Thread: OK, here are my problems

This is kind of a ramble, but here goes. I have shaved twice now. Once two days ago, and again an hour ago. I'm not doing what I would call well.

I'm using:

A Dovo classic 5/8, pre-honed and shave-ready from Vintage Blades
The shaving soap that came with it
Vulfix 2233 Super Badger brush
Castle Forbes pre-shave

Before I got started with Str8 shaving, I told some family and friends I was going to try it; they all told me I was going to cut my throat and teased me. Which intimidated me somewhat.

So anyway, my pre-shave routine both times has been as follows:

Took a hot shower, scrubbing my face with hot water only.
After the shower, my face seemed very dry, especially the second time.
I applied a steaming hot towel for a minute, repeated twice
I applied the pre-shave oil, fairly liberally.
Applied the shaving soap. I could not get what I deem a good lather in the mug, and I did try.
Repeated the steaming towel.
Re-applied the shaving soap.

Before the second time I stropped for the first time, 20x. I hung it from the robe hook on the back of the bathroom door, and I felt it may have been a little too high.

I tried to determine if my whiskers were as soft as they ought to be in order to begin, but I couldn't really tell. I have very stiff whiskers, esp around my chin and upper lip. My jaw line and chin are kind of sharp.

So I started with my cheeks, beginning at the sideburns, going WTG. This actually went pretty well. I gained some confidence.

Where I ran into trouble was everywhere else.

My neck hairs around my Adam's apple grow sideways, in the same direction on both sides. And I have been unable to figure out a way to shave WTG without cutting myself. I tried shaving XTG and ATG and got a lot of resistance.

I was going really slowly to keep from killing myself, and one problem I had was that my skin kept drying out. So I would splash more warm water and apply more soap. However, I was concentrating so hard that sometimes I would realize I was trying to shave myself while dry.

I have a dimple in my chin, and that, combined with the stiffness of my hairs, made shaving there very difficult. Although I did feel that I got better at it the second time. Again, my hairs grow somewhat sideways here, and it was very difficult to shave WTG to get started.

Both times I was determined not to finish with my standby Gilllete Mach3 but both times I caved, due to razor burn. I'm pretty sure the razor burn was mostly a result of me going over the same places too often,

Afterwards I splashed with cold water several times and applied Castle Forbes aftershave, which I actually like. I did cut myself a few times, but I clot quickly so I am unconcerned about that.

I'm wondering if my blade is too long, because sometimes, like on my neck, I felt I couldn't get to a concave place without cutting myself.

I am undeterred in my quest, but I definitely need advice.

Oh, and yes, I watched Lynn's video. But I may watch it again.

Originally Posted by kelleycp

My neck hairs around my Adam's apple grow sideways, in the same direction on both sides. And I have been unable to figure out a way to shave WTG without cutting myself. I tried shaving XTG and ATG and got a lot of resistance.

Hello.

I too have the same kind of hair around my Adam's apple. For me, it's the hardest spot to shave. I never go ATG, I tried it a couple of times, but I find very resistance and end up with some razor burn.
Not to worry. Here's what I do. I do twice XTG, each from different sides.
To get an easier angle to your razor, pull your skin to the sides so that the hair that is getting you trouble will no longer have that Adam's apple bump under the skin, thus will make it easier to shave.

Shaving with a straight razor is like anything else in life. If you fail at first, try and try again.

Quick blood clotting is a great quality to take with you to the straight razor altar. Just keep practicing. My lather gets dry when I don't have enough water in it. Better lather will give you more forgiveness to work with as you continue shaving.

I think once you did the sides of your face you should have called its quits and congradulated yourself. Once you are entirely comfortable with that maneuver then you can try your chin and after that some simple strokes with your neck. After you have mastered all that then you can experiment with across the grain and against the grain stuff. learning to use a straight is a skill and as you progress from one stroke to another you build upon what you have learned so just slow down and take it one step at a time. If you try and do it all at first you'll just get fustrated and nick yourself and get razor burn. Eventually you will master it all.

Kelleycp,

I think you're not doing as bad as you might think. It takes time. You'll get better with each shave. But your first 10 shaves will be sloppy. Maybe more. That's normal.

Now, for some suggestions...
Some people will advice you to shave only your cheeks till your completely comfortable doing that and finish the rest with your previous shaving method, expanding the area you shave with the straight as you learn and gain confidence. That is great advice, but if you're anything like me, you won't take it.
Nevertheless, you really need to take your mind of some things in order to concentrate on the more important points of the craft of straight razor shaving. So may I suggest that, for now, you shouldn't worry too much about WTG, XTG & ATG. Shave down on your cheeks. Shave one side of the chin sideways, from under the left corner of your mouth to the middle, and the other side in opposite direction, from the right side to the middle. Shave your neck right down, with about three adjacent strokes on each side and two in the middle. Concentrate on stretching your skin. Concentrate on a low blade angle. Concentrate on a light touch.
That's already way more than the human cerebelum can cope with on such short notice.
Then rinse your face with hot water, make your face wet with water or very runny lather and shave, everything you just did, in reverse order, in opposite direction, with tiny, light, upward strokes. Again: stretch well, use a low angle and minimal pressure.
Rinse with cold water. Don't expect to be smooth all over. To achieve that you'll have to learn a whole bunch of variating angles and directions, and you'll have to learn them how your beard and face dictate. Later.

It's a good idea to wash your face before lathering up, not just to rub it with hot water. It's important to remove the natural oil that's on your whiskers, to allow the lather to work. Some guys reported excellent results with hair conditioner for that "pre-wash". I always use a face cleansing soap myself.

I also like to add a word of caution about stropping. It's incredibly important that you get that right. Doing it wrong can dull an edge in an instant. Doing it right can make all the difference between a horrendous shave and a heavenly shave. So... make very sure you know what to do, and what to avoid on that strop. You don't want to have to question the sharpness of that razor, while you are taking your very first learning steps.

Finally: your razor is not too long. I'm sure.
But it is possible that in some future you'll develop a preference for those older razors with an ever so slight curve along the edge (called a smiling blade). That's even more likely if you have "hollow" parts on cheeks or neck.

Best regards and good luck,

Bart.