first shave - so so

Just finished my first shave and it went as well as i thought it would. I first tested my razor with the hht and it passed very well (slowly brought down a hair and it popped right in 2). So i figured i was ready. I recieved a fairly good shave (better some places then others and minimal blood) but i got some pretty bad razor burn. Is it possible my razor isnt as sharp as i thought or is it just my newb technique. also i feel like my lather might have dried out a little but i didnt think it would cause this much razor burn. Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated

Where did you get your razor from? If you know its already been honed than it should be sharp enough if you have the right stropping technique. I got razor burn when I first started out because I pressed too hard while shaving. Once I loosened my grip and didnt drag the blade over my skin I never got any again so it could be a problem with your technique. Keep at it youll get it down dont worry

The razor came from my great uncle who died about a month ago, he was a barber so it was taken care of and looks brand new. it is honed. I stropped what i thought was well also. I think i am applying to much pressure though. I think it was nerves lol

Welcome to SRP and congrats on your new shave. What Map111158 said about a soft touch. it comes with practice. Skin prep really helps. Try a hot towel before lathering. If the lather on your face dries out (and it will), put some fresh lather on your face. If you prepare your lather too wet, then runny, soapy water will drip from your brush. Proper lather will be foamy like whipped cream. Generally, I'll shave my right cheek WTG, wipe the lather/beard from my str8, then shave my right neck WTG and wipe the str8 clean. I move slowly and sometimes the lather dries on the left side, so I re-lather before I shave the left cheek WTG, wipe str8, shave left neck WTG, wipe str8, shave chin WTG, wipe str8. I have a moustache, so I don't shave my upper lip. I re-lather and repeat XTG, then re-lather and repeat ATG. I'm a newbie and still have trouble with my chin and jawline. I can get BBS on most of my face with a str8. Rather than continue to work over my face for the BBS, I finish those tough spots with my disposable. Every day, as my skills improve, I use the disposable less and less.

In the beginning, it's a good idea to just shave the cheeks WTG with your str8 and finish with your DE or cartridge. As your str8 handling skills improve, increase the amount you shave with your str8. This is supposed to be fun and relaxing. No reason to make it punishing. Enjoy!

Dave

congrats on your first shave. I'm about a month in to it & loving it. I find it very relaxing. I'v learned one of the most important thing is preparation. Hot shower, pre shave oil, good shave cream & take your time & let the blade do all the work. You don't haft to put hardly any presser on the blade, retrain your mind away from your old mach three routine. Enjoy & good luck-!!

Yeah, I took a shower before and i think the biggest thing is the lather right now. My razor is sharp (hopefully enogh) but like i said it passed the hht test every time and with my first pass WTG on my cheek it removed probably about 95% of the surface hair. I have not progressed passed WTG yet being that its my first time but am going to try XTG next and see if i can get a little better.

The good news is I did enjoy it and felt quite manly lol. Im sure it will get better with time.

I have one more question though. If i do not hold the razor at ~30 degrees will that cause razor burn

If you hold it too far past 30 degrees the razor will just be ripping the hair out instead of cutting it so it could

I think the 30 degree estimate of the correct angle is way out of line most of the time. It is too much angle, gives you too much chance of scraping along the surface of your skin and BOOM you have razor burn. If not cuts. Start your stroke with the blade flat against your skin. In theory you cannot cut hair, but you also can’t scrape or cut your skin. Apply no skinward pressure at all, just move the blade forward. If nothing is happening, just barely increase the angle of the blade, maybe a half a spin width off the skin. Edge is still just barely on the skin. Maintain the no skinward pressure, but you will start cutting hairs. Different areas will require more or less angle, depending on how straight (or not!) the hair is growing out of your face. Ditto on the convex or concave shape of your face at any given place. Or how tight the skin can stretch.

Dried lather will be a real pain in the a$$ to shave with. You will have to push thru it, and it will actually make your blade stick and shudder along you face. I’m getting the willies writing about it. Reread above about no skinward pressure. Fortunately shaving soap is cheap and the Shaving Police are not preventing you from relathering as many times as you desire. I do it all the time. Of course, you will get better at mixing up the right consistency/wetness of lather but you still will need to touch it up sometimes.