Thread: shaving hurts and does not remove hair! advice needed

Hello,

I received a straight razor for x-mas. I am not too sure of the quality of it (she said she paid about 50 USD) but it certainly looks nice. Now it said that it came "shave ready" so later that day i lathered up with some aerosol shaving cream (old spice) and tried to shave.... emphasis on the TRIED part. it scrapped horribly across my skin hurt pretty bad, and worse yet it barely removed any hair.

Then i went to the web for answers, read a very lengthy shaving guide from this website and bought a badger brush (albeit not a super expensive one) some high glycerin shaving soap (i think it is called colonel conk?) and fanciful aftershave. then i tried it again but it still hurt, and removes little hair. So i brought it to a local shop here that said they can sharpen my straight razor, i just got it back. while it does feel somewhat better it is still a little painful and only removes the top of the hairs (feels like 5 o' clock shadow or worse even with going across with the grian and then once again across grain). I take it slow, i try to stay around a 30 degree angle, i really work in the soap, i don't know what i am doing wrong. it feels like i am just dragging the blade across my face (even though i am putting very little force on it).

Any suggesitons? could the thing still be dull? thanks and sorry about the length of the post.

Hello and welcome! Nice thing you got a Straight for Xmas. All I ever get is socks...
Now if you could tell us the brand of the razor as to find out if it's a good razor or a not so good one, that would be great.
Shave ready to a shop keeper, a manufacturer or to us here doesn't often mean the same. You should send it to be sharpened by a reputable member here. You can check the classifieds here and contact the honemeister you prefer. He will get your razor shave ready and compensate anything you could have done to the razor while trying to shave.
One other important thing is beard preparation. You'll need to be able to do the basic wet shaving routine but I'll go no further on this so I don't insult your inteligence... it seems you might have that down already.
One other important - vital, even! - thing that isn't always evident is the need for a strop. Do you have a strop? You'll need to have one and to learn how to use it. It's a basic procedure in the routine of shaving with a straight. Otherwise, no matter how sharp the blade might be, it will not provide a smooth confortable shave. And straight razor shaves are all about confy and close.
Hope this helps...

Good luck!

Hello, I am really new at this also. I have found that if the razor isn't moving thru the whiskers, just stops then I stop too. Trying a different angle of approach or different blade angle seems to help. I am usings short strokes most of the time unless that blade is just moving smoothly over my face. Got these tips from others but it seems to work pretty well so far. Oh that learning curve, why does it have to be so long?
Mark

You brought it to a local shop... of what? Is it a place that deals in straight razors? Because if you brought it to a place that deals in knives, chances are pretty good that they did not sharpen that razor correctly. It's not that razors are harder to hone. It's just the fact of how much more sharp a razor needs to be as compared to a knife. Razor honing begins where knife honing ends.

I strongly suggest you send your razor to one of the honemiesters here. You will not believe the difference it makes.

Another, and probably more important, thing to consider is that you simply haven't figured out what to do with that thing yet. It's common knowledge on this forum that it takes a newbie about a month just to get their first decent shave. It's a skill that needs to be learned and practiced. Don't feel bad. I'm right there with you.

Don't give up. Don't get discouraged. Once you get it you will never go back. It truly is the best shave you can get.

Good luck,
Ed M.

your razor is almost certainly not sharp enough to shave with. or your shaving angle is entirely wrong, but i'm inclined to think it's the razor.

even expensive razors from reputable (but non-srp) sellers are almost never shave ready.

Originally Posted by gsansom

Any suggesitons? could the thing still be dull?

Every "shave-ready" razor I have bought (new from a shop, from a reputable ebay-seller, from a member here, etc.) was dull, so I would assume that yours is still dull, too. If you use a 30° angle and cannot remove hair satisfactorily (even if it is not perfect yet due to lack of practice) then I could not think of any other explanation.

My suggestion would be to contact one of the members here who sharpen razors for other members. You can find them here: Member Services - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

wow, you guys are swift in the response department. thanks for all the advice.

here is my razor
Gun Metal Titanium Straight Razor
hopefully it is not a piece of junk.
I do not have a strop yet, but ordered this one:
Razor Strops, Hones, and Accessories
and i have a hone which i purchased from the same store which "sharpened" my blade.

the store is called leavitt and pierce in Cambridge MA. they are more of a smoke shop than a straight razor shop but they do have a modest shaving section (like a gentleman's store).

I just tried the hanging hair technique and either i have no idea how to do it or the thing is way too dull. I first tried to swiftly move the hair into the blade (without the blade moving) and could not get it to cut, then i tried swiftly moving the blade at the hair, also would not cut. I had to hold the hair on its ends and move it downward over the blade (the blade in between the two ends) and push down before the thing would cut.....

So thanks for the advice, i am going to find someone on this forum to re-sharpen it. I think if i KNEW the dang thing was sharp then it would be easier to perfect my technique.

Anyone else have a "professional" sharpen your blade so poorly?

-G

I recommend listening to FastEdge--he's giving you the straight scoop, pardon the pun.

You just ain't used to it. You need time and practice, along with good tools and techniques.

Hang in there. If you don't wanna hang, send all your gear to me, I'll take care of it for you.

Chances are if it says 'shave ready' what is meant is that it is factory honed. That means honed by machine. Which isnt effectively honed at all. But new machines can only realistically be sharpened that way. Think of the manpower that would be needed to sharpen each individual blade to an acceptable standard? The wages for those people would be passed on to the purchaser...

No my friend what you have there is not a truly sharp razor. To get it so I highly recommend getting it sent off to someone who is advertising such service in the classifieds on this website. You WILL need a strop. After the razor its probably the most important piece of kit IMHO. If your razor is pulling that much then i'd say its a combination of dull blade and inexperience.

The latter will come with time

The razor I use I bought from Leavitt and Pierce as well. I had it honed and prepped and it worked much better after that. The only other thing I note from your post is how many "passes" did you make with your razor when you shaved? When I make one pass with the grain, it does not take everything off and leaves the "5 O'clock shadow" you speak of. One usually has to make two or more passes, the second one being against the grain to get smooth, flush to the skin.