Out of curiosity, does anyone have a benign tremor, slightly shaky hands, that makes straight razor shaving a bit more interesting?
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Out of curiosity, does anyone have a benign tremor, slightly shaky hands, that makes straight razor shaving a bit more interesting?
Have you been drinking...........?
To be honest, when I started I did occasionally have shakey hands but now I don't have any problems. I think once you are used to the actions your muscle memory works well to prevent them.
Actually, I have an intention tremor of unknown cause aka primary tremor. I think it runs in my family, I remember my grandpa had it pretty bad, my dad a little, and I got it pretty good.
When I hone sometimes, I need to set it down and walk away since I start shaking the more I try to concentrate.
When I shave, I try to stay "loose" and not focus so much since it makes it worse, the harder I try to hold still. Every so often I have to set the razor down, shake my hands for a few sec. and try again.
Still easy to deal with, and the better you get at shaving, the faster you get, thus making the problem negligible. Unless I have been drinking and smoking, in which case, screw it. :cen
Wow, I can't believe the timing on this.. I was finally getting up the courage to bring this up when I came upon this thread. Yeah, I have primary tremor pretty bad. Bad enough that my co-workers will sometimes ask me why my hands are shaking. It's not really that bad while shaving, but it makes honing two-handed necessary. It also makes my hand writing *really* bad.
Reminds me of the old cartoon where the old man is bringing a straight to his face to shave, his hand is violently shaking up until the moment the straight reaches his face, at which time his hand goes rock steady!
Quote:
Originally Posted by joke1176
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who has shakey hands and like you, the more I think about it,the worse it gets.It is getting better though.I actually haven't nicked my face that much so far apart from the very first go I had and I left myself with a little scar on my right cheek:chop: which is fading. I steady the razor by touching the tip of the handle with a finger or two especially when I do my neck.I finished off using my safety razor which I get more nicks from!My next shave with the str8 will be my 4th time.
That reminds me of yoda in 'Attack of the clones' :) Where he kicks major ass, wielding his light sabre like a 700 year old musashi. And then after the fight, he picks up his walking stick and shuffles off (or did he shuffle to the fight :thinking:). Anyway I thought it was a really neat story element.Quote:
Originally Posted by JMS
Sometimes, especially after a cup of coffee. I just slow down a little bit and it also helps to make a quick mental image of the razor running steady and smooth. I have to do the same thing when I shoot rifle in the offhand position (standing) in competition.
I have a slight case of it. It runs on my father's side of the family. Makes straight razor shaving a bit of a challenge, but worth it!
Wow! I'm surprised at the feedback. Because I have a very slight tremor, which I only really notice while working under the microscope at work, I thought I would ask.
The good news is that if you've had this tremor all your life it's nothing to worry about! I've heard these tremors are more pronounced when your fatigued, or just finished exercising. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants so there's no surprise the tremor is worse after these drugs are in the system. So I guess the moral to the story is to shave well rested, not right after lifting weights, and not just after a double latte or a pack of cigs!
I like the comment about visualizing, I think this is a great technique. It is well used in sports, and seems to work for those that do it regularly. Zig Ziglar described this in the 70's in a motivation book where he tells the story of the vietnam POW that plays golf in his mind to stay sane and then his game has improved when he returns home from the war. A sports psychologist wrote about this too, I think the book was titled "pursuit of excellence". I don't see why this wouldn't apply to shaving as well.
Dave
Yeah, as you need to concentrate less, and can move faster, the tremor becomes less and less of a problem.
I actually traced a 1" jittery line down my left jaw with a new spike point yesterday morning due to the shakes.
I just cuss a little, set the razor down, take a deep breath, and resume shaving. :rolleyes:
Edit: 666th post!!!
I have a bit of shakiness also. It ofen requires me to shave two handed to add a little bit of extra steadiness but it does not hold me back at all.
Wow. Finally! Someone who has what I got! I have a slight tremor I guess. I never actually saw a doctor about it, since as long as I can remember I've had it. My hands shake very slightly all the time, but when I'm tired, or my tendonitis kicks in, it's horrible. Also, when I pressure myself to keep my hand steady, it gets worse.
So naturally, there are a few things I can't do very well without a ton of practice and a few things I just plain don't do anymore:
1. I won't take communion at church. The last time I tried to grab one of those little juice cups, I spilled almost all of the cups in the tray.
2. I'm not a great shooter (rifle and pistol...rock steady in archery), but that is getting better with practice.
3. I take medicine intravenously. Try hitting a vein on the top of your hand when BOTH your hands are shaking! That's fun.
4. Straight shaving...the first time I touch blade to skin can get bad. Once I'm comfortably into the shave, I'm fine though.
I really think it comes down to comfort and familiarity. If you're not putting pressure on yourself to be steady, then you won't think about it and it won't get worse. At least that's how it is for me.
Hand tremor is no joke I know - but I can't help thinking of the old barber in one of the Clint Eastwood westerns - I'm sure you all remember - now THAT'S what I call a TREMOR!!! (like 8.5 on the Richter scale!)
My grandfather had very bad tremors in his hands. I think he always had it.
I used to work with him, we are/were both Railwaymen. Everyone at work knew when he was coming because you could hear his cup and saucer rattling in his hand as he walked up the corridor.
It used to cause everyone great amusement.
He was a very bright man with a very dry sense of humour, so took it all rather well.
People wouldn't take the 'P' openly though as he was easily capable of making the sharpest character look like the village idiot if he desired.
Management were petrified of him.:rock:
His tremor didn't hold his political career back either he was Leader of the City Council and Lord Mayor of Swansea in his time. Not bad for an old Railway Clerk.
He was a nice fellow too.:)
Again, I'm surprised how many people have this. I just watched Lynn's "World of straight razor shaving" and tremors are mentioned in the warning in the beginning of the DVD.
kasperitis mentioned communion, and I reflected back on an elderly gentleman in my church when I was a little kid and he had Parkinson's pretty bad. As he passed the bread tray to the next person the bits of bread would dance across the tray. It fascinated me. His wife would help him with bringing the cup to his lips.
But if you've had this tremor your whole life it's nothing to worry about.
Can't believe that I missed this thread before!
My dad has it pretty bad, I have it but not quite as bad. Amazing. It hasn't held me back at all either. Maybe we need to start a social club! The Shaky Shavers, The Trembling Tonsorialists, or ???
lol.
Good to know I am not the only one!
-Rob