Thread: First Shave

I finally bit the bullet and bought a straight razor. It's something I haven't seriously considered until this year. Sure, I've thought about it in the past, but I never pulled the trigger because I just didn't think my skills were where they needed to be.

I took the advice of the "First Shave" thread by Lynn and decided to shave my left side burn only. That went so well that I pushed it a little and shaved down the left side of my neck and over to my cheek. The only part that was a little unnerving was the fact I couldn't see the entire blade. Finally, I reached over with my dominant hand (left) and shaved my right side burn. I liked the fact I could see all of the blade, but the further down my face I got the harder it was to maintain angle and pressure. I ended it right there and finished shaving with my DE except that I didn't need to shave the left side of my face

All in all this was very successful and I'm looking forward to this whole process. And I'll say this, my first experience with a straight razor was better than my first with a DE. However, I don't think it would have been if I hadn't learned how to use the proper angle and especially pressure with a DE.

I think I was a little nervous because I was a little shaky at first and I really had to focus. Half a shave in and I'm understanding all this Zen talk a lot better than 3 years of DE shaving. I never really got it with a DE...

Thanks for the resources you all have put together here!

Congrats!

It sounds like you have done your homework and are off to a good start! Just make sure you dont rush things, only add more areas once you are comfortable shaving the ones you started with. Its not a race, and the more time you are prepared to spend on it, the better it will get. Its like playing an instrument, practice makes perfect!

Good luck and keep us posted!

Good for you. Nothing like that first str8 shave. Smells like victory!

David

Congratulations on your first shave. The first have will always be the most memorable. You'll have many more sucessfull shaves from now on...Welcome to SRP.. you'll find lots of help and support and encouragement you need. Sounds like you prepared properly and it paid off. Congratulations!
Maq