Ramblings of a Noob

[naes]

I figured I would start a thread dedicated to the Noob, by a Noob.

Starting down the path of straight razor shaving is daunting to say the very least. So much technical info, advice from folks who obviously know their stuff, techniques and skills that almost seem like a black art to the outsider. Then the mental mind f#@k of holding the sharpest hunk of metal you've ever seen against your precious mug and taking a swipe at it! Standing there alone in your bathroom, all the right gear, all the lurking and reading and googling coursing through your head, all the doubts psyching you out. Do I need to strop more? Did I hone correctly? Should I hone? What razor should I buy? Why? What soaps? How much lather? What the hell is WitchHazel? Preshave? Whats that? The list is never ending! So now you finally come to that pivotal moment in your shaving tenure. One of those times in life where you've earned another man card. You hold your skin taut, raise the blade to your face concentrating on the perfect angle. You steady your hand and take that first stroke. Then the second, another and another. The first side of your face is now lather free. You take a second to admire your work, rinse and then fumble to reverse the blade and hold your skin taut. All while trying to orient yourself in the mirror. You start again. A few more short, nervous strokes and then on to the more delicate and awkward parts of your face. You make your way through your first foray into this new found world of straight razor shaving. A nick or 2. Some rogue hairs you missed. A few more passes, going over and over till your face skin screams in reddened pain and taps out on you. You concede that its game over today and break out the safety razor for a quick cleanup. You then go through the aftercare process, feeling that burn all while reflecting on the past 30 mins of your handiwork. Awaiting anxiously for a day or 2 to pass so you can have at it again. Thinking of all the things you missed, figuring out your technique. Your path to take around your face. And a million other things. You emerge from your shaving experience a new man. I know its just a shave to the layman, but for myself, this has been a life changing skill I have learned. A rite of passage if you will. A dying art that I personally will continue to pursue.

the point of all this rambling? All you Noobs and lurkers out there, grab a blade and do it! Its pretty freaking cool. You learn something about yourself every time. As I type this I am still reflecting on my best shave I've ever had in my life. Granted I got a boost from some of those in the know and that gave me a ton of knowledge in a short amount of time. And I had a selection of razors at my disposal. Be that as it may, its satisfying as any other skill based accomplishment I've had. My personal bar raised. I encourage the rest of you out there to give it a go and post up.