Pulling, razor drag and razor burn owch!

In my intro I let you guys know I've been wet shaving with DE razors for about a year - I'm also a head shaver.

Armed with my new 6/8 Bismark straight razor, Lynns DVD, a decent strop and what's going to turn out to be 400 pounds styptic I'm off to a frustrating start.

I do the hot towel twice, use Taylor of Bond Street shave cream (rose or lavander) and go slow. But I feel the razor drag and pull most of the time. This has got to be my lousy technique and no fault of the razor which came pre sharpened and honed.

After my first shave (yesterday) I thought I had done pretty well, 5 minutes later my face and neck burned like hell and I looked like Leather Face from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Ok, I splash on some Thayers witchhazel, the redness fades and the only parts of my face that I seem to have done a good job with was the cheek area.

Same deal today. The blade just doesnt 'glide" like a Feather DE but I've done the hair test and know the straight is sharp. I try to keep a 30 degree angle and read a post on this forum to keep the edge out from your skin the width of the spine - I'll try that tomorrow.

Sorry for the long winded post but any suggestions, tips and advice would sure be appreciated

Thanks

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Originally Posted by Finallyfree

I. But I feel the razor drag and pull most of the time. This has got to be my lousy technique and no fault of the razor which came pre sharpened and honed.

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While your technique may be a small part of the problem, razor pulling is usually more due to a razor that is either improperly honed, stropped, or both.

Welcome to SRP.

Sharpness tests (and the HHT in particular) are meant to indicate the relative sharpness of a razor during the honing process. The only reliable test to establish whether the razor actually shaves is to shave with it.

A dull razor does not cause burning and redness on its own, but pressure does. Have you read SRP's beginners guide (see signature) yet? I am quite confident that you will find it useful.

Best regards,
Robin

I had the same situation...brand new Bismarck from Lynn and the shave pulled and hurt during the entire procedure. It boiled down to one of three things...1. Lynn didn't hone the razor right (pffttt...yeah right) 2. The razor brand was not reputable (no way) and 3. My technique was off (BINGO!)

Hey Peter, nice to see you over here. What angle were you trying to achieve. Sometimes beginners try for the magical 30 degree angle, when that is not always best for your face. I have found that by adjusting the angle down some the pass gets much better. Try adjusting the angle some to see if the pass gets a smoother result.

Did you strop the razors before shaving with them? If so, you might have rounded the edge some. Stropping is the one area that probably causes beginners the most problems both in terms of doing it correctly and in helping restore, rather than dull, the blade edge.

Also remember, that stretching the skin is more important with a straight than it is with a DE. Make sure you are pulling it tight before the pass.