First Shave...Help

Ok so I baoght a new razor, my first, from Classic shaving and it arrived yesterday. A Dovo that they listed as "pre-sharpened". So I wanted to test it out as soon as possible of course. I showered first to get my skin nice and warm then put on a layer of shaving soap with the brush. I cleaned the razor with rubbing alcohol to get the oil that they had put on it off then used the Strop as I was told to do, I only used the leather side. After cleaning and stroping I put on another layer of shaving soap since the first had started to go away and then I proceeded to shave my sideburns. Now I'm not sure if up to this point I've done anything wrong but I gotta say that either the razor isn't that sharp or I didn't do the prep work right cause it felt like I was pulling my hair out. I tried various angles and got the same feeling every time. I kept re-lathering thinking it was a lubrication problem but that didn't help. After doing my side burns I pulled out the Mach5 and finished the rest of my face. I have to say that the most enjoyable part of that shave was putting on the soap cause the shaving part didn't feel all that good. If anyone has any advice please help me, I'm not going to give up on this lifestyle choice just because of one shave. Should I hone the razor myself? Do the people that sharpen Classic Shaving razors know what they're doing? Did I do the prep work wrong? Help a newbie out. Thanks for your time and advice.

did the razor box have a sticker on it that said it was honed...was the sticker on the blue metal case ripped. if so then it was honed and you just gotta be patient...cant expect a perfect shave right away.

watch some of the videos here on the site about shaving...take your time...use really light pressure...watch your angles...

also...you may have dulled it with poor stropping...do a little reading here on the site and in the wiki and watch some videos...

Patience patience patience...it will come to you...

yeah, the sticker on the box was already cut. It could very well be my poor stroping abilities.

Hey PJMT78, welcome to SRP!

This is a very common thing with first shaves.
Although it is possible to damage the edge with
your strop, I don't think that's usually the case.
Good lather and good prep are very important,
and stropping is a skill that you will develop in
time, along with the shaving technique itself.

Keep shaving, taking it very slowly, and only
on the sideburn/cheek area initially. You will
find your shaves improving as you practice.

:gl:

- Scott

My suggestion would be to watch shaving videos here on youtube to get some idea of technique. Stretching is very important for a straight razor shave. I would just worry about shaving the side of your face now, and not to worry about the chin, upper lip, and neck area yet. Just remember to stretch upwards when you're shaving your sideburn area/cheeks. You don't have to rip your face off, but moderate stretching is always helpful.

Something does not sound right to me.

Sure, it happens all the time, that aspiring straight razor shavers question the sharpness of the blade, in absence of shaving success, but still, shaving only the sideburn area, in the growth direction of the hairs, should not be a problem, and it should not pull.

It is very easy to dull a shaving edge. Some people try to cut paper, to find out if the razor is sharp. That in itself could easily mess up the edge. Lifting the spine off the strop, or turning the razor over the edge while stropping are two other possible culprits for having problems with the edge.

It's difficult to find out the shaving status of the blade, if you're inexperienced.
May I suggest that you try shaving some arm hair? Put the razor flat on your arm, lift the spine about 2 times its thickness and try shaving a patch of your skin. This should go without any pull, without any effort, and no hairs should survive the blade.
If you can do this, try copying this motion to a well prepped cheek.

Please report back, we'll take it from there.

Welcome to the forums,
don't despair, we're all here to help.

Bart.

Just to ask the obvious. Did you keep the spine & edge both flat on the strop ???

Welcome to SRPPJMT78!

My hat is off to you for jumping in with enthusiasm. All of the above posts are correct indeed. Read some of my recent and past posts because the replies I got from the members here will help.

As a returning SR shaver (15 years of disposable madness), I have the advantage of a unique perspective; kind of like both sides of the fence if you will.

1) Face Prep: I have a coarse beard so I not only use shaving soap but I have found that if I start with shaving cream on the brush, them build the lather ON my face with wicked hot water (provided you properly washed and wet the beard). IT helps tremendously. So look at the reviews around for different creams.

2) Stopping: While that cream is on working behind the scenes, you are stropping slowly, focusing on technique. If you feel the razor is not sharp, hit the linen side 30-40x, followed by double that on leather. Pay particular attention to maintaining the proper flat position as demonstrated in the Wiki or videos (See Jockeys to start, then explore others).

3) RE-visit the face (if needed): squeeze the lather out of your brush into the mug (or other vessel), re-dip your brush TIPS ONLY in the very hot water, shake and get the soap caked on it - then dip again and recreate a lather. Now you are using the properties of the soap and cream combined. Relather the beard.

4) Shave: SLOW. 30 deg angle single sideburn pass WTG to halfway down on both sides. Rinse razor, then second pass WTG cheek to jowl both sides.
Lynns recommendation at the top of this is wise "after these passes you are done (paraphrasing), shave the rest with your normal equipment. Then add more passes as you get used to the techniques above as well as getting to really know your beard growth. Thus, developing your own pass areas and techniques.

Hang in there, explore the site like mad, read everything and watch shaving videos from You Tube for examples. However, do NOT follow the German Farmer who shaves his face in 5 mintues :nono: . . LOL!

Work on techniques and take your time. Everything else will follow but focus on building upon a proper foundation.

Welcome, ask questions because the members here and the forum itself is just awesome - and have fun!

Alpsman.