Thread: My first "real" shave

Today I completed my first full shave with a straight razor, and I'm happy to say I am still alive and in one piece.

I tried a week ago—my first attempt with the razor—and managed to really nick the crap out of my face, even though I only shaved my cheeks like it is suggested.

The problem with my first shave was that I applied WAY too much pressure, and didn't have a good foam at all from my soap. Common mistakes, but man they are costly. It took a week to heal from these wounds:



Fully healed, I took another crack at it. Today everything really seemed to click: I got a great lather from my soap and I managed to get a good feel for the blade. It was going smoothly so I decided to take a chance and shave my upper lip and chin. As I shaved my upper lip, it felt GREAT. I could feel the shave and heard the sound I was looking for, and frankly it felt quite pleasant. I'm hooked! I'm fighting the urge to go shave again this afternoon ;p

Oh, here's my weapon of choice, a Dovo Black Star 5/8 razor from SRD:



I'm so excited for having my "a-HA!" moment. I can't wait to really start perfecting the shave. I was pretty slow going and had to re-lather a few times, but man was it worth it. Patience pays off!

- bratta