Thread: Did I forget how to shave?

I too have started straight razor shaving for about half a year and never really got a comfortable shave. I bought mine shave-ready from a very reputable dealer and even had him it rehone after a few months. Still, not a very good shave.

People told me it must either be my stropping technique that is at fault (rolling the blade) or poor shaving technique. I switched back to my DE and used it for a few months. At that point, I decided to purchase the Shavette to see if my shaving technique is at fault or if the blade is at fault. Well, after not using a SR for a few months, I quickly received a comfortable shave with the Shavette, comparable to my DE razor. Now I know it is my SR (Dovo Black Star) that is at fault. I just sent it out again for a rehoning.

For what my opinion is worth, you didn't forget how to shave because your razor is not sharp.

You mentioned the thumb test, do you mean thumb pad or thumbnail?

I decided i was going to try to shave with it one more time before i returned the razor for a re-hone to make sure that it wasn't user error. Although i am fairly new at straight razor shaving, by my fourth shave, i had seen a vast improvement from my first shave when i initially received my razor (after i purchased it last march). If i couldn't get a decent shave this time, i would be certain that the razor was dull.

I attempted to shave and it was very miserable. I stopped after one stroke and did 10 laps on CrOx to see what would happen. It improved the shave so i did 10 more. I wasn't quite happy, so i did 10 more laps. The overall shave was decent.

I have spoken with the person who honed my razor and they have offered to re-hone my razor. At this point, however, i am not sure if it makes sense to have the razor re-honed. If i can get a good shave, what would be the point in having the razor re-honed at this time?

As a newbie, i am pretty confused about when i need to have my razor honed and when i should use CrOx. I have heard that it is easy to use the CrOx too much, so i probably wasn't using it enough.

I purchased a second razor for comparison. Once i receive that razor, then i think i will be able to determine if it needs to be rehoned or not.