Three or four partial shaves, then whoops

[UWPete]

After much review of this and other online sites, I bought my first straight razor from the classifieds here about a month ago. Joe was as helpful as anyone I have ever come accross on the internet and even happened to have an extra strop he was willing to sell me as well. I rounded out the set with an Art of Shaving set I had already purchased at Nordstrom with the brush, soap, oil, and after shave. The blade is a Blyde & Co. Sheffield and came ready to go, very sharp, and completely as advertised.

I have been very cautious with this whole procees since cuts and so forth will not work with my clients. Following the advice of SRP and Whipped Dog I did the first four or so shaves just doing my cheeks. Other than minor burn, no cuts, no nicks and a reasonable shave. Then I would get every where else with the Mach multiblade (which I despise).

With the confidence of these first attempts, this past weekend I went for a little more. Although my shave angles were conservative, and I did not get that great of a shave, I was able to venture down to the neck areas so I was feeling really good. Then I came across my chin and doh! Full on cut over an inch long. Bleeding ensued. Luckily, it was very clean and I applied the styptic pencil with haste all over the cut. As advertised, the bleeding stopped almost immediately.

Shaken, but not stirred, I ended the whole shave and decided to wait until the next morning to clean up the mess that was my partially shaven face. I could not help feeling like an idiot for even getting into the straight razor thing, and I was also concerned that I had now permanently scarred my otherwise perfect facial skin.

Today is Friday, five days after the incident. I looked in the mirror and to my amazement and delight, the cut is completely healed with no scar. I am super excited to get the straight out and try again tonight. I keep reading about others who have perfect shaves the first or second time through, and I am hoping there are at least some folks out there who have endured similar issues and are feeling good about the decision to continue on the learning curve despite a few hiccups.

[Qatsats]

Welcome to the world of straight razor shaving and SRP.

It sounds like you are off to a great start, cut and all. You've got a good attitude about getting back into the game. Go slow and keep up the good work.

Have you considered adding a safety razor to your line up? In my profession, I have to be clean shaven every day. On days when I'm rushed, or to finish off some difficult places, I pull out the DE. I'm guessing that my DE will stay a regular in my line up for years to come. I still get to enjoy my pre and post shave routine with the DE.

Give it a thought.

[RogueSolo]

Dont feel too bad. I've been at it for a few months (I dont shave very often though) and still have trouble with my chin. Often I'll do a pass with the straight on my chin and then do a pass with a double edge razor to make it smoother.

[UWPete]

Thank you for the kind words.

Interesting. I have been wondering what DE stands for. Why "DE"?

What kind of safety razor are you using? That seems like a great idea.

[Edgeof40]

Hello and welcome to SRP
As mentioned earlier, it looks like you've gotten off to a good start. 3 or 4 shaves then whoops, I was more whoops, whoops, whoops then shave. DE, I believe stands for double edge, but as I dont have one I cannot pass on any advice on buying/using although there is a DE forum on SRP, I think? Ryan

[RogueSolo]

They are called Double Edge/DE because the razors used within them are sharp on both sides of the blade. I switched to safety razors a couple years ago and they acted as my gateway drug to straight razors

I switched to them because of the cost difference for blades, and I felt I got a better shave.

I have a new Merkur safety razor (Futur model), and a couple old Gillette ones. One is a Gillette slim, the other I'm not sure. Typically, I use one of these razors when I have less time for shaving and just want to be done quickly. If I have more time and want to take it slow I'll use one of my straights.

There are a ton of different safety razors out there and just like straight razors personal preference plays a big part in what you like. I havent tried many different kinds so I may not be the best to recommend one to you. But personally, I have been just as happy with my older ones which were much cheaper than my new Merkur.

[scrapcan]

Just keep at it with the straight, you will get the hang of it. And unless you do a really bad job, that rough you feel will only be known extensively to you or who ever is that close to you. It will just make you have to shave again later that day or the next and well over time you will get better at it.

It is also wonderful how well a knick or cut will heal when it is from a sharp single blade.

[MinATX]

Keep trying. I first got a Dovo 5/8 on a whim about ten years ago because I hated the way the Mach 3's clog as soon as you start shaving. I knew nothing about straight razors or sharpening at the time. I tried shaving with my factory sharpened Dovo razor with very disappointing results. I went back to cartridges but kept the Dovo, vowing to give it a shot in the future. After getting serious about woodworking and learning to sharpen chisels, I figured I would try to sharpen my old Dovo on my Norton stones and try straight shaving again. A couple of weeks ago, I finally got it to work. But the shaves were still pretty uncomfortable. I found this site online and found a lot of good advice. Today was my fifth shave, and it was great. Much better that my Mach 3, and still just shaving with the grain.
I think what has helped me progress so quickly was my experience with sharpening other types of blades, and I was able to carry that experience over to my razor. Sharpening and stropping really does take a lot of practice, as they explain on this site, so keep practicing. If you've never successfully sharpened anything before you might want to get a cheapo razor to practice on, as they suggest.
Also, pay careful attention to the advice on this site. I think my greatest improvements this week came from using a good strop (I just got my 3" strop from SRD, and already I can tell a big difference in how sharp my razor is), proper stropping technique (watch the videos and diagrams carefully), and it is very important to get a really good soap/cream. I tried a few that dried instantly on my face (Herban Cowboy is horrible. I cut my face and got bad razor burn using that stuff, but it's what's available in my supermarket). Last, make sure you pay attention to the direction that the hair grows. Shave with the grain first, and make sure you pull the skin tight (before you lay the blade to the skin!).
You might also want to try different blades. After my second shave with a 5/8 I got a Dovo Bismark 6/8, that I find very easy to handle. I was afraid that it's wider blade would be more difficult to maneuver, but the opposite is the case. It has a shorter, shoulderless blade, which I find makes it more easy to use.
Now I'm hooked. Keep working with it, invest in good products, and you will have good results.

Get quality products

[squatman]

UWPete,
Welcome to SRP. I think you're doing great. I've been using the str8s since December and with only a couple of exceptions, I'm still trying to get a great shave. However, each time usually get's a little better--anyway, don't get discouraged and keep at it.

[ace]

There may be people who get great shaves right away, but I haven't been one of them. Perhaps I was spoiled by Pro Fusions and my Merkur HD, but I wasn't getting what I considered a decent shave for weeks, although I was making improvement. Now I'm 60 or so shaves in, and the shaves are improving. When I'm rushed I whip out the Merkur or the Pro Fusion. Nicks and cuts happen, as does razor burn. They just are reminders of what you need to work on.