Thread: my first official straight razor shave

alrighty. i'm going to get right to it. i used my newly acquired mk31, along with my tony miller learners strop. for a preshave, i used lather. i read about it on here. i used lather, let it sit, worked it in, and washed it off with a hot towel. i used my own combo of CADE soap, with a dollop of proshave brushless shave cream. man oh man. fantastic, and that was without any additional glycerin. i did the four pass shave. being as i'm used to the disposable straight, i just went all out. the length of the razor has to be double what i'm used to, but i adjusted quickly. i have been dreaming about the feel of the razor sharp, highly polished edge on my face and it didn't disappoint. there was one nick that i gave myself and i decided to use my new styptic pencil on it. those things are like magic wands, it just sealed my cut right up. so, i finished my shave, washed my face, and applied the alum. it was time to bust out my new lucky tiger menthol vanishing cream. unbelievable. no razor bumps anywhere and my face was smooth as could be. counting down till my next shave... good day.

Congrats! ...sound like it'll be a fun ride from here...

very nice, i hope you enjoy straight shaving from now on!

Styptic pencil is my best friend

Congrats!

Do you feel it was better to start with the disposables, or do you wish you had made the jump right into straights?

Originally Posted by markevens

Congrats!

Do you feel it was better to start with the disposables, or do you wish you had made the jump right into straights?

i'm glad that i started with the disposable, but i wish that i had gotten a different, nicer one than the one that i have. i recently went to a barber wholesaler and saw some of the disposable straights that he had, oh man. noe were shavettes, they were all "full sized". one took injector blades, one was Russian made and had some real heft to it. i now have a full hollow, a half hollow, and a smiling near wedge. thanks.

I started with disposable straights and it was nice that I could just focus on straight shaving and knowing what a good performing blade should feel like. This experience went a long way to adapting to a traditional straight razor and getting a good preformance from it.

Pabster

Sounds like you're off to a fantastic start. Congrats!

Originally Posted by Ahzraiel

i'm glad that i started with the disposable, but i wish that i had gotten a different, nicer one than the one that i have. i recently went to a barber wholesaler and saw some of the disposable straights that he had, oh man. noe were shavettes, they were all "full sized". one took injector blades, one was Russian made and had some real heft to it. i now have a full hollow, a half hollow, and a smiling near wedge. thanks.

What is a good one? Is it still worth having one for comparison?
--Shoki

Originally Posted by Shoki

What is a good one? Is it still worth having one for comparison?
--Shoki

the monsieur charles seemed nice. the blade is held a lot more secure than the one i have. mine has the slide out insert that you put the blades into. so, while i was shaving, i would have to be mindful of the insert sliding out of the handle. it wasn't a big, but it's a bonus when it becomes one of those things that you don't have to worry about.