How should it feel?

So, I am relatively new to the DE/straight shaving world. I have been DE shaving for about 6 weeks and straight shaving for 1 week.

When I DE shave I end up with a face that feels just a little on the tingly side. Kinda like comming in from a really cold winter day (rosy cheeks).

When I straight shave I have quite a bit more irritation. My face is definately hotter and the stinging lasts long after I have applied my normal dose of Thayers. Not an uncomfortable level of irritation, but noticable. Not to point where I would consider not straight shaving every day.

I know there was a phase of 'skin toughening' when I initially started DE shaving. Is there a similar phase with straights? Could it be the sharpness of my blade or blade angle?

I do try and do a couple of passes. Maybe I will scale'r back to just one WTG and see how that goes.

Blade to face angle i found to be quite critical in getty comfy shaves.

Keep the spine of the razor almost flat to your face, only lift it off by about a spine's width.

If you are putting it too steep, trying to achieve the mythical 30 degree angle, it will be way too steep, and you'll get a crummy shave.

Once you start getting comfy shaves with the spine barely off your face, then you can experiment a bit with slightly increasing the angle a touch (like maybe two spine widths max) for a closer shave, but that will come with time...

Watch your pressure, as well. It sounds like you might be taking off more skin than is needed, and that, as near as I can tell, will come from either pressing into the blade instead of having just enough downward force to cause the blade to glide at the base of the hairs, or too steep an angle. Keep trying and experimenting (cautiously) and you'll get it.

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Originally Posted by dnjrboy

I know there was a phase of 'skin toughening' when I initially started DE shaving. Is there a similar phase with straights?

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There was with me. Or at least my shaving was so atrocious when I started that my skin loudly protested.

I've realized that when the blade/whiskers make less noise, the shave is more pleasant. High angle = more noise.

Interesting comment on the noise. My shaving is very loud wen compared to DE shaving.

I just thought it was the sound of effective whisker annihilation.

Are you sure your edge is well-honed? If your edge isn't excellent, it can cause irritation even if your technique is good. I get less irritation from a well-honed straight than with a DE.

Until you get comfortable with a straight try using the lightest presure and the smallest cutting angle that will remove whiskers.

Easy to do on the large flat spots but it takes practice (sometimes a lot of practice) to get used to varying the angle as you go around the tricky spots. It took me a long time (and a fair amount of blood :w)to figure out how to do a couple spots on my upper and lower lip and around the chin. Don't worry it will all come together on day.