Thread: how much blood is too much blood?

Dudes, I am pretty new to the straight razor shaving stuff, been at it about 2 weeks. I kinda suck at it but I get a little better each time. The other day i was in Chicago and decided it would be cool to get a straight razor shave from a pro. I figured it would be a really good reference for how well I should be doing it eventually.

I went to one of the highest rated places in the city. I had really high hopes. It started out nice with the hot towels and stuff, but then he started hackin away at my face. Three passes later his towels were soaked in blood. I guess he had a tough time getting through my stubble. It felt like he was using a lot more pressure than I do. After the shave my face hurt pretty bad. My neck had some major razor burn, and except for my cheeks (the easy part) I wasn't too impressed with the closeness.

When I left I wasn't too happy. I didn't complain though, because I really have nothing to compare this experience to. My facial hair is definitely on the thick side, and apparently my skin is kinda sensitive, but is this a normal experience? Could I expect this from any other professional barber I go to? I hope this isn't as good as it gets.

I'm just 20 years old (most of you've probably been shaving longer than that), so I would like to hear from some of you old guys who have been at it for awhile. Thanks in advance.

Well, it sounds pretty bad to me. Who would want to shave with a straight razor after such experience... It reminds me of the televised shaving of one of the late-night talk shows host, although doing it quickly and on camera is probably not usual way they conduct business.
In any case there are many people here with tough beards and sensitive skins who can get pretty decent shaves, and a trained barber should be able to approach that experience. It's harder to judge pressure on somebody else's skin, but that's why they get trained.

Yeah, that's not right. If you have a pimple starting, you might get a small nick in that spot, but it should not be a bloodbath, and there should not be any irritation (unless you do a 3-pass shave, in which case some irritation is inevitable, but it should still be minimal). Sounds to me like the razor was not sharp & the guy was laying into it to try to get it to shave. Not good.

That sounds terrible! Seems like this same event is replicated every month or so; some poor guy gets butchered by some slob barber who knows nothing at all. My sympathies.

Sorry for your experience. NO WAY should you receive that treatment by an Alleged Pro

A friend of mine attended barber school in NYC in the 60's. When I asked how they taught Str8 shaving,he told me that they literally invited "street" people (he called them "Bums") in the Bowery in for a free haircut and shave. By the time a barber gets to PAYING customers one would think his skill set is well "honed"

My beard is literally like wire too,so I can relate to a tough beard but I don't think that its so much that your skin is so "sensitive"-but if the razor is refusing and you keep forcing it to cut,irritation and BLEEDING is going to result. Even with a sharp razor,honemeister tuned,requires ALOT of finish polishing on my end or I'll end up with road rash.

In all fairness to the barber,when you shave yourself you can feel what works and what doesn't.Apparently,you have a HIGH pain threshold.. Believe me-YOU CAN DO BETTER.

That probably happened occasionally in the old days as well hehe

I wonder how many victims that barber has attacked and how many more will receive that sort of punishment from him in the future.

jft,

My opinion is that if the shave is done by a professional barber there should be no blood. I'm also of the opinion that once one becomes proficient at shaving oneself, there should no blood, but since this is not a perfect world and it's peopled by the imperfect, when one shaves oneself there will be the occasional lapse-in-concentration oops - a nick and not a gusher. The oops is inexcusable for the professional barber shaving a paying customer.

Good luck with your learning curve.

That is a terrible story. I would have refused to pay and asked to see the manager and complained to him in no uncertain terms!

I would have asked for the razor so I could shave him next

Or I would have kicked him in the nuts and said, "See you again tomorrow then?"

Sounded like a horror story when I read that

I would think a pro would get you BBS with no nicks, cuts or razor burn, nice warm towels and all. Getting a shave like that from a barber and paying for it is supposed to be enjoyable I would think, not something you leave chopped up with razor burn.