First shave... FAIL!!

My first shave was the worse shave i've ever gotten in my entire life, but im still not quitting.

It was with a Japanese Tosuke that I received today from one of our members here.

1. Took a hot shower.
2. Made a nice thick lather with one of coleens soaps, and spread it across my face with a regular cheap-o brush.
3. Hesitated for about 5 minutes, then finally went for it.

The first stroke, i barley touched the blade to my face, and it took a few hairs off.
I dont know why, but I was terrified of the blade cutting up my face, so I did not put any pressure on the blade AT ALL.
I have Lynn Abrams DVD, and when he shaved in there, he said not to use pressure too.

I went over the right side of my face, NOT against the grain. I did that for a few times, and it seemed that it was taking ONLY about 15% of what it should take.

In the end, my face started burning like hell, but at the same time, i still had a lot of facial hair. I had to finish off with my mach3. And now, my face looks like 'doodoo' with a lot of bumps and all that normal regular stuff you get from disposable razors.

I hope this is just a learning curve and i'll get over this. I've already invested so much money into this, and I really want it to work.


**Im thinking that the stubble I had on my face was a little too much for the razor? You guys tell me, heres a pic.
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...k/IMG_0419.jpg

I hope you will be coming to our little get together tomorrow! If you are, bring your razors as I am sure someone can help considerably! Here is a link:http://straightrazorpalace.com/showthread.php?t=16123

First question that pops into mind is, did the person you get it from tell you whether or not it was shave ready?

Also it does just kinda sound like beginners issues. I remember my first shave, was with a Feather, the first few weeks were unpleasant, but if you stick with it, it will get better.

Man, I would not have tried to learn to shave with a Japanese straight razor. Anyway, either the razor is not shave ready, or you have to learn to use proper technique. You could eliminate the first possible problem if the razor was honed by a honemeister before you got it. The amount of stubble on your face should not be a problem.

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Originally Posted by heavydutysg135

Man, I would not have tried to learn to shave with a Japanese straight razor. .

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+1 If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have started with a Japanese straight, even though it was just a feather.

The other thing I just remembered is that Lynn's DVD can only teach so much, because angles and the way you hold a Japanese straight are different than that of a western straight.

I read here on the forums that the Japanese straights are hollow ground on one side and flat ground on the other, and you your supposed to keep one side facing your face. I don't remember if it was the flat side or hollow ground side.

You need to keep the hollow ground side towards your face . A properly honed Tosuke is an awesome shaver , but I would not recommend it for a newb , especially for your first shave . I think you would do best getting a conventional stye shave ready straight razor , and save the Tosuke for use after you you have more experience using a straight razor . I have a Tosuke , and it's my favorite razor . BTW , a Tosuke is honed differently than a "regular" straight razor . On a Tosuke the hollow side is given 3 strokes on the hone , and the wedge side is given 2 strokes . Be patient , and keep it fun . :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Aram

The first stroke, i barley touched the blade to my face, and it took a few hairs off.
I dont know why, but I was terrified of the blade cutting up my face, so I did not put any pressure on the blade AT ALL.

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You don't know why? This is a perfectly natural response and anyone here will tell you that the first time you put one of these things on your face ----- well it takes a leap of faith -- and a little fear is natural. It doesn't seem to me that you have started with the easiest razor but whatever route you choose it will take trial and error as no one can explain exactly what to do or what's best for you. After a few shaves accompanied by the inevitable beginner's nicks and cuts, you will learn the right pressure and angle ----- keep at it but I must say there is no easy way, it's rites of passage time .

Justin

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Originally Posted by jaegerhund

You don't know why? This is a perfectly natural response and anyone here will tell you that the first time you put one of these things on your face ----- well it takes a leap of faith -- and a little fear is natural. It doesn't seem to me that you have started with the easiest razor but whatever route you chose it will take trial and error as no one can explain exactly what to do or what's best for you. After a few shaves accompanied by the inevitable beginner's nicks and cuts, you will learn the right pressure and angle ----- keep at it but I must say there is no easy way, it's rites of passage time .

Justin

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You know, I completely missed that! I was shaking so bad the first time I shaved with a straight that I thought for sure I was going to cut something off!

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Originally Posted by JMS

You know, I completely missed that! I was shaking so bad the first time I shaved with a straight that I thought for sure I was going to cut something off!

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I was thinking "do I really want to do this?' --- and I applied so little pressure that the thing barely touched my skin --- and because I was nervous and uncertain, I cut myself --- I couldn't see my face in the mirror, the hand/mirror coordination was all funky, and the thoughts of doing anything beyond a WTG pass was inconceivable ---- the resulting shaves sucked but things improved rapidly .


Justin

I am not worried about you at all. It was your first time. Looking at your face, I am very confident that with practice your shaves will improve immensely.

I don't know how difficult a Japanese straight is to use, but the learning curve for straights does seem to be steep. Yet it is not unconquerable. Take your time, focus, and enjoy!

Don't be afraid of the razor. It's a tool and like any tool, it deserves your respect, not your fear. In the next few days, you will nick yourself. There's no doubt about that. But a nick is only a nick, you'll only feel a short, split-second little sting, it will cure without hurting in a few days.
Don't curse yourself for being afraid. We all were afraid when we started. It's the first thing you need to let go.

I don't know anything about the tosuke, but if you're sure that it is shaveready and it is not cutting whiskers, the cause must be that you don't use the right angle to put it against your face. Minimal pressure is a good thing. Lay the blade flat on your cheek, right underneath the side-burn and start stroking downward, while increasing the angle until the razor starts to cut whiskers. The shallowest angle that works is good for learning. Later you'll learn to experiment with the angle a bit to improve closeness of the shave.
You'll get the hang of it pretty soon. I'm sure of it.

Have fun,

Bart.

Aram, after my first shave with my pre-honed razor (first use) my results were very similar. I had been shaving for some time, and had the technique down pretty pat before I got my DOVO in. I sent mine back to be re-honed because I knew it wasn't my technique (tried multiple angles throughout the shave - same result) so just make 100% sure it isn't your technique. If you're positive, get it honed up real nice.

Good luck man

Aram,
The first shave is always the most tense and tentative one. I am going to have to say that jumping to str8s w/ a Japenese straight might be a bit much to handle. I am assuming that the str8 is shave ready.

You have made a significant investment already. My recommendation would be to get a traditional str8 and begin there if you can.

If not stick with the Tosuke you will get the hang of it I am sure, the learning curve with a Japenese str8 might be a bit steeper.

I agree that technique may have something to do with it, but it shouldn't give you razor burn and miss hairs, that sounds like an underhoned edge.
I have a couple of questions for you.
1) Did you strop your razor before shaving?
2) Did the razor come from someone with experience honing japanese styled razors?
3) Did you feel the razor pulling hair?


I'm going to go out on a limb, and say that I don't think your razor is sharp enough. This is especially true if you felt it pulling. However as I have absolutely no experience with japanese style razors please take this with a grain of salt.

to JMS: I wish I could have made it today. Next time, for sure. Its was only a few miles from here :)

The member whom I purchased the Tosuke from informed me that it was shave ready. He said I shouldn't even strop it so I know what it feels like to shave with a shave ready razor. He was knowledgeable about Japanese style razors.

I applied the sharp thumb test, and it felt sharp.


One thing I also forgot to mention is I thought that the razor was going OVER and skipping most of the hairs. Is that a sign of an OVER-honed razor?

What about the burning sensation after the shave? My face felt like it was on fire.

I do have a DOVO Special, so the next shave will be with a regular straight.


Thank you to all the generous members here who are helping me with this learning process.

I appreciate it all very much, and im not quitting anytime soon :)

so... THANX :tu:tu:tu

-aram

Hi Aram,

Welcome to SRP. I definitely do not have the amount of hair growth you have. But I do experience the not taking all of the hair off on the WTG pass. I get all my hair off on the ATG pass.

Also, when you go WTG on the first pass, try not to go over the same spot more than twice without relathering. If you go over the same spot a few times without relathering you will definitely get that razor burn feeling.

A shave ready razor will conquer all hairs. It may not do it for long and will need to be rehoned sooner than later but I'm sure the other members that have a heavy hair growth can chime in on that.

Good luck and keep shaving.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Aram

My first shave was the worse shave i've ever gotten in my entire life, but im still not quitting.

It was with a Japanese Tosuke that I received today from one of our members here.

1. Took a hot shower.
2. Made a nice thick lather with one of coleens soaps, and spread it across my face with a regular cheap-o brush.
3. Hesitated for about 5 minutes, then finally went for it.

The first stroke, i barley touched the blade to my face, and it took a few hairs off.
I dont know why, but I was terrified of the blade cutting up my face, so I did not put any pressure on the blade AT ALL.
I have Lynn Abrams DVD, and when he shaved in there, he said not to use pressure too.

I went over the right side of my face, NOT against the grain. I did that for a few times, and it seemed that it was taking ONLY about 15% of what it should take.

In the end, my face started burning like hell, but at the same time, i still had a lot of facial hair. I had to finish off with my mach3. And now, my face looks like 'doodoo' with a lot of bumps and all that normal regular stuff you get from disposable razors.

I hope this is just a learning curve and i'll get over this. I've already invested so much money into this, and I really want it to work.


**Im thinking that the stubble I had on my face was a little too much for the razor? You guys tell me, heres a pic.

---

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Aram

The member whom I purchased the Tosuke from informed me that it was shave ready. He said I shouldn't even strop it so I know what it feels like to shave with a shave ready razor.

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On a side note, I'm assuming (and this is directed at everyone on the forum) that our forum honemiesters strop up razors they hone before sending them out. This may have been discussed before, but I have missed it since I've only been on here a month.

I'm assuming this because I believe each honemiester test-shaves the razors?

Thanks for the clarification...

~Chris

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Originally Posted by cwrighta70

On a side note, I'm assuming (and this is directed at everyone on the forum) that our forum honemiesters strop up razors they hone before sending them out. This may have been discussed before, but I have missed it since I've only been on here a month.

I'm assuming this because I believe each honemiester test-shaves the razors?

Thanks for the clarification...

~Chris

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Some suggest you strop whilst others don't. If your a newbie and you strop, you may roll the edge which will produce a crappy shave. However if you don't strop, depending on how many days it is in transit the edge may oxidize slightly thus also producing a crappy shave. 6 of one or 1/2 dozen of the other.

Welcome to SRP Aram! Glad to see that you are not giving up - the guys above have all given you terrific advice.....take advantage of the forums and the knowledge contained here and you'll be shaving with fewer and fewer problems as the days pass. Best of luck!! :tu

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OLD_SCHOOL

Some suggest you strop whilst others don't. If your a newbie and you strop, you may roll the edge which will produce a crappy shave. However if you don't strop, depending on how many days it is in transit the edge may oxidize slightly thus also producing a crappy shave. 6 of one or 1/2 dozen of the other.

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The reason I ask is after reading through some of the manuals in the Documents area, stropping is a must after honing a razor. Then, after seeing posts saying "don't strop your freshly honed razor before shaving so that you don't roll the edge", I'm assuming they have been stropped by the honemiester and this is okay.

Aram,

As a fellow newbie, I have to say that your experience sounds exactly like my own. I've now shaved three times with my new razor (no cuts yet!), and I'm getting the swing of things.

One thing that really helped me was to remember that, unlike with cartridge razors, straight razor shaving is a two-handed operation. Remember to stretch the skin a bit with one hand while you have with the other.

That has made a world of a difference. This morning's shave wasn't perfect, but I didn't have to finish off with a cartridge razor for the first time.

if it came shave ready as stated, then I would say try easier areas, go slow, and give it a chance. I really can't advise you on use of japanese straights, but persistence is key.
If you have another shave ready straight on the way, you will soon be able to compare and decide for yourself.

best of luck! :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Aram

I dont know why, but I was terrified of the blade cutting up my face, so I did not put any pressure on the blade AT ALL.

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It wakes you up better then coffee. Congrats on taking the plunge. :D

When I first started I shaved every other day (razor burn needs to heal). It took me about 10 shaves to figure things out. YMMV but don't expect a lot at first.

Super Ultra Shave'O'Matic Disposables:nono: are very forgiving and require little to no skill. Basically a 13 year old doing his first shave can figure things out on his own with no trouble and expect good results. Going from disposables to straits requires skill and experience, a couple of things that you can't buy off the shelf. Thats the love.

When you get that first great shave you will never want to go back. If you haven't done it yet, find an old barber that still does shaves and get yourself one. It may just be the treat/experience to put you on the right track. Thats the best advice I ever got.

Don't feel bad about the hesitation. When I first put a blade to my throat, I had the definite feeling that Bela Lugosi was standing behind me, waiting to jumt at that first drop. It made it all the worse to know I couldn't see hm in my mirror! (The crucifix helped.) But I've very rarely in the three months since I started, gotten more than a minor nick. It's hard to fault anyone for being cautious.

I can relate to first shave fear . The hardest thing about my first shave , was getting up the balls to run that insanely sharp blade , down my face :eek: ! I got a few nicks (nothing serious) on my first few shaves . But I didn't get cut good , until I thought I had mastered the basic technique :roflmao (I think it was my 16th shave):roflmao .