Thread: Sadly...my best shave in over a month.

So, I have been shaving exclusively with a straight for over a month now. I have 4 razors, 2 of which are vintage blades I purchased on the classifieds here. It turns out, that so far, those are my two go to blades and seem to shave the best.

Anyway, last night I attempted to shave with my new Boker Edelweiss. After the first pass on my right sideburn, I looked and noticed that a lot of hair was left behind. I continued on the right side of my face moving on to my cheek, right side of my chin and just above my jaw line. Same result. The blade simply was not removing hair and was not 100% comfortable.

Okay, so not having a good shave, I decided to put the straight down and pick up my old Gilette Fusion. Sadly, one WTG and one XTG pass from my fusion gave me the closest shave I have had in over a month.

This was disappointing and disheartening. I know I am still in the learning process, but I had been shaving comfortably with a straight for over a month with relative success. Last night was a step back and I was very disappointed. Is it normal to have these "setbacks" from time to time?

I would say that any learning process comes with setbakcs from time to time. Don't be discouraged, as you said yourself, you are doing great for a month now! GET OUT THERE AND SHAVE

It will get better as time goes on. Don't give up.

The setbacks are indeed normal. Try not to be too disheartened. You can't just pick up a straight & get perfect shaves, & if you could, this forum probably wouldn't exist.
It's a slow process. Stick with it & be prepared to try new techniques when things aren't working for you & you will reap the rewards. There'll be times when you wonder why you bother, but there'll also be times when the breakthroughs make you realise exactly why you do. Try to remember them!

I have had enough "breakthrough" moments in my one month + of straight shaving to feel good about everything. In fact, I transitioned rather easily and was feeling really good with my shaves up to last night. I guess it was a combination of being excited to use my spanking new razor and having so much success early.

After the first uncomfortable, unsuccessful pass on my face, it was like a punch to the gut!

I am certainly not going to switch back to the cartridges. That is a no-no.

I'm looking forward to my next shave and putting this past one behind me.

Originally Posted by Fbones24

I'm looking forward to my next shave and putting this past one behind me.

That's the spirit! That's what it takes to get good at it. Everyone's learing curve is different. Think of it this way. You're not learning to shave, you're re-learning to shave. You've been using a different method all your adult life and gotten good at it. Now, you're learning something completely different. As other members have suggested from time to time, if there is another member nearby, you might see if you can get a personal critique. Good luck.

Like learning anything else its just a matter of persistence and time!

This is when a "Shavette" comes in handy, It gives you a feel of what a very sharp razor is and something to shoot for when honing and stropping your traditional straight razor. Just my opinion.

Mark

It took me a good 4-6 months to really get the hang of straight shaving. I would shave with a DE every few days to get calibrated to what close is. Then one day I noticed there was no difference anymore, now the straight is better and closer.

Hello, Fbones24:

You will have more setbacks, as well as successes, and one day mostly successes. That's how it is with straight razor shaving. You are in the learning process of something known to take some time to master. We've all experienced what you have. This is normal. Stay with it, and take your time. It also helps to evaluate your technique regularly and see if it needs adjustment. Piece o' cake.

Regards,
Obie