Well, I've been working up to my first shave for a while now and today was the day for my first (partial) shave.

Wet shaving has been my routine for ten years now but I finally got all of my gear together to use and maintain a straight razor. Of course I started with my razor, a budget buy from the classifieds, a Shumate Tungsten 5/8 square point (yes, not the recommended round but increased risk begets enhanced caution). No it's not a beautiful or highly desirable blade but the price was right and being from the St. Louis area it seemed right to start by bringing this tool back to where it began its life.

So, I decided to keep it simple for my first attempt and stuck to using my right hand, my dominant, on the right side of my face. No issues whatsoever with my cheek so I decided to risk my neck and my only complaints came from the poor job I made of it (and not a real complaint at that). Then I made the mistake of trying to go XTG, no real issues on my cheek but the neck was a mistake and I was rewarded with a light case of razor burn and a nick on a blemish that I knew was going to be a casualty sooner or later.

As it stands my cheek is as clean as a two-pass shave with a new cartridge and I blame my insignificant injuries on my own lack of patience. I have to admit that I'm looking forward to my next attempt and I may risk my luck with using my non-dominant hand north of the jawline!