Thread: First Straight Shave "WOOHOO!"

Gathered up my courage, all of my needful goodies, (including duct tape and superglue... just in case), and got down to the business of my first straight shave. It wasn't as bad as I had anticipated it to be. Seeing how my head is still attached to my shoulders, I'd say it went very well. Not one single nick! I did have trouble effectively maneuvering the razor between the tips of my mustache and my goats patch, and had to resort to the ol' disposable razor to touch up those areas, but that's okay, for now. I also need to work on my technique for shaving cross grain on my neck. I'm only comfortable going up and down on my neck. Sideways felt way too awkward. That'll come too, given time and practice. All in all it was a very pleasant experience. I'm glad that I decided to make the switch to straight shaving.

Good start!

Depending on which way you whiskers grow on your neck, try kind of a 'windshield wiper' stroke after your first N-S pass. I find it catches a lot of the scaggly neck area whiskers and saves me from slicing my throat.

My neck has always been a tricky area as well even with a DE. I'm still figuring it out but seems I cannot find a way to do it well w/out several passes followed by touchups which I assume is because it grows in several different directions, and being new to the sport. Keep at it!!! I dont remember who but one of the "old pros" in one of the vids I watched says it takes about one hundred shaves to really get it down. I haven't been counting but noticed after a month or so I was getting consistently good shaves w/out fear of nicks or decapitation

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Originally Posted by Gilligan

I dont remember who but one of the "old pros" in one of the vids I watched says it takes about one hundred shaves to really get it down. I haven't been counting but noticed after a month or so I was getting consistently good shaves w/out fear of nicks or decapitation

I'm not an old pro having started last June (ok, I'm old, but not a pro at this sport), BUT I am about 125-150 SR shaves in and it is only in the last month that I've started to get good shaves every day. Some BBS (by my wife's standards), some DFS by mine, but all better than I get with any other 'shaving tool'....and I consider my SRs pieces of fine craftsmanship, not ordinary 'tools', both because they are great to look at and hold, but also because I have a role in making them as good as they can be each shave.

Easier than you thought, hm?

Great,,, now don't get too confident and keep at what your doing. The little tricks will come after you get comfortable with it. I am one of those guys that can pull neck skin all kinds of directions and that is how I get most of the problem areas. There are strokes called guillotine and scything. Try them on a flat area first. I have never attempted going cross ways on the neck but those moves can finish off the clean up on my neck.