Thread: Man, know thy (face).

From a beginner, to beginners...

So going on 3 months now of learning to use a straight, and having watched pretty much every online video I could possibly find, I'm beginning to realize that the #1 key to using a straight is knowing your own face. Not strops or CrOX or type of razor or even lathering... what works for Lynn or for anyone else on this board will be different from you. Based upon your hair type and hair direction, you have to tailor specifically to your own face. A guy shaving 30 years with a straight can tell you something, but it could be totally wrong if your face is different. Even things like how my arms bend or how I can best stretch my face are critical factors in getting a good shave.

So... bottom line is that the videos are great for starting, but the only real way to learn is through experimentation and figuring out the best way to shave YOUR face. Once you figure out your face and hair patterns, the rest is just icing on the cake.

Yes, knowing your face is vital in my opinion too. Going exactly against the grain is very important for me to get a close one; and it's not just going from bottom to top. To go atg on my neck I would have to go exactly from right to left. I haven't found a good way to do that with a straight yet. I kinda do a slicing stroke and can get satisfactory but not perfect results. Thats all part of the learning curve!

Best shaves,
OldSalt

Imagine the old time barbers who had to shave everyone who came into the shop and in those days a BBS and comfort was the norm, it was expected. Anything else and the barber might find himself deep-sixed by the customer.

The trick is to learn to map out your beard. Once you learn that lesson well you can shave anybody no matter how different the individual beard might be. A few minutes of serious faceturbating can pay big dividends even if you're not a professional barber.

I have the same issue with my neck. I have found that if you go ATG on your neck first, you will get a closer shave than waiting for the second pass.

I remember when I first realized that the hair on my neck grows differently than every video I watched learning how to shave. lol It was smooth sailing from then on.

Will give that a try.my neck hair grows horizontally ...horrid to shave.

Same issue for me... took me about a month to realize just how jacked up the hair direction on my neck is!

For those of you with side to side issues on the neck, check out my posts on #12 and #14 here, http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...ml#post1028898. It seems to have helped others at times. It might be of use to you too.

@OCDshave... ha ha ha! That is/was my exact solution as well!! And here I thought I was all clever to come up with it on my own.

Originally Posted by MajorEthanolic

@OCDshave... ha ha ha! That is/was my exact solution as well!! And here I thought I was all clever to come up with it on my own.

I doubt there is anything we can truly discover as unique when it comes to SR shaving. I'm sure its all been done before.