Thread: Heeelp!

Rawaz, take heart. Most of us have all been there. Perhaps your expectations are little high. Not that you aren't looking forward to that coveted BBA shave. You will get there. Back down little bit with what you are doing as a beginner. You have been advised on the stropping part of it. Lynn advises not to strop for the first shave after he hones. Sounds like you are a bit beyond that. I recommend that you go back to basics before trying to do all of your face. Just shave the area between your sideburns and your jawlines, and WTG only. Get comfortable with manipulating the blade in your hand, and with the angles. Yeah, it's not going to be BBS either. But a fighter pilot doesn't get the keys to an F-16 when he/she first starts to fly. Their skills are built up over time. Use that analogy for shaving. Develop your technique and skills over time. It sounds like you have tried to do it all at once. It won't take long for you to start seeing results. But start with baby steps first...

Thanks for all the advice everyone, I shall try it maybe tomorrow or even tonight and see what happens. Thank you all!

I'll keep posted how I'm doing

I'll say a big +1 on the advice here. If your blade is still sharp after stropping (and you say it will pass the HHT, so I'm assuming it's still sharp), my best advice, like everyone else is less pressure, use a shallower angle (no more than the width of the spine away from your face), and this is the important bit...stretch the skin!

There are a ton of videos here (under the video section) as well as on YouTube that show you the preferred stretching method.

Also, one other tidbit to pass along that really helped me. Straight razor shaving is about beard reduction in passes, not beard elimination (like the Mach 3). Be content to only reduce the stubble in each pass - it will be BBS after the second or third time around!

Take heart, we've all been there before...and not all of us have had the benefit of starting with a Lynn honed blade!

Mark

You have received a lot of good advice here, and the cause is probably a combination of a nearly sharp enough razor and not enough stretching IMHO. I sometimes gets those red bumps on my lower neck and I've tracked it back to the lack of stretching and the keenness of the blade. If I get those red it's easy fixed with some alum.

Originally Posted by Kenrup

You are getting lots of good advice here. I would add that when you finish shaving, rinse your face with cold water leave damp, then run an alum block over your skin. This rinse and the alum block eliminated bumps for me.

Me too. The alum block can be a bit sting-y sometimes, but it sure does a good job of curing bumps, irritation, and red patches.

I'll vote for stretching skin, light pressure and use only one pass per spot for the time being.

Originally Posted by FloorPizza

Me too. The alum block can be a bit sting-y sometimes, but it sure does a good job of curing bumps, irritation, and red patches.

Does a pretty god job of preventing acne too.

I agree with the angle and pressure 'angle' Lay the blade almost flat and see if it still pulls. If it does you may need to refine the edge. It is not wrong to feel the blade body and sometimes the spine against the skin.
Hang in there and don't repeat things that don't work.

Hi again guys, I really took in everything you guys told me and shaved just now. I only shaved the sides of my face and it worked really great: no burning feel, no nicks, bleeding or so. However there is still some redness, but anyway a great improvment.

Now I at least know my mistakes, any other newbies out there you might want to consider this when you shave. But these are the conclusions I made from what you guys told me and what my faults were:
1. Using too much pressure, this time I used as little pressure as possible.
2. Using the the wrong angle, This time I tried to maintain an aprox. 30 degree angle or a little less more consitently than before, and not using a more upright angle which I used before.
3. Being too anxious, you have to keep a leash on yourself and take the shaving little by little and starting with the basics and then working on it til you get better and better. DON'T start with shaving your whole face!!!

Anyways I want to thank you guys for your advice and everything you are really great!

Glad it's working out for you!
When I started out less than a year ago I also had a bit of trouble... I read the posts and asked for tips and when I tried the razor for the first time I managed to cut myself only 3 times! I also had a bit of redness after the shave but I guess it's normal. Although this method of shaving is the least aggressive that I know of, It does take a bit of getting used to... Don't worry. In no time this will become second nature to you. And when it does, you'll have a hard time imagining yourself shaving with anything else! That and you'll want to learn new skills! Like honing... or moonwalking!