Thread: Glad to find you

Originally Posted by gingercaruso

Dovo razor, Latherking hot foam machine, Rooney superbadger brush, and um... leather strop. I can't remember who by. The razor came pre-honed.

Well we know he has quality equipment. From here on out it is practice, practice, practice. Dont lift the spine while stropping. Light pressure while shaving. Good prep for the shave is essential such as washing your face or showering before your shave and good quality lather which comes with practice as does good technique.

Welcome to you and your other half Ginger. Vintage Blades sells good razors. Tell your husband that if the razor begins to pull not to force it. Stretch the skin, adjust the blade angle and try again. Hold the razor securely but with a light hand so that if it does pull it will move in the fingers rather than cutting the skin. Here are videos of members demonstrating shaves.

Since the razor has been honed and supposed to be shave ready, He'll still need to read up on and practice stropping skills to make sure the razor's edge is maintained properly. After stropping the razor you can click on this link to take you to the Wiki to learn about the hanging hair test (AKA: HHT) Hanging Hair Test, from trick to probing method - Straight Razor Place Wiki .

Once you have determined the razor is stropped correctly it's time to practice shaving technique. You mentioned he has dimples where he got cut. Is he stretching his skin to flatten out the dimples? Make sure he's stretching his skin where ever possible. I find it helpfull on my cheeks, closest my mouth and nose, if I close my mouth and puff it out with air to be very helpful in that area. Just be carefull not to have the razor next to his face when he puffs his cheek out. I use my tongue to force out the dimple in the center of my upper lip area under my nose. He may also find it helpful to push the tip of his nose upward with his free hand. You can watch these shaving video's on shaving to learn some techniques on stretching the skin Shaving videos - Straight Razor Place Wiki . I guess a good way to look at shaving with the str8 is this...Instead of trying to access everywhere with the razor, try to make everywhere accessible to the razor. The trick is to straighten and stretch the skin as much as possible so you're not trying to shave concave or loose areas of skin.

gingercaruso,

Part of learning the art of straight razor shaving is proper technique and learning the lay of your face. Suggest to your husband that he should get both of his hands in the act--one to stretch his skin and the other to guide the razor. Stretching the skin might smooth those dimples so they are shavable. If not, then perhaps he knows by now that they are "problem" areas of his face that he needs to be extra careful with them when shaving. Your husband may even want to consider shaving around his dimples, rather than shaving directly across them.

As for the razor burn on the neck...In the beginning, suggest to your husband that he prepare his face and neck before the shave. One pre-shave technique that has become quite popular here is referred to as the "Robeson" method. See below. Initially, don't try to get the absolutely closest shave possible. Perhaps one pass of the razor with the grain of his beard will do. After a while he can begin shaving both with the grain and across the grain and finally add against the grain.

After shaving, follow up with a cold water splash on his face and neck, an astringent (ie. witch hazel) and an aftershave balm before applying aftershave.

See if these suggetions help.

Ginger:

I also got a DOVO razor for Christmas and am a newbie. The biggest tip that has helped me avoid nicks is stretching my skin. When I pullit tightly, whether it is cheek, lip, chin, or neck, I am far less likely to cut myself.

Scott

Originally Posted by gingercaruso

Hi there
My husband is just beginning to try out his new razor etc that he got for Christmas. He is wishing he had someone to actually coach him through it. He hacked his face up pretty good last weekend. So we're looking here for some support.

Ouch -- what was his previous shaving tool set?

If he has nicks that do not heal by noon after a bit of
styptic pencil invest in some triple antibiotic ointment
like Neomycin. A gentle aftershave balm is a good
thing -- I like the inexpensive Nivea sensitive post shave
balm.

If his skin is too red, do let the skin heal by taking a day off
if he can. My bad shave days are commonly the result of
errors I made yesterday.

Hello, Ginger:

You and your husband both are welcome to Straight Razor Place.

You already have received mounds of information and advice. Here are a few more important things for your husband to remember:

Have patience. Be methodical. Take your time learning, and enjoy the process. Ease up pressure, because the razor already has plenty of pressure.

Look at straight razor shaving as an art as well as a craft which needs time and dedication to develop. It's worth every moment spent.

Regards,

Obie

I'm pretty new at this as well Ginger and will not add my 2-cents as you've already heard from the best authorities, except for one thing and it is something they covered and I can attest to; light stroke pressure. My first shave went okay, probably because I was very careful not to slice/cut/nick...my second shave, my angle was probably off, and my stroke too hard as I soon after understood the term Razor Burn...since then, I have progressively lightened up on my stroke and received progressively better shaves. Last night, I found the mark...very light stroke/pressure allowing multiple passes with/across/against the grain with absolutely no during/after sensation/burn. In short, your husband may think he's using a light stroke, tell him to try to go even a little lighter and he'll hit that mark like I finally did. I offer this not in pretense that I am in a position to offer advice, but, because you'll both know that I'm only a little farther ahead of the curve than you and what they say is right on.

Not to be personal, but, I can't help but compliment you...I really enjoy seeing or in this case hearing about great couples...Best Regards

________________
Scott