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After investing a 170 bucks or so for a Dovo razor, Norton stone and a strop, plus little things like soap, brush mineral oil I really want to make sure I don't screw anything up. This forum has a ton of things thatI should do but are there any things that I most definitely shouldn't do?
A few that come to mind are hold the blade perpendicularly and slice my face, drop the blade on it's edge or shave without using any soap but are there finer things that are typically overlooked?
two often overlooked areas i think are time spent on beard prep and skin stretching.
shave after a good hot shower but still use a hot wet towel for a minute or two to open pores and help soften the beard before you apply your lather which you should work into the beard using circular strokes with the brush, some folks will do this far and cover it up with another hot towel for a minute and then wipe all the lather off and re-lather before shaving, normally i skip that step and shave with the first lathering.
skin stretching ranges from simple facial contortion that tighten the shin a bit to using your other hand to tug the skin tighter. the point of stretching is to provide a smooth surface for the blade to glide over, too much stretching leads quite often to irritation, too little can lead to nicks.
and lastly dry the razor when you are done.
I think stretching and also toe leading strokes are important. I found that straight strokes do not cut as successfully as diagonal ones. The same as when using a knife I guess you don't just push down but move the knife forward a little to help.
I cannot agree more with Jim. Face prep with a proper brush and a quality soap is essential. After that patience and practice will be your best friends.
Enjoy!!
Use very short stokes when you first start to shave with the straight until you get a feel for the angle and the actual cutting. You can make longer strokes when you go over an area for clean up. I would also not attempt a full shave first time out. Just the sideburn to the jaw on one side and really get a feel for the razor. You can always do more as you learn your face and get more comfortable with the razor.
Have fun,
Lynn
Don't get distracted and don't let your razor hand get slippery?
Gentle landings... Be careful when bringing the blade to your face. Sometimes you can get wound up in how you're gonna approach the next pass or well, anything, and bring the blade to your face too quickly or haphazardly and bump the edge into your skin.
Thank you Beast for asking this question. All kinds of good advice!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beast
Amen brother!!! I ding myself every coupl'a weeks doing just this. I am not paying attention and I suddenly feel a warm stinging sensation but see nothing. When I am toweling off is when I eventually see the ding.
Do it slow and gentle and without distractions. Bring the blade to your face at a very low angle to avoid this problem. No, I don't always practice what I preach.