Help! First you shave, and...

... not good.

Today i received my Whipped Dog Sight Unseen with extra strop. My normal prep, shower, rinse, 2 min wet lather soak. I did make sure to make a more moist, but not runny lather. Had shaved the day before so it was short. It was very uncomfortable. I didn't expect it to go flawless, but i did stretch as much as i could and i played with a lot of angles, from very shallow (skippy) to very steep (draggy, grippy). The very shallow seemed most comfortable, but had a tendency to skip and didn't cut much hair. The steep one was very uncomfortable, it felt like it grabbed the skin, not smooth at all. I was wondering if i maybe hadn't close the razor well, causing the edge to collide with one side of the scales. I only attempted my cheeks and even that wasn't completely finished. Finished with a 5 day old DE blade which just cruised right through everything. Even though the attempt was very unpleasant i think i knew when to stop, so no nicks and no burn.

Now, after i was finished i checked the blade on my arm, dry. Guess what? With very light movement i could remove a patch of hair. However, it failed the hanging hair test. Miserably. It did bend every hair. Even if i made a cutting motion, pushing the blade against the hair while also making a horizontal movement, pulling the blade towards me it did not cut anything.

So... What now? I was instructed not to strop it right away and i haven't. I have another razor coming but that was meant to be a razor to use when i am comfortable with the basics. I want to save that edge.
Should i try to carefully strop it on the balsa wood? Should i give it another go tomorrow? Of course, i will ask Larry himself as well.
Any help is appreciated!

*i now see i made a error in my title, should've been "first shave in"

Is this your first straight shave? Your join date would suggest not , But I'm curious. If so you can't expect too much for the first shave,, Larry's blades are really ready to shave with. Keep us informed. Tc

Hanging hair tests and arm hair tests really need to be tested with known shave ready blades in order to have any meaning. Comparing your results with a new DE blade is a starting point. I would not strop your new razor before it arrives. As for the razor you just shaved with it should be stropped on leather before your next shave.

Keep the angle below 30 degrees or it will eat the skin off of your face.
Use little to no pressure on the blade as you shave
And start with a with the grain pass.

Carefully strop it

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Originally Posted by tcrideshd

Is this your first straight shave? Your join date would suggest not , But I'm curious. If so you can't expect too much for the first shave,, Larry's blades are really ready to shave with. Keep us informed. Tc

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Yes it was my first, i had joined some time ago, but back then never actually ordered the kit.

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Originally Posted by RezDog

Hanging hair tests and arm hair tests really need to be tested with known shave ready blades in order to have any meaning. Comparing your results with a new DE blade is a starting point. I would not strop your new razor before it arrives. As for the razor you just shaved with it should be stropped on leather before your next shave.

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I did not strop the razor, i was wandering if i should use the balsa or only the strop after failing the HHT. He told me to use the balsa first then strop (now not before i told him how it was). A new DE blade feels tons different in the actual shave, but i just tried one that had trouble with the HHT as well. As instructed i now don't let as much hair stick out between thumb and index. The razor now also cut the hair (3 tries). But i did strop on the balsa by now so maybe that had influence on it, maybe it was already good (probably the last).
I don't have hair on my head longer then 2mm (about 1/8 inch?) so i used leg hair, which might complicate the whole thing.

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Originally Posted by criswilson10

Keep the angle below 30 degrees or it will eat the skin off of your face.
Use little to no pressure on the blade as you shave
And start with a with the grain pass.

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Tried that, tried that and tried that. Didn't help a bit. The blade just didn't want to glide without force, and force was the last thing i want to try.

Best advice I think is, practice, more practice, an some more practice. Keep your DE handy so you can finish up an just enjoy the learning process. You know your straights are shave ready so its obviously a technique issue. No big deal! Stick with it an it will improve quickly. :gl:

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Originally Posted by RollinCoal69

Best advice I think is, practice, more practice, an some more practice. Keep your DE handy so you can finish up an just enjoy the learning process. You know your straights are shave ready so its obviously a technique issue. No big deal! Stick with it an it will improve quickly. :gl:

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I will, thanks. So far this is less fun though, i was never afraid of shallow cuts from a DE, but this can bite in a mean way.

Today's shave went better. I found that using very short strokes, fast and light worked. Not that i don't use short strokes normally, from my DE i learned not to, but those where strokes of about a inch, now i used morel like half-inch strokes. I did get a cut. But, the edge being so thin and stropped, resulting in a clean cut, the bleeding stopped quite quick. Yesterday i also felt some prick at that sight of the face (both at the edge of the cheek where the ear starts). It's easy to cut yourself with the edge i found out. Still, i simply can't imagine shaving within 10 minutes with a straight, ever.

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Originally Posted by ElaMenthol

Still, i simply can't imagine shaving within 10 minutes with a straight, ever.

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I think when most of us starting out a complete shave takes more than 30 minutes, for me I think it was running over 45 minutes.

We forget that this is a fine motor skill that takes both study and practice.
The study is reading and reviewing the (good) videos that you can find on the threads and in the library - to give you some suggestions.
If our Dads, Uncles, older Brothers were shaving with a straight razor we would have been watching this for years growing up, you are trying to pick up a skill using an internet correspondence course without the benefit of a coach at your side.

But you can learn it, and as you have seen yourself shave #2 was probably many times better than shave #1. Shave #100 is going to be fantastic and rewarding and take less than 10 minutes (unless you want to drag it out) Shave #25 is going to be pretty good also...

Since it is so many things to master at once, from prep to lather to daily edge care not to mention putting a blade to your throat...it takes time. You will make mistakes, cuts, nicks damage to the edge are all part of the process.

Careful stropping can do wonders to an edge. I have picked up razors that I used in the beginning, that I thought had less than perfect edges. After a careful pre-shave stropping they turned out to be truly shave ready. I was a little chagrined at how good they were (and one of them was my first Whipped Dog razor)

IMHO it is better to start out making one pass with WTG and finishing with a DE than spending a frustrating and bloody hour trying to do three passes. When I started I would "edge" the hard areas with my electric beard trimmer (lower lip edge, sideburn line) one day I forgot to pre-trim and I did it with the straight...progress.

And in a few short weeks you will look back and say to yourself "I can't believe that I thought I could never do this in such a short time"

Smooth Shaving...

Last shave was better, smoother. I even kept a bit less shallow angle on the cheeks. Still feels like it's burying itself into my chin, even with a very shallow angle. Went N-S and tried to go with the grain as much as possible.

For me the best angle is 1-2 spine widths off my face, any more and it's uncomfortable. The hanging hair test doesn't work for all hair types.

Last shave (think it's the 4th with a straight now?) went very well and above my expectations.
Because i did shave against the grain on my cheeks (WTG, ATG) and i shaved my chin (WTG, XTG) and the neck (WTG). The result was DFS on the cheeks and acceptable elsewhere. Just a slight sting of the alum block, only on the left lower part of my chin. Maybe there was a tiny, non bleeding cut there.

What has changed was, since we shave facets of the face in passes, i decided to lather only one cheek, the chin or the neck. This way the lather has less chance to get dry and there's more skin for more grip. Though i did notice that without a alum block grip would be much, much harder to find. Any straight shavers that shave without using alum for grip?

I do find it very hard to use my non dominant hand (left). Is it possible to shave everything with your dominant hand? I found i could do it on most parts but sometimes it would result in awkward razor grip and angles and thought it was probably best to learn to use my left hand as soon as possible. Andy feedback and help is greatly appreciated.

Just keep taking it slow and if you change something only change one thing so you know if it made a difference. Lathering only the part you are doing shows how important a good lather is in contributing to a close comfortable shave. If the lather is too dry the blade will feel and act like it is dull.

I do not use an alum block for grip but many do. Many shave one handed, dominate hand, but I use both. You have to find what works for you.

Bob

Today's shave went a little better then before, i did not expect progress like this. Shaved the whole face, but only one pass on the neck and no ATG on the chin or cheeks. I know that flattening and stretching the face and a good lather is very important, but today i also discovered how important it is to know the contours of your face, which i thought i had learned because of my 2 years of experience with a DE. I now know i learned it, but not as thoroughly as required for a straight and that a DE glides more evenly and is less easily stopped by bumped and unevenness. I also learned that my chin has a lot of contour, subtleties not even the mirror reveals from close up or 2 years of DE. Even so the chin is still the hardest part, but it's getting better. Especially the soul patch is a hard part for me. The alum block was surprisingly gentle, tingling all over, no burn and no sting. I am content. :D

In my case, the chin was the last part I mastered to achieve a BBS. I have been doing this now for almost 3 years and I still think the neck line is still the most challenging part of shaving with a SR. Learning the direction of hair gowth in your neck is critical to avoid irritation.

Yesterday's shave was nothing special, so nothing to report. Today's shave was a bit better and even the neck was easier. No DFS on the chin and though the neck requires most attention in technique the chin seems to be the hardest place to remove hair. It's getting easier but also i'm starting to doubt if this is how i want to shave everyday, even if it get's easy. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. I don't mind the stropping and being very careful for now, it's still a novelty, but i might later. And even if it get's easy and fast, it still requires full attention. Now i don't mind a nick, but i prefer not to get scars. I also just got the rare opportunity to buy and test a IB's RR Stainless Steel Stealth Slant, so straights might be pushed back a little. That does not mean i will quit shaving with a straight because i will. And no matter what i will keep a straight, if only out of fear of DE blade factories closing (if, then most likely because third world countries are embracing cartridge razors). It only means it's not unlikely straight shaving might become more of a weekend shave, so i don't have to have full attention everyday and minimal aftercare. With my Tech for instance, i can cruise through my beard (including the chin and neck), can shower shave and probably blind as well, and get DFS all over. So i will keep my 2 straights no matter what, and somewhere down the road i'll buy a 12k grit stone and maybe a 8k too, but for now i just keeps shaving, and waiting for the slant to arrive in The Netherlands. Then i will focus on the slant but shave with the straight in the weekends, maybe for a while, maybe for ever. All in all i'm still glad i took up straight shaving.

Lots of us shave with a DE or a straight depending on time, mood etc. If you are into the feel of a straight shave, try a Gem SE razor sometime. The stiffness of the blade and angle remind me more of a straight shave than a DE.

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Originally Posted by ElaMenthol

....Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. I don't mind the stropping and being very careful for now, it's still a novelty, but i might later. And even if it get's easy and fast, it still requires full attention....

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I think for some people the "full attention" to shaving is what helps make it pleasant. In all the hustle of today's world, having a few moments of Zen time is actually refreshing. Buddhists often talk about living in the moment, and while I don't necessarily go with all their teachings, I find that to be an immense stress relief. I definitely enjoy the ritual of wet shaving, and then DE or Straight, it's fun. Moving a cartridge or electric over your face is a chore, this is an experience. Full marks though for working through it, and if it's not something that gets an every day treatment, I still think having the skill for weekends or whenever makes it enjoyable.

Plus, the blades are much cooler to talk about than a 3-blade cartridge. ("Oh yeah? Mine has 5!")

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Originally Posted by Shaotzu

I think for some people the "full attention" to shaving is what helps make it pleasant. In all the hustle of today's world, having a few moments of Zen time is actually refreshing. Buddhists often talk about living in the moment, and while I don't necessarily go with all their teachings, I find that to be an immense stress relief. I definitely enjoy the ritual of wet shaving, and then DE or Straight, it's fun. Moving a cartridge or electric over your face is a chore, this is an experience. Full marks though for working through it, and if it's not something that gets an every day treatment, I still think having the skill for weekends or whenever makes it enjoyable.

Plus, the blades are much cooler to talk about than a 3-blade cartridge. ("Oh yeah? Mine has 5!")

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Word...Well said...