Originally Posted by
Stubbles
I did shave #5 last night and decided to try using my left hand for the left side of my face (I'm right handed) for the first time. I was expecting it to be really difficult since I've never even attempted anything with my left hand (besides guitar playing). Somehow I was able to sort of visualize what I been doing with my right hand the first 4 shaves and duplicate the motions.
The cheek went pretty well, and the neck was okay. One little nick on my neck that went away with a splash or two of water--that was the only damage. Granted, I only shaved WTG and it wasn't BBS, but the hair was getting removed and no weepers. Maybe I'm setting the bar too low, but this was a win for me.
This has given me a big boost of confidence that if I can get this far in 5 shaves, I imagine I'll be in a very good place after a year of sticking with it (shaving about 3x/week means over 150 shaves per year).
For any other people new to this, I did stick to just my right sideburn for shaves 1 and 2, included the cheek and part of the neck in shaves 3 and 4, and then went left handed in shave 5. I think getting used to the feel of the blade and blade angle was key, and I have confidence with my strokes now. I was able to apply that to my left hand and know that as long as the angle is good, the pressure is right, and I have a decent lather, I'll be okay.
I'm learning confidence means a lot in this game (though technique I'm sure is still more important). My next skills to master are under my ears/back of jaw areas which are tough with a defined jawline, as well as learning ATG and XTG attempts. I'll try to get to those in another 15 shaves or so. In the meantime, I'll stay patient and get better with my left hand.
Happy shaves.
-Stub
:beer2: