Thread: My boker straight is sharp enough to cut a held hair but I can't get a baby face shav

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Hey, it's a zen thing ........

Shaving in the shower might be alright for a cartridge, maybe even a DE, but with a straight razor it is advisable to stretch the skin with the opposite hand. Unless you do that you'll never get a satisfactory shave, even if the razor is properly shave ready. Begin to properly stretch skin when shaving, and then, and only then, will you determine if the razor is shave ready.

ty. and it actually is for me odd as that sounds and one of the only times I can shut off my head completely and just exist in the moment.

With this situation I think there is more than one thing going on here that needs to be addressed. One is that u are still new to str8 shaving. When I think new I think anyone <1 yr under their belt. And with that you are still dealing with the learning curve. Especially since you said that you don't know anyone personally that str8 shaves. Granted I'm like that also but I look up to people here on SRP who have shown yrs of experience as the guru's (at least to me) whether I like what they say or not.

2. From what has been said I don't think that you have provided yourself with a good shave den setup that will optimize your performance while reducing your learning curve. For example make sure you have a fixed mirror you can shave in front of. I have seen picks of some peoples shave den be in their bedroom but they get good shaves. If fogging is an issue. Wipe it down, crack a window or door, or go get some rain-x anti-fog. But you will need both hands at all times when str8 shaving in order to get the best results.

3rd and lastly. Though we recommend in order to get the most comfortable shave to prep your beard, if your razor is pulling that much on an unpreped beard I would want to think that your razor is not "shave ready" even though it passes what we call a HHT. Only the shave test will tell if the razor is shave ready. And so I might venture to say even though I think it is too much a go to answer for too many here. Here I go. Your bevel may not be set anymore or needs a good refresh. So either give it a good refreshing to where it passes the shave test or go ahead and rehone from bevel set. Plus not having a good strop will definitely hurt your results so I would get that alleviated ASAP.

I too see a few issues here. One is your technique and lack of skin stretching and the other is it sounds like you need a proper strop. I would think that if you start with a shave ready razor it would take some of the variables out of the equation. There are quite a few members in Ontario and a few guys that hone. I think you might want to try to hook up with someone in your area. This might work better if you put a more specific location in your profile

Originally Posted by rlmnshvstr8

With this situation I think there is more than one thing going on here that needs to be addressed. One is that u are still new to str8 shaving. When I think new I think anyone <1 yr under their belt. And with that you are still dealing with the learning curve. Especially since you said that you don't know anyone personally that str8 shaves. Granted I'm like that also but I look up to people here on SRP who have shown yrs of experience as the guru's (at least to me) whether I like what they say or not.

2. From what has been said I don't think that you have provided yourself with a good shave den setup that will optimize your performance while reducing your learning curve. For example make sure you have a fixed mirror you can shave in front of. I have seen picks of some peoples shave den be in their bedroom but they get good shaves. If fogging is an issue. Wipe it down, crack a window or door, or go get some rain-x anti-fog. But you will need both hands at all times when str8 shaving in order to get the best results.

3rd and lastly. Though we recommend in order to get the most comfortable shave to prep your beard, if your razor is pulling that much on an unpreped beard I would want to think that your razor is not "shave ready" even though it passes what we call a HHT. Only the shave test will tell if the razor is shave ready. And so I might venture to say even though I think it is too much a go to answer for too many here. Here I go. Your bevel may not be set anymore or needs a good refresh. So either give it a good refreshing to where it passes the shave test or go ahead and rehone from bevel set. Plus not having a good strop will definitely hurt your results so I would get that alleviated ASAP.

I assume HHT stands for hanging hair test. I last tried the cold shave when I was only using a 4000 grit stone and my belt for a strop. I agree with your comment on experience fully, I still feel like a noobie when it comes to str8 shaving. I will invest in a proper strop when I can. And I will seek out a pro to see what actual shape my razor is in I did find one here in Ottawa but haven't as yet followed up and met him. I tried the against the grain but couldn't complete my entire face due to a few skips which were due to too much trepidation and a lack of confidence. However where I did manage to complete the against grain shaving I have to say it is as close to pre-pubescent as I can get without reverting back to 10yrs old so that did help. Once I have attempted the against grain shaving more and become comfortable with doing so I believe I will achieve what I am after as an end result and coupled with more knowledge on honing etc... I appreciate all the quick responses and advice.