Thread: 4day stubble/beard too much for straight?

I just got my straight razor today, which was shave ready (ebay - altima55)

I had a slight miss-hap that resulted in a slight nick in the blade (another thread) after the first pass



The cheeks went well, and the neck as well. However, when I did the chin and mustache area it really had a hard time getting through it. I tried to gently remove a bit at a time, and it felt like my hair was being ripped out

I eventually got all the hair off, but it was kind of painful. Is this normal if you don't shave for a few days, if so should I take a beard trimmer to it first?... idk if my trimmer even would take it down lower than it was.



This sound normal? (PS, I used parts of the blade near the front and back where the nick wasn't at and it didn't seem to make a difference)
**Also, I'm waiting on my TM Strop to arrive, but it said shave ready no stropping needed for 1st shave so I just used as is.
***This may be completey normal, so I don't want to say it wasn't sharp enough since this is my first straight fyi!

No, that is not normal. No, the shave should not be uncomfortable. No, I do not believe your razor is shave ready, and I do not believe you can shave without stropping first.

You may want to peruse the following articles in the Wiki, however:

• Anticipation - Straight Razor Place Wiki
• What Every Beginner Should Know - Straight Razor Place Wiki
• The Shave Ready Razor - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Straight shaving is an art which takes months rather than weeks to acquire. Have a professional assess the shave readiness of the razor, and make sure your preparation and technique are good. Once you have that out of your way, a four day beard growth will be gone in a breeze.

I haven't noticed any difference in difficulty between shaving off a 2 day beard and a 4 day beard (although the 4 day beard is quite rare for me)

Time and practice is your best bet, you might want to get that nick checked out as well.

Here is a pic of my face post shave. I don't think I did too bad.. only a few small nicks, not quite as close as I'd like it (esp around lips) but maybe with exp and rehone it will come out better

Sorry for big pic

I have shaved my face after a 5-7 day floating/camping trip... BBS smooth! I think letting your skin rest results in a BETTER shave, for sure. It just takes a little more effort during lathering to make sure you get UNDER the face-fur.

I've gone up to 4 days between shaves and when I shaved it was just as comfortable as if I shaved everyday. In my opinion, Altima has very nice quality razors and I've bought a few over the years however I don't think any of them were shave ready. They weren't dull but they did need work.

If you are new to this it is probably technique and angles as much/maybe more than the razor. Study the wiki and the help files, also it does take a little time for the skin to adapt to the razor. Take care and good luck!

I have to say (well actually that's not true) that for me one of the most satisfying aspects of straight shaving is shaving off a week's growth. If you try that with a cartridge razor, you'll just clog it up and get a crappy shave. With a straight, it really doesn't matter if you're shaving one day's or 7 days' growth because the whiskers just pile up on the blade. That transition from scruff to smooth with one swipe is just amazing.

I have to agree with the others, to take 3+ days worth of beard off in a flick of the wrist is great!