Hi all,
Well, I've been lurking here for awhile, pouring over all the information kindly made available to newbies like me. Today, at long last, my Double Arrow and Filly Strop arrived, courtesy of RupRazor.com, and so I figured it was time for me to finally sign on and get some advice.
A bit of background: I've been shaving with a Merkur HD for the last 4 months, using first a Crabtree & Evelyn BBB, and for the last month and a half or so, a Rooney 1/2. At this point, I've been getting BBS shaves for a little while, and am very happy with the results I've been getting with the DE, and with the way my brush technique and lathering has been going. However, I've always been interested in learning to use a straight, and after finding the many online Wet Shaving communities, I decided to pull the trigger on my starter kit for my birthday.
So, upon getting home from work to find a package waiting for me, I opened it up, inspected the razor, and immediately tried the Hanging Hair Test. Nothing. Couldn't get it to cut at all, which was a little disappointing. However, as really the only way to test a razor seems to be to shave with it, I went through my usual pre-shave prep (shower, exfoliate, face lather), and took the plunge.
After slowly getting comfortable, and moving through my shave, I did find the razor did pull a fair amount, as opposed to cutting smoothly through the whiskers. Now, I chalk this up to my utter lack of experience, and imagine this will improve swiftly. I managed to get an OK shave on my cheeks, and on parts of the neck, though there is still definitely a decent amount of stubble in some of the usual trouble spots. However, no blood, cuts, and no horrible razor burn after 2 WTG passes, so I'm definitely calling this a successful first run. My usual post-shave ritual (cold water rinse, straight rubbing alcohol, cold water rinse, Proraso Pre/Post, Moisturizer) did have a definite sting to it, but certainly no more than if I'd been a little rushed with my Merkur.
Now, aside from the chin being a little tricky, the two areas I found that gave me the most trouble were below my lower lip, and the upper lip. While I managed to trim things a little below my mouth, I could not get the razor to cut at all on the upper lip. It would only catch and pull, and did not seem interested to doing the job. I decided, for once in my life, not to be foolish and try and force the issue, so I simply left the area unshaved. I didn't strop the razor before the shave (it having coming wrapped and shave-ready, I felt I should try the edge first, lest I should destroy the edge on my first stropping attempt before I even got a shave in). We'll see if stropping before my next shave helps sort some of this out. Of course, this has me already looking at other razors to add to the collection, most notably some of the larger, heavier wedges, as they are, well, beautiful. But I feel I should probably take a few more baby steps before I start throwing some more elements into the equation.
So, gentleman, up to this point, the information provided by everyone here has been absolutely invaluable, and I credit it with giving me the courage to finally try a straight, and for allowing me to come out relatively unscathed. Thank you all for that. Now, any advice on tackling my touch upper lip would be greatly appreciated! Granted, I've just started on my journey, so patience and experience will probably take care of it, but any tricks or tips would be fantastic. I excited to learning more and more as I go, and hopefully getting the coveted BBS straight shave. Thanks again, and I look forward to any pointers you can give me!
