Thread: OUchiE!

Rather than getting all twisted up in your underwear about what to do where and when, you might try backing down on your initial shaves. By that I mean just shave the area between your sideburns and jawlines, and WTG only. You can finish your shave with your regular razor. There are no straight razor police going to knock your bathroom door down for committing that crime!!

Shave like that for a few days, or as long as it takes, to get used to the feeling of the razor in your hands and against your face. Don't be in a hurry. And don't look for that coveted BBS for a bit yet. Learn how to manuever the blade and how to find the angles (generally around 30 degrees). When first starting it's best to use a little shallower angle so you don't run into excessive razor burn. I wish there was a magic formula to give you, but there isn't. Each person must develop their skills in their own way. You wil find what works best for you,

As you get confidence and comfort with the razor you can add more areas to shave with the straight, and XG and AGT strokes too. It won't be long before you will be shaving quicke and more efficiently. Then the BBS will start to happen.

to me being shown something is better then reading it, if you haven't already then check out some of the straight razor shaving video's online part of Lynn's DVD is on line, actually if you are new to straight shaving I recommend buying that DVD it will be the best money you ever spent as a reference, it includes stropping, honing and shaving and much more, of course you can't expect to get the same resuts starting out but it is a great guide,

when starting out it takes a while to get used to holding, moving and actually shaving with the razor, it will take a while before you get comfortable doing that, don't worry straight razor shaving is not and never should be anything you hurry, slow down and enjoy the shave if you only feel comfortable doing N-S and S-N passes then by all means stick with that for now

thanx for the replies people! when i started to use the razor i did say to myself "i don't even know how to hold this dang thang" . and i also ended up finishing with my '32 DE. i guess i'll be watching and practicing the easy parts cause it's not cool walking around like i got into a fight with a cat.