is something to be said about learning over the Internet but nothing beats one on one mentoring, check the listings and see if you can find a member in your area to help you out. One of the first things I do when I read one of these posts is to see were the OP is located in relation to me in case I am able to offer my assistance.

When I started I was very nervous on my first few shaves. My results showed just how scared I was to cut myself or how excited I was to be shaving like grandpa. As soon as the initial excitement/nerve wore off around shave three or four I was able to focus on what was actually going on. I was moving the blade very slow in the beginning. Not just short controlled stokes but SLOOOOW strokes. I kept watching videos. I kept at it and changed my angle a bit. All of this with a little more speed and I was getting super close shaves.

It is hard to actually practice. Going through the motions is great but you get no real results. Shaving everyday helped.

Last thing, dry lather makes for uncomfortable shave. We all want rich creamy lather but when starting out we sometimes go slow and the lather dries up on us. Re lather mid pass if this is happening.

Originally Posted by guitstik

Welcome Bob. It is one of those things that takes time and practice . There is something to be said about learning over the Internet but nothing beats one on one mentoring, check the listings and see if you can find a member in your area to help you out. One of the first things I do when I read one of these posts is to see were the OP is located in relation to me in case I am able to offer my assistance.

Thanks a lot for the advice and support -- Finding a mentor is a great idea. One problem for me is that I am deaf, that is, I can't hear. So communication will be a bit of a challenge. I will see if I can find a mentor in the Washington, D. C. or metro area. (Any deaf straight razor mentors out there?) I'm not sure how to find someone, but I'll check into it. Thanks again for the suggestion!

Originally Posted by JTmke

When I started I was very nervous on my first few shaves. My results showed just how scared I was to cut myself or how excited I was to be shaving like grandpa. As soon as the initial excitement/nerve wore off around shave three or four I was able to focus on what was actually going on. I was moving the blade very slow in the beginning. Not just short controlled stokes but SLOOOOW strokes. I kept watching videos. I kept at it and changed my angle a bit. All of this with a little more speed and I was getting super close shaves.

It is hard to actually practice. Going through the motions is great but you get no real results. Shaving everyday helped.

Last thing, dry lather makes for uncomfortable shave. We all want rich creamy lather but when starting out we sometimes go slow and the lather dries up on us. Re lather mid pass if this is happening.

This is exactly how I feel, also! Thank you for the encouragement, I am switching over to shaving at night because I feel more relaxed then and I am more patient. Also, thank you for mentioning that dry lather does not help. I am using Geo F. Trumper Rose cream and the lather does seem to dry on my face very quickly and I get a cloud of little "flakes" in the air after a few minutes. I will re-lather. I am thinking of buying some glycerin and mixing it into the lather to help keep it moist a little longer. I know the main advice is to re-lather as needed and I'll do that.

Tonight will be my 2nd shave, I will see how it goes.

Sounds like you are off to a normal start. Don't worry, I think most of use were a little tentative when first starting out. That does not help the shave any but you will gain confidence as you go along and you strokes will become more confident. For the first pass WTG there should be a space between the spine of the razor and your face of about 2 spine widths which should approximate a 30 degree angle. That may be part of the reason you saw so little whisker in your lather. Keep the blade nearly flat to your face reserved for the eventual ATG pass. I would not strop the razor before your second shave either as it has seen so little use. Keep in mind too that the idea is not to remove all the whiskers on the first pass. It is more a process of gradual whisker reduction through the various passes. Let us know how your second shave goes.

Bob

Have heard mentioned that a good way to get your angle right is to start with the blade flat and as the stroke progresses lift yhe spine slight. You should soon be able to figure out the best angle for the and you will definitely know if you have to high an angle

Welcome to SR, i am beginner too, you gonna enjoy with Razor shaving..........