Thread: Ouch!

Well, I went for my second shave with the new DOVO the other day (first run went about as well as expected, cheeks and chin with no major problems. Only one very small nick.) and had an amazing first few passes of the blade. I couldn't have been happier. Until, the next pass when I got too over confident and I guess went faster than I should have.

Now I have a wicked cut on my cheek that may or may not leave a small scar (I guess you could call that a close shave). I guess the only upside of waiting for this bad boy to heal nicely is that I'll have plenty of growth to shave off. Gotta get back on that horse, and not be afraid of a cut here or there!

My question is, how long does/did it normally take you to shave (after all prep work is done)? Also, my styptic pen didn't work worth a crap at all. I ran it under water and applied it to the cut but nothing. It just felt like a waxy piece of chalk. Any suggestions as to a better option? Styptic powder or maybe another pencil, or maybe i'm dumb and was doing it wrong.

Thanks for everyone's help, I know that without this site, I would have many more than 1 cut on my face.

My styptic pencil works great, in fact I'm starting to learn to write with it because I use it so much. If yours is right, it should sting more when you use it than the cut did that you are using it on.

I can shave with a straight and DE touch-up in less than ten minutes. I can get my DE shaves down to six minutes, but I do that by starting with just one ATG pass and then touching up by feeling my face with lather on it and taking care of the areas missed.

And welcome to the forum. You'll enjoy it here.

Welcome to SRP and the luxurious hobby/habit of wet shaving with a straight razor.

Two pieces of advice.

Please read Lynn's article on the First Straight Razor Shave. You will find it as the first sticky on the Beginners Forum. Follow his advice. Start wtg of your right cheek you are right handed. Go slow. I've been at this for 4 months, do two full passes and still use my DE to touch up the heavily bearded patches. I'm still working on my stropping skills and honing? I don't take my good blade anywhere near my hones. I'm practicing on ebay blades. When I get one of those blades hair popping sharp I will think about touching up my good blade. Until then, it's off to the honemeister!

Second piece of advice. Go slow. Why hurry this process? What's the rush? If you can't find the time, stick with your DE. Better yet, pop a cartridge on and do one pass. Straight razor shaving is not about saving time -- its about savoring an experience.

I haven't timed myself, but most of my shaves are at least 20 minutes from prep to finish. Enjoy each step. Pay attention. You will not need to use your styptic pencil nearly as much. Ten minutes post aftershave I run my hands over my face. It seems to take that long for my face and beard to settle down. Only then can I judge the quality of my work.

Relax. Trust that with time this all gets better.

There is never a need to move the blade fast, and there are always technique things you should be paying attention to, especially in the beginning.

Personally, it takes me less than ten minute to get a standard shave in. One wtg pass w/ lather, one XTG/touchup pass with water only. If I want a nice BBS shave, it will take me long. I never move the razor quickly though.

Welcome aboard! If I do WTG and XTG passes, I'm looking at about 25 minutes. As far as styptic goes, I much prefer the powder. It works better than the pencil for me. Something else you may wish to consider is an alum block. It's used in the post shave phase. It tightens up the skin, but also helps any small nicks or mild razor burn. You can pick one up for about $5.

The advantage of letting your beard grow out is that you can get a really good idea of your growth pattern. What you think is WTG may, in fact be XTG. Understanding the pattern is a huge help.

Welcome to your new obsession!

Take it slow! When I first started I did the exact same thing. I did not respect the blade, and shaved with my daughters present. well one bumped by arm, and the rest is history, and I have a small scar to prove it. In the begining don't watch the clock, watch your technique. Make sure you hold the angle correctly, and take your time. you will get faster as you get better.

I would say that when I first started i averaged about 20 min. per shave, now it is about 8 min. However, I only do one with the grain pass, unless I have a date with my wife, then I also go across the grain, and take my time.

Enjoy the ride.

Matt

I usually shave in about 25 minutes total. That includes hot towels, lathering with brush, etc. The actual shave probably between 10-15 minutes (and that 3 passes one with, across and against the grain). When I first used to shave though it took a while (maybe 15 minutes for one pass because i went super slow).

Go slow and don't rush (but be careful not to put too much pressure on razor which is what I do when i go slow). After about 6 months you'll be able to fly through it (although it is so much fun why rush).

I have used a syptic pencil from Pinaud. It stings like heck, to the point of watering eyes, but seals a cut very well (and I have had some gushers).

Enjoy and best of luck.

Second piece of advice. Go slow. Why hurry this process? What's the rush? If you can't find the time, stick with your DE.

+1.

It doesn't matter how long it takes _me_ to shave. The only thing that matters is how long it takes _you_ to shave carefully enough to not cut yourself.

Cartridge razors are very forgiving. DE's forgive small sins. Straight razors forgive nothing.

Charles