Thread: First Shave Experience

So, today marks the beginning of my journey along the path to straight razor shaving!

First of all, I'd really like to thank Ace for sending me a razor which he honed himself, as well as for prepping me and giving me plenty of advice beforehand. I'm pretty sure my face would've been mutilated if it weren't for him, so big thanks there.

Now, then...
So, since I didn't have a mug or anything, I did a face lather using Col. Conk's Bay Rum scented soap and an Escali badger hair brush. The lather dried on my face more quickly than I would've liked since I was kinda taking my time with the first pass. Still, the first pass went well. The second pass was a bit more difficult due to difficulty handling the razor in my left hand.

Overall, definitely not the best shave I've ever had, but I definitely wasn't expecting that. Still, it's definitely not the worst. I nicked myself along the jawline, and it is currently burning, haha... I realized when I made the mistake, however, because the blade wasn't angled enough when I placed it on my face, so at least I caught myself. Definitely looking forward to improving my technique and getting better. I'll keep you guys posted and maybe next time I'll put up some pictures or maybe a video for some critique.

Thanks for reporting in, Commander.

Congratulations on completing the mission with mininum casualties!

Can't wait for the photos!

Sounds like you have avoided burdening yourself with unrealistic expectations and had a pretty successful first shave. Well done. Have fun and enjoy the process.

Sounds like you're off to a decent start. As one who is pretty new to straight razor shaving himself, I would definitely recommend continuing to take your time with it. I have found that I do MUCH worse while speeding through the preparation.

I'm finding my left hand technique to be steadily improving, and feel that yours will likely do the same.

In any case, it sounds like you're doing fine. From one newbie to another, welcome aboard!

Good start, Commander! The key to the first shave is surviving it without deciding never to try it again. It slowly gets better as you climb the learning curve.