Thread: Beginners Straight Shaving Journal

Originally Posted by seanomatopoeia

Two things that should never be in the same room together:

• haste
• straight razor

+1 on that!

i gave myself plenty of time to do the actual shaving, just not enough time to do a write up.

Next shave is tomorrow!

Then good luck tomorrow

Alright, just like last time i tried WTG first, then XTG. I was feeling very confident, as it seemed to be shaving very well (much better then last time) so i decided to try a ATG and it actually turned out all right, on my check and side burn areas it is close to BBS. Still need to learn how to navigate those tricky contours of the chin and mustache. I suffered one tiny tiny nick on my jawbone area, as well as a close call with a cut. (i felt the blade dig in and pulled it away just in time. No blood lost, not even a visible cut, but i swear i felt it dig in a bit)

things i changed this shave compared to the last one:
-added in an ATG pass
- increased the blade angle (realized that i had the blade on too low of an angle (10-20 degrees maybe) that extra 10-15 degrees definitely makes a HUGE difference
- First attempt at stropping my razor..... hopefully i didn't dull it too much as i hear most newbies do

Even from the first shave to this shave, i noticed a great increase in confidence and technique. I wasn't always wondering which way to hold it, as it definitely seemed more natural.

I guess i should add a picture of my razor!!


Took this picture last night.... didnt even have a lightbox/softbox just a single flash

Leadduck: my name is Axel.

Brantd: glad to see you didn't pull a "Todd" on yourself!

My first time was quite an event, too. I had a member-honed and bought 13/16 Dovo "Best Quality" round tip as my str8-razor hymen-breaking experience. Stropping was easy but I was too careful and hesitant in my technique (stropped too lightly and took too long). Still managed a very good shave, considering my relative newness. Months of reading on this forum was invaluable, truly, helping to avoid all the classic pitfalls. My first shave took about 45 minutes, but all that was lacking was the neck. Everything else was pretty much shaven. Now I can pull out a well shaved countenance in about 25 minutes, and my skin is looking better than ever.

Exiting the apartment on an eight minute walk to work my face underwent a quiet assault from Minnesota's ice crystals. A little microderm abrasion to top it all off. Not snowflakes, no, melted and refrozen clumps of ice crystals whipping hard into the face. That was mother nature's warm reception to straight razor shaving. For two hours my face threatened to be razor burned, but then it magically went away. The closer you flirt with shaving perfection, most likely, the better your skin will take it. It's a combination of the quality of the shaving edge and your skin's condition. I'm doing things to my face I know I couldn't possibly have gotten away with before, all because of a gradual adaptation, totally credited to my skin's enhanced resiliency and toughness.

Enjoy your shaves.

HI Guys I have just completed my second straight shave, with a lot less soreness and redness and also more cutting and less scraping
I also managed to find the correct angle (for me at least) and did a few long strokes instead of very short ones
So I'm a very happy bunny

Prep: Hot shower
Razor: J.R. Torrey
Brush: Fendrihan Pure Grey Badger
Cream: Kiss my Face
Aftershave: Neutrogena razor defense


My results were decent, I am now starting to see why ST8 razor shaving has such a learning curve. There is no room for error, as i gave myself a nasty cut on the top of my lip today. Isn't going to leave any scars, but man o man did it hurt, and bled for quite a while.

Sorry to hear that, Brantd. You have a nice setup (wish I'd started out so well).

Don't be afraid to take 40+ minutes during your first few shaves. I was going over the forty minute mark two years after I'd started, mostly because I wasn't building a solid base of "moves" and technique with regular shaving. Until your hands kind of know on their own how to tackle the various motions on the particulars of your face some amount of deliberation can be a great thing. So... did you accidently move your lips with the razor still?

Remember Lynn's advice on the antibiotic ointment to close wounds quickly and facilitate healing. Also some nu-skin (the smaller size has the quick-drying goo/sealant) and the traditional stypic pencil. Haven't used it yet but always have it just in case.

I've had a few thin line cuts when first experimenting with a razor or two off the 8,000 Norton hone, traveling through the denser bearded portions and it stopped flat, of course the kinetic energy of the push then translated quickly to lateral motion of the blade and...blip. Thin line of red. Luckily most cuts like that simply close quickly and leave a week-long reminder. That's the fun part! Now you have new respect for the awesome power of the str8. Fingers crossed for ya, buddy! (just not while shaving.)

Originally Posted by Brantd

My results were decent, I am now starting to see why ST8 razor shaving has such a learning curve. There is no room for error, as i gave myself a nasty cut on the top of my lip today. Isn't going to leave any scars, but man o man did it hurt, and bled for quite a while.

Yeah, the lip area gets me if I don't really take my time and concentrate. The closer to the very edge of my lip the shorter the passes and lighter the pressure. I'll lather after each pass since the blade wants to grab more here than any other area on my face.