Thread: First shave

So I did my first shave today!

A couple things I took away from the experience:
I need to learn to make a better lather. Though maybe I just need to try a different way

The razor tugged and pulled a little more than expected

I might just be really lucky that I didn't cut myself at all... ( I hope I didn't just jinx myself)

Shaving is way more enjoyable this way!

My skin got irritated BUT no bumps. Usually I end up with bumps on the left side of my neck.

The irritation could be 1) poor preparation 2) poor technique 3) not the best lather 4) all of the above

I did not get that "baby's bottom" smooth shave but I only shaved with the grain and I'm going to stay that way until my technique is alot better. Even so, running my hand along the grain feels smooth

Overall it was a great experience. I only shaved my neck, which I imagine is going to be harder to learn on than the whole face. I think my lather needs alot of work but it definitely got better as the shave went on and I kept working on it. I think I got lucky that I did not cut myself at all, though I made a very conscious effort about my blade angle which may have helped. I did ZERO stropping today. NONE. But that is because I ordered from SRD and my razor came already honed and it was mentioned that I wouldn't have to strop before my first shave. I will be stropping before my next shave. I didn't want to "ruin" the blade because of poor stropping before my first shave so I figured it would be best to wait.

Just wanted to share my thoughts and experience. I can't wait to continue on this journey!

The razor should not tug at all. It should slice through everything with little to no feedback.

Practice makes perfect as they say.

Try to have a long hot shower before shaving. That helps allot..
Good luck and welcome to the club.

Well done on not drawing blood on your first shave. I didn't on my first shave, but I have since and even once quite badly. It hasn't deterred me at all though.

As Job 15 says you shouldn't get any tugging, generally that is a symptom that your razor isn't sharp enough, but if you got yours from SRD and haven't stropped it yet I think that it is your technique, their blades are shave ready and honed by the best. You need to be applying no pressure at all, let the blade do the work.

As for the irritation, that is something that I haven't suffered from since I stopped using supermarket cheese graters on my face. I think that either as you have already said your lather may not have been up to it, or once again too much pressure. I can't stress enough on the light touch.

Also preparation is key as Job15 said a long hot shower will make a huge difference.

Good luck, well done on your first shave, take your time and enjoy!

Congrats on getting your first shave in unscathed. You mentioned that your lather got better as you went along so yes you need to work on lather making. It takes a bit of time to whip up a good lather with enough water in it to give you good slickness. Most soaps and creams can hold quite a bit of water without falling apart. Add the water slowly a bit at a time till you have that good lather.

Bob

Congrats on #1.

Lather

Learning to make a good lather takes a bit.

One thing to remember is if the lather just does not seem right, rinse it off, clean the brush and start over. Nothing wrong with a redo.

good luck

Baseball Player,

You're a brave man. You've probably stolen home a few times.

I have two brand spanking new straights. I've yet to shave with them. I need to pick up a few more items. And I have a Costco pack of Fusion blades that I have to use lest they go to waste...or my girlfriend takes 'em. She rolls that way. If she sees something she likes, she'll hold it up in front of me while asking if she can have it knowing that I've never denied her. But I'd probably deny her if she asked for one of my two Solingen Boker straights. I love 'em. I couldn't part with 'em.

Baseballplayer, good job and welcome to the group. Lather is important so practice making it. And when you shave put the spine of the blade almost touching your skin. Do not scrape the razor, allow it to cut the hair. You are well on your way but DO NOT RUSH. Take your time and have fun on the journey. Good luck!

Now that I think about it, I may have been using too much pressure. I'll focus on being softer with the blade tomorrow when I shave again. I'm also going to take more time with the lather and a longer shower before the shave. I generally take short showers so I'll try and really emphasize wetting my face and neck before.

yeah i find that pressure is very important, just enough to wipe off the lather is all that's needed. that will eliminate irritation,cuts and tugging. don't forget proper skin stretching and tightening as well. good advice on blade angle too from BanjoTom. i find that a flat angle works well with most razors too.

Tinting has nailed it before I could type it...she have said "shave the lather" meaning use as little pressure you can to remove it. Second is skin stretching...don't just pull it some, pull it really taut. Then I'd add use short strokes, not long sweeping ones. Sometimes I use almost a buffing stroke, doing very short overlapping strokes.

Experiment until you find what works for you. It's a journey!