I just finished my first straight razor shave, and I must say...I enjoyed it! At first I went into it with the mindset that I would only do a WTG pass on the sideburns/cheeks to get the feel for it, then call it a shave. Well....after taking a few minutes (literally) to calm my nerves and my shakes enough to put blade to face, I quickly gained confidence.

I was making very short, almost not-moving strokes, yet cutting the admittedly long sideburn hair with some ease (I wear a full beard during hunting season, which just ended for me last week). After that, things only got better. It took a while to figure out workable angles using my right hand on my left side, but I was able to get it good enough to get to most of the areas eventually.

I didn't want to stop! My knees actually started to get tired, mostly because I was pretty tensed up the whole time. But right now, I'm on top of the world. I'm BBS on my sideburns and cheeks, and I'm lovin' it. The best part...no blood! No weeping, no cuts, no wounds. Just a great shave overall.

To all you other newbies out there about to start your first shave, just take your time. I locked myself in the bathroom and took nearly an hour to do everything. And, from what I figured out today, the most important thing you can do is to RESPECT THE RAZOR. Don't fear it. Respect it. It's really a rather enjoyable experience.

I'm gonna take some pictures and post them up to SOTD. Woohoo!