Beard Growth After Straight

I really cut the **** out of my right thumb last thursday cleaning my Heljestrand 31, bad enough to get 9 stitches in a long smile across the pad of the thumb. Pics available upon request ;)
Anywho I haven't shaved since. Lack of dexterity and all. A few days ago I noticed the quality of the beard growth was different than I remember having before. The hairs are softer and straighter, more uniform somehow. This is my first experience with this. Anyone else?
Now the beard is starting to bug me, can't wait to shave it off. I'm also doing an Elvis gig downtown for the next week so the idea of shaving in serious chops is very tempting. In studying for this gig I heard a recording of Polk Salad Annie where Elvis describes Annie as a "wretched spiteful straight razor totin' woman!" Kind of funny...

I'm willing to agree with you on the difference in beard growth, but I'm not 100%. Feels softer and, oddly enough, looks different when I see myself in the mirror. Guess the great shaves keep the hairs all uniform like you mentioned.

I remember stray hairs refusing to be cut by anything before I started straight razor shaving so if I wasn't on top of things with the electric/disposable, my stubble/early beard would be stiff and very uneven.

If the difference in beard growth is true, I guess that means we found a side benefit of straight shaving:a way to bring in a awesome, masculine stubble/early beard look all the movies and such keep showing off? :rofl2:

haha it may be just because now i am thinking about it but my whiskers are definately softer... probably the good soaps and not using that barbasol junk lol. haha put up a pic:medvl: but seriously hope ur healing up fast

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if I wasn't on top of things with the electric/disposable, my stubble/early beard would be stiff and very uneven.

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Same here I cleaned up my neck the other day with an electric and the grow back is uneven, the hairs are going in different scattered directions... ridiculous.

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probably the good soaps and not using that barbasol junk lol.

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Maybe, though I'm beginning to suspect that the extreme sharpness of the straight razors I've been using (thanks max!) sever the hair cleanly, and don't stress the skin around it. Cleaner cuts make for better regrowth? speaking of which...

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haha put up a pic but seriously hope ur healing up fast

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you asked for it... this was the morning after, when the dressings came off.

http://www.freedomjazztrio.com/pics/thumbkin.jpg

That's a monster cut!
Take it easy once you're back in the saddle, eh? ;)

Holy crap.

That is the most damage I have seen from a straight since joining.

I actually cut my finger the other week (out of carelessness :nono:), but it looked nothing like this (required no stitches). Sorry you hurt yourself so badly...how's the pain? It sort of looks like Frankenstein....if you put a bold on either side of you neck, your thumb would be a dead ringer! :p

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It sort of looks like Frankenstein....if you put a bold on either side of you neck, your thumb would be a dead ringer!

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I'm fond of walking up to people, sticking my thumb up at them and saying "why so ssserious?!" The scar is going be awesome.

Thanks for the caring wishes fella's!
It was a very frustrating injury because I shouldn't haven been trying to clean the blade with a rubbing alcohol swab in the first place. I mean... duh. And I had such an excellent shave not even 20 minutes before this happened. Which is why I will still humbly post in the newbie corner until I can get back on the horse again. The blade was so sharp I almost didn't feel it! But the blood, OH the blood!
The physician's assistant who stitched me couldn't believe that such a clean shave could some from a straight razor. He might have been trying to distract me from the process as he asked me all kinds of questions about straights, inspecting my mug while he was cleaning my gash...
It doesn't hurt me much now, a week and some days later. Except when I play music. I won't even bother with upright bass yet, but I have a weeklong gig on electric bass and that has taken quite a bit of adjusting. I didn't realize how much my fingers hit my thumb with each pluck.

Here's thumbs up for straight razor shaving Mother Pluckers!

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Originally Posted by bassguy

I'm fond of walking up to people, sticking my thumb up at them and saying "why so ssserious?!" The scar is going be awesome.

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Pull my finger jokes might hurt though, untill the wound heals :)

WOW! Those blades can leave us humble. Hope it gets better soon!

:cry::(Dayumm!!! That's a nasty cut! Hope it gets better soon!!!!

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Originally Posted by bassguy

Except when I play music. I won't even bother with upright bass yet, but I have a weeklong gig on electric bass and that has taken quite a bit of adjusting. I didn't realize how much my fingers hit my thumb with each pluck.

Here's thumbs up for straight razor shaving Mother Pluckers!

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You could always play like Cliff Burton and rest your palm flat on the bass. Not even use the pickups as a rest. It looks funny but damn could he play!

I cut my index finger the other day,I was doing a restoration. Your right about the blood volume! Your gash is much worse than mine....you win!:p

If you ever get picked up by the cops for some reason, you may be unidentifiable by your thumbprint!


But -- back to beard consistency -- I also noticed that if I go as many as two days without a shave (I've got about 50-60 SR shaves under my belt), my beard feels different from what I remember before going to SR. I would describe it as uniform (both in consistency and growth direction) all over my face, but also much stiffer. After two days without shaving my face feels like 250 grit sandpaper. Previously, the beard would feel flatter to the skin and would be irritating because as it wrapped around it would poke my skin.

I kind of like the feel of the beard now, but I get the impression that if I were to go a few more days I would look like Grizzly Adams. I'll be shaving tonight for sure.

Those Utopian-honed blades are SHARP!

I'm still stubbly. Coming up on a week of growth. I think that the smoothness was a effect of the suprising uniformity of the cut hair growing back, because it is starting to feel closer to what I remember.

I've had highly questionable thumbprints since I started playing music! I'm no Cliff Burton but I do my best ;) My left index and pinky finger tips are rubbed smooth and unidentifiable... mwahahaha... Thanks for all the kind wishes for my healing, yesterday was a big improvement. I feel like my whole hand is back, instead of hand-stitch-thumb. Can't wait to get the stitches out thursday... Thanks again everyone!

There must have been something going around last week.

My co-worker decided to try a straight razor he acquired from his late grandfather. He has never shaved with one nor has any of his family or friends. He also didn't ask me for any small fry advice or read anything on here.

Sadly, when he was about to place the blade on the cheek he dropped his razor... this is where he learned his first and hopefully last mistake.
He tried to catch it!

Sorry, for the bad image as I had to take the picture from my BlackBerry Pearl. But, you get the idea. A nice little "U" shape across his left index finger and one of the stitches had to go through his fingernail. 9 stitches.

New for 2009 the drop razor test !!!
any less than 5 stitches or a clean removal of finger - it ain't shave ready .


Lucky guy tho .. at least he'll live to tell the tale .

:gl: lets hope his next attempt is more fruitful

cheers Garry

Better your finger than cutting your face like that!

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Originally Posted by Disburden

Better your finger than cutting your face like that!

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Now repeat after me:
never shave naked.
never shave naked.
never shave naked.

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Originally Posted by bassguy

Now repeat after me:
never shave naked.
never shave naked.
never shave naked.

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I'm sure RichZ would disagree :rock: nekid shaving ain't for the light hearted ....

( a covered up ) Garry

I am happy to report that the stitches are now out! I am once again stitch-free, clean shaven, and a little wiser for it.
Thanks guys! It's nice to belong to a forum group that actually gives a **** about each other (blush). I think our hobby makes us blood brothers (and sisters) is a way.

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Originally Posted by bassguy

I am happy to report that the stitches are now out! I am once again stitch-free, clean shaven, and a little wiser for it.
Thanks guys! It's nice to belong to a forum group that actually gives a **** about each other (blush). I think our hobby makes us blood brothers (and sisters) is a way.

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Nice one and warm greetings from across the pond in Scotland :rock:

great to have you aboard ....

Cheers Garry :gl:

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Originally Posted by bassguy

I think our hobby makes us blood brothers (and sisters) is a way.

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Good one!!!:rofl2:

Next time I think I would use a little less pressure on that TPT [Thumb Pad Test].

bj

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Originally Posted by bassguy

Now the beard is starting to bug me, can't wait to shave it off. I'm also doing an Elvis gig downtown for the next week so the idea of shaving in serious chops is very tempting. In studying for this gig I heard a recording of Polk Salad Annie where Elvis describes Annie as a "wretched spiteful straight razor totin' woman!" Kind of funny...

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Actually, the "wretched spiteful straight razor totin' woman" in the song was Annie's mother who was also "workin' on a chain gang."

The song was written and originally recorded by Tony Joe White. He got the plant wrong, however, it is not called Poke Salad, it is pokeweed. Poke Salad or Poke Salit is actually the leaves of the plant that have been boiled three times (discarding the water after each boiling). This process reduces the naturally occuring toxin in pokeweed making it, at least by tradition, safe to eat.

Just an update:
thumb is all healed, swelling has gone down, all that's left is a cool scar.

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Originally Posted by bassguy

you asked for it... this was the morning after, when the dressings came off.

http://www.freedomjazztrio.com/pics/thumbkin.jpg

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well, thanks for the visual lesson on why we should all respect the sharpness of a straight razor

Three little words:

BE MORE AWARE

Youch! That looked nasty, but glad to see its better. I have been cut enough before straight shaving that my awareness was very high and not to get over confident.

Good to see that you are back to straight shaving again. I love shaving with multi-day growth

Yes, having a straight blade slide across my face does make a huge difference how my hairs grow out again. The Mach 3 always left a few hairs under the skin line and cause some ugly issues. The Mach 3 action was more of a pull/cut.

I think Straight Razor shaving does the best to exfoliate the skin and not cut hairs below the skin line, thus you just look better all the way around. Plus, the prep work is a step up from my previous prep work using the M3.

Welcome Back!

Pabster

So the question remains, what is the "story" that will be told in the bars to the ladies? Ninja attack? Shark wrestling? "Direct hit with 155mm artillery and all I got was a cut"?....... do tell.......

I always make up a good story to explain an injury to the ladies such as, I was mountain biking racing with a top 10 mountain biker and we took this one turn and........

Yeah, I had my day in the sun!

Pabster

I'll get back to you on that one...

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Originally Posted by Ozzlefinch

So the question remains, what is the "story" that will be told in the bars to the ladies? Ninja attack? Shark wrestling? "Direct hit with 155mm artillery and all I got was a cut"?....... do tell.......

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what? straight razor accident isn't a cool enough conversation starter?

Proper "stories" start out "And there I was...." or "This is no s#*t...."

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Originally Posted by jehan60188

what? straight razor accident isn't a cool enough conversation starter?

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Oh yeah, good point..... "And there I was shaving with a deadly blade that could take your head CLEAN off and some ninjas came through the window......"

Wow.... that is truly going to leave an awesome scar behind (and forever alter your fingerprints). Funny about those cuts though is that it hurts a hell of a lot more AFTERWARDS.. the cut itself was painless I assume.

Hope you're back on your thumbs soon.

As the young samurai said " Excellent cut " :p

Hope your back to slappin those triplets.

Yipes! I hope we see no one top that. Congrats, I believe you have set the bar! seriously though, I hate seeing anyone hurt. You make my first nick look humble. Heal well and prosper.

I don't know about beard growth differences since beginning to shave with a straight razor (since I just started in Saturday, 7/25) but, crap!, that's a heck of a slice!! My brother's a chef, and I've seen some nasty cuts he and his buddies have endured. Yours ranks right up there! Take it light, bradda.

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Originally Posted by Ian1974

I'm willing to agree with you on the difference in beard growth, but I'm not 100%. Feels softer and, oddly enough, looks different when I see myself in the mirror. Guess the great shaves keep the hairs all uniform like you mentioned.

I remember stray hairs refusing to be cut by anything before I started straight razor shaving so if I wasn't on top of things with the electric/disposable, my stubble/early beard would be stiff and very uneven.

If the difference in beard growth is true, I guess that means we found a side benefit of straight shaving:a way to bring in a awesome, masculine stubble/early beard look all the movies and such keep showing off? :rofl2:

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I have found beard growth to have slowed and become more unifrom since straight shavng, I went a full seven days between shaves (usually 3/4)
And had the best shave that I've had for a very long time, am still a beginner and finish with the fusion :)