How much do people cut themselves?

Hi guys,
I'm interested in starting to use a straight and have been hunting around for a little while, notably after I read a particularly good book about how we should enjoy shaving rather than treat it as a chore. Now most of my friends have said something along the lines of "but you'll cut yourself" and I know everyone says that once you're good you don't but how much did people cut themselves when they were learning and now that they're experienced?
Also if there are any members in New Zealand it'd be awesome if i could get in contact as an experienced person less than 1000km who could help me learn to hone would be good.

You'll nick yourself a couple of times, but as long as you are careful in your movements, they won't be much more than very shallow cuts.

The thing is: learn to shave with a razor that is truly sharp: i.e. one that is sharpened by one of the people here who hone razors.
You are much more likely to cut yourself with a dull razor.
The reason is that you have to make more effor to cut the hairs, and unconciously you will start to use more pressure / pull harder. That is when accidents happen.

But after the initial learning period you will virtually not cut yourself anymore. I know I don't.

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Originally Posted by Bruno

You'll nick yourself a couple of times, but as long as you are careful in your movements, they won't be much more than very shallow cuts.

The thing is: learn to shave with a razor that is truly sharp: i.e. one that is sharpened by one of the people here who hone razors.
You are much more likely to cut yourself with a dull razor.
The reason is that you have to make more effor to cut the hairs, and unconciously you will start to use more pressure / pull harder. That is when accidents happen.

But after the initial learning period you will virtually not cut yourself anymore. I know I don't.

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Yeah but don"t get cocky like our friend Bruno because sure as sh_t he is going to cut himself tonight!

You anger the shaving gods when you say such things out loud!;)

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Originally Posted by JMS

Yeah but don"t get cocky like our friend Bruno because sure as sh_t he is going to cut himself tonight!

You anger the shaving gods when you say such things out loud!;)

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You are right of course. I shall ask forgiveness from the Gods (btw, I am an admitted multitheist, but aren't you supposed to be christian? ;) the pyre for you I say!)

On a more serious note: I meant that I virtually never cut myself anymore.
And when I do, it is usually because I was not really paying attention.
As long as I am paying attention, things usually go well.

i think i cut myself once when i was starting and it was just the surface level of the skin, like a paper cut - no bleeding, just a red line. it wasn't duting a shaving morion, but as i was trying to position the razor, orienting myself in the mirror, where angles are reversed. I don't think i've had any serious cuts so far - an occasional tiny supericial slice through a pimple, or the sligtly uneven skin over a scar i have just under my chin. but these happened with m3 too. however, I've been extremely close to cuts when I've gotten distracted for a second or two.

If you use sharp razor, good prep, extremely light touch and a 30degree angle, the razor just glides over the skin, without cutting it. It may look scary but once you do it you'll see it's not at all.

+1 on the scar under the chin ... I've opened mine up once or twice by not paying attention ( I was enjoying the shave too much I think ) .. I always have to be a little cautious in that area and remember I do have an old scar there thats a little raised and requires some diligence .

A moving blade is less likely to give a little cut. When I first started out , it was stopping and moving blade position that cut me ..

just my experiences and thoughts ..

:D Garry

I've been straight razor shaving for about a year and now i'm using a properly sharp razor it rarely happens. Maybe once a month but there's usually a reason such as not paying attention.

Oh and while i'm on the subject, if there is a more painful way of finding out you have a spot I have yet to discover it. :rant: :cry: :cen

The first four or five shaves is when you'll get the most blood. I believe it's because you're shaving down the high spots. It's kind of like a mechanical exfoliation for your skin. After the first couple of weeks you'll notice your face is smoother than ever before and you'll have stopped bleeding. I totally agree that you should enjoy yourself shaving as well as grooming in general. This is our righteous pursuit as the male of the species. Witness the preening of the peacock in order to create the best possible display for the ladies.

Oddly enough, keeping your razor well honed will give you surgical control over the blade and where it goes. If it's a bit dull, it will slip and cut you. Honing is not magic and you can learn to do it. Start by taking a razor and examining both sides of the blade from heel to toe using magnification. If there's a Radio Shack near you, they carry a handy Zippo lighter size illuminated microscope that gives you 60x - 100x magnification. It will really show you visually what's going on at the edge. Then lay the razor down on the stone and rub it the length of the stone so you can feel the metal abrading against the stone's slurry. Do about 20 strokes on both sides, wipe the blade clean and then examine under the microscope again. See what's changed. Keep doing that until you've got a clean, polished edge and bevel. Then strop on natural leather about 50 times. Then try shaving.

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Originally Posted by shimmy

Also if there are any members in New Zealand it'd be awesome if i could get in contact as an experienced person less than 1000km who could help me learn to hone would be good.

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You might be hard pressed to find any other Kiwis, AFIK there is one more living in NZ whi is a member here, however tha person posts infrequently, maybe once a month.

I am a fellow kiwi, but living abroad at present, so unfortunately I cannot help you. Which part of NZ are you from?

P.S welcome to SRP.

EDIT: There is one more kiwi actually, his username is garythepenman. I haven't seen him around in several months though, but if you do a search for him, click his username, you should be presented with an option of emailing him. That will probably be your best bet of getting in touch with him rather than by PM.

It rarely happens to me. Maybe once every couple of months. However, when I got that 9/8" monster from Joe, it took some adjustment and a few nicks until I got used to the size.

The cuts I've gotten on my face are really no worse then you would get with any other razor. If you're reasonably careful you should be fine. I think the potential for bad cuts is to the hands. Whether while shaving or maintaining your razor, be particularly aware of where both hands are and where they're going.

Jordan

I got one or two cuts when I first started out. Never on the neck, mostly always on the my cheek and those were from not paying attention or rushing the job. Now, I rarely ever get a cut. In fact the last cut I ever got was when the wife and I were away and I brought and used my old DE instead of one of my straights. I got a nice gash under my jaw.

I think that cutting yourself is something you always hear people saying and or talking about however, the reality for us that actually use a straight is that it is uncommon and it's not even something I think about any more.

Shimmy, your right on the whole concept...don't think/treat it as a chore. Pamper yourself, get some good soaps and creams, a good brush and mug and start your collection of straights. You'll never regret it. There is a great bunch of guys here and more information then you'll ever be able to digest. Glad you found us.

-Pary

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Originally Posted by jnich67

The cuts I've gotten on my face are really no worse then you would get with any other razor. If you're reasonably careful you should be fine.

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+1 on this for my $.02.

I've been shaving with a str8 for about a month, and only nicked myself once on the neck when I was trying to figure out the angles in the mirror (knock on wood. Full disclosure--I have a full beard and only shave my cheeks and the vertical part of my neck). I'm still trying to figure out how to approach my adam's apple, as the beard grows at a funny angle there.

I used to shave with a trac-2, and don't ever remember nicking myself with that either.

Start slowly, and carefully, and only approach the blade to your skin when you are ready. ALWAYS move the blade in the "right" direction.

Good luck.

Jim

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Originally Posted by jnich67

The cuts I've gotten on my face are really no worse then you would get with any other razor.

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While I've found this to be true, there is the very distinct possibility that the cut will be longer than those caused by a DE or cartridge razor. I still have the vestiges of a two-inch cut near my left ear. It was no deeper than what a DE would have given me, but it's a good deal longer.

If you start off slow and shave from the dominant hand side burn to jaw first for a few days and then move to the cheek and then switch hands and do the same on the other side of the face follwed by each side of the neck up and down and then take on the chin a little bit at a time, you will likely have less nicks than the person who takes on the whole face from the first. The method described lets you get used to the feel of the razor and the angles necessary to cut. This establishes a comfort level as you learn more.

Good Luck.

Lynn

I have had two semi-bad cuts and both of those have been on my thumb!!!
Not paying attention when switching hands will do it in a hurry. On my face, I always had more nicks and cuts with a DE and even more than with a Mach3. With a straight, almost never.

Newb here....

Every time :) but very shallow. The stiptic pencil is my friend, followed by a rubbing alcohol chaser. I will point out that I am still learning to hone and am starting from a dull razor so each time is either a little better or a little worse as I figure out what I'm doing wrong.

Today's lesson was an edge that is sharp enough for a great WTG shave may not be sharp enough for a great XTG shave and I am experiencing my first case of whisker burn. You can't see it happily, no rash, but I can feel the burn.

- Bob

Here's my opinion: you can still cut yourself even if you have lots of practice and a well-honed straight, and it really doesn't matter if it happens because you are not paying attention or there was an earthquake or whatever. What counts is that you can cut yourself - more so than with an electric, for example.

Have I cut myself - heck yeah, but while I don't enjoy it particularly, it won't stop me in the least. I may have put a couple of small permanent scars on my face but that's OK with me (last time wasn't too long ago - wife and kids around me egging me to hurry up to go out together + a vicious spike wasn't a good combination :eek: )

Nevertheless, I haven't used anything else on my face since my very first straight shave, and I don't want to.

Cheers
Ivo

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Originally Posted by izlat

Here's my opinion: you can still cut yourself even if you have lots of practice and a well-honed straight, and it really doesn't matter if it happens because you are not paying attention or there was an earthquake or whatever. What counts is that you can cut yourself - more so than with an electric, for example.

Have I cut myself - heck yeah, but while I don't enjoy it particularly, it won't stop me in the least. I may have put a couple of small permanent scars on my face but that's OK with me (last time wasn't too long ago - wife and kids around me egging me to hurry up to go out together + a vicious spike wasn't a good combination :eek: )

Nevertheless, I haven't used anything else on my face since my very first straight shave, and I don't want to.

Cheers
Ivo

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.....Agreed!

My strop is made entirely of skin I have flayed from my face while shaving! ;)

Still quite the noob but good for the most part.

I have one spot on the right side of my chin though that I may cut clean off before I figure out how to properly shave it!

No idea why it is kicking my arse, but it is annoying! All in the technique....


v/r

Allen

Technique, luck... We all get small cuts from time to time, but the Mach 3 is an outright face mangler compared to a straight.
Follow Lynn's tip, start small, and build your comfort level.
It took me 2 months of shaving cheeks and sideburns before I was ready to try my chin, and another 3 months before I could get my chin reasonably clean.
all in all about 10 months before I was both competent and confident enough to chuck my Mach3 in the bin.

I still get cuts, or weepers when I get too agressive, (usually on my chin) but as long as I keep my razor sharp, it isn't painful.
I could dry shave with one of my straights and still get less irritation than I did from my mach3, or from an electric for that matter...

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Originally Posted by jnich67

The cuts I've gotten on my face are really no worse then you would get with any other razor. If you're reasonably careful you should be fine.

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+1

I have been shaving exclusively with a straight for almost two months now, and have yet to give myself a real "cut." I did give myself two tiny nicks, however. Both were on the same spot on the side of my nose, and both happened while the razor was off my face, and I was not paying attention.

Speaking as a relative newbie, I think that as long as you read up on what to do before you start, have a shave-ready razor, go reasonably slow, and don't aim for a perfectly smooth shave right away, you should be fine. Shaving with a straight is really not all that difficult...it's the stropping and honing parts that are tricky.

tatsuo

I had very few cuts with sharp razors, maybe 2.

One was when I set the razor on my left cheek with my left hand (I am right handed) and paused before starting the stroke. It just sunk in a little and I felt the sting. The other was on my earlobe--got a little too close with a round point.

All of my other facial cuts came from razors that were not really sharp enough to shave (when I was practising honing).

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Originally Posted by Doc

My strop is made entirely of skin I have flayed from my face while shaving! ;)

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THAT"S the spirit of dedication to the craft!

My third shave or so, I had the best shave with a straight razor to that point. The next shave, I got rushed and didn't pay enough attention. I bled well. IT's almost healed. Today, I had the best shave I've ever had with a straight, just shy of BBS. My next shave haunts me already!