Alive but...very badly burnt.

Hi there, my name is Kanah and I've been lurking here for awhile. I recently purchased a Dovo 6/8 with imitation tortoise shell scales from Straight Razor Designs. For my first shave I did not have all the suggested amenities, my brush and shave soap are still in the mail and should be here within a week, so I had to use some canned goop.
The shave was ok but could have been much better, I lathered up right out of the shower and tried to shave, there was some light tugging in some places and a lot of razor burn which I attributed to bad technique(harder than it looks). Today I stropped the blade about 60-70 times on my Illinois 206 then I heated up a wet towel in the microwave and wrapped my face before shaving and it was much worse I couldn't even finish the shave.
So is this all because of my lack of appropriate shave prep, or is my stropping bad(light pressure, tight strop, and I think the blade is even), or is it all lack of experience?

Also I'd like to express my appretiation to Don and Lynn for their incredible service:tu

You're off to a great start with a pre-sharpened Dove from SRD, for sure. You at least know your razor is up to the task.

You'll see this said a bunch of times around here, but if you're not getting a closer, more comfortable shave with a straight razor than any other form of shaving, you're not doing something right. It usually takes a month at least, and more often a couple months to get it down to where it's as comfortable as your old way of shaving, then another month where the "wow, this is *awesome*" effect takes over, cause you've never had a better shave.

You've probably heard these tid bits repeated a bunch, but they really do help....

Concentrate on using the lowest shaving angle that still results in stubble removal. The lower the angle, the less razor burn.

Use as little pressure (razor against skin) as possible. I personally think this is the number one problem most newbs have. Too much pressure will *really* irritate your skin and cause weepers. Let the blade do the work with NO PRESSURE!! :)

Pull the skin tight where you're going to shave. This will reduce surface friction even more, expose more of the hair shaft, and give you a closer, more comfortable shave. It also makes problem areas easier to deal with, like the jaw line. Pull up on your cheek, and move that jaw line skin up on to your cheek to make it easier to shave.

There's also a few really good shaving videos under the General/Videos section that show some great technique and blade angles. My personally favorites are Xmans Single Handed technique cause I can't use my left hand at all to shave.

Welcome, man, and don't give up! It really is rewarding to get your first baby butt smooth shave from a straight. Fun, too. :)

Edit: If you're going to be shaving every day right off the bat, you'll want a way to get your face healed up quickly. Alum block (stings like hell when you first use it) is *great* at sealing off weepers, reducing redness, preventing shaving bumps, and putting the fire out on razor burn. Witch hazel will help, too. If you're really having problems, a hydrocortisone cream (like Cortaid) is *extremely* effective, but make sure you follow the directions on the tube: don't use it for more than 7 days as it is a steroid and can cause problems.

Stick with it, man, and let us know if there's anything we can do to help.

Wow, thank you, that is a pretty good video. Something that isn't often discussed on the forum(that I've seen anyway) is the sound of shaving(most videos have a soundtrack), on my first swipe I heard what sounded like thumbing the bristles on a shoe brush and it kinda threw me off, wish I'd seen that video before hand.
Also xman started with XTG which seems a bit intense for me:eek:

My guess would be too much angle. Try holding the razor flatter against your face. When you use less angle (flatter against the skin) you use less pressure against the skin. It's automatic, you can help but use less pressure.

Hi

I have been trying now for 9 months and made all the mistakes etc that you are probably making now. This site contains everything there is to know about straight shaving and a little bit more. This straight shaving is addictive and that can be seen by the amount of technical research some of these guys do..... I thought I had it bad but they are off the scale :)

Stick with it, I now get nice shaves and really enjoy the experience. Remember, when you do crack this, you are putting yourself into that 0.000001% of the male population who can shave with a straight and get a good shave, loads of guys want to do it, but they never will. I regularly get my razor out in a gym and shave in the mirror, I see guys looking on wishing they could do it. Some of these are top execs on mega bucks in the City, but they cant shave with a straight and they know it............ I know its bad but that gives me a warm feeling inside !

Keep trying, you owe it to yourself to crack it, and once learnt you are up there with the rest and you have achieved what others couldnt.

Kind regards :D

London

First, a heart welcome to SRP! Lots of great people here who are more than willing to give you their thoughts.

Hey man, don't get discouraged. Very few of us are born with the skills to shave with a straight razor. Those skills are learned over time. Start slow and shave only one part of your face, and WTG. As you get more comfortable with the blade in your hand and against your skin you can add other areas of your face, and XG and AGT is you so desire. Don't worry about getting that coveted BBS for awhile yet. Learn how to shave with that beautiful razor, then those BBS shaves will come. :gl:

Since you said that your second shave was way worse after stropping,I'm reading a possible problem with your stropping technique.You've got most of it right,tight strop,light strokes,razor flat,but are you rolling the razor over on the SPINE at the end of each stroke?During stropping(or honing when you get there)Never,ever,lift up the spine either during or at the end of the stroke.If you did your stropping that way you probably dulled your edge.

It could be stropping problems for sure... but that canned stuff is worthless. You are better off taking a bar of soap and using your hands to make a really stiff lather like that.

I had a couple of bad straight razor shaves at first, my face felt like it was giving off heat like a radiator for hours! Skipping a day's shave lets your face recover, or shave gently using your old method.

You soon develop a lighter touch, it gets better quickly. Don't aim for a perfect shave at first, especially under the chin and at other tricky places. Limit how many times you go over any one area in total during the shave, just accept any stubble that remains.

Over time the shave gets closer and more comfortable as your skill and knowledge goes up.

Were you careful cleaning and drying the blade? You need to avoid rubbing the blade edge. You can wipe the main body of the blade normally, but the actual edge you should just use a light stropping motion on the cloth/towel (or a little stropping on canvas for the final drying.) I don't know how fragile that blade edge really is but it's best not to take any chance of damaging it.
:gl:

My face was sore for the first few shaves but it just took some time to get used to the new feeling. Most faces are rather sensitive and anything new can cause irritation. Lynn suggests doing just your sideburns at first and then slowly adding more parts of your face, so if your sideburns are not razor burnt do those and finish your face with your old razor until your shave angle gets better then move on to the checks then neck and so on just give it time your face will adjust.:gl:

Welcome.. You are on the right track. Keep trying. I find I get a better shave on about three days growth. It also will let you face heal a little between shaves. Don't try the neck untill you are comfortable with the cheeks. Watch all of the videos on line here. and what all the other guys said.

Don

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kanahmal

...or is my stropping bad(light pressure, tight strop, and I think the blade is even), or is it all lack of experience?

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Stropping is definitely an art that takes some time to master. Even though you have used all the correct stropping components (that you mentioned above) it still takes time, and experience, to get them all to work. My question: when you stropped the razor, was it stropped enough before the shave? Until you can answer that question it will be hard to tell if it was the stropping or the shaving technique. Shaving technique is another "knack" that must be mastered. Keep at it and you will eventually learn this stuff.

That "canned goop" stuff isn't necessarily all bad. I think Barbesol canned shave cream is OK. I've used it several times and think it works just fine. I like the smell too. My issues with canned creams are environment and economy. Whether canned, or from a mug, just, make sure to wet the face and use a sharp razor.


Scott

PS - give your face a chance to recover before trying again.

Use NO more pressure than needed to wipe the lather with blade from your face. ( To feel this pressure, try to wipe the lather from your face with your index finger )

For deeper shaving-Use the best possible beard preparation
- Stretch your skin
- Use more passes from different directions

MORE PRESSURE NO SHAVES DEEPER ( it is a bad habit from disposables)

Thank you all so much, My first shave seemed sharper than the second and now third but not by much so I think the problem is partially with my technique and partially with my stropping. I do flip the blade along the spine but a few times now I've been going too fast and put a couple of nicks in the corner of my strop.

Also I don't know if anyone is familiar with the Illinois 206 but the leather seems to have this hard finish on it(I don't think it draws too well), while I'm sure that's the least of my problems I'm curious if I should be stropping more.

Using the bar soap helped a bit(the canned stuff was on its last leg when I used it, more cream than lather), but when the bar soap dried up it got tough, so hopefully that will all be solved when the shave soap and brush come in(I think I'll rest my face until then).

Thank you guys, I'd have never got this far without you.:bow

For a quick reprieve from the burn, rub in some rubbing alcohol on your face right after your shave. It'll burn like a motherf*cker, but it'll keep that razor burn at bay and not leave you so tender (also speeds up healing time). If it's super bad, go back and do it again 5 minutes later.

For some people here, it took a while to get all around technique to the point where burn wasn't an issue any more (myself included). So don't lose faith if you don't have it down pat after a few shaves :)

That's a great thing about SRP.... always helpful people around to get us newbs over the hump.

On thing I do like about a Shavette (replaceable blade "straight razor"), is that it is very unforgiving of too much pressure. Using one a few times will make you get the feel for how light the real pressure should be. A straight is much more forgiving in this regard than a shavette; too much pressure with the shavette, and it *hurts*. The blade should touch the skin. Anymore pressure than that is simply not necessary.

let us know how it goes!

I cant see avideo by Xman can you clarify where I can find it?

thanks

The correct angle of the blade is not precise. For me it changes depending on numerous factors especialy prep and sharpness of the blade.

I constantly play with the angle when I shave. I can get the feel of the correct angle judging by the feel on my face, the sound of the cutting, the feel of the blade, and visualy seeing how things are progressing. I have hollows and round spots all over my face just like everybody else. You can't just lock into an angle and expect everything to be perfect. Within one to three weeks you will be manipulating your angle naturally and you will find your shaves feeling better.

When I go ATG I find myself using a much flatter angle.

I put a post up a few months ago now about being new, shaving and restoring these razors. I can tell you this much moat of the things I put there are true. I would encourage you to read it and the comments left by people. I had to have an awakening. I have been doing this a few months now and I love it. My face had to adjust a little but with these blades I can get away witha shave every other day adn I have virtually no bumps or irritation. I personally have used canned cream with my Wade and Butcher and it works fine, but it is an exceptional blade. But, when you get used to using these blades, the enjoyment of shaving, the shave, and the overall romanticism of using these will really make you happy. But, I must tell you one thing. You should probably buy some more razors when you have the funds because if you use a rotation and allow the blades to rest, they work better. Also, read the WIKI on care of the razor especially the stropping and timing of the care of the razors. This will help in maintaining your razor and making the shave more comfortable while you are adjusting.
Keep At it and things will get better and better!
Trey

Kanah,

When you strop it may help to start rotating the razor's edge up near the end of the stroke while maintaining the contact of the spine on the strop. If you stop the stroke while the edge is on the strop, it only takes a bit of a wiggle for the edge to bite into the leather. The edge is delicate and you need to baby it. I'm also of the opinion that while you are refining your shaving technique, your skin is also getting accustomed to being "exfoliated" (attacked) by a very sharp instrument. It removes stubble and also some dead skin cells in the process. Another thing to remember is not to stop the razor's stroke while the edge is in contact with your face. Any little wiggle there can be a slice which likely will result in a cut. Same thing with starting a stroke - have the razor moving. If you want to admire the lack of lather and stubble or plan for the next shaving stroke, try not to do this while the edge is in contact with your face or neck.

Your choice of razors is, again in my opinion, great. The DOVO Special faux tortise 6/8 will always be in my shaving rotation.

good luck, good shaving,:tu

welcome to srp. it sounds like a combo of angle and pressure and your face adjusting to the str8 give it a rest for a day or two and try again hold the razor flat against your face slowly increasing your angle until you hit the sweet spot :gl:

Man thanks again, I'll definitely give my pressure and angle some tweaking, and work on my strop technique(hopefully no major damage was done).

I'm not discouraged, painful or not it's still fun, although I feel like this would have taken me many painful years without the assistance of this forum:p


Oh and to bman40, look under the general forum there should be a sub-forum called videos, that's where the xman one handed shaving video is hiding :tu

Welcome Kanahmal,

I hope you didnt roll your edge...

I thing all the tips you need are already given so keep it up... hang in there and shave those whiskers off.. they have no right being there!:gl:

Maarten

if you are still having problems after all the advice given here i would recommend sending it to a honemeister for an evaluation. dont get discouraged, mant great shaves lay ahead :gl: