Thread: Learning to shave with a straight razor

My goal is to enjoy the satisfying experience and result of a close shave. I’ve recently transitioned from DE to straight razor shaving. The following are a few thoughts as I begin to tackle this new process, some of which were generated by meeting up with SRP mentor AFDavis11 yesterday. AFDavis11 kindly helped me learn more about stropping and honing, as well as honed out a chip in my razor! This morning that razor provided the best shave ever. Thanks AFDavis11 for being responsive to a call for help!!! I’ve read a good deal of shave-related material, but haven’t read every post on SRP, so forgive me if I renew past debate. Don't mean to.

• Codified explicit knowledge will only get you so far. It seems to me that learning to shave with a straight razor (like learning to ride a bike) is something you can’t get from reading alone. You can read all you want, but you won’t be able to shave (or ride a bike) until you actually try. The more you do it, the better you get.

• Learning to shave with a straight razor requires learning three things -- 1) shave, 2) strop, and 3)hone -- in that order, IMO. Although shaving and stropping are both critical up front in the effort, honing can be “farmed out” to a Honemeister, if desired.

• Fear (whether of the razor, strop, or hone) is natural but leads to hesitation to minimize damage (to face or blade). But fear blocks confidence/willingness to experiment ; thus fear reduces the ability to learn from success and failure. To get past my fear, I looked for a nearby mentor from SRP. I highly recommend beginners do the same! It’s worth the effort.

• Chasing the perfect edge is enhanced by both knowledge and experience. Part of the puzzle is solved by physics; part by art. Understanding the physics behind getting a perfect edge helps guide your approach, but the art of perception is required to know when and how an edge might be improved. There must be as many levels of sharpness and as many ways of getting there as there are people who try.

Yes learning to hone, strop, lather and shave is not a paint by numbers proposition or you wind up with what looks like a paint by numbers picture.

Bob

I would add (or change) the third element to lather building. To shave well you do not need to know how to hone but build bad lather and even with the best of razors your shave will not go well.

Originally Posted by JTmke

I would add (or change) the third element to lather building. To shave well you do not need to know how to hone but build bad lather and even with the best of razors your shave will not go well.

You are right, shave prep and lathering is another element. Guess I was thinking of what was different from the DE world of shaving.

and then....

Care for your face after you shave.

Your remarks on FEAR was spot-on. Being too cautious and timid with the edge of the razor can affect your shaving. Respect for the edge is what is needed IMO.


Mike

Bill, you're welcome. It was a lot of fun. It's easy to help someone who is as attentive a study as you are.