Thread: OUchiE!

hay people.
i just got my razor back a day ago made shave ready by the awsome gentleman known as Bill Watkins. He is a supercool dude and an excellent honer - the kinda guy that you wished lived in your neighborhood.

so last night i tried to shave....

i cut myself a couple times with the tip end of the razor and just gave up when it came to the chin and jawbone area. it did not take long to concur that there is indeed a learning curve to this practice. i think i held the razor at too high of an angle and was pressing too hard. but anyway i was thinking how the heck do these people manage to shave from side to side without cutting themselves so i thought i'd post and see what kind of recommendations i could muster. so i guess my questions are...

what is it that you guys do to avoid cutting yourselves when it comes to shaving side to side under the neck and at the jawbone area and the chin area? up and down on the cheek is going ok . but from side to side it seems that my skin folds and that caused a cut - when i approached my chin.

does that sound like i need to figure out how to stretch or possibly i use too much pressure or a combo of the two?

or maybe i just need to read more and watch more youtube shaves.

disclaimer: i'm an idiot! i think.

not an idiot... an idiot would not ask questions.

the spine should be only about the width of two quarters from your face, and with some razors, less is better.

stretching the skin through facial contortions or using the other hand will keep the skin from bunching up.

i do not try and go sideways on my neck. wtg and xtg are all i need on the neck.

Originally Posted by syslight

wtg and xtg are all i need on the neck.

I think syslight meant WTG + ATG. +1 on this, for sure. XTG definitely not a good idea; especially with a spike point (you might learn why some people call them cut throat razors that way.)

Blade angle and pressure is something that takes a lot of practice to get down, and even then it's often not the same for every razor either. Try to use as little pressure as possible; just enough to keep the blade on your face. For blade angle, you should try a shallower angle first (spine closer to your face) and gradually steepen the angle until the blade starts cutting smoothly. General rule is that it needn't be more than 2 spine widths from your face.

Hope this Helps!
Happy shaving and welcome to SRP!

-Dave

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.

Originally Posted by syslight

not an idiot... an idiot would not ask questions.

the spine should be only about the width of two quarters from your face, and with some razors, less is better.

stretching the skin through facial contortions or using the other hand will keep the skin from bunching up.

i do not try and go sideways on my neck. wtg and xtg are all i need on the neck.

Dito, Jim.

1. I use a very sharp blade. It's the dull blade that cuts you.
2. I stretch and lubricate my skin well,
3. I use almost no pressure with the blade ... and of course,
4. I always know what every part of that blade is doing at every moment.

So far so good.

X

ditto to all of these remarks, when it comes to my jaw I had the same problem for a while and it just took a proper facial contortion to straighten out the skin. To agree further with the above, DONT GET GREEDY!!. Take your time, every time I tried to go further than I was ready I ended up hurting myself. On the chin area though, what it took for me was to be able to use both hands to allow myself to see where I was shaving and still maintain the proper angle. I go XTG on my chin and the area around using my left hand to sweep right to left and my right hand to sweep left to right. I took some practice but that allowed me to make my chin the best shaved area on my face to date. Keep at it and be careful. Your hair will grow back and the razor will be waiting.

when i shave my jawline i pull my skin tight so the skin on my jawline is above it and it makes for a good shave for me

Originally Posted by xman

Dito, Jim.

1. I use a very sharp blade. It's the dull blade that cuts you.
2. I stretch and lubricate my skin well,
3. I use almost no pressure with the blade ... and of course,
4. I always know what every part of that blade is doing at every moment.

So far so good.

X

Xman left out one *very* important piece of advice: watch his shaving videos! Especially if (like me) your left hand can't be trusted with a razor.

Watching guys shave using correct technique is an invaluable learning tool.