My own worst enemy for learning to use a straight razor

It's still been a lot of fun trying to learn to shave with these cool looking razors, but I still have yet to change my morning routine around to give me some shaving time. I'm just so used to trying to fly through shaving for so many years, that I just haven't been able to get it through my head yet.

I've done a little better, but I still haven't given myself nearly enough, and almost always feel pretty rushed for the actual shave, so I can strop before/after, get it out of the safe/put it back in the safe to keep the 4yr. old from disaster, etc.

Even without the childproofing, it's like a ritual almost with many parts. I like that a lot, but I'm still blowing it on giving myself the extra 30 minutes, or whatever.

So I end up cutting the worst corner possible to make up for it, and getting extra cuts on the days where I can't make my hands work well enough to keep up. The shave looks like crap compared to when I give myself time as well.

I'm sure it will work itself out eventually, but I think till I get my actual routine down pat I'll be getting up a little earlier from now on.

I shave in the evening about half the time and still don't show 5 o'clock shadow for a good 24 hours. By the end of the 2nd day, my stubble looks like what I used to see within 12 hours of using an electric razor. :)

If you can, try shaving at night. When I was working it worked well for me. Even now that I'm no longer under involuntary servitude I tend to shave either late in the afternoon or evening.

Things are slower then. Your little one could be put to bed and allow you all the time you need without worry.

At least give it a go for awhile--you really don't have anything to lose do you? :shrug:

Well I don't know how long you have been using a straight but i get my best shaves from just taking my time & enjoying it.
It doesn't matter how sharp your razors are or how many times you strop it before and after a shave, or the rituals you go through, it all comes down to patience & taking your time & enjoying it.
I have cut myself loads of times & most of it was down to rushing because of trying to jam it in there along with all the chores of the day.
So i'd have my shave at night before bed.
What i also realised is that the routine of doing all the rituals before hand wasn't exactly helping.
It was like it was building up the anxiety.
So when the razor touched my face it was like a soldier was shouting,"GO GO GO!"
Now i do the rituals the day before the shave, i make sure the chores are done & everyone in my household are happy so I don't get disturbed, so when i do have that shave, it's a good one & most importantly i enjoy it.
Make time for your shave because it's your time.
Hope this helps
[emoji6][emoji1360]



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When your learning save the straight for days off or when you have more time. Use a DE on days with a time crunch. You'll eventually get it down where you can do it mornings before work

I will agree with shave at night. I read that before I made the jump, and pretty much wrote it off( tho not completely as it seemed to be what a lot of those who stayed with it and truly enjoy it do). So like the knucklehead I am tried the morning. Now I'm not rushed in the morning, let me get that out there. I wake up at 4 and don't have to be to the job site till 7, it's literally a 5min drive away.
Did that twice, cut myself, felt rushed all that you have stated. After the second shave I thought about about the before bed thing.

No joke it was night and day. Much calmer, I really do enjoy the whole of the shave now. I think it's programmed in us as a society to go go first thing in the morning. Like GabrielMartin said "soldiers shouting was shouting GO GO GO!" It probably has something to do with subconscious thought about all the things on our plates for the day. As opposed to nights where we know the things for the day are done, tomorrow is tomorrow.

Maybe in time,with the gain of all the knowledge, muscle memory, mornings will work. As for now I'm sticking with nights, and truly enjoying my shaves. I'll be honest sometimes I don't get to bed till 10:30-11,but hey things happen and I still enjoyed it(there have also been nights I've had company over, climbed in bed and she pretty much attacked me ;) so there's that too).

So I say give it a try. Not much to lose. Good luck and I hope you stick with it!


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jwtruth45

It's still been a lot of fun trying to learn to shave with these cool looking razors, but I still have yet to change my morning routine around to give me some shaving time. I'm just so used to trying to fly through shaving for so many years, that I just haven't been able to get it through my head yet
....
put it back in the safe to keep the 4yr. old from disaster, etc.
....
I'm sure it will work itself out eventually, but I think till I get my actual routine down pat I'll be getting up a little earlier from now on.

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It takes practice.
If time is tight lather and use a double edge or even a different bladed thing.

The key is to lather with a quality soap and worthy brush.

I bring the much maligned BiC Yellow handle razor for sensitive skin while traveling.
They have a single blade. They have a nice open enough design to rinse soap and stubble clean.
They are inexpensive so the limited number of shaves is not a loss.
They are not the best blade but hey...

The single blade bit is key to keeping my face razor conditioned and happy.

OP:

Aloha!

As mentioned by others, shaving with a straight razor requires patience. For me, it also requires concentration and a gentle touch. I run my own company and if I have a meeting first thing in the morning (rare) then I shave in the evening before bed. It's relaxing to me. If not, I shave in the mid-morning after coffee and breakfast and a shower. To me, this is RELAXATION time. After decades of running my own company, I now can relax a bit. I make my shave den like a spa for myself complete with Bose Wave Radio for tunes. Hot towel, nice pre-shave routine, shaving scuttle for hot lather, nice rich lather, then easy does it on the shave, then a ritual of post shave treatment.

I've been shaving with a straight for decades and yet, to this day, I still can't quite master the "Shavette". A Shavette amplifies ANY mistake I may make. My Straight is much more forgiving. I shaved with a Shavette on Sunday, I was a little too careless and BAM! Razor burn - the kind that looks like a worm - or a cut that has been healing for a while and leaving a scar - although it's just a razor burn from the Shavette with bad angle of attack.

Another thing I never do is go against the grain with a straight or Shavette. I know some do. This, to me, can lead to disaster. I got in a bad habit of going against the grain with my DE because I spent a lot of time at a health club shaving after my workouts years ago. Yes, you can sometimes get a close shave against the grain with one pass, but there can be consequences, even with a DE. So that habit (for me) had to be broken. ESPECIALLY witha Straight Razor and for goodness sakes (and my sake) NEVER with a Shavette!

Enjoy and continue!

-Zip

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cudarunner

If you can, try shaving at night. When I was working it worked well for me. Even now that I'm no longer under involuntary servitude I tend to shave either late in the afternoon or evening.

Things are slower then. Your little one could be put to bed and allow you all the time you need without worry.

At least give it a go for awhile--you really don't have anything to lose do you? :shrug:

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Seems to be a popular idea with a few of you guys, so I think I'll move to nights.

Someone suggested it before on another thread I started about the time thing after my first couple shaves. Told myself I didn't think it would work at that time, but I have no idea why. I was just trying to think of the reason, and couldn't come up with any. So I guess that's the ticket.

After my 3 cut, ugly shave Monday, I need to switch something up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jwtruth45

Seems to be a popular idea with a few of you guys, so I think I'll move to nights.

Someone suggested it before on another thread I started about the time thing after my first couple shaves. Told myself I didn't think it would work at that time, but I have no idea why. I was just trying to think of the reason, and couldn't come up with any. So I guess that's the ticket.

After my 3 cut, ugly shave Monday, I need to switch something up.

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Ok, you have at least 3 cuts from your shave today/maybe more from before. While it's a Pain in the Arse, with your next shave/shave around the cuts. (After lathering, remember where the cuts are and use your finger to wipe the lather away from the cut so you can see it) If you don't you'll just keep opening them up and then it just cascades downward from there.

Please remember that this isn't any kind of a 'Race'! Slow and Steady Wins Every-time!

As has been mentioned if you need to either do some cleanup, touch-up or even finish shaving with something other than a straight, have at it! There is No Shame! :nono:

Keep us posted with how the evening shaves work for you. :tu

I'm a fan of shaving at night as well, but not because I sleep in until 20 min before work or I can barely spell my name without at least 10 oz of coffee in me.

It helps me sleep. Good smells and a meditative routine help get my overactive night owl brain to shut up.

Plus, "Men who love their job shave in the morning. Those that love their wives shave at night."

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dinnermint

I'm a fan of shaving at night as well, but not because I sleep in until 20 min before work or I can barely spell my name without at least 10 oz of coffee in me.

It helps me sleep. Good smells and a meditative routine help get my overactive night owl brain to shut up.

Plus, "Men who love their job shave in the morning. Those that love their wives shave at night."

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Aloha!

I typically use Lavender scented soap and aftershave and balm for shaving at night. I have read many times that Lavender is a natural sedative aroma and helps with relaxation and calming nerves. So when I shave at night, I always try to use the Lavender. It seems to work for relaxation, whether it is psychological or physiological. Not sure which it is, but it works for me.

And you are correct. Shaving at night is a very nice thing to do for SWMBO.

-Zip

When I started I shaved with a straight at night. Just a WTG. Then in the morning I cleaned up with a multiblade. As I got better with the straight I added in XTG and ATG at night and a morning cleanup with a DE. Finally I didn't need the morning clean up so I switched back to straight shaving in the morning. After about a week of morning shaving, I switched back to night shaving. It is how I unwind before bed. And with a 3 pass straight shave at night I don't get a five o'clock shadow until about 6pm the next day (and have black hair).

Ultimately, find what works for you and do it.

I think you are way overthinking this whole thing.

You are trying to copy ways that some people with more time than you have have developed for themselves after years of practice.

At least for myself if I go to work and my cheek isn't BBS, no one else cares. Make your first goal a DFS.

Put your razor on a high shelf out of reach of your 4 year old. She could go into the kitchen and turn a burner on and get into trouble a heck of a lot quicker than cutting herself with your razor. If you have trained her to stay away from the stove you can do that with your razor.

Scuttles, hot towels, stropping after the shave are all great but not necessary.

Concentrate and spend your time with while the blade is near your skin. {Maybe think of if that lather wasn't perfect I can see the difference}

Don't watch any movies that show someone getting their throat cut with a straight.:rofl2:

Have fun, relax, and don't expect perfection. [At least for now!]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cudarunner

Please remember that this isn't any kind of a 'Race'! Slow and Steady Wins Every-time!

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And I would add, routine, doing the steps in the same way each time.

I shave in the morning. I chose the path of adding the the extra few minutes to my morning routine.

Two passes and call it good. I'd rather skip breakfast than to skip my morning shave, and on occasion, I have.

That's why Whataburger sells breakfast taquitos.

;)

Sooo glad I went ahead and tried the night shave!!

I resisted for a while for whatever reason. My hair, and beard grow fast, but my beard isn't heavy, so I have always been able to "get away with it" in the past without looking unshaven. It just seemed odd to plan on shaving at night though, so until this thread I never actually decided to make my shave time then, but I think I'm hooked.

There was a guy that suggested shaving at night when I first started shaving/posting here, and made a thread mentioning not having the time, and I wish I had listened to him.

I had this huge mindshift because I knew I didn't have to be ANYWHERE, which allowed me my best shave to date with a straight razor. Everything was relaxed for a change, instead of tense, and at times (especially when the girl wants to be in there) almost chaotic.

I eventually got to everything except the adams apple, and area right around it, and most of my face was actually decent, as far as closeness. Of course its all WTG, but I did throw in a little XTG in the end in a couple spots that needed it. Which I never felt I had the time to try before.:cool:

I really didn't want to try the night time slot, but I'm glad I stopped being hard headed.

The difference is Day and Night.

Pun intended

I always shaved at night even when I used multi blade cartridges, I wanted to be fully awake and do a good job with it. It is one less thing to worry about in the morning. I'm glad it worked for you

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jwtruth45

Sooo glad I went ahead and tried the night shave!!

I resisted for a while for whatever reason. My hair, and beard grow fast, but my beard isn't heavy, so I have always been able to "get away with it" in the past without looking unshaven. It just seemed odd to plan on shaving at night though, so until this thread I never actually decided to make my shave time then, but I think I'm hooked.

There was a guy that suggested shaving at night when I first started shaving/posting here, and made a thread mentioning not having the time, and I wish I had listened to him.

I had this huge mindshift because I knew I didn't have to be ANYWHERE, which allowed me my best shave to date with a straight razor. Everything was relaxed for a change, instead of tense, and at times (especially when the girl wants to be in there) almost chaotic.

I eventually got to everything except the adams apple, and area right around it, and most of my face was actually decent, as far as closeness. Of course its all WTG, but I did throw in a little XTG in the end in a couple spots that needed it. Which I never felt I had the time to try before.:cool:

I really didn't want to try the night time slot, but I'm glad I stopped being hard headed.

The difference is Day and Night.

Pun intended

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Excellent! Chuffed you tried it & that it's better for you [emoji6][emoji1360]


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I usually cut some time off the shave my doing a little multitasking. For instance many times I prep my face by lathering while I take a shower. this helps with a good prep as well as saving any extra time in that regard which can be significant as a good prep can take as long as the shave itself. I also only do 2 pass shaves these days as its really all I need to do a good job. Just look at your routine and see what extra steps you do that may not be all that needed and cut them out of a rushed routine. Save the time for the shave itself. The shaving part should take as long as your comfortable with and should not be rushed. you will get faster and better at it in time. Good Luck.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jwtruth45

Sooo glad I went ahead and tried the night shave!!

I resisted for a while for whatever reason. My hair, and beard grow fast, but my beard isn't heavy, so I have always been able to "get away with it" in the past without looking unshaven. It just seemed odd to plan on shaving at night though, so until this thread I never actually decided to make my shave time then, but I think I'm hooked.

There was a guy that suggested shaving at night when I first started shaving/posting here, and made a thread mentioning not having the time, and I wish I had listened to him.

I had this huge mindshift because I knew I didn't have to be ANYWHERE, which allowed me my best shave to date with a straight razor. Everything was relaxed for a change, instead of tense, and at times (especially when the girl wants to be in there) almost chaotic.

I eventually got to everything except the adams apple, and area right around it, and most of my face was actually decent, as far as closeness. Of course its all WTG, but I did throw in a little XTG in the end in a couple spots that needed it. Which I never felt I had the time to try before.:cool:

I really didn't want to try the night time slot, but I'm glad I stopped being hard headed.

The difference is Day and Night.

Pun intended

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I'm glad you went ahead and gave it a go--Funny how we can get preconceived notions in our heads.

This is completely Off Topic :OT but George Carlin was talking about how he was a fussy eater and his mother would serve him something new and he'd look at it and say: "I don't like that" and his mother would try to use Logic on him and say "How do know you don't like it, if you've never even tried it"?

And George would reply: "Well I know I don't like it and if I ate it I'd like it even less"!

Glad that you can now enjoy your shave after 'Trying It' :tu

I've always been an am shaver. That's when G-pa shaved, that's when Dad shaved, Lord knows that's when my drill sgt had us shave. Old habits are hard to break. Even when I was on 3-11 shift, I always showered and shaved 1st thing in the am. The whole "shave in the morning, love your job. Shave in the evening, love your wife," sounds like it came from a guy who didn't like to get up in the morning. Nonetheless, I just set my alarm 30mins earlier than when I used a DE.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AcesandEights

I've always been an am shaver. That's when G-pa shaved, that's when Dad shaved, Lord knows that's when my drill sgt had us shave. Old habits are hard to break. Even when I was on 3-11 shift, I always showered and shaved 1st thing in the am. The whole "shave in the morning, love your job. Shave in the evening, love your wife," sounds like it came from a guy who didn't like to get up in the morning. Nonetheless, I just set my alarm 30mins earlier than when I used a DE.

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I wore a full beard for decades because my then wife noted that she like my whiskers a lot more than
my stubble that would scour burnt oatmeal off of an old rusty iron pan. I did use a str8 to keep my
neck tidy enough all those years.