Thread: Hello Everyone...a few questions

Hi and Welcome with a big "W".
I recently started str8 shaving and have cut myself a few times. Actually, probably every 1 out of 2 shaves But I'm definitely getting better and the cuts are not bad. THe styptic pencil is about $2 and stops bleeding.
The cuts themselves don't hurt, the razor is too sharp to make jagged and painful cuts. Because of the sharpness, wounds also heal a lot faster.

hope it helps you on the road to becoming a str8 shaver

On the cuts: You would have to purposely wack something off to do any serious damage. As other's have said, you are dragging the razor across your face so any nicks should be no worse than with a DE. Watch out for the "pause," however. Don't stop and think with the razor against your face. This can lead to the razor moving ever so slightly parallel to the blade causing a small slice.

As for how often you have to get your blade sharpened it's one of those YMMV things. Some people don't strop very well in the beginning and have to have their blade sharpened rather soon. Some every three months. Some every 6 months. Some people use a barber hone or a strop with some paste on it to touch up a razor that's starting to dull.

Do your first shave with a "shave ready" razor without stropping it. That way you'll know how a good, sharp razor feels and works against your face. If it dulls or your stropping skills aren't very good you'll have that first shave to compare it to. And don't forget the preshave is almost as important as the shave with a STR8.

Also, think about what would happen if you drop the blade! Don't shave naked!

Welcome to the club.

Welcome to SRP.

+1 on the previous advice. Your selection of the Dovo carbon steel razor is a very good choice for a starter straight razor. Wherever you decide to purchase it, make certain that it is expertly honed prior to purchase.

As for cuts...If you take it slow and easy with your shaving technique you won't suffer any deep gashes in your face. You will experience an occasional nick or small cut sometimes, but they will not be life threatening. They happen to the best of us in the straight razor shaving community. The next time you are at the drugstore, purchase and stypic pencil and some antibiotic ointment. That will help you deal with any small nicks or cuts that you get.

Remember--take it slow. Don't rush when shaving with your new straight razor, hold it at a 15-30 degree angle when shaving and you should do just fine.

Again, welcome to SRP. Take care--and smooth shaving.

I am a big fan of the CrOx balsa strop. If you do 5-10 laps on the CrOx balsa strop every 10th shave you should be good for 120 shaves or so before you hit the stones. I have heard of guys going as long as one year and as little as one month before hitting the stones so YMMV.

As a new guy you might have problems with accidently dulling you blade. Don't worry, you will get better at it.

Welcome to the club.

Originally Posted by Philippos

You guys are all amazing...thanks for your answers...it sounds like this will be a fascinating thing to practice...

Another thing...every how many shaves do i have to sharpen my razor...?

Originally Posted by Philippos

You guys are all amazing...thanks for your answers...it sounds like this will be a fascinating thing to practice...

Another thing...every how many shaves do i have to sharpen my razor...?

There are way too many variables, but if you do things right you shouldn't need to sharpen it more often than every three months, may be even once a year or two. If you don't do it right you may destroy the edge on your first stropping.
So, spend the time to learn to strop well and pay attention to stropping and shaving angle and pressure as that's what keeps the edge remain sharp longer than a cartridge or DE blades.

And if you can't keep the razor sharp with stropping on linen and leather strop you'll have harder time to do it with abrasives.

Originally Posted by Philippos

Another thing...every how many shaves do i have to sharpen my razor...?

The answer to your question is not a number. How long the edge on your straight razor continues to give you a comfortable shave depends on several variables: How well was it honed to begin with? How effective is your stropping technique? How coarse or soft is your beard? How often do you shave (every day or every other day)? When you shave, do you do three passes or only two? When you're done shaving, are you careful to clean, dry & oil your razor's edge before storing it? (Moisture can corrode and destroy a fine sharp edge in short order.)

Your razor will need some touch up honing when daily stropping (including the use of pasted strops) no longer will maintain an edge sharp enough for a comfortable shave.

In short, your face will let you know when it's time to have your razor honed.
Namaste,
Morty -_-

Edited PS:
Dang, for some reason I don't understand, no other posts after jojingo's 3:02 PM reply showed up on my screen until after I submitted the above post. A know-it-all I'm not. If I'd seen the other replies I would only have posted something that added to the discussion.

Great...so just to get things straight and clear... im gonna need a leather strop and a waterstone...

I will be using the leather strop to get rid of small remaining of hair and steel after i shave (10 -15 passes) and the waterstone every time i feel the razor needs honing (every 3-5 months)

Thats how it goes right?

Your help is really appreciated... i already feel more than welcome in this forum!

Welcome Philippos!

I'm also pretty new here, my first shave was just about a week ago. I recommend reading up on the wiki page for beginners and the shaving section. Watching the videos helped a lot too, as I was better able to get an idea of the different length strokes and angles that people use for the harder spots.

Don't be too worried about cuts. As long as you don't slide the razor length wise you won't do any major damage. The only nick I've suffered so far is from doing just that while lifting off my face at the end of a stroke.

Originally Posted by Philippos

Great...so just to get things straight and clear... im gonna need a leather strop and a waterstone...

I will be using the leather strop to get rid of small remaining of hair and steel after i shave (10 -15 passes) and the waterstone every time i feel the razor needs honing (every 3-5 months)

Thats how it goes right?

Your help is really appreciated... i already feel more than welcome in this forum!

I've seen it commonly advised to not invest in a waterstone right off the bat. You won't need to hone for some time, and you will have your hands full just learning how to shave and strop. If you need it honed, best to send it off to honemeister when you need it honed so that you can be sure if you are having problems, it isn't a bad hone job.

A leather strop is a must, however, since you need to strop with every shave. Be sure to get a quality one. I've been struggling a lot because I got a cheep one and am having to put in a lot of work to get it in a usable state.

I'm still very green at the straight shaves, about two weeks and five shaves. Like many others here (there's at least three threads on the subject) I opted for a disposable style razor (I am pleased to find out that the one I chose comes highly recommended) until I get my technique down. One thing I found that is absolutely crucial is to get your skin tight. I've had very minor nicks that stopped bleeding as soon as I applied cold water. But on my third shave I thought I had everything down (oh ****y youth) and didn't pull tight. I got four cuts that bled for a a while and became the butt of jokes for the next few days. PULL THE SKIN TIGHT, the rest is very important too but that I have found to be the best deterrent to actual cuts.