Please help with first shave!

I recently purchased a Boker King Cutter bundle with the red latigo strop from SRD and attempted to use it today. I spent several weeks before receiving it watching tutorial vids and reading these forums, so I thought I knew what I was getting into. My blade didn't pass the hanging hair test so I stropped it as per all the tutorials I've watched, and the edge looks great, but still doesn't pass the hht. So I attempted to shave anyways. I took a long hot shower and did all the preparation, but had a couple issues. First of all my soap lather, even though it looked good in the cup, didn't seem to lubricate very well. I'm using the SRD bay rum soap. Then I attempted shaving. It didn't really pull the hair on the side of my face, but it barely took any off as I shaved it. When I got to my chin, it really started to pull the hair so I quit and reapplied the soap. Same issue. I finally gave up and washed my face, and it looked like one side of my face was kind of shaved but really spotty. The rest of my face didn't look shaven at all. A few minutes later, the side that was shaven the most looked really red and blemeshy, like razor burn. What am I doing wrong? I even tried watching the DVD from SRD and it seems like I'm following all the steps correctly.

There was probably nothing wrong with the blade when you received it. Shave ready blades don't have to pass the HHT. It's a common misconception amongst newcomers (& some who should know better). If it shaves badly now, it's technique, whether that be stropping or the shave itself.

Here's a recent thread that relates a little.

Don't be disheartened.

You might be moving the blade to fast for it to have time to cut. Try going slower and just a half in or so at a time and then back the blade back up your face so it spreads some cream back onto your face then go another half an inch.

If you've been reading up on this stuff then you know mastering shaving can be a long process as you learn the skills. Also with new users it's very difficult to advise because we don't know if the issue is with the razor or the user. Even if the razor was proper sharp when you got it you may have stropped poorly.

So my advice is concentrate on the usual technique issues with strokes and pressure and angle and if things don't improve then suspect the razor may need some work.

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Originally Posted by ben.mid

There was probably nothing wrong with the blade when you received it. Shave ready blades don't have to pass the HHT. It's a common misconception amongst newcomers (& some who should know better). If it shaves badly now, it's technique, whether that be stropping or the shave itself.

Here's a recent thread that relates a little.

Don't be disheartened.

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+1

On the HHT -- the oil placed on the razor
after honing and stropping to prevent rust
will also get in the way of the HHT.

Strop with smooth, light, deliberate strokes and
more often than not the edge will recover.

Good stropping and short smooth strokes...with no distractions...did I mention "NO DISTRACTIONS"? Laid the side of my face open one night b/f the daughter went down and the dog puckered out...luckily it heeled... :D I've been STR8 for a few months now and it gets easier, better, closer and quicker with each shave. Patience grasshopper, patience. Face prep and good slippery lather also key.

+1 on the previous advice. I think the issues you describe about your first shave grow out of your technique. You may be somewhat skittish or fearful about letting that sharp blade come in contact with your face. I know I was initially.

Don't despair. As the previous posts have suggested, there is notjing wrong with your razor. Strop your razor carefully again, being careful not to roll the blade. Review your technique, especially your blade angle (optimum 15-25 degrees) and continue to shave one side of your face, using slight scything motion because it is the toe of the razor that does the closest shaving. Keep at it and try another 3-4 shaves.

As you become more confident and less ferful of cutting yourself, the quality of your shaves should improve.

Let us know how things turn out.

Just my 2 cents.

Ben nailed it.

Hard to accept, but it's you. One way or another, it's you. We all have to face the reality that reading is not the same as doing. Would you expect to make a sand shot in golf the very first time just like the pro does by reading how he does it?

I rolled the edge stropping my first razor. Many, not all, do. The edge may have been unintentionally dulled when you stropped. User error my friend.

The good news is that all is fixable.

Welcome to SRP. There is a lot to learn to successfully shave with a straight razor and no one can learn it all at once. Perhaps that is why when SRP founder Lynn Abrams wrote this here on how to do the first straight razor shaves he suggested taking it slow and doing it in increments rather than all at once.

Skin stretching techniques, blade angle, stroke, direction of attack all enter into it and then there is stropping, pre shave prep, lathering. All kinds of stuff to become proficient with. So be patient and take it slow. Re-read the beginner's guide in the SRP Wiki at the link below and as you continue to practice things should improve. :gl:

Edit ; forget the HHT. That is a test for advanced honing. The shave test is all you want to concern yourself with now.

Keep experimenting with angles. Try to keep your skin as tight as you can.

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Originally Posted by jkh0208

Then I attempted shaving. It didn't really pull the hair on the side of my face, but it barely took any off as I shaved it. When I got to my chin, it really started to pull the hair so I quit and reapplied the soap.

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You've received some terrific advice but perhaps the most important item for you to follow up on is the article Lynn Abrams wrote that JimmyHAD mentions in his post above. Read that article and follow it to the letter to facilitate your success. Also, follow the barber's advice on how to hold a straight razor that you'll find in Jimmy's sig.
Namaste,
Morty -_-

Thanks for the replies, everyone! I'm going to keep at it for a few weeks and I'll let you know how it comes along.

Well, that's why Sir James is a mentor and I'm not. Well done Jimmy.

I don't have the tact gene. I'm way too blunt and always have been.

JKH0208, sorry if I was too blunt.

I've never purchased a new razor so I don't know the veracity of their claim that a new razor is shave ready. If you check out my thread titled "Help!!!!!" I went through exactly the same issues you did. After a month and thirty frustrating shave attempts, everything was solved when i sent my razors to Lynn for honing. When i got them back and did my first shave(unstropped) I was amazed what a difference...my razor effortlessly shaved my face for the first time. I seriously suggest you consider the possibility that your razor is simply not keen enough.

Rolling the blade's edge is easy to do. I did it on my first professionally honed razor I bought from SRD. I was fortunate enough to have been able to learn the way I did.

I had a straight razor that I bought 20 years ago from a cutlery shop that I didn't realize needed to be honed, tried to shave with it (which didn't go so well) and put it in a drawer for the next 20 years. About a year ago, I decided to try it again except this time I had a nice tool to get me started...The internet & SRP. After doing some research, I learned that it needed to be honed. I grabbed my old Smith tripple sided hone and went to town. Although I don't recommend this type of hone, I was able to get my razor shave ready. I started shaving a little at a time with it, then bought my Dovo Bismark from SRD and WOW... what a first shave. The second day, I stropped it and the shave was terrible. I learned right quick how easy it is to roll an edge. The reason I said I was fortunate to learn the way I did, was because I already had a little experience shaving with a fairly sharp razor. When I rolled the edge I knew right away that it wasn't my angle, etc.. and something else must have been wrong.

My best advice to you is try going a day without shaving, then try doing each cheek using both sides of the blade and see how it comes out. With two days stubble, you can easily see and feel how well the razor works. If the razor pulls a lot or shaves completely different when using both sides of the blade, you may have well rolled the edge and will need to get it re-honed. If it seems to shave OK then it may just be an angle or pressure problem. You made a comment about your shave being spotty. It's very possible this may have been from using too little pressure or blade angle (laying the blade almost flat on your skin). Make sure to have a good air gap between the spine and your skin.

As far as shaving your chin, until you get use to blade angle, you will experience a slight pulling sensation. I found my chin to be the most difficult area to learn how to shave. Use little, short strokes continually adjusting the blade angle as you progress around the curve of it. You can't expect to be able to shave this using a long stroke as you can with a disposable razor.

I hope this helps. Don't give up, keep at it and soon you will find yourself actually looking forward to shaving. Not to mention, it's a geat conversational piece anywhere you go. Be warned though, it's addictive and you may soon find yourself wanting to try different razors. I didn't have that problem and was able to stop at 30 different razors just yesterday! LOL! You're in the right place for all kinds of experience and advice and we hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks, that's very helpful info! I wish I could go a day without shaving, but unless I get more than one day off in a row I'm unable to. Being an ensign in the navy I'm expected to keep clean shaven at all times, which honestly I don't understand considering chiefs are allowed to have mustaches. :confused: I seem to grow facial hair extremely fast, so by night time it seems to be a little under 1/8" long.

People buy "shave ready" razors & sometimes they ain't, sometimes they are.
The same razors can be poorly stropped by the new owner & alongside with inexperience in use, first shaves can be disappointing, to say the least. You are actually in control of all these factors tho they are a challenge at first. So........
1. Utilise a "good" honemeister if the blade is a concern
2. The rest is research & ... Practice. Keep at it :)

Out of curiosity, what is the width of your blade? I happened to think of something after my last post. The first razor I ever used and stropped without any problem was a 5/8 and the Dovo Bismark I ordered after a couple of weeks and rolled the edge on was a 6/8. I don't know if this could be the case, but I'm wondering if the wider blade widths could be easier to roll. I'm asking to satisfy my own curiosity. It makes sense though.

Mine is a 5/8 king cutter. I gave it another shot today. I tried the hot tower after putting on a first lather, but it irritated my skin. I think I might be allergic to the west indie bay soap. I put another lather on afterwords and attempted to shave. I was able to shave both sides of my face with very little discomfort, but again I got to my chin and it started pulling no matter what angle I tried. I tried to brave through the pulling and ended up taking a small chunk out of my chin, so I gave up on the chin area and started on the neck. I couldn't get anywhere with my neck until I tried shaving upwards, then it went alright but missed lots of hairs. I eventually gave up and went to a double edge safety razor I picked up this weekend at an antique shop and a pack of cheap personna blades from walmart. My first shave with the safety razor gave me a very nice shave with one minor nick, and it felt smooth with no pulling at all. It didn't even feel like it was cutting hair, just felt like a small bar of metal was gently sliding over my wet face, yet it cut the hair so smooth. I think I jacked up my straight razor's edge by stopping due to my shakey hands, even though to the naked eye the edge looks great. Now I'm interested in a nice safety razor for SRD but I spent all my money on the straight razor set. :cry:

It just seems to me, that our biggest problem as beginners is that we just can't tell when the razor is sharp. Much of the advice is "well if it is sharp it shaves well", but we have to get over the learning curve of learning how to shave with it. I'll be learning the TPT thumb pad test before I scrape up my face with a dull straight again.....

I have been going over some honing vids, and he shows the thumb pad test for telling when a razor is sharp. He also says it would be good to compare to like a double edge blade for compare.

YouTube - Straight Razor Honing Demonstration Part 1

I also have a pocket microscope 60-100x enroute that I'll add to my sharpness test kit.

I just noticed that with a long strand of hair, it takes quite a bit of effort to even sever the hair. Does that mean the edge is ruined?

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Originally Posted by jkh0208

I just noticed that with a long strand of hair, it takes quite a bit of effort to even sever the hair. Does that mean the edge is ruined?

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Not likely ruined. More likely poorly stropped & easily repaired.

So I should send it off for a re-honing, or can proper stropping repair it?

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Originally Posted by jkh0208

So I should send it off for a re-honing, or can proper stropping repair it?

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I suggest re-honing.... & then reassess your stropping skills

Is there a way to practice stropping without damaging my blade? Rehoning everytime I screw it up will become really expensive. :( Also, how can I tell if my stropping is improving?

Have you spent time mapping out your face and the direction of your beard growth?

I ask this because the blade to skin angle changes for WTG, XTG and ATG. The problem is the beard changes direction, so in a given stroke, it is possible to move between a WTG, XTG and ATG. That means that you need to change the angle on the fly during the stroke. If I make a stroke from my side burn past my jawline and into the neck area, I go from WTG to XTG to ATG and back to WTG. That means 30 degrees, 15 degrees, 5 degrees, and then back to 30 degrees. If I stay at 30 degrees for the whole stroke, I will tear my face up.

So, spend some time mapping out the beard direction, you will be glad you did.

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Originally Posted by jkh0208

Is there a way to practice stropping without damaging my blade? Rehoning everytime I screw it up will become really expensive. :( Also, how can I tell if my stropping is improving?

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Obviously your results will tell you if you are improving

You can use a dull practice razor or similar to practice the motions.
As with shaving, angle & pressure is everything. The edge & spine must be in contact on the strop & your pressure nil. Saying pressure should be light is relative & light for you may be edge destroying in my eyes. Just try to strop so when you're done you are left wondering how that could possibly do anything to your edge. You may then have the right "pressure" If your problem is hesitation cuts into the strop dulling the edge or not keeping the right contact on the "flip" etc practice with the optional blunt razor. And don't aim for speed.
A razor can be perfectly stropped slowly.

It seems most of the hair on my face points downwards except for my chin. On my neck, it's all over the place. Some hairs point up, some down, randomly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jkh0208

Is there a way to practice stropping without damaging my blade? Rehoning everytime I screw it up will become really expensive. :( Also, how can I tell if my stropping is improving?

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There are advertised shave ready "Gold Dollar" razors on ebay for about 25 bucks. These are made in china, and supposedly are made of good carbon steel. I ordered one that is straight from the factory for less to practice honing on.

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Originally Posted by jkh0208

It seems most of the hair on my face points downwards except for my chin. On my neck, it's all over the place. Some hairs point up, some down, randomly.

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IMHO, If you have really random directionality, especially along the neck, I think it is better to drop the angle to between 5 and 15 degrees and use an additional pass if necessary. The skin on the neck is thin and sensitive. It is really easy to get razor burn on it. So a lower angle with NO pressure and an additional pass works much better for me.

But you will have to experiment here.

You'll continue to learn about your whisker growth each time you shave. However, learning the direction of your whisker growth is not merely the result of visual inspection. For about a month, I thought that the whiskers along my jawline either side of midline grew north to south - looked that way in the mirror to me after a few day's of beard growth. I kept wondering why I never seemed to get good results in those areas even with WTG, XTG, and several ATG's. It wasn't until I started experimenting with the directions of my passes that I realized that I was NOT actually going ATG in those areas. If you put some lather on your finger and run it over a "trouble" spot, it makes it easier to tell which way is ATG.

Good luck. Be patient. It WILL get better!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jkh0208

It seems most of the hair on my face points downwards except for my chin. On my neck, it's all over the place. Some hairs point up, some down, randomly.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by LinacMan

You'll continue to learn about your whisker growth each time you shave. However, learning the direction of your whisker growth is not merely the result of visual inspection. For about a month, I thought that the whiskers along my jawline either side of midline grew north to south - looked that way in the mirror to me after a few day's of beard growth. I kept wondering why I never seemed to get good results in those areas even with WTG, XTG, and several ATG's. It wasn't until I started experimenting with the directions of my passes that I realized that I was NOT actually going ATG in those areas. If you put some lather on your finger and run it over a "trouble" spot, it makes it easier to tell which way is ATG.

Good luck. Be patient. It WILL get better!

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Yeah - that is true. I can remember driving to work in the morning after a shave and runnning my fingers all over my stin to fine which direction the whiskers grew in, what would have shaven that area better, and then formulating a plan of attach for the next day.

My knowledge of whisker growth evolved over several months.

I was practicing stropping, and was extremely careful to make sure I was doing the right motions. Not once did I ever flip it on its edge or move it the wrong direction and it was smooth motion when flipping on the spine, yet now there are several nicks in the edges of the strop! I've been practicing and haven't nicked it once until now. It seems I'm getting worse and worse! What could I be doing wrong?