For a beginner, I'm doing rather well

Last week, I received my soap and brush from SRD so i decided to give it a whirl. Well, my first time was ok. I got a close shave on all but my chin and under my nose. Had a few nicks and a couple weepers, but nothing that required more than a cold rag to stop. However...my face felt like it was on fire! I looked like I was sunburnt. But I realized that I did not do proper face prep. I should have showered first. I also did not work my lather (I am using Mitchell's Wool Fat soap) to a good consistency. Plus, I just made so many passes along a certain area as I was not familiar with how much pressure to use with my Magic shavette along with Derby blades. But thanks to some solarcaine (Yes, I wanted the lidocaine to numb it a bit along with the aloe), it took the fire away.

My second time was much better. I got closer with less passes and only had some burn from the previous experience and it was only located along the chin. But it was much better. After the shave, I used moisturizing creams.

To rest the burnt area and to use the moisturizers more, I used my cartridge razor in between my second and third shave. I shave every other day

Today was my third time and was really good. I am getting a better feel for the razor and how much pressure to use. while some areas took a couple swipes both WTG and ATG, I had no razor burn! I waas quite happy with my progress. I really think I will learn it in a good amount of time. I'm not trying to rush my learing; i'm just analyzing the last shaving experience and what I can change/improve upon for the next time.

So once I get my technique down pat, it will be time to move up to a Dovo Best Quality 1/2 hollow and other blades as my ability improves.

Sounds like you are off to a good start. Razor burn typically happens with the first few shaves. Just remember to take it slow and use little to no pressure with a low blade angle.

Good for you. A lot of newbies try for BBS too soon and learn , as you did, that it only leads to too many passes an face burn. A DFS is generally adequate for most people unless you are going on a "hot date". Sometimes, you get a BBS and sometimes not.


Mike

Use less pressure and less angle of the spine from your face. That should help you.

Not to be a broken record to what these gents just said but I am knew to this as well and was getting razor burn like crazy on my neck and after heeding the advice of less pressure and angle I am getting along much better. Don't give up and shave on best of luck :D

Sounds like your coming along well to me. The chin area will get better with time along with the upper lip area. Mine are just starting to be much better now in those areas.

Like you I'm new to Straight Razor shaving, and the best advice I can give is to listen to what the veterans on here have to say. You will find that with each successive shave you will get that little bit more confident and your shaves will become better and better.
For me, the thing that made the shave easier was to spend a lot of time on prep, lots of water, hot towels to get the whiskers as soft as possible prior to lathering up.
Good luck with your journey to shaving Nirvana.

Yeah I think razor burn is a pressure thing but I also feel it's almost normal after those first few shaves with a straight. You're removing some skin so your face needs to get used to that. Well done on coming to grips with it so early :-)

Just to add to what I said earlier, keep in mind that you are "shaving" not "scraping". With a cartridge razor, most people can bear down as hard as we want on the problem spots to get them smooth, without issue. If you put any unneeded pressure on a SR (or shavette) the best you're going to get is razor burn and the worst is.....well you don't want to know, let alone experience it.

Go gently and slowly, and ENJOY! I'm in this more than two years and I can still screw it up if I get impatient.

It's good advice from Harold, the switch from cart to straight takes a little adjustment. Patience and time will increase skill and efficiency. You're doing good so far but remember sometimes you just have a bad shave. It happens to everyone in sure, especially as they are learning, lather making, the shave, prep, aftershave. Once all these come together you'll be fine. It just takes time to perfect everything.

Thanks for the welcome, everybody! :)

I am fully committed to taking my time once I shave. In fact, if I do not have 30 minutes or so free to devote to my morning shave, I will just go with the cartridge razor for that morning. This is something I know takes time. I liken learning to use a straight razor to learning to drive a manual transmission. I do not think anybody is going to perfectly work the clutch and shift smoothly their first time pressing that third pedal. But being willing to learn and refine their technique is how we improve.

I realize pressure is important to getting a comfortable shave and is the key to shaving vs scraping. However, as I mentioned, I have the Magic Shavette. That is a very light razor. My mother, who is a retired beautician, held my razor and she said it is definitely lighter than her shaping straight razor. So with such a light shavette, I am wondering if I have to add a tiny amount of pressure to get the best shave? I wonder if the Parkers and the Dovo Shavettes are heftier? When (not if) I upgrade to a true SR such as the aforementioned Dovo Best Quality or a TI, I understand the heft of the razor will provide the required pressure. Also, it seems the Magic has a lot of flex. So while I know I am getting a far better shave than with any cartridge razor, I also realize that this specific shavette may be a limiting factor to being able to get the best shave possible.

But I can say this. After each SR shave, I have been saying WOW after each shave! People are not kidding when they say that by slowing down the shaving process to do a SR shave, we begin to enjoy shaving. :)

A heavier razor seems to give more control, but I can get great shaves from an extra hollow razor which are very light. My personal preference are full hollow to 1/2 hollow because of the extra weight. I don't have much experience with shavettes, but I do have a Parker that I use on occasion which I do like a lot