Just Finished My First Shave
I thought I'd write out my first straight razor shave experience in case anyone wants to give me some pointers or another newbie wants to know what to expect. I'm going to avoid making comments or reviews on products or techniques, but don't let that stop any of you from telling me I'm doing something wrong. In general, I think my second try ought to be easier since I won't be as nervous and can learn from this first try.
First of all, my beard is pretty easy to shave, I think. The hairs aren't very coarse or dense along my sideburns or under my neck. My chin is the most dense and coarse, so for that area you might as well say it's "normal." It grows a little on the slow side - meaning my 5 o'clock shadow is usually about 12-18 hours late. I generally shave every other night. Shaving at night lets me take my time and focus better since I'm definitely awake. Plus, any nicks or dry skin will even out overnight. My normal routine is with a Mach-3 and Barbersol: I always go with the grain, then against the grain, rinse with cold water, rub on Nutragena aftershave lotion, get any tiny rough spots by going against the grain with that thin layer of lotion on, rinse off the lotion with cold water, then Clubman's Vanilla Aftershave, cold water again, towel dry, daily face lotion by Murad.
The New Gear: Since I'm new to straight razors I was hesitant to spend a lot on equipment. I found one of those "starter sets" on Ebay for about $40. I got 2 carbon razors with plastic handles, a two strap (cotton and leather) strop, soap and a badger brush. The reviews were pretty terrible, but again I figured if I can't get the hang of it I won't feel as bad. I've collected pocket knives my whole life, so when I first got the razors I could tell they were already honed. I cleaned the mineral oil off, stropped it on the clean smooth leather, lathered up my left foot and gave it a whirl. That little test made me more confident in the razor itself at least, and now my feet look funny. (If you're curious, the razor and other equipment is by ZEE PK. I'm not giving any opinion to its quality either way since I don't know enough to do that.)
The first shave went like this: Long shower as usual, which includes washing my face with an acne scrub and then a separate deep pore cleanser. Got out, stropped the razor, and got to work lathering up the soap. I may have made it a little runny/thin in hindsight, which may explain some of the details coming up. I put on some K Shave pre-shave oil first. (With a Mach-3 I can take it or leave it, but figured it couldn't hurt with the straight razor.) I brushed the lather all over my beard and tried to get as thick of a layer as I could, but I'm gonna give it a little more elbow-grease next time. It looks more like the leftover foam from a latte than the meringue on a pie, if that helps. I started on my right sideburn and went with the grain trying to use about 30-45 degree angle and light pressure. By the time I got my whole right check done I felt it over and I hadn't taken anything off! I re-lathered and went at it again closer to 25-30 degrees with a little more pressure - actually trying to scrape off the hair. AHA! Now I'm shaving! I worked down the right side then under my chin and right neck. It was still stubbly, but I moved on to the left side and did the cheek then neck. I used my right hand to hold the blade, and tried to keep my skin taught with my left hand and weird facial expressions. I re-lathered these areas again and tried against the grain. This made the cheeks and neck a combination of really smooth and "Eh, I could get closer." The upper lip was really tricky. It's almost as if I couldn't get momentum and the blade stuck on every hair. I put on more lather and made the angle kinda shallow. Hair was coming off for sure, but the blade/lather/angle/nervousness/large nose I have made it a little tough to do. The chin was the hardest part for me. The hair is tougher, the angles are weird, and I think I had trouble getting the angle right. I was able to get the edges pretty smooth by going against the grain, but I don't think I did much to the middle of my chin. The angle was tricky to find for my upper lip and chin. I tried everything from 10 to 90 degrees and I think the shallower the better. At this point I decided to quit and used my Mach-3 just to finish up. All told, I got one nick and used some styptic stick. (One comment I will make - all that marketing jargon is crap. It will not cool or soothe your skin. It will sting much more than aftershave.) After all this I used the same lotion and Clubman's aftershave, rinsed as usual and put on my daily face lotion.
I've got to say, I'm pretty smooth right now. One or two stray stubble length hairs near my lips, but pretty good otherwise. Granted, I used my regular razor, but I think I can credit the straight razor with my cheeks at least. I figure with a few pointers from some experience shavers and a few more tries I can get to a point that I don't need to use a regular razor afterwards. Eventually I'll probably get a nicer razor if I really get the hang of it and a lot of folks tell me to upgrade.
If you've gotten this far, please let me know if you have comments or thoughts. If you haven't tried shaving with a straight razor yet, hopefully this experience will put a little courage in your cup.
