Thread: Should the dog get whipped?

I'll second the RA love mime its my first and so far only and it is extremely forgiving for a novice to handle best of luck and keep us posted

I ended up going with the RA strop combo. 2 shaves into it now. Second shave was much better than the first. No problems with the sideburns or cheeks. I'm sure I'll have the neck figured out soon.

The problem in running into though, and I'm sure I'm not the first nor am I the last, is the chin and upper/lower lip. I tend to snag it on those coarser hairs and feel like I'll cut myself if I try to go harder. I'm used to my Merkur 34C which weighs a lot and gravity does all the work for me. I also know it's not the blade since it's only had two shaves and I bought it from Lynn already honed. So it's gotta be my technique. Anyone else have this issue and if so how did you overcome it? Do I need to find a heavier blade or one that isn't a full hollow? Also my soap seems to dry out by the time I get there and I don't have the benefit of my sopping wet Merkur to keep everything moist. Is lathering as I go an answer? Thanks!

@130Nav: The chin and lower lip are troublesome for most. Really the trick to straight razor shaving is balancing the pressure against the skin (light) with the pressure to cut through the resistance from the whiskers, which becomes more difficult the coarser your whiskers are.

I can recommend a few things that have helped me...
1- Use your tongue to make your lower lip convex
2- Use a buffing stroke
3- Firm up the chin and upper lip with your facial muscles, like you're pursing your lips
4- Stretch the chin skin by pulling down with your off hand
5- Start by only going WTG until you're comfortable, then move to XTG (ear to nose), and lastly ATG only if you're super confident.
6- Be very aware of blade angle

And there's no shame in only lathering up portions of your face at a time or re-lathering if it's taking a while. Shave prep to soften the whiskers is another thing that really makes a difference.

I hope that helps!

Looking back I wish I had waited to purchase my first straight. Don't get me wrong I love the razor Larry sent me but I would have liked to know what I was getting and have more control over the situation. I know you already decided but I figured I'd post for people in the future with the same question.