What is the first thing you did?

So here is the story, I pulled the trigger a few weeks ago to buy a new razor, now after many weeks (thank you customs) it has finally showed up at the local post office. My wife will be picking it up for me as I won’t be home till late tonight. So here is the question: what was the first thing you did when you got your first shaving setup?

I’ve been reading the forms like mad, buying guides, beginner guides, shaving guides, soap guides, strop guides so my theory is solid. Putting it to practice will be a completely different story and I’m afraid, I’ll get all the stuff and go $%^& what do I do now?

I’m hoping to get some good discussion out of this thread to help kill the rest of the day till I can at the very minimum hold the razor in my hand and fret about slicing my ear off.

Hoping you bought a shave ready razor to start with. I hadn't read Lynn's suggestions for the first straight razor shaves here in the SRP Wiki beginner's guide when I started but I basically did what he said anyhow.

I took it slow, getting used to manipulating the razor around my face. I used my DE for the difficult areas for the first two or three weeks. If you have a Beauty Supply near you spending a few bucks on a replaceable blade straight is helpful.

Don't use it with a blade. Just take it empty and practice moving it on your face, as if you were shaving, while watching TV or whatever. That is how I learned to shave with my non dominant left hand. Makes the muscle memory develop a lot faster than if you only practice it in the relatively short time that it takes to shave. :gl:

The first thing you should do is take a nice, hot, relaxing shower to clear your mind and soften your beard.

Follow the WIKI and the advise of the senior members here and you'll be successful. If not, the second thing you will do is bleed.

Good Luck, Enjoy the Journey.

The first thing I did (and needed to do) was calm myself down. I was absolutely ecstatic about my first shave, and if I would have went into it with the excitement I had leading up to it, I would have been in pretty rough shape. As such, it was still one of the worst shaves of my life (not during, just after...used too much pressure and did too many passes), but they have only gotten better from that point on.

The first shave is awkward to say the least. You have no muscle memory for straight shaving yet.

Watch the videos can help.

Go light and slow is the best advise.

You'll get a couple nicks, so have a styptic ready.

Once you get the knack, it'll be the best wet shave you can get. There is a learning curve, so stick with it and go slow.

Well this thread is doing what I wanted, kill some time and get some insight. However we have missed my main question, what did YOU do when you got all your bright and shiny stuff. There has to be some good stories out there.

Just saying, this form has not been around for ever so some people probably jumped right in and learned via the school of hard knocks.

I WAS SCARED TO DEATH!!! I WAS CONVINCED THAT THE BLADE WAS THREE FEET LONG. WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD DO THIS?

I did watch Lynn's DVD and I did read the suggestions for newcomers, and I followed those suggestions. First shave was only on the left side of my face (I'm a lefty) and I only cut myself twice, hand was shaking. But I did just a little more and with time got the hang of it.

Have fun:boohoo::boohoo:

I restrained myself and started with the easy bits--the cheeks and maybe the sides of my neck. Chin and adam's apple were just too scary, dangerous, and protruberant. That is, easy to cut off. I wasn't ashamed to keep using my disposable on the difficult spots for a while.

After I looked at the razor (a 6/8s TI) a long time then I built up the courage to use it and then just shaved thinking it would be easy and straightforward (boy was I wrong). This was before this site existed so I had to do it all by my lonesome.

I shaved in the shower with a Straight razor once.......ONCE!!!!

You can read all about it here. I wanted to document my learning experience for posterity.

Mine was today and I was scared...

The first shave with a straight was a down stroke on the side burns and cheek and then i looked at my other cheek and the lather had dried up!! Had to re-lather and had to put a sharp object in my left hand ( not a good thing) I could'nt do it!! So i put it down,for another day. I watched more you-tube shaving and gave it another try. Buy this time i rolled the edge on my strop,too much pressure,and poor stropping.Back to DE shaving while the razor was out getting a new edge. Watched more videos,and said dont be a pussy and get-r-done!!! I did it!! and it was the worst shave i ever had. But i kept the faith and kept trying and within 5 months,the shaves were coming around. If it was easy everybody would be shaving with a straight!! So give it hell but go slow and have fun!!

uh maybe the first week? first month def? I learned not to shave naked stepping out of the shower when I dropped the razor and chipped it I pulled my hand back from my initial reaction to try and catch it *shakes head* so uh.. try to keep your hand dry and not wet and soapy wipe the tang off on a towel as need be? and wear a bathrobe or towel or something?

I watched the videos and went for it. Only shaved the sides for a few days and then went for other areas of my face as my confidence built. I also practiced stropping with a dull razor I had before moving to the good one.

My VERY first week shaving with a straight razor...

1. Honed uncertainly on waterstone. Stropped a bit less uncertainly on old belt.
2. Received razor-burn.
3. Repeated steps 1 & 2 for about 3 days.
4. Let face recover. Hone the living crap out of my razor and strop until my arm dropped off.
5. Had another shave. Actually managed to shave! Going was slow and a bit tricky, and it the razor still needed a bit more stropping perhaps, but I was getting there.

By the end of the second week, I reckon I'd mastered the basics. I hadn't yet achieved a ***perfect*** shave, but I was getting there.

Hid the package from my wife :p

First thing I did attempting to shave. Cut my earlobe:roflmao

first thing I did was ignore everyones suggestions, and went straight into a full facial shave. Well, I ended up getting some nice cuts on my neck, and some serious razor burn. The biggest tip I can give, is let the weight of the razor do the work. Hold it lightly, and take short passes, and keep the angle right, or it will dig in. I've been shaving with a straight for about 10-11 months, and just finally got a really nice shave the other day. So, don't get discouraged, it will take time. Read up on the forums, and watch some videos. It will take time, but you will get a great shave in awhile. Remember to enjoy it, and not stress. It's nice to know you can manipulate a sharp blade on your face, rather then a disposable.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FreyGrimrod

uh maybe the first week? first month def? I learned not to shave naked stepping out of the shower when I dropped the razor and chipped it I pulled my hand back from my initial reaction to try and catch it *shakes head* so uh.. try to keep your hand dry and not wet and soapy wipe the tang off on a towel as need be? and wear a bathrobe or towel or something?

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Oh yeah. I never shave in less than boxers and socks.

It's all overwhelming when you start, just like the first day when you bring home your iPhone when you have only used StarTaks before. After a week, you are a pro.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mvcrash

I shaved in the shower with a Straight razor once.......ONCE!!!!

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lol

I too first shaved in the shower...more than once. Came off the DE in the shower using hair conditioner for 'lather'. Figured same speedy routine with the straight would be fine still. Like most, I think, slowed it down, and have made it a more traditional routine since.

Thanks for the stories. I'm happy to say I have my razor and even have 3 shaves under my belt. Yup I have nicked my strop in my quest to learn how to do it properly. I have nicked my face, but overall I have enjoyed the learning process and have found a new hobby.

No shaving naked in the shower stories for me though, I went down to my bathroom, wrapped a hot towel around my head, fiddled with the soap (yet another art) and shaved. Much to the pleasure of my wife who was sick of the beard.

Keep the stories coming if you got em, they are fun to read.

I jumped right in with the full face. Lots of razor burn, nicked each ear lobe, rolled the edge on my first razor. I put a horizontal slice into my cheek bone. I gotta say...I love that scar. It looks bad ass. About two weeks in with a professionally honed razor...I realized that I didn't need all the pressure. Shaves have gone much better since then. I also improved my techniques in that time.

I went on a rampage purchasing about 30 plus razors. I only have 8 that are usable at this point. Instead of purchasing more...I've been hand sanding/polishing the blades I do have. I'm going to send out a couple to get re-scaled. This will be my approach from this point forward. There are many razors I want to add to the collection. I'm getting pretty good at honing. I've made two of my razors shave ready and they shave great. I purchased many of the most popular brands in an attempt to figure out which work the best for me.

I love this hobby! I love all the intricate parts that come with this hobby. I get bored with something after I mastered it. There is so much to learn that this hobby will keep me going for years!

Fantastic.

I'm finding out I really need to (a) take more time (b) learn to strop. As I mentioned previously I watched just about every video on this site but without something to practice with it was just theory. Well I just cut my brand new stop pretty good the other night, I just can't seem to get the hang of it. The X pattern is just not coming naturally. Shaving is ok as I'm only doing one pass of WTG for the time being. Its all very overwhelming, something like making your soap is made to look so simple in the video's and I get this white mess at the bottom of my shaving mug instead.

Ah live and learn, at least I didn't try and shave in the shower.

I started with straight razors long before i knew about SRP or i didn't even knew if somebody else would used straights. All i knew was that i had seen some of my long gone family members shaving with straight many years ago so i knew it is no miracle thing but the question of learning curve.
So the first thing i did was just jump in and try what it feels like (this is how i usually do with many other things as well). Wasn't much of a shave i have to say. With all the cuts and all my face looked like a map of France. So i just went back to hones, stropped with a belt, tried shaving again, went back to hones etc and little by little my shaves got ok.

Even if you had the sharpest, most classiest, most expensive and best razor there ever is, your first shave wouldn't probably be as comfortable as those you get later with practice, patience and time. Just hang in there and things will sooner or later go ok.
If it was easy, it wouldn't be worth of it.

The first thing I did with my new razor? I used it to carve up the little instruction sheet that came with it.

Yup, it was sharp enough to cut paper. And yes, I was that stupid.

In my defense this was done at a time when all I knew about razors was what I picked up from watching old westerns and the Three Stooges.

Mine was a long and bloody learning curve. I envy you kids today with your interwebs and youtubes.

Semper circa,
LG Roy

I spent a month wondering why on earth I couldn't get a shave that was halfway as decent as the Sensor-Excel I had been using the previous ten years...

Sometime later I found SRP and discovered all the things I was doing wrong! :w