Thread: First attempt at shaving with a straight razor

Newb to newb: I don't think your razor was sharp enough. If it's properly sharpened, I doubt you'd have even as much irritation on your WTG pass with the straight as you'd have with your regular DE. I've only done two shaves now with a straight, but in both instances, my WTG pass was *more* comfortable, and quite a bit closer, than my WTG pass with a DE. Granted, I do pull the skin tighter with the straight, and I'm sure that helps (BTW, you *are* pulling the skin tight, right? You will get *Much* less irritation, tugging, pulling, and a closer shave if you do). It can be kind of a pain to figure out how to stretch and/or pull the skin tight and still see your face in the mirror as well as hold on to the blade, but that's what makes this fun.

Again, just a newbs point of view, but if you are doing all the things in the videos (correct angle, no pressure, and *pulling the skin tight*) and you're still getting tugging, pulling, and irritation, I'd be willing to bet my left ear (which fell victim to my straight about ten minutes ago) that your blade isn't sharp enough.

Edit: I don't know if this is a common newb mistake or not, but I wanted to add... When the straight is skipping, tugging, and/or pulling, I have a tendency to want to apply *more* pressure in an attempt to make it stop skipping. Wow, this is wrong, wrong, wrong. It'll only make your face more irritated and increase the risk of cutting your skin. Re-lather the area, and use *less* pressure.