I just turned 15 and I've been shaving for about a year now and have to shave 2-3 times a week. Is there a point for me to start using a straight razor now or should i hold off for a while till i start getting a more full blown beard/mustache?
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I just turned 15 and I've been shaving for about a year now and have to shave 2-3 times a week. Is there a point for me to start using a straight razor now or should i hold off for a while till i start getting a more full blown beard/mustache?
Welcome to SRP. Hard to answer that question. If you have to shave with something there is nothing better than a straight razor but due to your age there are legalities to consider and parental consent considerations. What do your parents think about it ? Convert your Dad and you'll have a great thing going as forum members Joed and his son do . :tu
My parents pretty much trust me to do what I want as long as I don't get seriously hurt... but ill talk to them and see what they think about it. Are there a lot of serious injuries with people using straight razors?
No, not if they are careful and do a bit of homework before they get started. The ideal situation, no kidding, is to introduce your father to the idea of shaving with a straight razor. If that were possible it would give the two of you a common interest to pursue and make the whole thing much more doable for you. See my signature line below for tips on avoiding nicks and a link to more information.
Ok sounds good ill talk to him about it and see if he would be interested
You have to take into consideration that it is probably illegal for you to buy a straight razor until you are 18. Then there is a further expenditure for a strop and other shaving gear. So unless you have parental consent and some disposable income it would be tough. If your father were into it things would flow more easily.
Legal issues aside, I think it would be easier to learn at your age. Your facial hair is not very thick right now and easier to shave. By the time your hair thickens up, your technique should be down.
I agree. There's no better time to start than when you're young. Look at all of us old-timers who aren't up to speed with having to learn new things! Talk to the folks and then just go for it. I really don't see anything illegal about it...it's not like you're going to take a razor to a federal building or to school...it's a shaving instrument just like a fusion.
My dad says that he's tried straight edge shaving before and says it's not nearly as close a shave as using a safety razor and that he's cut himself bad enough to were he wouldn't do it again. What do you guys have to say to this? I dont want to blatently oppose him but I think i want to try straight razor shaving.
I've never cut myself as badly with a straight as I have with those alleged 'safety' razors. The reality of the matter is that you will only nick yourself as badly as you would with a modern Mach 3 or Fusion. As for closeness of shave, he's partially correct. You first month of shaving won't be as close as what you are currently using, but after your fourth month it'll be a whole different ballgame. Besides, in my case, most nicks happen on the against-the-grain pass and at your age, it's completely unnecessary to do that.
I must have been your age when I shaved with a straight for the first time. I think that I owe my shaving success ( ;-) ) to starting earlier. I was also a lot more careless then and did some pretty daring things shaving. Fortunately for me, I did not have an accident; something to keep in mind also, always be mindful of the razor. This was a long time ago and the world has changed since, I agree with Jimmy that having your parents on your side may not be a bad idea, back when I started, my mother bought me a brush and a mug of Old Spice soap, oh what a blast from the past.... I bought my first straight though, it was/is a Filarmonica 13 (~$10). You may be able to use "saving money" (this of course depends on how deep you get into the hobby) and being more environmentally conscious as a part of your reason for starting with a straight.
Al raz.
Are there any major benefits to straight razor shaving that i could use to convince him to possibly retry it or just let me try it?
My 16-year-old son shaves with a straight. He only shaves once a week, and seems to do just fine. He's watched me shave, of course, and gets advice when he needs it. I also strop the razor for him.
Since you're clearly motivated enough to sign up here and ask the question, I think you'll do fine. Just follow the various suggestions for beginners posted here, and be careful!
Fred
I don't think there would be any age limitations to shaving with a straight, apart from growing facial hair. It really only comes down to the individual. The only person who can say if you should or should not use a straight is you.
But the advice others have given you about getting your father involved is priceless. Not only will this help you get a bit of a head start. It will give you a father and son activity that you will look back on with fondness.
I'm curious why you say that. I'm still quite new to using a str8 razor (2-3 weeks), but I got a closer shave on day #1 with my str8 than I ever did with my Mach 3 Turbo. Now I'm fully aware that time and experience will lessen my irritation and nicks and improve my consistency, but like I said before, I got a closer shave immediately.
Side note: I'm starting at 24, but I see no reason why a 15 y/o shouldn't be able to start with a str8. Another side note: The legal age to buy a pocket knife (in CA anyhow) is 16, not 18 unless it changed in the last few years, and I'd assume the law is the same for str8s.
SoccerKeep,
Welcome to the forum! I just started straight shaving two days ago, and by being careful and using proper technique, haven't run into any big problems. Like you, I'm fairly young still at 19, and I picked it up fairly quickly. If you are running into some serious resistance, it might be better to just put it off until you are 18 and can make your own decisions :) Learning young would be nice, but it's certainly not a requirement. If you do run into some opposition, it might be a good idea to just safety shave with your dad, and then move on when you can. However, that doesn't mean that you can't learn a bit from straight shaving, such as using real shaving cream or shaving soap, and a badger brush. They would improve your current shave, and would help ease the transition to straights when you do decide to make it.
If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.
-Wolf
It's because I never had an issue with my Mach3. It always provided, at least for me, a close and comfortable shave. For me, it was the cost factor...it drove me nuts dropping a wad of cash for something that will be in the trash bin in under a week. As such, it took me a few months to get to the place where the straight could perform the task that the M3 could do in five minutes.
I just checked and the legal age is 18 to buy a straight edge in CA... I guess ill keep talking to my dad about it and see if i could get him to let me try, otherwise i guess ill be waiting till 18
Good call, in my experience. If you do have to wait, I would still suggest learning what you can, like making a proper lather and using a brush to apply. Like I said before, it will help whatever type of shave you do try.
Sounds good ill go and find some more information on lathers then... that would also be in beginners section?
Nope. It would be under Forums: Pre-Shave Preparation. Although you could ask questions in the beginner forum as well, if you have them. Check out the Wiki as well, it has some lather-related tips.
I think you will find this useful: Category:Lather - Straight Razor Place Wiki.
If the straight razor is a no-go, there's always double-edge razors, which are still a vast improvement to cartridges. Many people here has one in their stables for a quick shave.
AFAIC, if you need to shave, you need a razor and that razor might as well be a straight..! They're WAAAY better than the Mach XVII (or whatever they're up to now) and if you're interested in them, all the better. I only wish I'd started when I was your age!
Go for it! :)
I just wanted to say good luck to you. About 100 years ago young men, like you, were all using straights to shave.
I wish I had started with a straight instead of a DE at your age!
Another option would be a shavette style or if you have a Sally's around you they are called Hair Shapers there. It is a straight razor style handle that uses razor blades for the cutting edges. Just check out which ones they carry replacement blades for as well as I have found some will carry the original handle with a blade but not the replacements.
Fromm - Fromm Hair Shaper Razor #107
that is what I started with and it worked great for me while I was still searching for a proper straight that I liked.
Since your father seems to be Ok with the shave quality of a safety razor, as others have said, there is still a lot you can learn with one.
1. Beard and skin prep
2. Direction of beard growth and what angles need to be used to shave them.
3. Skin stretching
4. Lather production
5. Treatment and respect for your tools
6. Post shave skin treatment
7. Respect for your shaving area (i.e. keeping things clean, neat and tidy)
I think this would be a great breeding ground to show your father you are serious about what you are doing and maybe within a short time he would change his mind on the straight razor. Or maybe let you get a DOVO Shavette with disposable blades. Low investment and maybe a good bridge. You won't learn to strop, but hey, it's still a pretty good compromise.
Good luck and I echo Stubear's sentiment, I wish I had started at your age as well.
David
Edit: Oh yes, one more thing - respect your father's wishes. He is responsible for you - not us.
All I can say is, I wish I had started when I was fifteen, and not when I was over Forty. Nearly thirty years of missed straightshaving, I try not to think about it.
Amund
I've been shaving with a straight for about 3 months now. There is a lot you can learn before actually putting the razor to your face. Like others have said, I wish that I had started with a straight. I'd have this thing down by now.
I am still young enough to remember when I first started shaving and I cut myself, had razor burn, ingrown hairs and all that. My dad was a trucker and he didn't show me how to shave. I just grabbed a razor and some barbasol and went to work. It sucked.
After my first two or three DE shaves, I never got nicks. Same with my straight shaves.
Like Otto mentioned, there was a time when everybody your age started with a straight.
Also, you gotta remember that the way the guys here shave with straights is not likely to be like how your dad or even men back in the day went into it. This forum is around 24 hours of the day dedicated to improving the straight razor shave. If guys who just picked it up randomly on their own, or even learned from their dads, didn't get great shaves, that'd make sense to me. They weren't scrutinizing details as often as we can here and didn't have access to so many expert opinions.
There's a lot to this straight shaving that's not always intuitive. For example, a lot of guys who start on their own think they have to shave with the blade edge at a 90 degree angle to their face. Another example, one might never know what a true shave ready edge is unless someone really experienced demonstrates how to hone a razor properly, so one could go on shaving with a crappy edge for 40 years and think that that's just the way things are. And the reality is, they don't have to be that way.
Convincing your Dad is where I would start the journey into straight shaving. I tried about 20 years ago and gave up because I didn't have anyplace to learn the skills. Today there is SRP to help guide the newbie straight shaver. About two yrs ago my son started shaving. When he asked to use my razor I introduced him to his grandfather's Gillette super speed. I was surprised to see him take an interest in using the ss. Then I realized I had several straight razors purchased from an auction years earlier. Now that the world wide web was around I decided to research straight razors and found SRP, as you did. I learned straight shaving and then my son, who was 13 at the time decided to give it a try. He started shaving only his cheeks and side burns and finished the shave with the super speed. Today he is 15 and enjoys a complete shave with our straight razors. He and I also hone razors together for our own use and also do razor restorations. It's a great way for Jr and I to spend time together and he will always have these memories and razors to remember our time together.
The pic linked here: http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...tml#post579727 is of Jr and I honing some razors.
Maybe start with a shaving brush, some good shave soap and a DE razor. Learn how to make great lather and share that with your Dad. Have your Dad browse through the WIKI and see all the information SRP has collected to assist in straight razor shaving. Once he sees how good the shave cream/soap is compared to the canned goop and the info in the WIKI he might just join you in the straight razor world. When he reads through the WIKI he may find things that would have helped him when he first tried straight razors and like me, give it another try.
Good luck
Ill be honest with you im 14 and i use a stright razor once a week to keep the stubble off ,its entily up to you if your willing to put the extra care into your shave or not i recomend it highly but thats just me, if your willing to put the extra time and car into it im sure eventually you will be able to get a better shave than your dads, if u decide to do it let us guys know we will help u with desisions on equipment and other things like stropping and soforth
Best of luck to you. I wish I had started straight razor shaving at 15. Think of the potential savings(or a life-long RAD)!
Hi Soccerkeep,
I'm sorry but i think 15 (just) is too young.If your dad was using a str8 then it would be different - but i sense that your dad is not keen on str8s for obvious reasons.Unless he takes up the skill then leave it.
It's a mans business to shave with a str8 and you are really just a boy-if you are really that interested in shaving what little hair you have then use a D/E until you can legally purchase your own razor.What's the hurry?
At 15 you have far more important things to learn than shaving.
All of us (or most) here at SRP have been shaving for years and we are NUTS about shaving!!
I don't have a son but if i had a 15 year old then i know i would be against it.I have been shaving with str8s for 4 months but before that shaved for 45 years with an electric shaver.
Go buy yourself a guitar and learn to play it.When the girls find you you 'll forget about str8s!!
Kind regards
Noggs :soapbox:
I would stick with what you are interested in. Don't ever let People discourage you from doing something at any age (as long as it's legal of corse ). I regret letting people discourage me from trying allot of things.
That being said you do at 15 at least need to have permission from your parents. It's definitely not worth an argument.
And like others hear have said if your parents disapprove of a straight then you can at least start using allot of the techniques with what ever you shave with.
I know it made a difference for me right away. ( with my disposable )
And now I have restored an old Straight and shaved with it.
If the parents do approve on letting you try. I would check out the classifieds with them and pick up a good used blade shave ready. You can get a better quality blade for your money that way most of the time.
Good luck And welcome to S.R.P. by the way.
When I was 13, I did a lot of things that my dad didn't like.
When I was 15, I did a lot of things that my dad didn't like.
When I was 20, 25, and 30, I was, and still am, doing things my dad doesn't like. No matter what, he respected my individuality, and supported me in my endeavours.
If you want to shave with a straight.....do it. Read about it, learn about it, understand the critical aspects, and be safe.
Tell him it's important to you.
I've learned that dad's have the maturity to wade through their son's natural opposition, mostly unscathed. They did things when they were young too.
Good luck,
Maxi