Shaving Soap?

Hi all,

I have recently purchased a straight razor kit complete with razor, brush, strop, strop paste, stick, and shaving soap because I think they are absolutely brilliant. As a first time straight shaver, I have some questions that I cannot find the answer to elsewhere.

Firstly, I have a hard soap. Does that replace shaving foam? I worked it into a lather on my face, but when I was half way through shaving, it mostly had dried/gone. Maybe it was not thick enough?

Secondly, (may be related to the first question). I have finished now, with just one small nick (pleased with that :)). It is smooth but my face is quite itchy, anyone know a reason?

Thanks in advance for any help!!!

Making lather from soap is difficult when starting out. Try putting a bit of water on top of the soap puck and let it sit while you strop, soak your brush or brush your teeth. This will soften the soap a bit. Next with a damp brush swirl on top of the puck for about 20 seconds. Run the brush under a running (barely) faucet to add some water. I pass mine about mid bristle to avoid washing out soap I have loaded. Next do 20 seconds more on the puck. You will need to add more water but at this point your brush should be loaded and you will only need to pass the brush under the faucet.

Soaps are different. Some need more water, some need less/more soap.
Lathering in a bowl helped me tremendously when I was figuring out the correct soap to water ratios for different soaps.

Could be a combination of how long it's sitting on your face and also it might just need a bit more water. I recommend ARKO for those just starting out with soaps. It has a very good lubricating quality to it that helps those that need to take longer than usual. Plus it's dirt cheap. Also, make sure your brush is nice and hyrdated/soaked before you start.

Yup, if it is drying out too fast you might need more water. Every soap is a bit different though so you have to experiment to get the right amount of water. Btw, what brand of shaving soap do you have?

Thanks everyone :)

The brand I have came with the set, it's 'TRUEFITT & HILL'.

I assumed that if it was drying too quickly, maybe less water was needed

I also recommend adding a few drops of glycerin to the soap. You can find it in most drug stores. 2-3 drops on the puck before lathering will help build a thicker, richer, moister lather.

Could you post a link to the kit you purchased or list the make of the items in the kit?

Usually when you begin to shave with a straight razor you are very slow at it so the lather has plenty of time to dry out before you get to it. Do not try and speed up the shave but just lather the part of your face you will be doing immediately then move on to the next. that should help a bit.

Like others have said lathering a hard puck of soap can be difficult if all you are used to is canned foam. It is a bit of an art. This is a good tutorial on how to do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4zESTQWDuw

The itchy feeling on your face can be caused by a few things, individually or in combination. Firstly, if you are shaving with a factory edge, not on honed to shave ready by the vendor before shipping, the edge may not be quite up to par.

If you stropped the razor before your shave you may have adversely affected the edge by poor stropping. That is a common problem for beginners also. It takes practice to get the technique correct.

Then there is the angle and pressure on the blade. Too much pressure will give you razor burn. Again it is a problem for most beginners coming from cartridge razors. A properly honed straight razor should require next to no pressure applied to it for it to easily cut whiskers. You should maintain a couple of spine widths gap between your face and the razors spine. A cartridge razor with a pivot takes care of that for you but a straight razor does not.

A poor lather does not help in the least either.

So there are plenty of things that could be giving you that itchy feeling.

Bob

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bananaby

Thanks everyone :)

The brand I have came with the set, it's 'TRUEFITT & HILL'.

I assumed that if it was drying too quickly, maybe less water was needed

---

Truefitt & Hill is top notch stuff. I have only used their creams so I do not have experience with the soaps. Btw, creams are a lot easier to use (for the most part), but hard soaps can be just as easy with practice and a little more time.

Making basic soap lather - Straight Razor Place Library

The link above will give you some tips.

All of what Bob said plus, if the soap does dry out on your face it will suck the moisture out of your skin leaving it itchy. A good lubricating after shave will help put the moisture back in.

I'd add to what everyone else has said that you should start your lathering process with thoroughly wetting down your face just before applying the lather with the brush. As one of our more senior members has said, it's called wet shaving for a reason.

Your lather needs to stay moist and slippery while you shave. Otherwise it is not providing the needed cushion and glide (slipperiness) for the razor. There are several videos, including the one Bob referred you to to watch on the whole SR shaving process.

+1 to all the advice give here already. I'd just add two things: You have to really load the soap, get a lot into the brush (it may seem like a ridiculous amount) before lathering. That will really help with the lather. As to the itchiness, there is a chance that you may have a skin sensitivity/allergy to T&H soap. Their soap is quite highly scented and has a fair amount of preservatives, these can cause some people issues. I personally have skin difficulties when using their 1805 cream.

I would advise, while your gaining your skill on the soap, get a tube of Proraso cream. It is VERY easy to lather.

Hi everyone,

Massive thanks for all the help you have given me. I shaved again this morning and it was 10x better :). Such a helpful bunch:D

Here is the kit that I have:

Attachment 200656

It consists of:

1 Dovo Solingon Best Quality Razor,
1 Truefitt & hill shaving soap tub,
1 Benjamin Barberdouble sided strop (1 coarse, 1 smooth leather),
1 gents shaving brush with stand,
1 Benjamin Barber shaving stick (for cuts),
1 Benjamin Barber strop paste pot (does anyone know how often to use this?).

Thanks everyone!

Barney

Glad you had a better shave this morning. Were you able to raise a better lather? Curious also to know if your Dovo has a factory edge or one that was professionally honed to shave ready by the seller? This is what is meant by "shave ready" The Shave Ready Razor - Straight Razor Place Library . If you have not looked there is a lot of info on the sites library.

Bob

Good to hear that you are getting better shaves. +1 to Bob's remarks about shave ready. I would suggest not using the paste till you know exactly what it is. Is it a conditioning paste or a abrasive paste. If abrasive definitely don't apply. If conditioning then you shouldn't need it as long as you are palm rubbing the strop at every use. Is that definitely a double sided strop. From the picture it looks quite rough on the back and if it is it could be damaging the edge to use it. A link to where you brought it would help to give better advice.

Yep defiantly double sided, here is the kit:

Dovo Shave Kit Total

Thanks for all the help!

I will have to agree with Wayne1963, the Proraso green was what I started out with and it is very easy to later. I did not even use a brush when I first started out. I still use the Proraso now from time to time. It still is a very good product.

From reading on the link you provided it seems that they don't hone razors before sending out so you only have a factory edge on your razor which is considered to be most of the time not shave ready. Being that it is shaving itvis sharp just not truly shave ready and this is likely causing the irritation. The paste is strop balm and you won't need it unless the strop dries out a bit. Palm rubbing it before each use should keep it well conditioned. I would suggest sending the razor out for a pro honing and while you wait you can practice lather making. Good luck and I hope this helps

What sort of place would I need to take it to (in the UK) to get it professionally done? It cuts hair with ease at the moment

Hello! Could I suggest that you go and get a haircut in Nottingham? There is a barber shop run by a guy who is very knowledgable about razors and also very keen to get other people enjoying the art of straight razor.
A nice way to get in contact with him would be to go down and have a haircut and say that you have just joined SRP and are keen to learn!
The Straight Razor Specialist - Barber Shop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqCgaw5ioAk

Edit here is a video of that barber having a shave to help with learning strokes. There are many many good people to send razors for honing to in the UK, the reason I mention Gary is he is in your town!

Also, as others have mentioned - straight razor shaving takes a while! There was a long time period where I had rashes on my face, then just in my problem areas of my neck, now not at all.....Its a gradual learning process!

If you have the chance go see Gary. 10 minutes with him he could check your stropping technique, your edge and take some of the quess work out for you.