Thread: Shaving before strop arrives

I say give in. No doubt you're going to try it before the strop arrives and regardless of what anyone says. That's what I did. I also remember posting the next morning that I was going to throw the strop in the can with the (bloody) razor as soon as it arrived.

Three months later and still SR shaving and loving it. Start slow....it really is a quick learning curve and in weeks you'll be wondering if you're still a newbie!! Best.....J

I'd say go for the shave!

It's been said in a couple places that beard length doesn't seem to matter as much with a straight than a cartridge razor because it doesn't get clogged. However, since you're starting out, I'd still keep it trimmed. Maybe a day's growth for your first shave. And remeber: don't give up after your first shave - it gets much better!

Happy Shaving!

A newspaper is good but so is the heel of your hand (the fleshy part opposite the thumb near the wrist). Just strop with an X pattern.

Thanks to everyone for the information! I used the newspaper as a temporary strop until mine arrives and it seems to work. I just got done with my first shave too, here are my thoughts.

The shave went pretty well overall. It was both easier and harder than I expected, even after doing a bunch of reading and video viewing for the past month. The biggest problem I had was my lather: I just flat out did a crappy job making some. At one point I almost had a Cool Whip looking lather, but the lather was just too thin and translucent when applied to my face. I shaved most of the way like this, which was a mistake since my face is now all red and burns a little (I used some canned shaving cream towards the end). The only other problem I had was cutting a couple small parts against the grain around the sides of my sick since my hair tends to grow outwards from there.

Other than that, the shave was incredible. The blade didn't scare me at all (I only cut myself about once or twice) and the amount of precision it gave me to cut off certain hairs was just unmatched. The final product gave me the closest and smoothest shave I have ever had! I simply can't get over how ultra smooth my mustache and chin areas feel. I can't wait until the next time so I can have an even better shave.

Great result in your first shave congratulations.
i cannot believe on your fist shave you go do ATG. This is great. soap +strop+hot water etc are important part of shaving. try first make small strokes and use WIKI will help you a lot.
enjoy with straight razor shaving,

Keranu, WOW sounds like you did great considering you lather problem. Most folks when making lather will use less than enough water at first and then add a few drops at a time until you get it right. If you do make it too wet try adding more cream or soap to firm it up a bit. It will take practice but there is a lot of help here take advantage of it.

Again, Happy Shaving.

Mark