Thread: no longer a virgin to staright razor shaving

Well I did it...I am not sure just how successful it was. I received my first straight razor today. It was given to me for free amd shave ready by a member of this website. Goes to show you all what a great bunch of people we have on here.

Any how I shaved my right side of my cheek. From the sideburn down. I was a nervous wreck at first. The hardest part was trying to maintain the 30 deg angle need to cut the whiskers. I wanted to shave some areas but I was noticing that I was dragging the blade and not shaving. So time to catch a break and breath. done for the night.

At first I didn't think I cut any whiskers off. I noticed now that I did. My face is smooth but sore, shaving balm did help a lot. I did notice also the clean but sore smoothness it created on the skin.

I can see this is going to be a slowlearning curve. I guess as I tell people learning something new a little but often works the best. For shaving a small area often will do best.

I will keep you in touch as I do more. Time to put more shaving balm on.

Goodnight.

Sounds like a good start and it's good to start to slow.

A little less angle on the blade and a no pressure on it, just the weight of the blade, and you won't have soreness.

You have to start somewhere! Well done. Be gentle with the razor. Just aim to shave off your lather and the whiskers will come with it. Be patient. It's a very long and steep learning curve but, you are on it! Good luck.

Pressure is a big problem for many, me included, when starting out. Think of it like running your fingers over your face with the lightest touch. You want contact but no pressure. It is something you need to keep reminding yourself and I know I still have to remind myself. Stretch, keep it light and keep the angle low and you will be fine. Good luck

eddy79 is correct. Low angle. 30 degrees is a little steep. About one to two widths of the spine is generally the accepted angle. A statement that has helped many to an irritation free shave is "Shave the lather, not the beard." And always be aware if where the razor's point is.

As others have said, lower angle and less pressure and remember to stretch your skin. You are on your way though. Keep practicing and add a little more area to the shave, but only when you feel comfortable enough to do so. It does get better and you will soon enough start to enjoy great shaves.

Congratulations and enjoy.

If you didn't bleed, you weren't a virgin.

Congrats and keep at it! Last night was my shave #6, take your time and don't rush!
The best advice I received is to shave the lather and keep the angle (videos in the library are the huge help).
Developing the necessary muscle memory is the key in this process.
Enjoy!

stick with it and us your straight razor brotherhood.

Congrats and welcome to the journey. I can relate to your initial fear of the blade. Rest assured that each shave will get a little easier. I am only into it for a month or so and can assure you it is quite a learning curve. Don't get discouraged, it will come. The guys on this forum are immensely helpful.