First straight shave this morning

So I finally got all of my gear together to shave with a straight this morning. For the most part it went better than I expected, especially considering I decided to go against my better judgement and just do the entire shave with the straight. I prepped my beard as I normally do, hot shower, hot towel, lather, hot towel, relather then shave. I did two passes, one WTG and one XTG. I figured for my first time a superlather wouldn't be a bad idea, so I made one out of Tabac and Nivea shave cream, whose scents work well together for me.

I got an easy DFS on my cheeks and upper lip, just as good as I normally get with my DE, and I assume that will improve with time. I'm still trying to get a handle on how to shave my neck properly, leaving me with a little irritation there, but it was mostly cleared up with some generous application of witch hazel. There was significantly more tugging than I'm used to, but I expect that comes from poor technique.

Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with my first shave, and I have a better understanding of the steep learning curve ahead of me.

Additionally, I used two razors for this shave and I'm very impressed with the Bruno Custom that I got from a member of another shaving forum. it surprised me how the slight smile and shorter blade made it much easier to maneuver than my whipped dog sight unseen, even with the 8/8 blade.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/06/5ybebyva.jpg

Finally, I thought I was going to make it through with no nicks, but right at the end of the shave I got the bottom of my earlobe with the toe of the blade. http://s3.amazonaws.com/tapatalk-emoji/emoji29.png live and learn.

Sounds like you are off to a great start. As you said, the technique will come along. Good job on snagging a Bruno blade, that's on my wish list.

Doing better than me on my first! I lost a pretty good amount of blood that first day... I didn't believe it when I first read it, but everyone on here was exactly right that it takes a few months to get down. Between stropping and shave angles and learning your face, it takes some experimenting. I'm going on 4 months now of daily shaves and am just getting to where I can do my neck properly. But that first day that you get a true BBS with no cuts or weepers - it's an awesome feeling!!

Well done, and congrats on your first shave!! Sound like you are off to a good start.

Think back, did that cut on your ear lobe happen the instant your concentration jumped ahead to something else? I've found that every nick and cut I've had while straight razor shaving is due to a lapse in concentration. That old axiom, 'Know thyself' can be rephrased "Know your blade (and where it is on your face)'.

Other than that, congrats on a first straight experience and I'm jealous of your Bruno.

Congrats and always mind the blade

http://s3.amazonaws.com/rapgenius/DA...f34f0898f7.jpg

That first shave feel.

Just remember that stropping technique is almost as important as shaving technique. Keep at it, boss!

Congrats on your first shave. It'll get better as time goes..................

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DickWhitman

Just remember that stropping technique is almost as important as shaving technique. Keep at it, boss!

---

^^^ This, very important.

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?

Quote:

---

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.

Quote:

---

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?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ulricus

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.

---

Nooooooooooooo! No extra pressure. You really won't like what happens. So:

Assuming you have hairy arms, if you gently (with zero pressure) glide the razor down your forearm, does the arm hair just slide off piling up in front of the blade leaving smooth skin behind?

This doesn't guarantee the blade is sharp enough, but it is an easy test to do. If you can't easily with no tug remove arm hair, get the blade fixed. There are other better sharpness tests but it takes times to get the feel.

Your beard is much tougher than your arm hair. So when you shave your face; particularly your cheeks, does the blade softly sound like scraping burnt bread off of slightly burnt toast? You beard should be slicing off easily with a little burnt toast scraping sound.

Have you mapped on a piece of paper you beard growth pattern? That was a big deal for me because my beard has patches in different places on my face where it changes direction. There are even a couple of small difference right to left but it is mostly symmetrical. If I did start at the top of my cheek and went straight towards my feet (bottom of my neck), First I would be shaving XTG, then towards the bottom I would be ATG. ATG before reducing my beard can cause irritation on my face.

These were big deals for me: beard map, sharp blade, blade angle. If you need to apply pressure, or feel the need, something is wrong.

Best,

Ed

Go here to see if you can find you someone that can do it for you, If not then read each one & pick one that sounds best for your needs & email him to make arrangements for honing & stropping your razor. There are some damn good ones here, you just have to go with one & send it to him. You should have a pretty fast turn around on it. Here's the link:
Member Services - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

Ok, it appears that richard the retiree with more time than me has got here first. Go for comfort over closeness, angles are all important as is stretching, it will take a while to figure out the best stretches, pull your skin against the direction of growth to get the hair standing up.
You may find a wetter lather than you are used to for D/E shaving is beneficial too. Also remember that the lather drys out during the shave, so if your shaves are taking a while you may need to freshen up the lather in the area you are shaving.
Stropping could be, but isnt necessarily an issue, it depends on your technique, i sent my first razor back to the vendor after a month or so to get feedback on my stropping, it was still shaving fine, but it was nice to know whether or not my technique was good or bad.

Today's shave was better still. I still have a few issues with stretching, but I guess that's to be expected at this point. No alum sting (except on one nick on my jawline near my chin) and DFS on most of my face. I'm still figuring out how to get the bottom of my chin and the hollows of my neck.
Thanks for the advice edhewitt, the wetter lather made a big difference.

You are welcome, with your neck you will probably need to use your head to get a decent stretch. No that isn't a pun, what I mean is angling your head in such a way that the skin is pulled taught out of the hollow, or pulled up above your jawline.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by edhewitt

You are welcome, with your neck you will probably need to use your head to get a decent stretch. No that isn't a pun, what I mean is angling your head in such a way that the skin is pulled taught out of the hollow, or pulled up above your jawline.

---

I heartily concur with head position and stretching! The whiskers on my neck grow sideways from my trachea to my ears. There are three major regions on my neck with slightly different directions these are symmetric, but I also have three other non-symmetric patches which have a unique direction too. I also have a strip of beard at the very bottom of my neck which goes up and down.

Learning my beard pattern, where to point my chin (straight up and to the sides), and how to stretch the skin (mostly up towards my head but a couple of patches need a stretch that isn't straight up). A really sharp blade helps, and at least for me, a 5x magnifying mirror is a big deal. I can well see what I am doing even out of the corner of one eye.

By working on different razor grips and strokes, I am now reducing the beard and eliminating it on the ATG pass with the minimum number of strokes. This is so easy to write but took me about a month and a half of shaving to learn to do!

It will get easier, one day you will just do it, then you wonder why it was so difficult to figure out. Once you get it working, it just works!

Good luck,

Ed

I mapped my beard on paper three times and noticed my understanding changed a bit each time. I experimented with different grips on the razor, and finally settled I need to use both hands to get the best results on both sides of my neck.