Thread: Smoothness vs. Dullness

To me irritation always equals one of three things. To much angle, To much pressure or a dull razor. Check those first and I am sure other will chime in soon as well.

Well if you were and still are getting great bbs shaves it would seem to me that you know what you are doing in the shave department. Might need a touch up with a barber hone or a finishing stone ? Try doing 60 laps on linen and 50 on leather. Chrom ox on a flat hone or balsa wood might bring it back as well.

If you have no hones or pastes, before you go out and buy a bunch, try laps of 100 on your linen and see what happens to your shaves per 100 laps. Then hit your leather as normal, 40 to 60 laps.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Might need a touch up with a barber hone or a finishing stone ?

BIG +1


This is precisely what barber hones were made for.

A 2-sided barber hone can be had on ebay for $10-$35 and with proper use, can keep a razor in shaving condition indefinitely.

When you find that your razor starts getting grabby, or leaving more razor burn than it should, 5 laps on the smooth side will usually bring it right back into shape (assuming it wasn't honed with tape. If it was honed with tape you'll have to find out what brand of tape was used and how much, so you can use the same amount of tape when you go to the barber hone)

If the razor has gone a bit too far, or you've used it to shave a full beard off like I did with one of my razors a week ago, you can do 2-3 laps on the courser side first, and then your 5 laps on the smooth side.

If you do this, you'll only have to fully re-hone a razor if you've done something to damage the edge.