Thread: Im making the switch over to straight edge

I'm doing it, I'm leaving behind the Gillette and switching over to straight edge shaving. I have been doing some reading and research online and have purchased the tools needed to make the switch. I purchased a 6/8 Blonde Dovo and I'm very excited about giving this a go. I have also picked up some of Mama Bears Awakening Shave Soap and a Kent shave brush. I'm also looking into getting a strop pretty soon because i read that the blade will dull pretty quickly and need to be stropped often. Later down the road i am guessing a hone will probably be useful and will make the purchase when the time comes. I must say I'm a bit nervous about the first shave but how much could it suck, men shaved like this for years before the first razors with replaceable blades. Well I'm glad i found this forum to help me along the journey. Cheers!

Welcome to SRP, from one beginner to another!

Fair warning, your first shaves will in all likelihood not be the creamy smooth dream a lot of the experienced members here rave about, but the fact that so many preach it means it is doable with time.

So welcome, and good luck!

Welcome to the forums! Utilize the wiki as much as you can and you will do fine.

Strop is mandatory. A straight razor may be honed to prefection, but without a proper stropping it still isn't fit to put to face. Many strop before and after a shave, and quite a few in the middle of a shave as well.

Welcome to staight shaving and taking a brave step forward. The SRP wiki is a great resource for you to reference. Don't feel this is a sprint, but a step by step process.

You may want to use your Gillette to help you finish up shaves so don't feel that you have to go 100% to the straight razor in this transistion.

Good Luck,

Pabster

Yeah, you might want to hang on to that Gillette for a while. For most, the transition is gradual as it can take a while to get the hang of it. If you're a farmer, it might not matter if you have patches of residual whiskers next to a blood-dripping cut, but for other jobs your appearance might be more critical. You should keep the Gillette on reserve to do clean up for a while. You'll know when it's time to retire it permanently.

Make sure you get the strop before you do more than a couple of shaves. Make sure you figure out how to strop properly because that's critical for a decent shave. Most importantly, make sure you have a recent photo of your face so the plastic surgeon has something to work with!

Have fun with your new toys.

1+ on the above. I still have a disposable handy to clean up my stubborn chin.

Welcome to SRP. Have you looked at the beginner's guide yet ? SRP founder Lynn Abrams has a post on the first straight razor shave here. Utopian is right about the transition being gradual. At least it worked that way for me. Once I gave up the DE after a couple of weeks I didn't have a need or a desire to return to it. For best results make sure you are starting with a pro honed shave ready razor and read my sig below to avoid nicks and cuts.

Originally Posted by acharles331

I purchased a 6/8 Blonde Dovo and I'm very excited about giving this a go. . . . I'm also looking into getting a strop pretty soon because i read that the blade will dull pretty quickly and need to be stropped often.

Welcome to SRP!

Did you purchase your straight razor from a vendor or an individual who said they would hone it for you so it would be "shave ready?" A new razor that is only sharpened at the factory isn't sharp enough to give a close, comfortable shave.

You're going to need to purchase a strop right now. If you bought your razor from a vendor like Straight Razor Designs, it is honed "shave ready" and you will not need to strop it before your first shave. However, you will need to strop it before your second shave and before every shave after that. Learn about proper stropping technique here.

And be certain to read Lynn Abrams excellent article First Straight Razor Shave.

As mentioned by another member, there is a learning curve between first putting a straight razor to your face and enjoying what we call a "baby butt smooth" shave. How long it will take any one individual to achieve a "BBS" shave depends on many variables: one's knack for learning the physical skill, the coarseness or softness of your beard, the sensitivity of your skin, the various directions your beard grows in different areas of your face, how often you shave and so on.

Don't feel discouraged if you read of another newbie who seems to be getting a BBS shave right off the bat or much quicker than you seem to be progressing. We are all learning at our own speed.

Get that strop now before you have your second shave. Read up in the Wiki about pre-shave beard prep. The more care you take to soften your beard before you even apply lather to your face, the easier and more comfortable your shave is going to be.

Good luck and keep us informed on your progress!
Namaste,
Morty -_-

Hey guys thanks for all the useful info and for the encouragement, really helps out a lot! So i received my Dovo in the mail today and i put together a strop with supplies i picked up at Tandy Leather for stropping. I gave the razor a go today for my daily shave and WOW is it an experience! After i got over the initial fright of a straight edge i did ok with the proceedings of shaving(but i see what yall mean about keeping the Gillette around, and will probably do until i master this). I managed not to nick myself although the shave was a bit harsh, I'm thinking of sending the razor off to get properly honed/sharpen to where its "shave ready" and I'm hoping this help with the harshness of the razor on the face. I am also practicing proper stropping, i figure i do the damage to the edge now and not when its freshly honed/sharpened.