Made the Cut (Figuratively Speaking!!)

My name is Ed and today I took the first step in my journey to become a straight razor shaver. After reading tons of articles and posts on SRP, I purchased a shave-ready Joseph Allen & Sons NON-XXL from the classifieds here and took it for a test shave today. As Lynn instructed in his post/article "First Straight Razor shave", I only shaved on the right side of my face, from the sideburns down to the jaw. That first blade to face contact was a bit nerve wracking, but upon no sensation of pain and no visible blood, I began to make the short strokes required for facial hair reduction. Once finished, I dried off the razor and finished shaving the rest my face with my trusty DE safety razor.

The advice by Lynn in his article was spot on. Because of the difference in instruments between the DE razor and straight razor, it was smart to instruct newbies like myself to take it easy and start with a small section of the face (although in all honesty, I did the right cheek as well). The angles used to shave and the way to hold the straight razor are very difference from a DE safety razor. It feels good to have that first attempt under my belt and I can't wait to try again tomorrow.

In case anyone is curious, the complete list of gear used today is:

1. Proraso Pre-Shave Cream
2. Proraso Sandalwood Shave Soap
3. Semogue 1305 Boar Bristle Brush
4. Joseph Allen & Sons Non-XXL 5/8 Razor (Medium Hollow Ground)
5. Merkur 33C DE Safety Razor w/Open Comb (Used to finish shaving per Lynn's advice)
5. Proraso Aftershave Lotion - Great cooling feeling immediately after the shave
6. Proraso Aftershave Balm - Keeps the face nice and moisturized/applied about 5 min after aftershave lotion
(Usually when I am done cleaning up my brush/bath countertop)

No, I am not a Proraso distributor or sales guy nor do I get a commission from them, but when I undertook the endeavor of DE shaving about two years ago, I figured I would use products from one company to start and as it turns out, I have really liked their products. I do have some other products on my shopping list I will be trying, but I will get them as I use up my current supplies. Any suggestions are always welcome.

I'm glad I found this site and thanks to all the moderators and senior members for your advice and guidance. Perhaps one day, I will be in that category!

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Welcome! You're definitely not alone in the proraso front, I like them for the "clean" scents they give. A choice I like alot is getting a bunch of samples. I have about 10-15 samples and have been playing around for a few months with them. I know maggard's, old town shaving and SRD offer a variety for $2-$3 each. This way you're not out alot if you hate how it works. I like having an unscented post shave balm when the soap doesn't match well with my Sandalwood. Also member "Obie" has started a thread called "First Tier Soaps" that will give you many good options.

You started out with the right gear Eroman, great you enjoyed your first straight razor shave!

I also forgot to mention the one of the cool things about this practice is the ability to shave with an instrument that is older than me! That Joseph Allen & Sons could be anywhere between 97 - 124 years, as the gentleman who sold it to me advised it was made after 1891 but before 1919, based on the "England" stamp (post 1891) on the tag and the omission of the acronym "Ltd." (Pre-1919) on both the razor and the box. That is a very cool thing considering most everything now-a-days is made to be disposable and not last very long.

Nice set up and excellent choice in a straight razor. I am a Proraso man myself. Good luck you are on the right path.

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Originally Posted by eroman99

I also forgot to mention the one of the cool things about this practice is the ability to shave with an instrument that is older than me! That Joseph Allen & Sons could be anywhere between 97 - 124 years, as the gentleman who sold it to me advised it was made after 1891 but before 1919, based on the "England" stamp (post 1891) on the tag and the omission of the acronym "Ltd." (Pre-1919) on both the razor and the box. That is a very cool thing considering most everything now-a-days is made to be disposable and not last very long.

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That is part of the attraction. To use something 100 or 200 years old the way it was used back then is an unbelievable great feeling. Thinking about its journey from then to now. If only razors could talk but in a way they do.

Been looking at proraso, looks good and price is very reasonable. Wasnt sure if its was good though.Thanks for review and good luck with day 2!!!

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Originally Posted by VAPDGUY

Been looking at proraso, looks good and price is very reasonable. Wasnt sure if its was good though.Thanks for review and good luck with day 2!!!

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You'll find Proraso is liked by many folks, so it's got a proven track record. Plus, as you mentioned, the cost is not bad. For all the Proraso stuff in my original post photo, it's probably $55. I've priced out other brands where just the shave soap and aftershave run right at $50. If you try the brand, I don't think you will be disappointed. The green soap (menthol fragrance) or the red soap (sandalwood fragrance) are both great smells and lather up quite nicely. Good luck deciding.

Love your setup there - perfect, well done, and obviously well researched - looks great!

You can never go wrong with Proraso, one of the ultimate best soaps in terms of bang for the buck you can get - stellar performing, and for the White, Green and Red, fundamentally awesome scents - the Red is a real favorite, love the White, and I get drawn back to that Menthol green only occasionally - just great stuff all around.

Hi and welcome aboard. Good luck with your shaves

Today was my third day on the beginners regimen and managed to get my first cut! I decided since the right side of the face went well for the last 3 days, why not try the left sideburn to jawline run. Did good for about the first three strokes and then I came back to the face with a bit too much pressure. Nice 1-inch line, but not too bad! Finished the shave with my trusty Merkur 1904 open comb DE razor and all was well! I shall master this art slowly but surely........

I am 8 days out from my first SR I will be joining u shorty with my stories of cutting. Can wait keep going u will be fine!!! Tonight I used my bowl and brush, used some soap to shave, after watching some videos it is so true, I am now looking forward to shaving, even if it's with a fusion, for now.

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Originally Posted by VAPDGUY

I am 8 days out from my first SR I will be joining u shorty with my stories of cutting. Can wait keep going u will be fine!!! Tonight I used my bowl and brush, used some soap to shave, after watching some videos it is so true, I am now looking forward to shaving, even if it's with a fusion, for now.

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Good times! I encourage you to take Lynn's advice and go slow. It is a different method of shaving and the blade is very sharp indeed. Keep the enthusiasm in check and in a few weeks, we should have the basics down! Good luck!

I will try... no promises... I am hard-headed like that... especially if I get the cheek done w/o taking half my cheek out. Light pressure small strokes 30% angle.....:tameshigiri:

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Originally Posted by VAPDGUY

I will try... no promises... I am hard-headed like that... especially if I get the cheek done w/o taking half my cheek out. Light pressure small strokes 30% angle.....:tameshigiri:

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This can be a bit aggressive of an angle for me. Try with the spine almost touching your face, then work towards aggressiveness from there as needed.

I ment 30% or less. Thanks for the info I will do that. I am also going to invest in Lynn's DVD as well.

Today was a much better day. Only one small nick with the point of the razor, but very small. Still working on getting those angles right. As "dinnermint" mentioned above, I did try with the spine of the razor very close to my face and that seemed to work well. I was off on my stropping though, managed to put a slice in the bottom of the strop and nicked the surface of the leather near the top of the strop, sort of like cutting a slice of cheese, but without actually separating it from the leather. It's about the size of dime. Thinking back on it, I was probably not focused enough, so I will practice better discipline tomorrow. Anyone have any ideas on what, if anything, I should do about the nick near the top as the little piece of leather is just hanging there, sort of mocking my inexperience.........

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Originally Posted by eroman99

Today was a much better day. Only one small nick with the point of the razor, but very small. Still working on getting those angles right. As "dinnermint" mentioned above, I did try with the spine of the razor very close to my face and that seemed to work well. I was off on my stropping though, managed to put a slice in the bottom of the strop and nicked the surface of the leather near the top of the strop, sort of like cutting a slice of cheese, but without actually separating it from the leather. It's about the size of dime. Thinking back on it, I was probably not focused enough, so I will practice better discipline tomorrow. Anyone have any ideas on what, if anything, I should do about the nick near the top as the little piece of leather is just hanging there, sort of mocking my inexperience.........

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There's a bunch of tutorials on strop repair, although you may want to put up some pictures to get some opinions. Usually it's 3 different options; leave it/trim it, sand it or glue it.

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Originally Posted by dinnermint

There's a bunch of tutorials on strop repair, although you may want to put up some pictures to get some opinions. Usually it's 3 different options; leave it/trim it, sand it or glue it.

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Thanks! I will definitely do that!!