First straight razor shave!
Got the last of my gear today and dove right in after watching for anything new on Lynn's dvd (great resource btw!).
Used a 6/8 Double Arrow razor (courtesy of Kenrup), Tweezerman badger brush, and a tub of SRD Blood Orange shaving soap.
Seeing the lather form after a few seconds of swishing in a bowl brought a smile to my face I have to tell ya. Even if I don't end up particularly good at straight razor use, I'm gonna keep using the brush and soap.:D
Now to the shave:
Pre-shave was relaxing in that I used two hot towel treatments, first without lather and the second with lather. The shave started well at my sideburns and eventually the neck, switching hands when I changed sides. Started having problems at the chin where the hair seemed to not want to be cut. I think I screwed up when I added some more water to my lather thinking it wasn't as creamy (could still see little bubbles throughout) as it should be, and it ended up dropping off in chunks from my face when I relathered the face. Either way I decided not to push my luck and finish my chin and upper lip with a disposable safety razor. Finished up with another hot towel to the face over the rest of the lather and applied some Nivea's after shave balm for men. Saw 2 spots of a little blood oozing out at lower lip and side of the chin so used my styptic pencil on em.
I have to say it was a wonderful experience! I feel some razorburn and stubble but its actually a bit better than what I usually get with a safety razor. Once the new brush loses its funky smell of badger and I get better at my technique, I can only imagine the shaves I'll be giving myself. I even gave my can of Barbasol to my mom as a gift (barely used, I hated shaving that much), I enjoyed myself that much.
Thank you to all the members for the vast amount of information, goods/services, and general being of gentlemen. I look forward to the years with this group very much.
