Thread: second shave - ouch!

Originally Posted by Ookla

I won't doubt your technique if you are "barehanding" a DE and getting a good shave. You are a braver man than I.

Wow no, me neither, I take it back. Sounds like the stropping.

You likely rolled the fin on the strop or didn't strop well enough.
The edge should pop arm hairs off as you pass over them (don't have to shave your arm) pretty easy. If this occurs evenly across the edge, you should be fine with better stropping.
If it's not popping arm hairs at the toe, heel and middle of the edge, then you rolled the fin stropping, probably.

A well honed blade may slightly catch hairs before cutting them, and as you strop a few laps at a time, you should have the hairs popping easier and easier until you can hardly tell by feel that they're being popped by the blade's edge. Personally, that's when I dare to take a razor to my mammoth beard.

Then you may have about the most stubborn whiskers, in which case try a toe-first stroke on a small part of your cheek. Carefully. A slight toe-first stroke will make even a dull blade cut better. Just be very deliberate yet light in your stroke; going toe first adds an angle that'll make the blade want to detour perpendicular moreso than parallel to your intended angle should your whiskers catch the blade. Works great though.

edit: Keep in mind machine sharpened disposable blades are sharper that straight edges, but straight edge blades should be capable of cutting the thickest beard relatively easy when honed and stropped well.