Thread: First Shave/Big Problems

I got my razors back on Friday from being "professionally honed" by a SRP member. Being that I am brand new at straight razor shaving, I am uncertain if my Razor(s) were nor sharpened properly or that I am doing something very wrong. After making an attempt I eventually gave up on my first straight razor shave. I will out line the process I used and the problems I was/am having.

I took a hot shower during which time my later mug was filled with hot water and my brush was soaking in it. In the shower I use a NIVEA Pre-Shave Face Wash.

After the shower, prior to my shave I made my lather using Bigelow shave cream, then re-wet my face with hot water and applied the first lathering to my face. I stropped my razor, then reapplied more lather to my face.

I stretched my skin as instructed by my forum reading and began my first straight razor shave. Neither razor seemed to be cutting right, it was very difficult to make even one pass without it being hung up and it did not seem to be doing a great job at removing a couple days of facial hair growth. Even after a few passes at different angles my face did not seem smooth and patches on my face were red irritated and bleeding. I am also having trouble figuring out the best way to hold the razor for chin and neck shaving as I have a goatee and it is very difficult to find a good angle to work with. Needless to say I gave up and used a disposable to finish.

How can I tell if my razors were honed well or if they are not?
Why am I finding it so difficult to find a good position to hold my razor?
What am I doing wrong?

Any help, advice and guidance is welcome. Thank you in advance for the forums support.

Usually when a razor comes back from being honed, the honemeister will instruct you to not strop the razor before your first shave. You did not indicate this was the case. If so, improper stropping will dull an edge as fast as anything else.

Otherwise, you problem could be as simple as technique and lack of time under the blade. When I started, I only shaved the area under my sideburns and slooowly progressed over the course of several days, maybe even weeks until I was shaving my entire face. I still had a few moments of dispair, but the good men in this group gave me the strength to carry on. I did, and my str8 razor shaves are now something I relish and look forward to. I still get a sense of accomplishment after a good shave that leaves me refreshed and invigorated and ready to seize the day. Don't give up! Take it slow, star with baby steps, and build upon that. You will not be sorry. There is nothing you are going through now that all of us haven't felt at one time or another. Keep the faith.

I did strop it prior and was not told not to. I thought I was stropping correctly.

By the way, I forgot to mention. Rest assured, if you got the razors honed by any of our SRP honers, it was shave ready when you got it back. Also, you mentioned you have several days of growth, and that can be a challenge for even an experienced shaver.

Originally Posted by ATattooedJew

I did strop it prior and was not told not to. I thought I was stropping correctly.

Usually if the honemeister knows you are a new shaver, they will instruct you not to strop it before the first shave because they know that an inexperienced stropper can dull a perfectly fine edge in an instant. It is possible you have done just that. On the other hand, if you are sure that your stropping technique was correct, all of your symptoms could be explained by too much pressure and incorrect angle or technique in general. I hate to say it, but your best bet might be to have the razors checked out and possibly re-honed and start again, this time NOT stropping before the first shave so you have a reference point as to what a sharp razor is.

9 times out of 10 your razor is Shave Ready if you used a reputable Honemeister, like some on this site.

From the sounds of it you may have been using pressure during your shave. You only need to Lay the razor touch your face with no real pressure and slide down to cut the hair. Very light pressure, since you were getting redness and bleeding I think the first thing to look at is pressure.

The other possibility is angle. It is good to use about a 30 degree angle for WTG shaves. This angle sounds easier to get than it is. If you are not use to doing this I would recommend starting out with the razor flat against your face and slowly raising the spine to get the angle that works for you.

Stropping will take time to get use to. I thought at first I was stropping pretty good and then once I really started looking at some videos and the way I was stropping I figured out I was actually using too much pressure. It takes time but it clicks.

Do not despair. Your story is not unlike that of many new straight razor users. Learning to use a straight razor takes a little time and dedication, but it will come. You are still not sure how to hold your razor, that indicates you are still in the very early days. Take a moment to check out the SRP wiki on how to hold your razor, then browse through the SRP wiki beginner's guide . There are also many videos on youtube showing how to shave, many from our members here. Many enjoy Jockey's vids, he has several out and you could watch them all and learn a fair bit. I'll link one, search for the others if you like. Hang in there, go slow and don't feel discouraged if you can't do your whole face the first time - small steps is the safe route to proficiency. Best of luck, and let us know how it goes



Jockeys' Straight Shaving Demonstration Part 1