Thread: The jump from shavette to a straight?

Hi. I am a complete newbie with a few questions I would like to throw out there.

On the recommendation of the gentleman at the barber supply store I purchased a shavette first in order to get the feel for a straight razor before I invested more money. I've been using it for more than a month and while I get a very close shave I continue cutting myself almost every time. I do have a couple of scars that run just under my jaw line and they bleed with regularity but I also get some other small cuts where I think I'm doing everything right. Judging from the guides I've read online I think my technique is decent. It seems like part of the problem is that the blades dull so quickly that I have to change the pressure everyday to account for the change so I'm starting to press by the time I change to a fresh blade. I saw another post where someone said they cut themselves more with their shavette than they ever did with their straight and I was wondering if that's common.

What do you think?

Could I be right about the dulling blade leading to cuts or is my techniques off?

Do people typically cut themselves more with a shavette than a straight?

Is a shavette a good first step or should I have started with the straight?

Also, does anybody shave their head with a straight?

Thanks in advance to anyone who answers and to everyone on this forum for posting such great information. I never thought I would look forward to shaving in the mornings but I really enjoy it (blood and all).

I'm out of town for a few days so don't think I'm rude if I don't respond to any posts until next week. Thanks again.

When I decided that I would like to use a straight straight razor, I started with what's called a hair shaper. Basically it is a straight razor body that uses disposable blades. The thing cost me about 2 or 3 dollars and the blades were really cheap as well. I think this is the same thing as a shavette.
As far as the blood and nicks and all that, it is common. Your face has to adjust to a new type of material, I think that a lot of guys probably have simply forgotten about that over time. I remember when I was younger and I got a nice electric razor for christmas, a real top of the line model, it cut my face to shreds the first 2 weeks or so.
Anyway
Give your face some time to adjust. If you have been using standard disposables, your skin isn't used to an exposed blade because it cuts the hair differently.
I remember, for instance, when I was 16 or 17 and I got a straight razor shave at the barber. It hurt for 2 days. If you have a scar or scab that keeps opening up, I would say avoid shaving that area to let it heal up or you could pick up a stypic pencil for $1.50 from any drug store and it will smooth it right over (and hurt).
Use the shavette while you choose your first straight and by the time you have that straight in your hands ready to use, you will know just how to handle it.

The straight has a pretty steep learning curve that I think a lot of people just naturally forget about.

Also, just for the record, I used the blade in the hair shaper for one shave only! Pressure has a lot less to do with closeness than does the angle!

Originally Posted by AC_in_SD

What do you think?

I wish people would quite giving this advice. The shavette is almost but not quite exactly unlike shaving with a real straight. This is the way I started too.

Originally Posted by AC_in_SD

Could I be right about the dulling blade leading to cuts or is my techniques off?

Neither. The blade on a shavette is actually sharper than that of a real straight so it takes of bumps and scars the straight glides over. It also has sharp corners that a real straight, even a spike point, don't these catch on the skin. The blade is also not a smooth so the shave feels rougher and is more likely to be too close and burn.

Originally Posted by AC_in_SD

Do people typically cut themselves more with a shavette than a straight?

I know I did and others have. for all of the reasons above. Also with me the shavette cut so close my skin couldn't tolerate it for more than about three days in a row without being really sore and this was with a few months under my belt.

Originally Posted by AC_in_SD

Is a shavette a good first step or should I have started with the straight?

Its kind of like taking a dip in the swimming pool to see if you like the ocean. You will get the blade angle pretty close and be used to controlling it, you will get the basic hold down pat, you will have the stroke pattern down and you will get used to how you have to stretch your skin. You will still have to learn how to strop and possibly hone a razor when you switch and a real straight just feels so much different than the shavette it's really a different animal.

Originally Posted by AC_in_SD

Also, does anybody shave their head with a straight?

There are a few guys who do. I'm not one of them, the hair is running away from my head on its own, I don't want to hurry it.


Good luck getting started.

Here is where I get to ask a question: what are your impressions of the shavette? Is it a good quality blade? How are the shaves with it?

You dont strop the shavette every shave like you do a regular straight. as the blade dulls you have to use more pressure, as you do this you start slicing your face and not the hair. you should be able to tell when it takes more effort to shave, the perfect indicator to change blades. good luck and god bless.