After a month...

Good Morning, All,

Figured that I'd kind of report my experiences so far back to the group, along with what has worked for me (and NOT worked), in the hopes that it will help someone else:

1: As much as I wish I could take the time to do a half an hour shave every morning, I have to rush along on work mornings. It is possible to do a nice, comfortable shave in about 10 - 15 minutes.

2: Work on yer lather. Experiment. For me, I'm still trying to find a balance between making the lather wet enough that it doesn't dry on my face, yet still creamy enough to lubricate correctly. As of now, I'm leaning towards making a creamy lather, and just re-lathering frequently.

3: Holding the razor - Paraphrazing JimmyHAD's signature: It's much easier to hold the razor too tightly than too loosely. Plus, one of the things that I've learned from my martial arts studies - if your muscles are tight or tense, it is impossible to exercise fine motor control over those muscles. They HAVE to be relaxed if you're going to be able to exercise fine control over your razor.

4: Shaving - This is the one area where, so far, I disagree with Lynn's video. He suggests switching hands when going from one side of your face to the other, but I guess I'm just too strongly right-handed to be comfortable in switching hands to shave the left side of my face. Amusingly enough, I frequently get a better shave (particularly ATG) on the left side of my face using my right hand than I do on the right side of my face.

Also, I've noticed that it is possible to shave too closely, which surprised me. I've had to dial it back a little bit on the bottom of my chin, as, if I actually try to take it all the way down to BBS, I get a lot of irritation later on that day as the hairs start to grow and break the skin again.

As a corollary to that: when I started, I was trying to go all the way down in one pass. Don't try it. :) I'm now shaving every day (and wishing my beard would grow faster so I could practice more), and I usually do two full passes on the cheeks, and 3 (or more) on the chin.

5: And this was a surprise for me - Clear the scents with the spouse. After a couple of weeks, I found that I needed some sort of aftershave cream, as my face was getting a little irritated. I ordered some of the Truefitt & Hill Sandalwood Aftershave balm from SRD, and I loved both the texture of the cream itself, how it made my face feel, and the fragrance. However, after I wore it the first time, I was shot down in flames by my wife. It seems that the fragrance reminded her of a scent an ex-boyfriend of hers used to wear. So, she's willing to bear with me until the bottle's done, but I'll have to find something else after that.

Continuing to experiment...

Brian

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OccamsBlade

However, after I wore it the first time, I was shot down in flames by my wife. It seems that the fragrance reminded her of a scent an ex-boyfriend of hers used to wear. So, she's willing to bear with me until the bottle's done, but I'll have to find something else after that.

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Sorry, but I'd sell it, give it away, or toss it immediately. Scent is a powerful memory trigger, so regardless of the strength of the relationship, I would not want my wife getting such flashbacks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OccamsBlade

4: Shaving - This is the one area where, so far, I disagree with Lynn's video. He suggests switching hands when going from one side of your face to the other, but I guess I'm just too strongly right-handed to be comfortable in switching hands to shave the left side of my face. Amusingly enough, I frequently get a better shave (particularly ATG) on the left side of my face using my right hand than I do on the right side of my face.

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I use both hands, but exactly the opposite of what you describe: I do the left side of my face with the right hand and vice-versa. It took me awhile to develop the dexterity in my left hand to be able to do the right side of my face. It turns out that there is a good use for Zeepk razors. I had one that I butterknifed to practice the motions with my left hand and develop the fine motor control needed.
That said, plenty of people only use one hand.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Utopian

Sorry, but I'd sell it, give it away, or toss it immediately. Scent is a powerful memory trigger, so regardless of the strength of the relationship, I would not want my wife getting such flashbacks.

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Hmmmm.. You're probably right. I've only worn it around her a couple of times since she made the comment (I usually shave midmorning after she's gone to work: working from home has it's advantages. :D ).

The main reason I haven't ditched it at this point is that I still need it for its intended purpose: something to soothe the face after the shave. Hopefully, over the weekend, I'll have time to do some shopping for some something else and I can ditch the bottle.

I'd be happy to help you out. Send it to me :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OccamsBlade

Good Morning, All,

Figured that I'd kind of report my experiences so far back to the group, along with what has worked for me (and NOT worked), in the hopes that it will help someone else:

1: As much as I wish I could take the time to do a half an hour shave every morning, I have to rush along on work mornings. It is possible to do a nice, comfortable shave in about 10 - 15 minutes.

2: Work on yer lather. Experiment. For me, I'm still trying to find a balance between making the lather wet enough that it doesn't dry on my face, yet still creamy enough to lubricate correctly. As of now, I'm leaning towards making a creamy lather, and just re-lathering frequently.

3: Holding the razor - Paraphrazing JimmyHAD's signature: It's much easier to hold the razor too tightly than too loosely. Plus, one of the things that I've learned from my martial arts studies - if your muscles are tight or tense, it is impossible to exercise fine motor control over those muscles. They HAVE to be relaxed if you're going to be able to exercise fine control over your razor.

4: Shaving - This is the one area where, so far, I disagree with Lynn's video. He suggests switching hands when going from one side of your face to the other, but I guess I'm just too strongly right-handed to be comfortable in switching hands to shave the left side of my face. Amusingly enough, I frequently get a better shave (particularly ATG) on the left side of my face using my right hand than I do on the right side of my face.

Also, I've noticed that it is possible to shave too closely, which surprised me. I've had to dial it back a little bit on the bottom of my chin, as, if I actually try to take it all the way down to BBS, I get a lot of irritation later on that day as the hairs start to grow and break the skin again.

As a corollary to that: when I started, I was trying to go all the way down in one pass. Don't try it. :) I'm now shaving every day (and wishing my beard would grow faster so I could practice more), and I usually do two full passes on the cheeks, and 3 (or more) on the chin.

5: And this was a surprise for me - Clear the scents with the spouse. After a couple of weeks, I found that I needed some sort of aftershave cream, as my face was getting a little irritated. I ordered some of the Truefitt & Hill Sandalwood Aftershave balm from SRD, and I loved both the texture of the cream itself, how it made my face feel, and the fragrance. However, after I wore it the first time, I was shot down in flames by my wife. It seems that the fragrance reminded her of a scent an ex-boyfriend of hers used to wear. So, she's willing to bear with me until the bottle's done, but I'll have to find something else after that.

Continuing to experiment...

Brian

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1. Have you tried shaving at night? You can calm down and relax a little knowing you don't have to bolt out the door. Or, get up few minutes earlier. STR8 razor shaving should be a pleasure, not a rush.

2. You don't say what you are using for your lather. I was using cup soaps and working up the lather in a cup. Now I use Prorasso, paint the soap on my face and then work up a lather right on my face with the brush and hot water. It only take a few tries to get the amount of water right, and the soap isn't very pricey.

4. I learned to use both hands, but not everybody does. Here's a trick: Get one of those mirrors that attaches to the wall and you can pull toward your face. It helped me a lot when I could bring the mirror to my face instead of bringing my face to the mirror.

5. Some specialty shops sell samples you can try. If your spouse doesn't like it I would dump it immediately as the other poster said. Every once in a while I also smell a scent on the street that reminds me of an old girlfriend. It happens. My personal favorite is Jack Black. It's light, my girlfriend approves and I like it, too.

Anyway, sounds like you are off to a good start. :rock:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OccamsBlade

... she's willing to bear with me until the bottle's done, but I'll have to find something else after that.

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Don't wait for that bottle to run out. That sort of thing will just keep adding up subconsciously against you.

I've been at it a little over a month myself, so I hope you don't mind if I post a couple of things I've learned, also.

Note: I prefer to use one of the Parker SRW style (shavette style) of razors rather than a classic style straight. I'm not dedicated enough to do all the honing and sharpening.

Things learned (in addition to Occam's excellent list):
1) You will cut yourself some while learning. Nothing major, but a couple of "ouches" just to remind me to take it slow.
2) I second the idea of taking your time. Before switching to straights, I used to shave once a week, at night, to give my face time to heal as there was the inevitable scrape or nicks from the cartridge razors. I now wake up 30 minutes earlier and take my time to shave every morning. Since I have to calm down and take it slow, it actually helps me to get a calm start to the day.
3) Never, ever ever shave while you are frustrated over anything...if you're frustrated at the kids, wife, girlfriend, work, anything. Calm down and take it slow before ever getting that razor close to your face. You're already frustrated and a cut or scrape to the face won't help your disposition.
4) Find really good face soap with a good content of glycerin (I actually like the inexpensive Williams Mug soap). I've also found that the glycerin runs out of mug soap before the soap is actually gone. A few drops of glycerin into the mug with the soap will revitalize it so you can finish the bar out. This is definitely a personal preference thing, so be sure to experiment.
5) This one applies mainly to those using the DE blades of 1/2 DE blades in the SRW style razors. Different blade brands make a huge difference and every face is different. I've used the 7AM blades, Shark brand, and Derby brand. Derbies are really sharp (scary sharp), Shark blades aren't as sharp, but still give a great shave but don't last as long as the Derbies, and the 7AMs are a balance between the two. When I restock, I will get an array of those three brands again.
6) Don't try and "against the grain" (ATG) pass until you've had some practice. The ATG pass is where I've made my slips and nicked (or in one case slightly cut) myself. A good ATG pass feels incredible, but take it slow and don't rush it. Don't ever try to power through...let the razor do the work.
7) Study your beard and learn the grain. Mine is odd and requires me to hold the razor at odd angles (e.g. my jawline grain runs toward my chin on the right and away from my chin on the left). Take the time to learn the "lay of the land" and it will pay off.
8) I'm solidly right-handed. Shaving both sides with one hand works well for me, but took practice. As Occam said in his #3 item...stay relaxed.


I'm still working personally on not getting too close a shave. I'm still seeking that personal goal of "the perfect shave". I also have an unusual style of goatee that takes a bit of work to shape up, so I have to take a bit of extra time around it. Early on, I tried to get my face too smooth and would up feeling irritated later (again as noted earlier in this thread). Work in to it.

The above list is just stuff I've learned, but I've only been shaving like this for a little over a month. However, I now must say that I really enjoy shaving and like getting a nice close shave first thing in the morning.

Best of luck.

-Goatee

I lather a little differently than what I've seen here. I shake as much water from the bursh as i can and then give it about 15 secs on the soap. Then do a quick pass under running water and work it in the bowl a little. One more flick under water and finish working it. The lather that comes up and forms around the top edge of the cup is what I use and it seems to work fine. Then just rewet the brush and work the bowl again or the next pass. Hope it helps!

Thanks for the tips. I just purchased my 1st straight (through the classifieds on this site, no less) and am eager to get started. You've provided a great summary as to some things a beginner needs to be aware of.

OccamsBlade,

Re One Month - Well done !

+1 to the above posts.

You will be surprised at how easy it is to shave with a straight using both hands :)

I still cannot shave with a safety razor with both hands, but with the straight I was fully happy after a couple of weeks !

Please give it a try :)

Good luck !

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ