Thread: Feel the burn!

Just completed my first str8 razor shave. Wow. There's a big difference between a str8 and my mach3 turbo. I used my new DA str8 & filly stop from Kenrup and orange bay rum soap by Colleen. It took about 30 minutes - and not a drop of blood. I had to cheat with my old razor in a couple of spots. End result is one of the closest shaves i've ever had.

I didn't really have any problems, but i do have two issues i'd like some advice on - when I was done, my face felt like it was on fire and while shaving areas with dense hair it felt like i was pulling the hairs out instead of cutting them off.

The razor is brand new. Prior to using it i stropped it about 20 laps on the green side and about 50 on the smooth. To get my face smooth, in most areas I had to go WTG, ATG, & XTG. Afterwards i rinsed with cold water, splashed on some dickensons witch hazel & finished with Nivea shaving balm.

Welcome, Chris and congratulations on a good start. The pulling you're feeling may be from having the blade at too low an angle, ie spine too close to your face. As for the burn, it may just take a little time for your face to get accustomed to the straight. Give it time to recover before you give it another go.

razor angle is a big deal when it comes to pulling. Another issue is if you are a first timer they don't normally recomend doing against the grain at first as it; A. Takes time to develop the skill/feel for the straight B. Takes time for your face to get used to the straight. ASB is great. Cold water rinse along with Nivea's Uber Balm fixes most razor burn issues in a couple of hours.

Take it slow and enjoy.

Most people that are accustomed to a Mach3 use way to much pressure while shaving with a straight razor. Half the pressure you were putting on the razor during your previous shave. Than the next day, half if again. And the day after that, again. Keep on doing that, and by the end of next month, you'll be using the correct pressure for shaving with a straight razor....
It is rumoured that in september 2001 there was a guy in Utah who managed to drop the pressure all at once. Probably an urban myth, though.

But seriously, keep the angle of the razor low and pressure minimal. If your razor is shaveready, than the result will be a smooth, irritation free shave. If a razor refuses to serve you in that fashion, and invites you to push down before it cuts your whiskers with a pulling sensation, than it is too dull to shave with. But if it came from Kenrup, I'm sure it was shaveready when you got it. He has an impeccable reputation. It is possible, however, and even quite easy, to dull a razor with faulty stropping practice.

The best advice I can give you, is to keep shaving and post an update on how it goes in this thread. Many experienced members of SRP will endow you with good advice and encouragements.

From what you told us, you are perfectly on track in the straight razor learning curve.

Bart.

Second on the pressure thing. If the razor is sharp, then irritation can come from too much pressure.

Pulling might be because you are leading with the heel. Lead with the toe. When shaving down, make sure the tip(toe) of the razor is even with or lower than the handle, just a little.

Razors are sharpened this way, the honing stroke creates teeth that have a steeper slope on the edge facing the handle, and gentler slope on the edge pointing away. If you pull the razor heel-first, you are trying to use the very steep angle, which causes the tooth to jab into the whisker and pull. If you go toe-first, the back edge of the tooth slides across the whisker, slicing it smoothly.

Since the teeth edges "lean" toward the tang, going straight down works as well.

It's in all the barber manuals.

I have also found that some newly honed razors *improve* with each stropping for a while, maybe 3 - 4 uses. The get smoother and pull less during this period.

Finally, make sure you are sufficiently moisturizing your whiskers. At least 3 minues with a warm towel, or right after the shower. And keep relathering as you shave.

Hope this helps.

And a third vote for being careful about the amount of pressure.
I was a Mach 3 shaver that went to a str8 too. Started out just shaving the cheeks to get the feel of the str8. Did a WTG and two XTG passes on the first time out.
Despite my best efforts to soothe my face, I looked I had been in a slapping contest and lost for most of the day. I had used way too much pressure and my angle of attack probably sucked too. Too long ago to remember the exact details except for the raw face I had to endure for the day...

Thanks for the info. I need some clarification from the replies though. One post says that too low of an angle may be the cause of the pulling. Another post mentions keeping the angle low + reduced pressure. That was my first shave with a str8, but it felt like if i let up on the pressure there would not have been sufficient force to cut the stubble.

The razor is new, from Kenrup, and is shave ready. I doubt that the issue is with the blade itself. I will have to read some more and work on technique. I had not thought that i may have ruined the edge by faulty stropping. I've read about everything i can find in the forums & watched several of the utube videos. If thats the case, will it have to be rehoned?

In the meantime, I'll try to keep consistent AOA & reduce pressure and see how that goes.

Thanks for the help.

If you accidently rolled the edge by using too much stropping pressure, then the razor will have to be rehoned. If you have some green CrO, then you might be able to recover the edge if it has not been damaged too bad. Might be worth a try.
FYI, it is fairly common for newbies to roll the edge on their first razor (he says speaking from experience). I was thinking that if a little pressure applied while stropping was good, then more would really give a nice edge. Yeah, right! Live and learn...

Originally Posted by cel

I had to cheat with my old razor in a couple of spots. End result is one of the closest shaves i've ever had.

You can't cheat, because there are no rules!

Originally Posted by cel

Thanks for the info. I need some clarification from the replies though. One post says that too low of an angle may be the cause of the pulling. Another post mentions keeping the angle low + reduced pressure. That was my first shave with a str8, but it felt like if i let up on the pressure there would not have been sufficient force to cut the stubble.

The razor is new, from Kenrup, and is shave ready. I doubt that the issue is with the blade itself. I will have to read some more and work on technique. I had not thought that i may have ruined the edge by faulty stropping. I've read about everything i can find in the forums & watched several of the utube videos. If thats the case, will it have to be rehoned?

In the meantime, I'll try to keep consistent AOA & reduce pressure and see how that goes.

Thanks for the help.

Remember the razor comes with a three month warranty for such cases as this. If you can't bring it back up to speed with the chrom. ox. send back to me.