First Shave (and Questions)!

I finally got my Gold Dollar and Filly strop in the mail today. I ordered from Ken Rup, and it is in shave ready condition.

When I got some time tonight, I got everything together, prepped, and went at it. I figured I'd go for a WTG pass. I've been DE shaving for about two years now and understand what "no pressure" means.

First impressions?

1 - It's damn hard to see what's going on. I wear glasses, so maybe that doesn't help things, but I was basically operating in the dark, shaving my right cheek (my dominant side). Is this normal? It's very unnerving.

2 - I went to do my left cheek, so I switched to my left hand. I couldn't hold the razor steady at the proper angle for love or money. I figure I wanted to live another day, so I did a bit of my left cheek with my right hand. Am I setting myself up for failure here, or should I really strive to be able to use my left? Again, it was quite difficult to see, regardless of hand.

3 - I found the easiest part the right side of my throat.

4 - I have extremely thick and coarse whiskers on my chin and jawline. I could barely get half way through them. Again, wanting to fight another day, I didn't push it.

5 - My strop was folded in two when it was shipped to me. Because of this, it has some rough / bumpy patches in the middle where the bend was. Should I be stropping over this, or only use half of the strop to avoid the irregularities?


I was planning on doing a whole WTG pass, but after barely getting my right cheek done, the right side of my neck, and aborting the left side with the left, I called it a day. I grabbed my DE, finished off the WTG, did an XTG, and stopped (normally I need another XTG and ATG, but I want my skin in good condition - try again tomorrow). The shave is about as good as an electric, maybe the same as my first DE shave. Not great, but my skin is in primo condition (I have sensitive skin and the weather here is extremely cold and dry).

On the bright side? No razor burn and no blood at all. Where I did manage to get a decent stroke in with the straight, it was smooth as glass, incredible. I can't wait until I can do my entire face. I do plan on sticking with it, but I didn't think it would be quite this difficult. Oh well.

I'm guessing my issues are down to stropping technique, shave technique, and crappy ambidexterity. Thoughts and advice?

Thanks,
Pug

Have you tried leaning forward when doing the sideburns/cheek? Non-dominant hand just takes more getting used to than the dominant hand. If you're new you gotta stay cool with your temporary limitations.

I don't own a hanging strop (only paddle). Maybe folding it the opposite direction.. or pressing it flat with something for a while?

Experience will help through the thick parts of your beard. Reduced angle and great stropping (truer edge) will contribute significantly to success. Also, remember once you really tackle the heavy bearded areas that you don't have to do completely XTG, you can shave diagonally as a combination WTG/XTG.

Can you shave without your glasses? Shaving a blur isn't fun, but you can always check up on your progress with non-razor holding fingers and redo missed hairs/parts.

My sensitive skin has been sensitive forever. The best thing to happen to my skin was shaving with a straight-edge for consecutive shaves. Only possible once I'd built up the skills to not overly irritate the skin and with proper pre-shave preparation. Salicylic acid face washes, regular washing of the skin and solid post-shave routine including alum block, witch hazel or skin tonic and after shave balm helped. Now the lower half of my face is smoother and the complexion is cleaner than it's been since the onset of puberty. My skin is definitely conditioned/tougher and takes str8 and DE shaves better than ever before. There is definitely an adjustment period for people with problematic skin. Hang in there.

1. Practice practice practice...after a month or so, you'll find a way to get the job done when you can't see perfectly.

2. I shaved with only one hand the first six months I was learning. Why complicate your life when you have soooo much to learn as it is. Don't beat yourself up and just shave with one hand until you become comfortable with it.

3. woot!

4. Sounds like a good idea. When you're starting out, only tackle what you're comfortable with. As for me, I do four passes on the chin area. down, to the right, to the left, and then straight up.

5. If it were me, I'd contact the vendor and send that guy back. I'm not that hot at repairing things and as such, I'd just send it back than to risk a pooched edge. Someone else will surely chime in on a couple good ideas.

Sounds like you're on top of your game and ready to accept that you're not going to get the best shave of your life the first time out. Keep up the good work and welcome to SRP! :)