I don't know if this will be helpful or not. If you are nevous about putting the straight to your face try using it somewere else. I'm not joking some people get shaky about putting a sharp edge to thier neck. What I mean is try shaving your chest or shins. this will give you an idea of how smoothly a straight will feel. You will also learn not to slide the blade sideways on a body part not readily veiwed. So at work the next day they wont ask what the hell happened.One other thing. We've heard this all our lives. Respect the blade and it will respect you. Good luck and happy shaving.