My first straight razor shave was just a little over four weeks ago.
I've been experiencing some frustration because I can't seem to get a good smooth shave on my neck. Two passes on the cheeks leave them baby-butt smooth but two passes on the neck leaves some stubble. A third pass either doesn't get the stubble or worse, it leaves me with razor burn.
So this morning, just to remind myself how far I've come, this is what I did: I dug around in the cabinet under the sink and found a never-used disposable razor and an old can of Colgate shave cream. After my shower, I used them to shave -- the same one-pass, one-minute, no-thought shave that I took for granted for so many years.
The result: the stubble on my cheeks is about like the stubble on my neck after a straight-shave. The stubble on my neck is worse.
So the bottom line is that after four weeks of practice, my straight-shave is far closer than my old ways, and it continues to improve. I've reached the point now where I can shave in a reasonable amount of time, without nicking myself or getting razor burn, and I get a better shave than I used to.
Now, this might have been obvious if I had gone directly from foam-in-a-can and disposable razor to using a straight, but that's not how it went. Before I purchased my first straight, and while I was waiting for it to come in the mail, I was improving my prep. I changed to using mug soap and a brush, and I quit using disposables and started using a Mach 3 with replaceable cartridges. I started stretching my skin while shaving with the Mach 3. I started putting conditioner on my face while showering. Before the straight arrived, I reached the point where proper prep and three passes with the Mach 3 resulted in a BBS face and neck.
I have no doubt that as my technique continues to improve, I'll attain that same state with the straight. For now, I'm getting shaves that are quite good, and I'm not spending money on replacement cartridges or disposable razors!
