Thread: First Shave!

Hey guys,

Finally got my first straight razor today (Frederick Reynolds 5/8 razor)
I never thought shaving could be so stressful! After doing my usual prep (hot towel with shaving cream) and after whipping up a nice lather of Dr. harris lavender, I proceeded to shaving.
Not having a strop yet (the strop is on the way) I used some newspaper for a couple of strokes before. (also the vendor had just honed the razor).

I started on the right side of my face with relative ease..(don't know if that's how a straight razor is supposed to feel like but) My week old growth was pretty long so it might have been a bit more rough than usual.

After doing my right side and neck with no real issues, I moved to the left side of my face...
did some passes there which were a bit more difficult since i'm right handed.

Overall I did my whole face...at first I was going to skip the moustache area but then when I looked up in the mirror I just could live with the whole 1970s porn star look! heh

The moustache are and right under my chin were probably the most problematic areas..

After I was done I rinced my face with hot then cold water (then used an ice cube to rub all over my face). I then applied some Thayers' Lavender WH and some Avene aftershave..

No cuts, no real nicks..a little bit of blood on my left side but nothing really significant

Congrats on your first straight razor shave.

Originally Posted by Dups

I never thought shaving could be so stressful!

First of all, don't stress! This is supposed to be FUN AND ENJOYABLE! Your prep sounds good and well-practiced (I'm guessing you were a DE shaver first?) The learning curve, assuming you pay attention, goes rpetty quickly from bad shaves to OK shaves to three pass pretty damned nice shaves (where I am at now). If it continues like this, neither of us are too far away from fantastic BBS shaves.

Congrats on what sounds like a successful first shave. (you didn't hurt yourself, and it seems like you are not so disapointed that you won't try again!) To be honest, I wish more people had told me in more direct terms that the furst few shaves wouldn't be good at all.

Get thee a strop! Putting the final touches on that edge is CRUCIAL to a comfy close shave. You'll see! The difference is amazing. I did my first two shaves before my strops came, and the difference, from the good edge and a few days' practice was AMAZING.

Enjoy your shaves,

SL1

I've been shaving with a DE for about 3 months now so I think I got the prep part okay.

My growth was pretty long so it probably didn't help. I never thought that shaving could be so loud hehe.

I only did one pass with the grain so it's not perfect but I would say that it a better shave than one pass with a DE, especially on my neck. I still can't shave the left part of my face with my left hand but I think I probably should try that next time.

Congrats on a very successful first straight razor shave!!!
Wish I had been even close to that successful once during my first couple of months. You are doing great!

I didn't think I could or would do the whole face when I started but after doing one side I thought well why not the other side and then the neck, chin, mustache heh

The scariest part was the mustache area. I was scared that I would either cut my lip or my nose heh

Can't wait to try again tomorrow!

Congrats, man! Hope you enjoyed it. The ice cube sounds like a great post-shave treat. I'll have to try that...

If irritation gets to be a problem, you might want to look into getting an alum block. You rub it all over your face post-shave. It can sting a bit, but it really does a great job of treating irritation, preventing razor bumps, sealing off weepers, and preventing acne.

My new razor came in the mail today also. A pro - sharpened Dovo 5/8 Imitation mother of pearl. My strop from Tony Miller also arrived today. The first thing I did was watch “The World of Straight Razor Shaving” DVD that I ordered with the razor.

I have been using a DE for over a year now. After trying several razor – blade combinations, I get a very close DE shave with no irritation or cuts. When I started with the DE, I dove in head first and never shaved with a multi-blade since. So that’s how I plan to do it with the straight.

The first shave was awkward to say the least. It was not quite as close as a DE, but not a bad experience either. The ATG pass caused a lot of irritation on my lower neck. Overall it was a much better shave than my first DE shave even though the alum block burned a bit more than usual. I attribute this to knowing the grain of my beard from using the DE and reading all the material I could find on this subject before I actually used the straight. I also watched several videos on youtube with guys using the straight.

I have ordered another razor (not pre sharpened) and a few hones. I plan to hone my own razors as needed and felt I should jump right in. With the help of this forum I think I can do it. I would recommend anyone wanting to use a straight to watch “World of Straight Razor Shaving” DVD.

I've never used the alum block but I think the witch hazel I use is kinda the same thing.

the ice cube feels great afterwards!

That's great man! I wish I had the money to do that too:P