My first "Quick" Shave

I've been shaving with a straight razor now for approximately one and one-half weeks, and yesterday my skills got put to a test. I am in the Army Reserves and had to go to drill yesterday. We started the day with a physical fitness test, after which I had to go to the gym on base for a quick shower and shave before reporting back for training. By the time I got to the gym, unpacked and showered, I was left with about 15 minutes to shave, get dressed and be back in the car...

I wasn't sure how this would go, I debated breaking out my DE that I had brought just in case, but decided that I was determined to make it happen, so I pulled out my Proraso and the little bowl I packed and started making some lather. It wasn't my best batch of lather, but I knew it was going to do the job. I'd stropped my razor the night before, in anticipation of this shave, so skipped that step. My first pass, WTG went fairly quickly. It wasn't my cleanest pass, and I gave myself two little nicks with the spike point, but I wasn't too upset given my haste. The second pass, I went XTG. This one was done even more quickly. As I rinsed, I debated relathering for a third pass, but the time was getting short, so I did a slight bit of touch up with just water.

The result, three nicks, and a passable, though not near BBS shave. Total time, with clean up: 12 minutes. It was not nearly the luxurious and enjoyable time I spend every morning where my shave process lasts for about 30-45 minutes, but I gained a good perspective. I also realized that I can do a quick shave when necessary, which dispelled one of my greatest fears of making the straight change--that every shave would just be too great of an ordeal to do on a regular basis...

Thanks for letting me share!

hats off to you, i still cannot do a quick shave without damage,

My shaves are normally quick but I do like to take my time and savor the moment

:y 12 minutes and you're alive lol
cool that it worked out, I guess it's a proof that you can get the basics down very quickly and it doesn't need to take an hour to get a reasonable job done.

The advanced stuff is for you to find out in the coming years hehe

Hi LegalBeagle,
Congrats on getting the job done in 12 mins-However I would have used the D/E-you see -one of the most important ingredients in straight shaving is the enjoyment factor-and I doubt there was much enjoyment in your rushed 12min shave.
Whenever I'm in a hurry I use the D/E.My straight shaves at the moment take around 35 mins which is why I shave in the evening.
You need to take things slowly at first so don't rush unless you really really need to.Rushing kills the learning factor.
Take your time,learn and enjoy.
Kind regards

Noggs :)

yea..speaking about enjoyment..I was in the bathroom for a hour!..SHAVING!!...:mexwave:...Felt much closer on my 1 month noob face!

pcdad

Great job on the quick shave and going for it. Another step up the learning curve for you!

Pabster