Great First Shave

Hey everyone, just finished my first shave with a straight razor! Things went really well! I was only set on doing my cheeks but I felt confident and went for the whole deal. What a relief it was to have such a comfortable shave. The only problem I found was that my razor skipped a bit even though I was stretching the skin and had it well lathered. The razor came shave-ready, so it was honed and stropped (even though the toe end seemed a lot sharper than the rest of the edge). So I was wondering if anyone else has this problem? Should I be alarmed? My face didn't break out or seem irritated...

Congrats on your first shave first of all, well done. Before I can answer a question on the edge of the razor, who did you have to hone it and did you strop it before you used it? Second, how did you go about your facial prep? You shouldn't be alarmed at all, you got your first shave out of the way. Now you can think about how you can make the shave that much better, trust me, it gets much better.

I get my best and most confortable shaves when I get out of the shower. I do all of my stropping before shaving. When you dry off, don't dry your face. Whip up your lather, apply, and take a HOT wash towel & lightly exfoliate the face. Re-lather & shave WTG. I personally only go with two passes, WTG, ATG, and touch-ups to the troublesome areas of my face which is mostly the chin area. Main thing to remember is that you don't add pressure to the blade. You will only irritate the skin. If it doesn't feel quite smooth enough, you can always make another pass. Some use three passes anyway: WTG, XTG, & then ATG. With more practice you will find what works for you. Keep it up, your face will thank you later...just don't start faceterbating!!

Great to hear! I'm only two shaves in, and notice the skipping as well. If your razor has come shave ready than you're probably like me - still working on pressure and angle. I've been working at that and have noticed a smoother shave. They've been a bit rough going, but I have noticed improvement with every pass. Keep it up!

You are off to a great start. Its the angle, touch, and technique that will be learned as you keep moving forward and this will help you avoid skipping. It happens when the angle and positioning of the blade if off.

It takes about 25 shaves to become somewhat proficient.

Pabster