Thread: First shave

Hello to everyone. First, thanks for all the great advice that is freely shared here. It truly is a great community. Second, Smythe, from this forum really came through for me with a great razor. Thanks.

Well, I received my new beauty today and could not wait to try it out. I got ready as you should, washing my face, moisturizing my face and beard using my wife's hair conditioner (that's something I've been doing for years and it works great). I stropped using an old leather belt and went for it.

My first stroke was my left cheek which was probably not the best place to start since I'm right handed, but that's where the blade landed so I went with it. It was not very good at all. I was nervous. I was timid and I left just about all the stubble I had exactly where it was... on my face.

I took a deep breath, steadied myself, and tried again. Not much better, but I started to figure out how to better hold the razor. I guess I was being too cautious about contact with my skin, but it's a shave so it's rather essential.

After just a few minutes of unsteady strokes I really found my groove and figured it out. I know that everyone here says to just do one cheek, but I found myself doing my whole face, neck and chin included.

I feel I had the closest shave of my life. Sure my face is burning just a bit, but that was not unexpected. The real test, though, was my wife. She touched my face and exclaimed, " Ohh, this is different. This is not like your other razors."

I am sold!

Unfortunately, while trying to get to a rather tight spot I leaned too close to my mirror and touched my razor to it. I bent the point ever so slightly. Doh! I just got it and already it needs to be rehoned. Obviously I'm going to have to get a hone and more razors for back up. I knew there would be a catch.

To all newbies, keep your chin up (pun intended) and take it slow.

Ed Mercado
Merc Consulting - Web Design for Central Florida

Well done, Ed! I had my first shave last night and it was a little less impressive...

I had a bath and then ran a sink full of hot water. Wet the flannel and pressed it on my face - very hot! - until my face was red (in retrospect I think I may have done too much heat, not enough time) to soften the whiskers (two day's growth of very thick hairs). Lathered up with Trumper's shaving cream for a minute or so, then set about my right cheek with the blade.

It kinda hit me then what I was holding against my cheek, and I think this made me nervous. It sort of scraped and skidded down my face making a very scratchy sound, and wasn't at all smooth. I think I had too shallow an angle on the blade as I was terrified of cutting myself.

Switched to the other cheek and spent fifteen seconds or so moving my hand about to try and work out how to hold the razor against my cheek. Eventually did it but by this stage I was trembling a little and it sort of bounced down my cheek! Managed to nick myself a few times by the chin, and by then I knew I didn't have the confidence to tackle my throat.

Lathered up again and went for an across the grain pass, with reasonable results on my right cheek and passable on my left. Finished off with the Mach 3 (felt like a defeat!) and rinsed off with cold water. Couple of dabs with the styptic pencil and all good. Stropped the blade and put everything away.

As I was more than a little disappointed with this I spent the next hour and a half thinking about it and what I would do differently next time:

• Not have as much growth - 1 day max while I get used to it
• More time softening bristles
• More time lathering
• More stretching of the skin (have never really done this with Mach 3 so it's not second nature)
• More twisting the head rather than trying to get my arm in the right position (again with the Mach 3 I do my whole face pretty much looking straight at the mirror)
• Concentration
• Confidence
• Time

Then later I did something you might not recommend - I got the razor out again and was holding it near my face just to practice hand positions and angles, and I just ran it over my dry skin, but it was so much smoother than earlier because I had a better angle and more confident strokes (plus I could see on the blade what I was taking off!).

That made me more confident and I'm looking forward to round two this evening.

Any other things I should be doing that I'm not, or shouldn't eb doing that I am?

PS - Props to Steve at www.theinvisibleedge.co.uk for a beatifully honed and stropped razor. I showed my wife the "hair test" and she was very impressed.

Ahhh, yes. The learning curve. Been there, done that, and have the scars to prove it.

Seriously, set your expectations a little more realistically. Get a copy of Lynn,s CD, its a real good investment. In it he recommends that you start by shaving just the area between the sideburns and jawlines, and WTG only. No, it won't be BBS, nor should you expect it to be. As you gain more confidence and experience then you can move on to other facial areas that will be more challenging, as well as XG and ATG. It will seem that in no time you are achieving that coveted BBS!

But ya done good guy! Youv'e survived to shave another day. Welcome to the club!