Triple Whammy of Straight Razor Shaving
Having been using Straight Razors for a few months now, I can share some things.
The difficulty is thrice. Shaving technique, Stropping technique, and Lathering technique.
Learning to Hone is separate, as many never need or want to hone their own. It is just as easy to send the razor out once a year or so.
I was a Double Edge Safety Razor shaver for 20 years before coming to this site, and never did understand that I was Lathering incorrectly. Having picked up DE shaving on my own with no outside help was a challenge in itself. Trial and error make for a long process. Thank God I found Straightrazorplace.com as I would never have been able to trial and error myself through Straight Razor Shaving without these guys!!!
The best advice I can give is keep it slow. If you don't have Patience, then perhaps you should not be picking up the straight.
Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. With the Shaving start slow at first, try a few spots with the grain. If you are feeling pain or lots of blood then stop, and take a few days off, study the vids and try again. If it hurts, or you are bleeding, then you are doing it wrong.
Do your stropping slow at first, learn to flip the blade without bending your wrist, learn the proper pressure keeping it flat and taught. I started slowly and only make one nick, ever. My Illinois Russian strop has no nicks at all and I am much faster.
Lathering can be a bit more trial and error. The difficulty lies in adding the correct amount of water depending on which shaving soap or cream you are using. There are some good utube vids on this as well. A real almost-lost art is making the shaving lather for your face. Don't skip this part and use goop in a can, making your own lather with a brush is a BIG part of the experience!!!
If all you allot yourself is 5 minutes in the morning for a shave, you are not ever going to be satisfied with straight razor shaving. I take from 30 minutes to an hour in the morning for my shaving shower routine. I consider this time my time that I deserve for me. The rest of the day I devote to my God, my Family, my Employer. This is MY TIME!!! Enjoy!!! :beer2: