Newbie Question About Soap and Pre-sharpened Razors

Still relatively new to the straight razor shave, but loving every minute of it. I bought a pre-sharpened 5/8 Dovo Black Star from Classicshaving.com a few weeks ago. It came as part of a kit with a basic Sandalwood cake soap in it. I have been reading several posts on here and I have come to the conclusion that my blade doesn't "glide" over the face as many of the users here describe. When I shave it feels more like I am scraping the hair off rather than slicing it. My face also feels scraped afterwards and is very red and sensitive. The reddness and sensitivity goes away within an hour or so, and my face is very, very smooth.

My questions are this:
Is my 5/8 pre-sharpened Dovo really shave ready?
Do I need to go ahead and upgrade from the cheap cake soap that came with the kit to a more expensive cream?
Should I be using an after shave cream or lotion and if so, what?

I have read rave reviews about the Castle Forbes products, but they are a bit pricey right out of the gate. I'm just trying to get an idea of whether I am shaving wrong, or I'm not using the right products to achieve the best results. Any suggestions?

If your new at this your face has to adjust which can take a week or longer. The fact your face feels smooth would seem to indicate the razor is up to snuff howerver the razor should never pull. That can be caused by a not sharp enough razor or by using the wrong angle or maybe too much pressure which can also cause irritation.

Was your presharpened razor factory sharpened or sharpened by a honemeister? You usually pay more for that service. factory edges are seldom shave ready. They can be close and they can be far away.

So now you have somethings to think about.

I'm not familiar with the soap you're using but like thebigspendur said, it takes awhile to get used to a straight. Have you looked at the SRP Wiki here ? Check out the beginner's guide and Lynn's post on the first shaves.

Preparation and skin stretching are as important as blade angle. Also not trying to get bbs with one pass. It is gradual stubble reduction with multiple passes. Some do 3 and more. I personally only do 2 but it is an individual thing. My guess is that if you end up smooth but irritated you're using too much pressure and/or an incorrect blade angle.

Try bringing the spine a little closer to your skin and using less pressure. Don't worry if all of the stubble isn't removed in one pass. Castle Forbes is top notch stuff as are many other choices. Check out the reviews and you'll see a variety.

Thanks to you both! I'm going to try and reduce the angle and pressure and see if that helps. Classic Shaving said somewhere on their site that their pre-sharpened blades are sharpened by Lynn.

I agree with thebigspendur. Check with Classic Shaving to see if your "pre-sharpened" razor received a professional honing before it was sold. If not, get it professionally honed.

thebigsendur is also on the mark when he notes that you may also want to review your stropping technique and the angle at which you hold the blade when shaving.

You may also want to use some hair conditioner on your face to soften your beard after you get out of the shower as well as a hot, wet towel on your face to soften your whiskers. Since I started str8 razor shaving I use a pre-shave and a wet hot towel on my face prior to shaving with good results.

As for CF...You're right it is somewhat pricey. I just got some of the CF Lime in the travel size, but haven't tried it yet. I usually use Proraso shave cream. Its cheaper and achieves a similar result. My experience is that creams tend to create a greater cushion on your face, although some folks at SRP swear by Tabac shaving soap, which is also reputed to offer a dense, rich, creamy lather for shaving. It is also relatively inexpensive.

Good luck and happy shaving.

When I was shopping around for my blade I looked at classic shaving the DOVO's where factory shave ready but if you wanted them done by a honemiester I believe that was extra.

DOVO Straight Razors

Quote:

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The razors in our Dovo inventory labeled "PRESHARPENED" have been additionally honed in the USA by a ClassicShaving Sharpening Expert before being returned to our inventory. The razors without this description have been sharpened by DOVO in Germany and have not recieved additional sharpening.

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Prep, Technique, Edge. All contribute to a good shave. Pay attention to especially lather (browse the wiki and see mantic's video in youtube) and prepping, since your blade most likely is shave-ready (unless you stropped improperly). I can have a harsh shave if I cut corners in lathermaking.

E-mailed Classicshaving.com and they told me that it was sharpened by a professional prior to leaving their care, so that takes care of that. It's been a few days since this post and I have since changed the angle and I think that is helping tremendously. I'm going to try some different soaps as well and see if that helps, maybe even a pre-shave oil. Thanks everyone for the tips!

Experience and good stropping are keys to a smooth sensation on the skin.