First SRS

Ok. I want to preamble this post with a confession: I shaved my whole face the first time ever shaving with a straight. Ok, that was cathartic.

Next: it went ok. I did end up with tiny, cartridge like cuts on my chin and the crease at the base of my neck. There's a little razor burn in the hollows under my jaw. The shave wasn't particularly close, but it wasn't the worst shave ever. I even shaved the old unibrow bbs with no cuts.

Since it was the first time shaving with soap and a brush I am sure my lather was lacking and, along with inconsistent angle and a little excess pressure, contributed to the discomfort. Also, I've read of newbie issues with stropping, so I skipped it preshave for future reference.

Third: It was awesome! It was relaxing and there is a real sense of accomplishment.

Gear Breakdown:

Ralph Aust 5/8 with black scales
Simpson B4 pure badger brush
SRD Frankincense soap

All were purchased from SRD. Kudos to them for awesome products and good prices!

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...2334fed35c.jpg

I plan to update this thread with later shaves as technique improves.

Sounds like your on your way. Just pay attention to what works and your learning curve is short. When you start to feel real confident then watch out. That's when the serious cuts start happening.
The advice on how to start is just a suggestion to save guys from bleeding. I started like you for the most part. Avoided the neck for a couple weeks and that turned out to be the easiest.

That is one of the best starter kits I have seen.
Your brush is upside down :<0) Think water coming out and the brush drying.

Thanks, I'll flip my brush. The brush smells like a badger. I admit that was a little surprising.

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Remember too that whisker removal is done over a number of passes. If you try and remove them in one pass that could lead to using excessive pressure on the blade. You can also practice making a lather on your palm without having to shave if you want to work on that. Try keeping the blade about 1 spine width from your face as a good starting angle and adjust slightly from there to suit. On the whole it sounds like you had a good first go. Congrats.

Bob

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Originally Posted by arfman2882

Next: it went ok. I did end up with tiny, cartridge like cuts on my chin and the crease at the base of my neck. There's a little razor burn in the hollows under my jaw.

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Good for you. On your chin, clench your lower lip between your teeth and then go around the chin bulb keeping your angle correct by following the chin curve with the razor. With your neck make sure you keep the skin stretched. It all takes time and practice.:)

It did go fairly well. I think I'm hooked. I've been boring my wife all morning talking about the shave and watching instructional videos.

Thanks for the advice, 10pups on building lather practice and Benz for the chin shaving advice. I'll be shaving tomorrow morning.

The smell will go away and faster if you wash it. Use what you would on your own hair. I got a real stinker once and let it soak in borax a day or two. Playing with lather is cheap and inexpensive AND you don't have to wait for the whiskers to grow back to practice :<0)

You may notice lathering is harder on a fresh shaved face, so if you can do it then , with whiskers will be easy.

I'm glad you had a pleasant experience your first time. Stropping might ease the irritation a bit. Stropping like shaving is all about the pressure you use doing it. When stropping use just enough to keep the blade and spine on the strop. Shaving as little as possible. I find when I try and put some pressure I will almost always get irritation. Keep up the good work. Yes people will think you are nuts making a big deal about shaving. For most people its just something you do like brushing your hair or teeth. Good luck and you are in the right place. The knowledge in this community is second to none.

I am a fairly new guy as well with about three months behind me. I had some of the same issues in the beginning. After a pass on my cheeks I pull the skin up and shave as low as possible on the jawbones and when I release my skin it drops down below the hollow for me. That helped me the most in this area. Then an across grain the same way. Makes a good clean shave in this problematic area.

No irritation and better lather today. I did cut myself a little under my nose this time. Styptic pencil smarts a little. Stropping made the shave more comfy also. I'm definitely digging the process. Once I get comfortable wtg I'll start working the xtg.

When cartridge shaving I only ever did these two passes. I'm not sure if I'll ever do atg as traditionally, with all other shaving methods, (including my brief foray into de shaving) that has resulted in widespread razor burn.

I'm certainly hooked. I really enjoy stropping and improving my technique with the razor is fun too. Long way to go, of course, but that's a good thing.

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Keep at it.
It is a fun and satisfying way to shave.

Heck, if we HAVE to shave, we might as well enjoy the process....right!

Yesterday I did my first xtg pass. It went ok. Today was the second attempt and it was closer, but less comfortable. I got a few little spots of irritation. Pressure on the blade seems to be one of the most problematic issues for me. Gotta learn to be gentle with my poor face.

All in all it's very relaxing and fun to shave this way. I'm glad I took the plunge to get a sr . I'm sure as time wears on the shaves well get closer, more comfortable, and more nick free.

It's a nice way to start the day. Since I started I've progressively gotten up earlier, 45 minutes in all. I'm thinking perhaps a scuttle may be my next investment down the road. We'll see. Big thanks to all for your continued help.

Watched some lathering videos yesterday evening and found some nice tips for building a lather. Put them into practice, eased up the pressure on my strop. As a result I had the most comfortable shave yet. The lather made a big difference!

These are the videos I watched:

https://youtu.be/aWeIr-UQaxg
Lynn gets mega props for this sweet vid!

https://youtu.be/_4zESTQWDuw
Excellent and useful. Lots of detail.

https://youtu.be/Yf_6BIuPCro
Nice tips for lather readiness.

Each was excellent!

As has been said, you are well on your way!

Think "Comfort first, close will come"
It's a fine motor skill at the end of the day and it takes a little practice - there are not any "hacks" to a great shave...edge, prep, lather, stretch and pattern but you seem to be on the way.

Smooth Shaving...

Omg! Best shave yet this morning! Today I worked out what a light touch actually is. It's feather light. I got bbs on my cheeks and finally figured out how to get close around the crease in my neck.

Of course, in order to get it just right I made like 4 passes to get the technique right. Now I have some lovely razor burn. The lesson learned was worth the discomfort, though.

I'm overjoyed that this is such an enjoyable activity. Honestly I would love to have a beard, but, that's just not an option for me. So, I thought to myself, if I have to shave I may as well enjoy it. A friend mentioned he was thinking about trying srs and that made me curious. I did some research, found srp, and it was all over.

This forum rules!

Darn tootin' it is! Glad to hear it's going well. Do you have anything for a post shave to help with irritation?

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Originally Posted by dinnermint

Darn tootin' it is! Glad to hear it's going well. Do you have anything for a post shave to help with irritation?

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I actually don't. Locally there aren't any stores with acceptable options I'm aware of. Waiting to have some cash to get some after shave stuff. (Hopefully another razor, too)

Sounds like a plan. Samples will keep costs down and if you don't like the scent, you're not out as much money. Although there are some substitutes that can be had in local stores. I do believe nivea comes recommended and one cream that I can't remember the name. It's like an udder cream in a red and white package, I do believe Hirlau's familiy is using it extensively... Wegman's, Walgreens and bed bath & beyond will give you some options. BB&B by me has expanded their shaving/pharmacy area a lot.

Glad to hear it is getting better! Before you know it you will wonder how you ever shaved with anything else:)

So. I had such irritation from a shave a few days ago that when I did a practice lather later that day it burned so severely that I thought my frankincense soap was a skin allergen and irritant.

Turns out that lathering issues coupled with an improperly stropped edge and poor (read: overconfident) technique resulted in my face being on fire. I know this because I stropped up my razor, being careful to roll the edge away from the spine on the terminal stroke. I allowed the lathered soap to set on my face while stropping, and avoided overuse of water.

I discovered that is easier to get a good angle under my chin on the wtg pass if I jut my chin forward. Skin stretching also seems to play a major role in irritation avoidance.

The result of all these things together resulted in a very comfortable, close, and consistent shave. Best shave yet today. I get plenty close with wtg and xtg. Still thinking I won't ever do atg.

Today is shave 14 with a sr. Thanks to the members here and the tips they gave I have made nice progress. Obsessive research, careful patience, and trial and error is the path to progress for any skilled endeavor. To anyone just starting or thinking of starting, keep at it! We'll all get there some day. Take pleasure in the little improvements. Don't get too down on yourself for nicking your strop. Have fun!

Oh yeah, I just dropped two bills on another razor, DR Harris soap, crox, and other stuff. I think I may be developing an acquisition disorder.

So today I got my most comfortable and closest shave with my new Boker. It surprised me how long it took for me to get a decent shave. Razors do have vastly different characteristics. Some of the challenge may have to do with my beginning to use a different shave soap as well.

DR Harris soap is excellent but it loads my brush so heavily that it takes forever to get enough water in the soap.

I have learned there are a few good rules of thumb for soap lather. (1) The lather should be semi-gloss shiny. (2) The lather should feel slick, giving no feel of pull on the brush when "painting it on" nor should there be "holes" in the brush trail. (3) It should rinse easily from the blade of your razor. If it starts to get caked on, add a little water to remaining lather on your face and work it in with the brush. Ensure (1)&(2) before continuing to shave.

Most, if not all, of the above advice has been stated in various ways, in various places on the forum. I just finally figured these elements out for myself, thanks in part to advice of others.

Another thing I learned is: aftershave is awesome! I have some Prorasso refreshing balm and it feels good and soothes irritation. It also tells you how much you've injured your face by various degrees of initial burn.

Finally: when I was a teenager I loved a game called "Devil May Cry" and for some weird reason I developed a compulsion to have a set of razors, one with black scales, the other with white. "Ebony and Ivory" if you will. So i took a picture...


http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...8770c44f5a.jpg

So I noticed a trick that some barbers use in their videos. The trick is loading some soap on their hands and working it into the beard. I realised that a thin layer of soap residue from the first pass had contributed to improved glide and cushion on the second pass. So, I tried spreading some soap on my face pre lather and the result was comfort like I can't describe. Will be doing this from now on.

So... A few weeks ago I got the Boker and it scratched my strop. I found that it's due to some puckering of the leather after being treated.

Until today the Boker just didn't seem to strop up right. Tried using an x stroke, and it worked! Use the x even with a thicker strop. Lesson learned.