Thread: First couple shaves...this sucks

Keep at it, it'll keep developing slowly. Suddenly the angle or grip or pressure on one part of your face will click and it'll be golden from then on, then another area, then another area, then you'll be shaving!

Persistence pays off.

Sorry to hear your first few have sucked. I would argue that most of us had similar experiences. There are a few that report having dreamy shaves the first time they pick up a straight, but IMO it's safe to say they're in the minority.

You mentioned not feeling like you really knew how to hold the razor when shaving. It's easy for me to say that holding a straight razor in any position needed feels natural, but really, it should not feel completely awkward. If you haven't already, look for Dr. Chris Moss' PDF manual on shaving and of course find Lynn Abram's segments on Youtube. Practice holding the razor in each hand when you're not shaving to get more comfortable.

If you feel irritation during the shave, stop shaving. Take a few steps backward; I mean start only shaving your cheeks (usually they're the areas that are least prone to irritation (chin, upper lip and neck are most prone to irritation) and stop after shaving your cheeks. That way you can practice the correct angles and practice your skin stretching (absolutely necessary).

Keep in mind, shaving your chin area is a whole different ballgame than shaving your cheeks. It would be easy starting out to feel like shaving your cheeks is second nature after only a little practice. Then.....trying shaving your chin can shut you down. That's why goatees were so popular back in straight shaving times and still are among some straight shavers today I'm sure. Shaving your chin area takes much more practice.

Finally, you think 30 min is way longer than this should be taking you? Think again. Many experienced straight razor shavers take that long to shave their entire faces. If I take my time and do a WTG and XTG and really get my chin and neck as smooth as my cheeks, I'm at 30min.

I hope this helps.

Chris L

When I started out I couldn't finish before the lather dried up on half my face. I had a bit of experience 25 years ago but had forgotten most of what I knew. I also felt awkward holding the razor and maneuvering it. As Chris suggested I looked at Dr Moss's PDF and I bought Lynn's DVD. I kept my Merkur slant loaded and ready to finish when I couldn't do the chin and mustache areas. That lasted a few weeks and it was downhill from there. Now I do a two pass close and comfortable shave in 15 minutes. Don't forget to stretch the skin and plenty of lather. Hang in there, it gets way better.

Yup..what they said!

Cheeks first, lite pressure, think in terms of beard reduction, not total elimination with one stroke.

Angle of the razor should be 30 degrees or about 2 spine widths away from the skin.

It is normal for the skin to object for the first couple of weeks. Give it a rest of two days between shaves if necessary.