Introduction and my First Shave

Hi,

I'm Justin.

I purchased a Dovo from Straight Razor Designs as well as a new brush and some good creme.. I also got some pre-shave from Proraso. I've been a Mach 3 user for a long time and got tired of paying out the nose for those blades!

I read as much as I could, especially about starting slow. I must say, it's a bit awkward handling that thing.. I decided to just do one pass down the side of the face. I took my time and let the razor do the work as opposed to pushing it or putting too much pressure on the blade.

End result ? One very, very small nick at the start of the run but it was FAR from a close shave.. So I went for a second pass.. slightly better. I then just tried my cheek which went much better. But still, I wouldn't call it anywhere near as good as with the Mach 3. My thinking is it wasn't angled enough.. I was probably too worried about going too perpendicular to the face and as a result, the razor was too flat..

That's when I saw the very tiny small drop of blood and figured I'd better call it a day as any other parts of my face will be tougher and I have yet to master the easiest part..

So any ideas what I need to do before the next time (still waiting for the strop) before I try the same pass ? I'm going to watch a few more videos again to be sure.. But I appreciate all comments.

Thanks!

J

I'm a beginner myself, but I have 1 question for you. Did you have your new dovo honed professionally?

If it's just a new dovo it's highly recommneded you get it honed as it isn't sharp enough to be shave ready from the factory.

If you already had this done, disregard this :w

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mademperor

I'm a beginner myself, but I have 1 question for you. Did you have your new dovo honed professionally?

If it's just a new dovo it's highly recommneded you get it honed as it isn't sharp enough to be shave ready from the factory.

If you already had this done, disregard this :w

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Yes, it came "shave ready" from Straight Razor Designs.. So I am going to assume yes. ;-)

J

It's probably your technique that isn't up to par yet. Thing takes time.
Be patient.

If you haven't done so: Order and watch Lynn's dvd.
Also read: Moss, Christopher. "The Art of the Straight Razor Shave."
"The Art of the Straight Razor Shave." you will find in the Wiki

:gl:

+1 with Otto. Don't be in a hurry. Your technique will develop with time. Don't expect that BBS for a bit. And work only WTG until you are comfortable manipulating the blade and getting your angle right...

Patience...

Thanks for the tips thus far..

I'm in no rush. If I had been, I would have made a bloody mess! ;-)

But when you say "technique", that's a bit vague for me. What do you think I'm doing wrong ? My thinking is I didn't angle the razor enough.. It just sorta bumped along my face not cutting much.

I'm sure you've all seen this video: YouTube - Straight Razor Shave see how he doesn't do one long stroke at the start ? He starts, stops and then starts a little lower but he covers some areas twice.. Is that OK ? I feel if I tried that, I'd have a bit more control..

But looking at other videos and the Art of Shaving PDF, they appear to be doing one long stroke..

Thanks!

J

I'd say you had a pretty good start. You started with the easier parts and took it slow. Technique comes with practice, that's why it is recommended that you start with just the cheeks and sideburns, that way by the time you move on to the tougher parts you have a pretty good technique.

I know when I first started everything felt wierd, holding the razor felt off, the angles I was using seemed wrong, for me I think it was just the fact that I wasn't yet comfortable with holding this extremely sharp tool to my face. But with time I felt more comfortable with it and as a result my technique improved. Even now, after some months, I can get a BBS shave on the cheeks but my neck technique still needs some work.

As far as advice goes. A strop will make all the difference, as will proper beard prep. Also, if your skin isn't used to such a sharp blade you may want to let it rest a couple days. I see a lot where people keep trying every day and wonder why their shave gets worse each time.

:gl:

Some people prefer one long stroke, others prefer small short strokes. I personally prefer the latter as it allows you to readjust where you're pulling your skin to make it tighter. Just take your time, the first time I tried straight shaviing, I had unshaved hairs all over the place and I looked absurd. Just give your muscles time to figure out the right pressure and angle to hold the razor. You'll know when you're doing it right because the hairs will just come off effortlessly.

[quote=KingHarvest;275951 You'll know when you're doing it right because the hairs will just come off effortlessly.[/quote]

Ah ha, yes this I know because when I go to the barber and they shave my sideburns, it always amazes me how little effort is required to move the razor.

I'm going to try the short little strokes.

I REALLY appreciate the reply. Thanks!

J

I've only been doing this about a month, but can tell you this. You absolutely need to strop the razor before every use. Hopefully you have had the razor hand honed, either from where you purchased it or from a professional. This is very important since no razor is actually shave ready from the factory unless it has been pre honed. This gets it razor sharp but still not sharp enough. to be absolutely shave ready you need to strop the razor before each use. This realigns the micro serrations on the blade, which are essential in getting a good shave. I suggest buying Lynn Abrams shaving DVD. though when you first start watching you may think.. This is a guy at his house with his buddy taping this, I say so what. He knows a hell of a lot about shaving, and if you want to experience a good one listen to what he has to say. I also own a Dovo razor the cheapest one you can buy, and I get a great, close, irritation free shave every time.. I actually shave more ofter now than I did before, because I enjoy it that much. even though I actually need to shave less. if that makes any sense.. Hope this helps a little, but definetly wait till you get the strop before you try again. Good luck.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Otto

It's probably your technique that isn't up to par yet. Thing takes time.
Be patient.

If you haven't done so: Order and watch Lynn's dvd.
Also read: Moss, Christopher. "The Art of the Straight Razor Shave."
"The Art of the Straight Razor Shave." you will find in the Wiki

:gl:

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The other thing to do is look ar your face. Check out which way your hair grows to find the "grain" of your beard. When I started shaving I thought WTG just meant down and my shaves were not that great but I later noticed my beard doesn't all grow in the same direction - the grain changes direction.

The last thing is that a great shave needs three passes to mow down all the hair. Try doing one pass and then finishing with the mach3; as you improve move on to the other passes.

=)

Since you stated that every attempt seemed to get better I'd say you are off to a good start. Good beard prep and the proper angle are the keys to a smooth shave. Of the two angle is probably more important so I'd experiment with that to find the optimum angle for your face and razor. Try using the spine width as a guide and start with 1 spine width off the skin and do about an inch stroke, then try 1 1/2, 2, 2 1/2, and 3. Somewhere in there you will find the "groove" that will do the best job.

Don't get discouraged by the videos...it takes weeks, months, or years to aquire the skills that some of those guys possess. And don't let a little blood spook you either...it's the initiation fee to belong to the brotherhood of straight shavers. :gl:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AusTexShaver

Since you stated that every attempt seemed to get better I'd say you are off to a good start. Good beard prep and the proper angle are the keys to a smooth shave. Of the two angle is probably more important so I'd experiment with that to find the optimum angle for your face and razor. Try using the spine width as a guide and start with 1 spine width off the skin and do about an inch stroke, then try 1 1/2, 2, 2 1/2, and 3. Somewhere in there you will find the "groove" that will do the best job.

Don't get discouraged by the videos...it takes weeks, months, or years to aquire the skills that some of those guys possess. And don't let a little blood spook you either...it's the initiation fee to belong to the brotherhood of straight shavers. :gl:

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Quick question, when I move from 1 to 1 1/2 to 2 etc, can I stop adjust the shaver and continue while leaving the shaver to my face ? Or do I risk cutting myself this way ?

And thanks for the words of encouragement!

J

Quote:

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Originally Posted by shampoo

Quick question, when I move from 1 to 1 1/2 to 2 etc, can I stop adjust the shaver and continue while leaving the shaver to my face ? Or do I risk cutting myself this way ?

J

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Start and stop like you normally would but just change the angle...as long as you don't apply pressure while adjusting the angle you could leave it on your face.

Any time you put a razor to your face you risk cutting yourself but if you keep the angle shallow, the pressure low, and the stroke straight you shouldn't have to worry.

:gl:

Ok.. Second attempt ever and this morning went MUCH better. Well, not that yesterday was horrible.. But this time I managed to actually cut hair! :rock:

I shaved the side, the cheek and a slight part of my neck and then I started to feel like I had probably pushed about as far as I could go.. But the razor felt more comfortable in my hand.. Not like some wobbly instrument about to do mass destruction that I have no control over.

Thanks again to all the help. This is clearly going to take some time, but I like progress.. Even if it's very small.

J

This afternoon, after a training ride I went at it again and::chop: The left side went fantastic. So I went for the right and sure enough, it went it sideways. I knew it, even before the blood started to flow that it was gonna take a while to close. Maybe 1.5cm long and I closed it up in 5-10 minutes. So not that bad.

So lesson learned. Hold off on the right side until I can get a little better with the left.

But the left came out about as good as with a MACH 3. So progress. Just not as quick as I thought. It's funny, we all know we should take our time but when it goes well, we all so often push our luck. I guess everyone has to slice themselves at least once to learn! :nono:

J

Welcome to SRP!
Sounds like you are off to a great start despite the latest mishap. You have the right idea as far as taking it slow and easy. You may want to experiment with shaving with both hands. Despite the fact that I am not normally ambidexterous, I find that I can shave very well with both hands. This means that you use the same grips on the razor for both sides of the face and you manage the blade in the same way, just different hands. YMMV and all of that.

You dont mention that you have a strop and that you are stropping correctly. Is this an omission or something you dont have?

Welcome to SRP, may you have many happy shaves :)

Whilst the video in this thread is good i'm not convinced it is the best example for ATG shaving. The blade angle/pressure the guy uses going ATG really shows him pushing into his face- not good for shaving. :nono:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sidneykidney

You dont mention that you have a strop and that you are stropping correctly. Is this an omission or something you dont have?

Welcome to SRP, may you have many happy shaves :)

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Yes, I had a local leather-smith make me one..

But I just realized yesterday that I had been stropping incorrectly. I was rolling the blade instead of the spine. I hope I didn't dull the blade to the point where I have to get it honed.

J

Keep trying, and definately get a strop, i tried to shave without one....thank god for styptic.