Thread: switching between straight and cartridge shaves

I am waiting to get my first straight razor in the mail, so i have no experience as of yet. I assume that it takes somewhat longer to use a straight vs a mach 5-6-11 whatever is out there new this christmas season!1 LOL. anyway sometimes due to my job i have to leave my home on short notice. is there any reason that on those days i just use a cartridge and stay with the straight when I can take my time?
thanks.. taz/mike

I looked in the straight razor rules book and didn't see anything preventing that. In fact, I still use my twin safety Merkur to touch up a few places after my straight. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend getting a copy of Lynn's CD. It is a great investment for the new straight razor user. In it he recommends just shaving the area between the sideburns and jawlines, and WTG only. Then finish your shave with the razor you had been using.

So, you do what you have to do...

hi and welcome to srp i have almost the same situation as you except i work 16 hours a day so on my work days i use a disposable razor because im to tired to shave with my straight but in a way it makes it that much better because i have something to look forward too on my off days

Welcome to SRP, learn at what ever pace you are comfortable with, just understand switching back and forth will make learning the straight just a longer process, for me doing it every other day it took a couple of weeks before I felt comfortable moving the razor around without having to premeditate every move only then did the shaves start getting better and even then it was a time before the shaves were consistently great. I been at it 2 years now and I would say I am still learning.

Welcome to SRP. Lynn Abrams, the founder of this shaving forum, recommends starting slow with a straight razor and only beginning with a small area of your face. Move out and expand that as you get a feel for the blade on your skin and for manipulating the razor.

When I started I did my cheeks with the straight and the rest with a DE. It took me a couple of weeks to get to the place where I could do my whole face and neck with the straight. Once you are there and comfortable with the straight you will know if taking it to work is advisable. Here is a good read to start off with.

Originally Posted by dward

I looked in the straight razor rules book .

Good one dward! And along with everyone else I whole heartedly concur, its your life, live it!

Originally Posted by dward

. In it he recommends just shaving the area between the sideburns and jawlines, and WTG only. Then finish your shave with the razor you had been using.

So, you do what you have to do...

WTG? taz/mike

lol Dward, you smart@$$

Anyway, WTG= "with the grain" which means to shave in the same direction that your hair grows. The best way to tell your particular grain is to wait until you've got some stubble, then rub your cheeks in a circular motion and find the direction that gives the least resistance. It will be the opposite of the "against the grain" direction, which will be raspy and prickly. With most guys' cheeks the grain is either down, or down and back a little. Then use the same method on the other parts of your face and neck once you're comfortable and ready to move on to the next area.

I have a similar situation. I'm an airline pilot, and the TSA would not respond well to the image of a straight razor on their x-ray screen as my bag passed through! I have applied many of the techniques I've learned for the straight to my safety razor shave and get much better results when I do have to use it out on the road. I wish I could use a straight every day because I'm still new at it, but I'm still pleased with the progress I'm making, and I really do look forward to being able to use it on my days off.

Some of the techniques I've learned for straight shaving that I use with my safety razor include:

-Use of brush, bowl and high quality shave soap/cream (See Colleen's thread to get some really good stuff)
-Use of hot towel to soften whiskers prior to shave
-First pass with the grain, second pass against or across the grain, depending on the region
-Stretching the skin
-Rinse with cold H2O

So have fun, and remember: It's not just a shave, it's an adventure!

Originally Posted by taztoo

WTG? taz/mike

WTG = with the grain. Acronym page can be found in the wiki here