Thread: Advice Newbie to Newbie

I have just had my first irritation free shave. This is my 5th ever straight shave and here is my advice. Less is more.... PRESSURE
I was putting no pressure on in my first shave, or so i thought. But after my 2nd shave i realised why i had irritation i was moving the razor across the skin instead of letting its own weight cut the hairs (Sounds the same i know) But do as little pressure as possible. Let the razor do the cutting. Light touch is the key. Of course my lather is improving and i have a very lavish prep (hot water face, proraso preshave, lather, hot towel) but the light pressure seemed to be the key for me.

It is sooo much fun using a straight!

+Buckler

This is good advice.

Congratulations on a great shave.

Bart.

Can't wait for my own straight gear to arrive. Thanks for the advice!

Reel 'em in, they're hooked

It is fun. Many great shave to come.

Amen to that Buckler! I am waiting for the arrival of my first straight, which I purchased from the classifieds here. For many years I used the plastic disposables and they caused so much razor burn. All the razor did was bounce along my face so I had to put a lot of pressure to cut the hairs. Then I finally decided enough was enough so I bought a nice handle that used Merkur safety twin blades. After a few shaves of nearly removing the first 5 layers of skin because of too much pressure I learned to allow the razor blades to do their job without assistance from me. A sharp blade combined with the weight of the handle gets the job done easier and without the burn. Now I am ready to take the next step for the "perfect" shave.

Dan