Well i now have my freshly honed straight, and my strop arrived today, i've read everything that i can find, and think i'm going for my first straight shave tomorrow :)
Any last minute tips, tricks etc?
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Well i now have my freshly honed straight, and my strop arrived today, i've read everything that i can find, and think i'm going for my first straight shave tomorrow :)
Any last minute tips, tricks etc?
Welcome to SRP. If you've read everything you probably have already seen this by SRP founder Lynn Abrams ? Here is the post that eased me into straight razor shaving very easily. It is in the SRP Wiki where you will also find tutorials and videos that will be very helpful for you here. Read my sig line below to avoid cuts and nicks. :gl:
Since is mid week if you have schedule like most people it may not be the optimal time for a first shave. I'd recommend picking a time when you won't be rushed.Quote:
Originally Posted by feathers
I second this. When I started, I waited until the evening or weekends. Made it more enjoyable. That first shave took a long time - but no blood. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by gugi
Student :D and lectures have finished so i get the joy of not having much on atm....evenings are out as i work, so i plan to get up and have a nice leisurely shave :).......well thats the plan anyway
Welcome Feathers! Take your time, lots of hot water, lather, and heat. Don't lose track of where that edge is on your face. Pay 100% attention. Relax, take 40 minutes, enjoy the experience, and have fun! ...and that Zen thing, be the razor! :-)
Feathers Welcome
Take your time, you dont have to try and shave your entire face first time out. Pay attention to what your doing. Read JimmyHAD's sig line, that advise worked for me and no nicks untill around my 50th shave. Then I got overconfident and finally nicked myself.
Just take it slow, dont expect much your first shave, but trust me they will get better.
In between shaves, you can practice getting a good lather-- it takes a bit of practice to figure out the right moisture level on the brush. At first it took me over 5 minutes of whipping to get a pretty lousy lather (I was using way too much water in the brush), now I can get it in 30 seconds.
-Chief
Go slower than you think you should. Take your time, and if you come to a troublesome area, do not push it. Come back and tackle it another time.
If you jump off the deep end, it may be a tough swim. However if you wade in you will see how nice the water is.
Dubs
Well this morning came and i took bare steel to my face for the first time :D just did my cheeks and neck sides, i think i'll get comfortable before i look at the chin and top lip......then get those right before thinking about XTG and ATG....but it was a success with no nicks.....i'm still fairly amazed.....
Welcome to SRP and congrats on your first shave. Smart move - just take it slow until you feel comfortable with what you are doing before you move on to the next section.
Welcome feathers, Good to hear you had a good first shave. It will get better and better.:gl:
I will second this. I have probably made about 25 lathers that I didnt shave with and it helps...especially if you have more than one brush or one soap cuz each reacts differently. Try starting out with a soaked brush squeezed dry...then keep swirling and adding water until you think it good and then keep going and adding until you find out how the lather is when it gets bad...this helped me a ton to know the difference between to dry good and too wet lather.Quote:
Originally Posted by BHChieftain
Feathers very cool, it will get better and better, Just keep doing what your doing, if you take you take your time and watch what your doing you can really get it done without cutting yourself up.
i remember how accomplished i felt after my first time. i still giddy about it almost everyday.
congrats!