Thread: Heeelp!

Here I am again..It feels like I spend to much time here sometimes

I have a problem when I shave. Everytime I shave I get small red dots over my face, particulary on the sides of my face and on the neck, really un attracive. And I dont really get a very good shave. I have tried going WTG and ATG and just WTG, but still this happens. Also I just got my razor from Lynn so it's sharp and everything so it cant be due to dullness.
So why does this happen to me and what can I do about it?

Ohh, also when I shave I can never come very close to the skin especially on particular areas, I'm having grat trouble shaving the sides of moustasche for instance - It really hurts when the hairs are being shaved of, its not the razor cutting the skin but rather the whiskers that are (sort of) pulled when the blade is cutting them of.

Hi!
Sorry to hear you're having trouble!
I have to ask: how's your stropping? Sometimes a sharp blade can be ruined by poor stropping, resulting in a rolled edge that is, I suppose, quite dull. What's the angle you're using? Too steep will not cut the hair, rather pull on it and abrade your face; too shallow will glide over the hair and nothing happens. You have to pay attention to the angle at all times and keep it at 30 degrees approximately... once you get it it becomes second nature. One other thing: go slow and light. A sharp blade and pressure on it will result in razor burn and a shave that is not close... but rather too close for comfort. Remember: straight razor shaving is supposed to a smooth experience. If it hurts you have to think over what you are doing and get back to basics... angle, pressure, stropping, you get the picture. And how about your preparation for the shave? What's the routine?
Hope this helps! Don't you quit on us! It takes time...

hhmmm... There are many factors to consider here. Well we know that the razor was properly honed, since Lynn honed it, so that's not the problem. I would say you're either dulling the edge when you strop it before you shave (assuming you stropped before you shaved), or your technique is not to par yet. I'm still pretty new at this, and am still amazed how important technique is when shaving. It could be your blade angle, or even how you stretch the skin. Have you been able to get a decent shave with another razor, or is this your first?

Assuming the razor is still sharp and you haven't dulled it with improper stropping, it's most likely your technique more than anything. It's really hard to give advice for this one, since every face/beard is different. My only piece of advice here to watch the videos of other people straight shaving. I think I've watched all of the videos on youtube that pertain to shaving with a straight, and they were VERY helpful to me in terms of learning technique. Of course with some practice you learn a little more what works specifically for you.

Just keep practicing! I have faith that you'll improve with time .

Dave

Originally Posted by fpessanha

Hi!
Sorry to hear you're having trouble!
I have to ask: how's your stropping? Sometimes a sharp blade can be ruined by poor stropping, resulting in a rolled edge that is, I suppose, quite dull. What's the angle you're using? Too steep will not cut the hair, rather pull on it and abrade your face; too shallow will glide over the hair and nothing happens. You have to pay attention to the angle at all times and keep it at 30 degrees approximately... once you get it it becomes second nature. One other thing: go slow and light. A sharp blade and pressure on it will result in razor burn and a shave that is not close... but rather too close for comfort. Remember: straight razor shaving is supposed to a smooth experience. If it hurts you have to think over what you are doing and get back to basics... angle, pressure, stropping, you get the picture. And how about your preparation for the shave? What's the routine?
Hope this helps! Don't you quit on us! It takes time...

Don't worry I wont quit..since I've spent a small fortune on the gear But I really want to learn really so I wont quit.
Now I'm not an expert on stropping but i'm alway holding the strop taught and everyting. My prep goes like this: fisrt I strop at least 50 times, then i shower or use a hot towel, use a cleanser, then I use pre-shave oil (all though last time i used olive oil and found it works super), and lastly i lather up and shave like 3 passes.
Well I guess I should look in to the basics and see if there is anything to it that I can improve.

Originally Posted by StraightRazorDave

hhmmm... There are many factors to consider here. Well we know that the razor was properly honed, since Lynn honed it, so that's not the problem. I would say you're either dulling the edge when you strop it before you shave (assuming you stropped before you shaved), or your technique is not to par yet. I'm still pretty new at this, and am still amazed how important technique is when shaving. It could be your blade angle, or even how you stretch the skin. Have you been able to get a decent shave with another razor, or is this your first?

Assuming the razor is still sharp and you haven't dulled it with improper stropping, it's most likely your technique more than anything. It's really hard to give advice for this one, since every face/beard is different. My only piece of advice here to watch the videos of other people straight shaving. I think I've watched all of the videos on youtube that pertain to shaving with a straight, and they were VERY helpful to me in terms of learning technique. Of course with some practice you learn a little more what works specifically for you.

Just keep practicing! I have faith that you'll improve with time .

Dave

Thanx for the encouragement! Well I do suspect it actually is my technique that is inperfect, so i'll try improving that. Regarding the stropping I do get the edge to pass the HHT, not with my hair on my head as it is to soft wich makes it hard to preform the test, but it workes on my chest hair (hehe) that's a little tougher.

there are several possible causes... too steep of a blade angle and too much pressure while shaving being the most likely.

Also for the first couple of weeks using a straight.. it would be best to stick to the with the grain pass.

Stretching the skin is very important too. BTW, I can't do more then two passes or I get irritation no matter what I prep and shave with. Also I just did my cheeks and neck for two or three weeks finishing with a DE before I was able to successfully shave all of my face and neck with a straight.

I think that you may be using too much pressure at too great an angle (spine of the razor too far from the surface of your face). After a couple of days rest for the face I would try doing just the sides of your face (sideburn to jawline) and work on getting the feel of using your straight. As JimmyH-AD points out, use something else to do the rest of the shave. Believe me, the moustache/goatee area will take the longest to master, so don't stress if it's not working out right away. Also, I would drop back to 2 passes or maybe 1 with some touch up.

Your razor is probably sharp enough to do an acceptable job, you just need to find the right balance of pressure, angle and speed. Good luck. We're looking forward to the "Eureka!" post from you.

From your description of the rash/spots it sounds like razor bumps to me. More info on cause and treatment here: Razor bump and ingrowing hair - Advice on razor bumps and ingrowing hairs UK

Does this sound right to you?

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.