Pulling and Bleeding

Well i got my first shave with my razor that I had Lynn hone. I took it to Tony's strop....20 linen....30 leather....and the darn thing felt like i was pulling at my hairs rather than a nice quick cut.

I took a 10 min shower
MB Almond Soap
First pass WTG....
Hot Towel and relather..
Second pass ATG.....This is where i nicked myself 3 times...and began to donate my first drops of blood.

Thayers Witchazel.

I did try the hanging hair test before i did anything.and the blade didnt split a thing. I dunno....

See anything that I might have done wrong?

BTW..have to learn to use this pointy tip....knicked both side next to my ear due to jabbing in the skin :P

Given that it was a Lynn honed razor, I might suggest two things:
1. It is possible that you rolled the edge while stropping. Did you take your time and keep the razor perfectly flat on the strop? Stropping can take a bit of practice.
2. Technique...don't underestimate this one. A great razor and poor technique will result in a poor shave. Try a shallower angle and very little pressure. Also, remember that your face has to adjust to a new shaving regime. When I first started with a straight, I recall about two weeks of regular discomfort until the skin of my face got used to the new system. Consider trying only a single WTG pass for a few days until you get the technique down and your skin adjusts.

Welcome to our expensive addiction...it's all downhill from here.

Cheers,
Ed

yeah..definately took my time while stropping. held the strop taught, and just lightly passed back and forth not really putting a whole lot of pressure, like in Lynns video. I think im gonna just do exactly that...WTG passes atm.

Hi, welcome aboard.

I would go with what Ed says. Maybe, as a suggestion, do a XTG pass between the WTG and the ATG passes. Will make the ATG pass a bit, softer on your face.

js

i got a beatiful crust of blood coving my upper lip.....WONDERFUL. How long would you all go before i take a shave again...maybe tuesday?

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Originally Posted by IsaacRN

i got a beatiful crust of blood coving my upper lip.....WONDERFUL. How long would you all go before i take a shave again...maybe tuesday?

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If you have a block of alum or a styptic pencil, use a cold wet cloth and wask your face, taking care to remove the "blood crust" then go over the area that bled with the alum or styptic... it should sting but will aid in the healing.
i would suggest you follow Ed's advice and yes, if possible don't shave until monday night or tuesday. when you are starting out you might find that shaving at night is better, there is more time and if you get a nick or two which you take care of, your face will be presentable at work the next day.

Good points though I think your pre shave could use some tweaking imho
Can you get in some more work? maybe a lather for a few mins hot towel for a few mins and relather between your shower and first pass?
If not consider a preshave product like proraso right after your shower and let it coast while you set up.

I would consider a xgrain attack before an ATG also.

Here's another suggestion. I see that you are in New York. You might want to get in touch with RichZ to see if you can get a face to face lesson. Sometimes it just helps to talk to someone who's been there or to let someone look at your technique to offer some advice.

I'll also second the suggest of an alum block. Given your description, it will probably sting like the dickens. However, it will also give you some feedback...as the burn becomes less severe, you will know that your technique is improving.

Cheers,
Ed

Isaac,
Sorry for the initial experience. It'll definitely get better. These gents have been a great help to me so far. Read, learn and experiment. You can do it!

I'm still fairly new to SR shaving, but after a very difficult start, I'm now getting great shaves every morning, and really enjoying them as well!

I'd say face prep and technique were my biggest problem. I spend months trying to get the razor sharper and sharper, getting rough shaves, and thinking it was all about the sharpness. In reality, my razors have been wicked sharp for some time, and it was all technique -- specifically face prep, and stretch the skin.

I've got a wire-stiff beard with fairly delicate skin. Here's what works for me, YMMV:

1. I strop the razor before the shower, to make sure it's ready without too much delay, time that my face could be drying out.

2. Right after towelling off from the shower, I run the tap over the sink to get it as hot as it will get, then fill my shaving mug with the hot water, and place my brush into it. This preheats the mug, mine is a heavy crockery one, and the hot mug will keep the lather hot throughout the shave.

3. I put a preshave oil on my face, with a little warm water, and work it in with my fingers and hands.

4. I get a washcloth as hot as I can stand it (thanks, Lynn, for that advice in the video!) and then press it to my face and neck for about 30-60 seconds.

5. I dump the water out my my mug, and let the brush drain a bit over the sink (But don't shake it, you want it fairly wet). I'm using Proraso in a tube, so I put a little in the mug at this point and use the brush to make the lather.

6. Lather up my face, taking time to work in the lather well with the brush.

7. Shave -- and here's the big part -- STRETCH the skin on your face either behind or a bit in front of where you're shaving. For example, I pull my cheeks up quite a bit, then once the cheek is clean of soap and beard, I move my free hand's fingers down and stretch above my jawline upwards a LOT. In this way, I get a good bit of my jawline shaved while it's stretched flat over my cheek. Here's the rub -- the taut stretched skin is really easy to shave, at least for me, compared to unstretched. The beard stands right up and the blade doesn't indent your skin much.

For the neck, I pull down and sideways quite a bit, especially to get the hollow areas around my adam's apple.

If I get a good enough first pass WTG, I really don't need a second XTG or ATG.

8. Once shaved all over, I run my fingers lightly over my face, and see if there are any rough areas. I'll re-lather and do another WTG in any areas that are rough, again stretching the skin like crazy.

9. I rinse my face with the washcloth again, still using warm water. I'll also usually rinse the brush and mug now, too, and wipe the razor with a hand towel, but leave it open on the counter for later...

10. I make the tap cold, then splash my face with cold water, leaning over the sink.

11. Face still wet, I run an alum block all over (tastes terrible if you get it too close to your mouth!)

12. Dry my face, then use an aftershave.

13. To insure the razor is dry, I run it a dozen laps over the strop again, carefully look for any water droplets and blot them off if present. Also, I've learned to look in between the scales to see if I got any drops in between them. Blow them out or use the edge of a tissue or towel to remove them.

And that's it! Back in April, things were really difficult and I didn't think I'd ever learn, but now I can get BBS in 15 minutes without any irritation, using just WTG passes. The shave is so close, I'm still baby-smooth when I go to bed at night!

Good luck to you, keep at it, and I hope some of the stuff I just learned for myself is of use to you. I'm starting to suspect that everyone finds slight variations on technique that work best for them.

PS -- don't worry about the HHT. I've never passed one either, but two weeks ago, I got myself a real barber-shop shave from a master barber (who of course had to use a disposable-blade shavette), and I had him look at two of my straights after the shave. My own experience showed me that my razors were far sharper than his shavette, and his own opinion was my blades were truly wicked sharp. He tested on the back of his hand.

Those same blades won't pass an HHT. Never have, and I tried on my wife's hair, my own hair, and our hippie-chick friends long fine red head-hair. Don't worry about the HHT. I hear enough people post that they're getting it to work, so it must be that it is of some use to some people, but I've also talked via private message with some helpful experts here who say they don't use the HHT, either!

Sounds like your technique is solid. I would check the angle of the razor as I shave. If I hold the razor too flat out, even the best razor won't shave and will even begin to scratch as I keep trying to shave. Hold the razor at about a 30 degree angle down the face, stretch the skin (develop your technique, since all skin faces are different) as Stypticinthemorning said and use feather-lite pressure. Just let the weight of the razor do the work. I still have to check the razor angle around the mustache and chin area. Keep up the good work, it is very much worth it!
Ernest
PS: I don't quite use a HHT. I let the razor hover over my dry arm. If it wicks the arm hairs and I see them landing on the blade, then I know that I'm getting there. The ultimate razor test is the shave.

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Originally Posted by ForestryProf

Here's another suggestion. I see that you are in New York. You might want to get in touch with RichZ to see if you can get a face to face lesson. Sometimes it just helps to talk to someone who's been there or to let someone look at your technique to offer some advice.

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Given that you are experiences such severe discomfort, I'd second that motion. If Rich can spare the time I'm sure he will.

Go easy on yourself, eh?

X

HHT is a pile of whack. My blade doesn't pass the HHT and I know for sure it is super sharp.