Thread: First straight shave this morning

Stropping is very important. Go to this link to learn to strop if you don't know how:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...azor_stropping

Thanks everyone, I've read the articles and watched the videos on stropping in he wiki.

My second shave this morning went much the same as yesterday, though the irritation is mostly on my chin rather than my neck. There is still a lot of tugging, and I feel like I need to put pressure on in order to clean any of the hair off. What do you think I'm doing wrong?

Originally Posted by Ulricus

... What do you think I'm doing wrong?

Not being an expert on Day #2 isn't very weird. It may takes days, weeks or even a month to get a clean shave from a well stropped edge. Learning how to strop a blade properly is harder (but not necessarily safer) than learning how to shave. Relax. Stay focused at all times. Quit while you're ahead for the first few days. Beard'll be there tomorrow.

Originally Posted by Ulricus

There is still a lot of tugging, and I feel like I need to put pressure on in order to clean any of the hair off. What do you think I'm doing wrong?

Heavens no Ulricus! More pressure equals more irritation. You need to do a combination of several things to take care of that area. One: Blade angle. There is no set angle for shaving your entire face. It changes from area to area and direction of shave (WTG, XTG, AGT). Two: More pressure on the blade equals more scrapping of the skin resulting in more irritation. Think of it in terms of what another member said, "Shave the lather, not the face.". Three: Have you determined the growth pattern of your beard? Mapping you face isn't stressed enough to beginners. Knowing how your hair grows helps determine direction of shave and blade angle resulting in a better shave and generally less to no irritation.

THink and try those suggestons and see where you are in a couple of days.

In my head I knew that, It just felt like just shaving the lather off wasn't getting any of the hair. I'll try adjusting my angle and see where that gets me. I've definitely mapped my beard out, it was something I needed to do in order to get my DE shaving under control before I moved up to straights.

I think I stropped that lovely professional edge off my razor on day #2. Lucky I had a second razor; it was great until day #4. It took a while to crack the code.

Ulricus, I was shocked the first time I shaved the lather and not the beard/face. I was using a freshly honed edge and it was a combination of cutting into soft butter and waving a feather at my face. Felt like nothing had happened until I ran my hand over that area. Aha moments aside, it was a revalation.

Sorry I have been away from my computer for awhile. Ulricus, do just as Razorfeld has been telling you because I agree & would say the same. Don't use more pressure as it would irritate the area even more. Just make sure you razor is stropped good to the point you are at least cutting arm hair really good, Shave with very little pressure or no pressure at all in the area & in the right direction of the area. Everyones face is different so, I know mine is so don't shave exactly like on a video but follow the angle of growth. Once you see you are making some progress then you'll know what ya gotta do. It can get tricky but you will know your face better than anyone else. Then you will want to go at different angles once you get a nice smooth shave. Just listen to Razorfeld because I don't want to confuse you, I think you know what I'm trying to say here. He is telling you correctly, so follow his instructions. I too was shocked the first time I got it down plus it makes you have more confidence in yourself. Practice a little bit of everything if needed like if your razor needs a honing, go for it. That's what I did. I didn't want to send my razor out every time it got dull plus I have a friend that lives less than a mile away & he will be happy to hone one of my razors if I ask him to but I mainly hone mine myself now. I have three different brands of hones, Norton, Naniwa & Shapton hones plus I have a Belgian Coticule & an Escher stone for finishers but also have a 16k Shapton. Buy from SRD, they're fairly competitive with other sellers. I don't have a collarbone in my left shoulder & I'm right handed so I first realized I wasn't stropping right because I would pull the strop taut with my left & strop with my right so I bought myself a large Mastro Livi loom strop that has a 25" working area. I love my strop now. Good luck with your new hobby!

Alright, I'll be sure to keep it in mind for tomorrow's shave. I'll use one of my other razors fresh from the hone.

So this morning's shave was two steps forward and one step back. I followed your advice on pressure and angle, and after some research of my own, realized that I probably wasn't stretching my skin properly. As a result, today's shave was leaps and bounds ahead in comfort, but I didn't get as close as the last two days. I think I might already be developing a preference for larger blades, as the 5/8 I used this morning just didn't seem as smooth as my Bruno. I'm wondering if I've done what MisterMoo said he did and stropped the edge off of my razors. I'd like to send a couple of them away to be professionally honed, is there anyone on the board in the Ottawa area you can suggest?