First Shave--sort of...

I took the razor to my face for the first time this morning. I did all I could for good prep--hot shower, hot towel, Musago pre-shave oil, and the best lather I could muster with SRD soap. I tried to create lather in a separate mug, but that seemed stupid in a hurry because the lather spread out too much in the mug. From there I just built it in the soap jar. I still think I have a lot to learn about creating a good lather...

I only went over my sideburn and cheek down to the jawline on my dominant side and got past my worries about "blocked vision" in my other post. I have to say I was literally shaking just a little bit when I started, but that's part of the fun!

I'm glad I stopped when I did because I was going so slowly and carefully that the lather was starting to dry at times. I reapplied 1-2 times even just doing the one side of my face to make sure I had protection.

Overall I guess it was about what I expected--a bit difficult. I used very light pressure (thinking about beard "reduction") and kept the angle probably somewhere between 20-30 degrees (or so I think with my limited ability to see the blade angle). I tried to think about getting a little momentum before the blade came into contact with the skin and that seemed to help.

My beard was clearly "reduced" from my 2-day stubble so something went right. No nicks or cuts either!

My biggest challenge was stretching the skin with a wet, lathered face. I rubbed my hand on the alum block, but that didn't help too much. I tried to stretch the skin by contorting my face but when I do that I end up with a pocket on my cheek--almost an indentation (it's just the way my face is). That made it really hard to shave the middle of my cheek. I tried turning the razor more sideways since my beard grows close to sideways on my cheek anyway--that allowed me to see a little better and it cut okay. Thanks to SRD for good honing--clearly this thing was sharp.

I did not strop out of fear of screwing up the edge and I might try another 1-2 shaves without stropping--I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts on that if I'm only doing one side of my face.

The plan from here is to keep trying that sideburn/cheek area until I can go more quickly and comfortably and then move on to the other side (still questioning if I'll try it left-handed).

I guess if I had to deem this a success or failure I'd say success. The hair was lessened, no nicks and cuts, and I feel more comfortable now with the blade in my hand than I did before. Looking forward to many more months of "honing" my skill.

When I was done with that side, I finished up quickly with my cartridge razor. A little too quickly, in fact. I nicked my neck pretty good in 2-3 spots. That turned out to be a learning experience too because I got to find out that alum blocks really do sting, and they really do stop the bleeding.

The Thayer's Witch Hazel Toner felt great afterward.

-Stub

Hi stubbles,
Congrats on your first partial shave!
You are doing just fine -keep going like this and you,ll soon be having smooth shaves!
Just a few pointers:-
1.-Keep on with making the lather in your mug-it will improve in time as you work on it.(I have only just started to concentrate on making real good lather after more than 100 shaves).
2.-Don't worry about shaking when you start -it's good that you respect this sharp implement !This will subside as you progress.
3.-Slow is good at first -let yourself ease into pickingup speed-it will come as you gain confidence.
4.-When shaving your cheek here is a tip that i use ( i have hollows in both my cheeks)-just inflate your cheek slightly by blowing air into it and holding equal pressure to your razor as it passes over the cheek area.This raises the hairs to the blade and the good thing is you can see it working!
5.-I recommend always stropping your razor before your shave -you will have to start sometime so don't be afraid -just strop your razor slowly at first paying close attention to each stroke to keep the spine on the strop at all times and hold the strop firmly so you won't round the edge.(strop a few strokes after the shave to clean the razors edge).
6-Although I personally have not developed this -start to use your left(nondominant) hand.For you, now is an ideal time to become used to using it.Go slowly at first or practice with a blunt butter knife.
All in all you have made a flying start!
Keep going and enjoy!
Kind regards
Noggs :)

Its a good start and keep building on your experiences one step at a time. Wiki SRP offers solid advice for newbies.

Pabster

Good start! Take it slow until you're comfortable and just make a point to progress for every shave. Don't worry how much hair you're taking off...that will all come with time and practice.

Well, you still have your face, so you must have done something right!:D

Seriously, it sounds like everything went really well. Congrats, but don't get psyched out over stropping. Practice with something dull if you want. You'll realize once your skills improve just how much proper stropping adds to a shave.