Thread: First shave less than perfect

I gave myself my first shave this evening. I stropped the razor 25 to 30 times, I did the wet towels (twice), I applied the lather (twice), and I ran the blade across my face just like in Lynn’s DVD. I didn’t cross shave, except when cutting against the grain. The good news is that I still have my lips. The problem is that I still have hair and a little razor burn.

My question is; is this how it works? Am I where I should be in learning this particular skill, or did I miss something?

Allen

Welcome to SRP, Allen - you've come to the right place.

Well, the usual questions apply. Is the razor shave ready, and if you think it is, how do you know (was it bought from one of our members? Can you say who honed it?). That really is the first question, and if the answer is "no" we have our culprit.

I'm sure others will chime in as well with good information.

Mark

I strop at least 60 times before each shave. Strop carefully so you don't muck the edge.

X

Milton Man,

I purchased the razor from Classic Shaving. I paid to have it sharpened. So I don't know it was honed, I'm trusting that it was.


X-Man,
60 times each side or total?

Thank You both for the quick reply.

Allen

a lap is a trip up and down the stone or strop.

any more I'm doing 30 laps on the linen side and 50 to 60 on the leather side.. after a while your stropping technique will improve so that this will only take you a couple minutes


if you had it sharpened through classic you did good. try and keep the angle of the blade to the face lower... after getting a sharp, well stropped blade the angle is the most important thing.

enjoy... practice makes perfect!

Thanks Syslight,

I may have been too close to a 90. I'll try that next.

Allen

90 ouch! ... 30 degrees or less will be much less painful and do a better job at removing the hair... with less irritation to boot

it seems like syslight has it covered but other than that stretching your skin as best you can is another thing that will help a lot

Sounds a bit like my first shave with a straight two weeks ago..

You didn't cut yourself and had fun... sounds like a good start.

The hairs will come off eventualy..

Maarten

90 ! That's trying to scrape them off, rather than cut.
Cut yourself a piece of card at 30 degrees so that you have a reference & keep an eye on the angle of the scales in relation to your face.
There are some good clips to watch on youtube (& terrible ones too!). These will help.
The first shave is never easy. It's going to be a process of trial & error. Don't be afraid to adjust the angle during the shave & keep the strokes light. 3 passes are far better than 1 where your pressure is too great. There's a lot to take in at first, but if you practise, it will come to you. It's only shaving, after all, no matter how deep we seem to get in to it!
Good luck!