Thread: First and Questions!

Hello!

My name is Michael (I usually go by my nickname Misiu), 24, from Boston. Anyhow, I do have a few questions and thought I would look for help in these great forums.

1st post: background shaving information
2nd post: the shave
3rd post questions

----
Background shaving information:

For the most part I have been shaving with a Panasonic Electric. I've mingled with disposables (aka the 3 and 4 blade monstrosities as you guys like to call), but overall I haven't really enjoyed them all too much. For the occasional "closer" shave I've gone with the Panasonic and finished with the disposable for an ok shave. The majority of my shaves to this point have been just using the trimming attachment on the electric. I found this way to be the quickest and most efficient way to shave comfortably, albeit with a consistent look of not having shaven for 2-3 days

Anyhow, I've been meaning to clean up my image so to speak, going for a cleaner look. This is of course after reading so much about the legendary BBS shave that I've both, still yet to experience, and look forward to one day.

For about the past month, while waiting for my straight razor and then strop to arrive I've been practicing lathering with a small travel brush and a Schick Quattro (which I absolutely HATE and am glad to be moving on at this point). The reasoning for the Schick was simply to give my skin time to adjust to a razor as well as mapping out my face and practising both XTG and ATG strokes. Since getting my razor I've been practicing grips, razor flipping (stropping), and air runs over my face. About a week ago I recieved my strop and I'm lead to believe that I am doing very well!

So today I decided to go get my razor sharpened at a local straight razor shop, Stoddard's in Newton MA. I was under the impression that the razor was not sharpened, but was informed otherwise, that in fact it was sharp and shave ready (after being inspected and running some hair tests).

Wow, I was shocked. Because I had been totally "manhandling" that razor, even going as far as running my finger on the edge to get a sense of how sharp a "non-sharpened" razor was. I suppose I am lucky, because thinking it wasn't sharp, I was able to hold it relaxed but firm, without any worries or fears. In fact, I am not scared of my straight razor at all (with respect of course)!

Secondly, as the gentleman was examing the razor, he noted that it was very clean and the edge very straight, well stropped. Having mentioned that I was new to straight razors and hadn't shaved with the razor I brought in, he asked, "Who stropped this for you?"
(HELL YEA!!!)
The above being how I felt inside, I managed to maintain my composure and not burst out grinning. I told the gentlman that it was in fact I who stropped it, and had been practicing for the last week! I was very proud!

After giving me a complimentary few passes on a 15K grit finishing stone for polishing, I was on my way home!

The shave:

Unfortunately I don't have that much to put in here! But I figured that I should break apart my wall of text and make it easier for people to skip ahead to my questions.

For me, the three most amazing experiences that I would attribute to the straight razor after my shave are:

1. The control and precision of a single free blade. This is really the way it should be. Compared to the disposable I've been dragging across my face for the past month, it brought me real joy to be able to manipulate the blade, having access to the full blade, from razor edge to razor edge, full control over where it went, and most importantly, at which angle.

2. The suction of the razor. I noticed this more at the shallower angle of ~15ish degrees, but I felt the sensation of the razor being sucked into my skin. It was really smooth and gentle. I do not have enough experience with the angles and if in fact the blade might have been too shallow for shaving, but it definitely was an experience.

"This feels nice....am I slicing off my cheek? Doesn't look like it. This feels nice!)

3. Area. Just the sheer area of the razor, having so much space and cutting edge. Makes a world of difference compared to the 1inch found in disposables.

I will say in this section, that I did have a hard time with the lather drying. The shave was mostly WTG on the cheeks. I did a pass on my upper lip, lower lip and chin, a small section on my neck (few XTG here and there). The lather was frustrating and I felt like I was losing focus so I decided to give up continuing. I realized that I have a lot to learn from this short experience, both lathering and control of the razor.

Overall it was a fun experience and I look forward to practicing and learning the art of straight razor shaving day by day. I will leave my impressions of the shave once I am more experienced.

Questions:

1. Lathering for me has been the hardest. I've been practicing for well over a month with a throw-away gillete, went through a tube of Proraso, and starting a tube of The Real Shaving Co. I really liked the smell and feel of Proraso but felt it lacked cushion and slickness. I noticed after washing the residue off my face, it felt EXTREMELY slick (unlike during the shave). I feel a bit more cushion in the RSC, it seems to be slightly more comfortable (oddly less slick after washing my face).

I know that I have ridiculously dry skin, so much so that taking a hot shower in the winter dries out my skin to the point that, unattended, small dry skin rashes develope. That said I love hot showers and take them all the time. I have a feeling that the prep of how water on my face may be drying out my skin to the point that the razor does not glide. I've tried lathering with all sorts of amounts of water, less, more, inbetween etc. I find that if I use less water, the lather dries within seconds. It goes from luscious and creamy to cracking in a matter of seconds, even when splashing my face with water in between. Too much water feels even worse, cushion and slickness wise, but doesn't dry out nearly as fast. In between is very difficult, it generally leans more to one side or the other.

I've added a grape seed oil as a pre-shave, might help a tiny bit in conditioning the skin but can't say it's helped much during the shave. I'm thinking it might possibly be the type of water (hard/soft)? I was thinking of perhaps buying and adding ~2 drops of glycerin to my lather to see if this helps?

I know my technique is also a factor, working on it as hard as I can. At this point I know lathering is my biggest obstacle into really getting into straight razor shaving.

2. Would it be a wise idea at this point to invest in a DE as a substitute shaver when not using the straight? I am thinking they are similar in concept and that it might be a good way to finish off my shave while learning the straight.

3. Do you shave you Adam's apple with the straight? Seems like asking for trouble! haha

4. I thought I had more questions, but I seem to have either forgetten them or answered them myself. I will have more later!

Not too much I can add; still consider myself new after nearly a year. I still have lather issues at times and I am sure it is my water. I use glycerine sometimes, seems to help, but I think it depends on the soap/cream that one uses. I like the hot showers myself, but turn down the temp. a little; your skin will thank you. Some of the best advice I have ever gotten that applies to shaving came from Jack Passion, World Champion of Beards, oddly enough. In the fall I decided to grow my beard out and was having problems with it being stiff and brittle.(of course I gave in months later and had to go straight again; man, I love my razors) I emailed Jack and he told me to take 1000 mg each fish oil and flax seed 3 times/day, that this would soften the hair. Worked wonders the first day, no lie. Softer more supple hair and smoother skin, much easier to shave. As to the adam's apple, pull the skin to either side and then shave it. Hope this helps.

1.) I've yet to use creams (still using the same tub of SRD soap i started with), so I'll leave that to someone more experienced. I will say it takes a lot of experimenting with water/soap ratios to figure out how to make great lather where one lives with whatever available water.

There was a tip I picked up about using conditioner on the beard while showering, but it was more for softening the hairs. Perhaps someone knows how well it works on dry skin? (I have oily skin and stopped using the trick because of pimples.)

2.) The logic is sound. I kept using my straights in order to become more capable at a faster rate, but then again... I wouldn't mind getting a DE lol.

3.) I do shave the adam's apple, but very carefully. Not a lot of hair grows there for me, but with a light, consistent stroke, the smaller, lighter hair won't be a problem.

Hope it helps a bit, and 1 & 2 are answered in better detail by someone.

So far so good, I have been doing a lot of experimenting. I went ahead and bought the glycerin and for shave prep I skipped the hot shower/hot water completely, my hypothesis being that my skin was being too dehydrated and sucking all the water out of the lather. Instead, I put on the grape seed oil like I normally do, but for the hell of it, after the oil dried I rubbed in three drops of glycerin on my face. To my surprise, the hairs on my face felt really smooth and soft, softer than after a hot shower. In addition, my skin felt very well moisturized. I had what looked like a very thin matte sheen barrier which seemed to hold in the moisture and let my hands glide over my face rather smoothly.

For the lather I also added three drops of glycerin to my bowl. I decided that I would try using less cream because I had a guess that I was losing control of the lather too quickly because of too much foam. Following some guides on the forum, I put a pea size amount (normally was using between 1"-2" of cream) deep into the brush as opposed to in the bowl. I believe I came a lot closer to the correct ratio, slowly adding the water with an almost dry brush. Possibly from the addition of the glycerin, the foam did maintain moisture and cushion for longer, albeit losing cushion after roughly 5 minutes resulting in me having to make another batch.

Shaving wise, I am about 4 partial shaves in. I decided to really focus on my cheeks because they are the flattest plane. I managed to do a WTG, XTG, and ATG pass on both cheeks using both hands . In fact I am lucky to not have too much trouble using my right hand (I am left handed), admitting I have slightly less preciseness and control, but not to the point where I feel any danger or loss of control. I am completely new to skin stretching, and I did try to employ it for all the XTG/ATG passes. The ATG was surprisingly comfortable and pretty close but I believe I still need more experience making my skin even taughter to achieve an even closer shave (The real test eventually being ATG on the upper lip and neck). I went ahead and worked a bit on my neck but I am still getting used to the grips and haven't been able to get to all the sections of my neck. I was surprised to find out how stretching makes shaving the neck so much easier and provides enough resistance to let me know I will not cut myself. I did give a lighthearted attempt at my adam apple but decided I'd wait till I have a slight bit more experience. I believe my jaw line is very sore/sensitive from practice with the 4 blade monstrosity I used for a month, and I believe I will need to let the skin in the area heal. Overall and shockingly, I am really getting no razor burn, redness, or irritation.

One thing I found quickly during my second attempt, is that it is really nice is to shave with a towel to wipe the blade instead of using running water. I found the feedback sound from the razor essential in my progressive learning and understanding of the razor angle. Also by wiping I am able to see the hairs for confirmation and relativity to sound.

At this point one thing I am wondering is if there is any preferred way as to which part of the blade you shave with? Is it always optimal, in an area which requires the blade to have minimal skin contact, to shave using the center of the razor? I noticed especially the first 2 shaves that I used a lot of the tip of the razor, specifically around the upper lip and corner of the mouth. Is this ok? I've found with practice I am able to control the blade better and use the center. Does it matter or does it possibly depend on the scenario?

Thanks

P.S. I am really glad I decided to get into the world of straight razors. It is very fun

Originally Posted by whiteweazel

At this point one thing I am wondering is if there is any preferred way as to which part of the blade you shave with? Is it always optimal, in an area which requires the blade to have minimal skin contact, to shave using the center of the razor? I noticed especially the first 2 shaves that I used a lot of the tip of the razor, specifically around the upper lip and corner of the mouth. Is this ok? I've found with practice I am able to control the blade better and use the center. Does it matter or does it possibly depend on the scenario?

Thanks

P.S. I am really glad I decided to get into the world of straight razors. It is very fun

From what you have written,it sounds like you have a great grasp of the basics. Now you just need to adapt it to your face. Find what works for you, then perfect it.

On a side note: This is a VERY fun way to shave. I'm only a few months ahead of you,and I know the anxiousness to progress as fast as possible.....but I figured something out that I will share with you. Once you get straight shaving down cold.....you'll have to start buying different soaps,creams,razors,hones,scuttles,aftershaves,454 577252bay rums......just to keep the thrill alive. Enjoy the adventure.

I am new as well except to the extremely dry skin problem. My skin would get so dry my legs looked like alligator skin. Fast forward a few years and everything I used to battle due to dry skin is gone. There are so many products made for men, from soaps to lotions that you can enjoy your hot shower and defeat the dry skin. I live in the northeast and even during the dry winter months I can defeat the dry skin problem.
Look around, you'll find plenty of products that will help. If you would like, PM me and I'll let you know what I use. Works great for the dry skin and after shave also.

Originally Posted by whiteweazel

Questions:

1. Lathering for me has been the hardest. I've been practicing for well over a month with a throw-away gillete, went through a tube of Proraso, and starting a tube of The Real Shaving Co. I really liked the smell and feel of Proraso but felt it lacked cushion and slickness. I noticed after washing the residue off my face, it felt EXTREMELY slick (unlike during the shave). I feel a bit more cushion in the RSC, it seems to be slightly more comfortable (oddly less slick after washing my face).

I know that I have ridiculously dry skin, so much so that taking a hot shower in the winter dries out my skin to the point that, unattended, small dry skin rashes develope. That said I love hot showers and take them all the time. I have a feeling that the prep of how water on my face may be drying out my skin to the point that the razor does not glide. I've tried lathering with all sorts of amounts of water, less, more, inbetween etc. I find that if I use less water, the lather dries within seconds. It goes from luscious and creamy to cracking in a matter of seconds, even when splashing my face with water in between. Too much water feels even worse, cushion and slickness wise, but doesn't dry out nearly as fast. In between is very difficult, it generally leans more to one side or the other.

I've added a grape seed oil as a pre-shave, might help a tiny bit in conditioning the skin but can't say it's helped much during the shave. I'm thinking it might possibly be the type of water (hard/soft)? I was thinking of perhaps buying and adding ~2 drops of glycerin to my lather to see if this helps?

I know my technique is also a factor, working on it as hard as I can. At this point I know lathering is my biggest obstacle into really getting into straight razor shaving.

2. Would it be a wise idea at this point to invest in a DE as a substitute shaver when not using the straight? I am thinking they are similar in concept and that it might be a good way to finish off my shave while learning the straight.

3. Do you shave you Adam's apple with the straight? Seems like asking for trouble! haha

4. I thought I had more questions, but I seem to have either forgetten them or answered them myself. I will have more later!

whiteweazel,

It appears from your description that you are well on your way to becoming a str8 razor shaving afficionado.

As for your questions...Dry lather or lather that dries too quickly is often an issue. You attribute this to your skin, but given the fact that you live in New England and probably have central heat, the humidity or lack thereof in your domicile may also be causing your lather to dry out. Try adding a little more water to your cream/soap mixture along with the glycerin. I also occasionally dip the tip of my brush in the basin of water to rehydrate the lather on my face while shaving.

As for a DE...You can purchase one if you want. It certainly won't hurt. I purchased a DE as a first step before entering the world of str8 razor shaving. It is alleged that a DE shave is the next best thing to a str8 razor shave in terms of closeness, etc. From your description of your str8 razor experience so far, however, it appears to me that you really don't need to do so. Your doing quite well without a DE.

Third, the Adam's Apple. I don't have one so I can't really give you any direct advice there based on my experience. However, I have read here in the SRP forums of people who shave their Adam's Apples with a str8 razor. Just take it slow and easy with several additional light passes with the razor--like I do when shaving my dimpled chin--to avoid a serious nick or cut.

These are just my thoughts/responses to your questions. Take them for what they are worth. There are most likely other SRP members who can also provide worthwhile advice too.

Take care...

Hey, thanks for all the replies. I'm progressing really well so far, feeling more and more comfortable with the correct razor angle and angle manipulation. I still am learning on how to work the jawline, not from the throat up but along the side. I think it is partially because I haven't figured the best way to stretch this area and also due to the fact that it seems to be slightly sore. Also the skin to blade contact area is the smallest I've encountered thus far and will require more concentration. I've actually been getting a headache the past few days, but didn't really associate it to anything until last night I realized it was probably the result of all the concentration and focus I was putting into every stroke! It's that sort of learning headache that goes away after a few days so I am not worried!

Above all the lather is still my biggest problem. I can get it to that sweet spot where it lets the blade cut comfortably, but after a few strokes the foam already begins to degrade and within minutes is unusable. Alone, the foam turns into a thin, dry, cracking paste, and by adding glycerin I found that it degrades into a thin, somewhat moist, soapy layer. So I would say the glycerin helps retain some of the moisture, but either way the foam is degrading incredibly fast. In both cases, in about 3 or 4 minutes, if I take my hand and go over my face and neck the "lather" disappears leaving no trace on my hand or on my face. It becomes completely unusable.

It is really a pain because to do a full 3 pass shave would take an estimated 4-5 or possibly more lather mixes. Two nights ago I took the time to mix three batches of lather while shaving, but it really was distracting to say the least.

In regards to replies, I do have central heating and I would say that the air is rather dry. I'm renovating my room and have the bathroom door removed for about a month thus far, not allowing hot steam to be trapped within the bathroom. Trapping the steam would most likely be a large step in the right direction correct? I will try to get the door painted and reinstalled this weekend. As for adding water on the brush while shaving and adding cream, I've tried this many times but once the foam is gone, there is no bringing it back.

I think moisture would not pose such a big problem in the summer, but in the winter it sure seems to be the case, along with, partially, my dry skin. Is there anything else product wise or method wise to perhaps alleviate the lathering problem? Perhaps the cream I am using does not retain moisture well? I was looking at getting the Castle Forbes Lime and giving that a try, but I've been waiting until the local shop gets it in stock (they recently moved). Figure I should try to support the shop as much as I can because it is a great resource for me and venue to ask question and perhaps learn a bit.

Thanks!

Oh an P.S. I have been looking at a lot of items. The acquisition disorder is inescapable for me, I can already tell Once I get shaving under my arm and fix this lather problem, I will be a danger to myself! I keep telling myself I am happy with what I have...because I really, really am. First thing to slowly invest in further will be a good soap/cream rotation. New flavor for everyday! Hahaha