How can I fix a lack of ambedixterity?

Hi, guys!

I've been a member for several years and have lurked a time or two, but only recently have I taken a serious interest in the site. I learned to shave with double edge blades and Gillette razors (does that make me a geezer?) and started using them again about six years ago after becoming totally disgusted with the so-called modern shave products. But I always wanted to try a straight, so a few years ago I bought a Dovo Shavette (no-sharpen) and have used it maybe four or five times.

Now your face may be different from mine, but I have both a left and a right side. So using both hands to control the razor would seem helpful. The problem, of course, is trying to get my left hand to be as coordinated as my right -- particularly as it approaches something delicate like that large vein (or artery?) carrying blood to my brain. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has faced this issue and wouldn't be surprised if it's been addressed in this forum before. But I was unable to find anything, so thought I'd ask you directly.

When I tried the razor again early this week, I noticed that I'm a just a little more comfortable using my left hand than before. In fact, I somehow succeeded in not nicking myself too many times, which is a first! I've discovered that having a very light touch seems to work very well. So my question -- does anyone have any tips on getting both hands to become comfortable working with a straight? I'm sure it's primarily just practice, but why reinvent the wheel when some of you might have some good tips?

Please let me hear back from you. I'd appreciate it! Looking forward to mastering the technique.

Bruce

Practicing and going slow will help you and if you do everyday tasks with your left hand such as brushing your teeth will also help you become ambedixterious.

Practice, practice, and patience are key. But who says you have to shave with both hands? Member Xman has a great video of a one handed shave which I would link but can't seem to figure out how or where it is at the moment. It might be in the Wiki, or you could use the search feature. I believe it may even be on Youtube, just seach for the name Xman. If any other member can link the video I am sure Skyguy would appreciate it.

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Originally Posted by ReardenSteel

Practice, practice, and patience are key. But who says you have to shave with both hands? Member Xman has a great video of a one handed shave which I would link but can't seem to figure out how or where it is at the moment. It might be in the Wiki, or you could use the search feature. I believe it may even be on Youtube, just seach for the name Xman. If any other member can link the video I am sure Skyguy would appreciate it.

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Xman's one-handed video link: http://straightrazorpalace.com/video...technique.html

AWESOME! :rock:

If you're looking to build muscle memory and work on fine motor skills, I would suggest doing little things with your left hand: brushing your teeth, highlighting in books, taking notes, practice piano scales, etc...

All this said, as far as I understand (and I readily admit my knowledge is not great), wouldn't you shave with your primary hand alone (your right) and use your left to hold the skin, etc...? I don't see why you'd want to switch hands at all. :confused:

I think you already found the answer on your own. As you mentioned, left hand is starting to feel more comfortable as you have done it just a few times.

It just takes time for it to feel natural. I shave my head, some spots back there would be unsafe or unreachable right handed. If you ever hurt a right finger, it would be nice to feel confident with the left hand too.

Practice other things left handed. Eat soup spoon left hand. Dial the phone, text, use the remote, whatever, left handed.

We only hold the razor left handed a few moments. Much of the action is left fingers. The rest of the day mostly right handed. It would be expected to feel unsure.

I can tell after a shave that the passes I made with my left hand are less comfortable than the passes I made with my right. (I must switch hands in order to get the proper angle on certain portions of my neck) Practice, patience, and light, short strokes seem to work best for me. If I forget and try a long stroke with my left hand it never comes off as well as if I do short strokes.

BTW, I have a right and left side of my face too, so I feel your pain! :D

Peace,

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Originally Posted by speldeth

Practicing and going slow will help you and if you do everyday tasks with your left hand such as brushing your teeth will also help you become ambedixterious.

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Never thought of using my left for other everyday activities. Seems like a great idea. I'm gonna try it! (Including left handed 12 oz. curls) :beer2:

This is one of the few times being left handed is an advantage. Using our right hand is far easier then you using your left. The best way to gain facility in your left hand is just write with it in print.

Not for me, Ladies and Gentlemen. I got a haircut and shave twice at the very famous and much missed Ivan's in Jermyn Street London in the late 1970's, and the barber certainly never changed hands with the straight razor. However, having said that, there used to be, around the same period, over the other side of Piccadilly, a shop for the left-handed in Beak Street selling pairs of scissors, potato peelers, can openers etc. I went in there one day with nothing better to do than amuse myself, and asked if they could show me a left-handed grand piano with the high keys on the left......... come to think of it, not such a bad idea eh?

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

This is one of the few times being left handed is an advantage. Using our right hand is far easier then you using your left. The best way to gain facility in your left hand is just write with it in print.

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But wouldn't a "lefty" have just as much trouble learning to use his/her right hand?

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Originally Posted by dirtydan

But wouldn't a "lefty" have just as much trouble learning to use his/her right hand?

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In theory yes. The thing is though, we live in a right handed world, so us lefties have to adapt far more in various things. I for one was not believed, by my school, to be left handed. So they decided I had to learn to write with my right hand. It was totally ridiculous, but something good came off it, I'm pretty much completely ambidexterous today:)

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Originally Posted by Birnando

In theory yes. The thing is though, we live in a right handed world, so us lefties have to adapt far more in various things. I for one was not believed, by my school, to be left handed. So they decided I had to learn to write with my right hand. It was totally ridiculous, but something good came off it, I'm pretty much completely ambidexterous today:)

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Wow! A kind of discrimination I never even considered......... Now that I think about it, I'm a right-handed drummer and I've gotta few buddies that are left-handed drummers. They seem to sit behind my right-handed kit with some loss of dexterity but able to hold their own. When I try to sit behind one of their left-handed kits, I'm totally USELESS! I'm hopelessly crippled by the mirror image set-up. I suppose lefties are forced to conform way more than most of us righties can even fathom.

BTW - for an experiment, I tried eating dinner tonight with my left hand........at this point, it seems like a very effective enhancement to anyone's diet program. It really forced me to slow down and savor each bite. :)

I suppose then left handed men dress to the right.......... what a horrifying thought!

Time and practice. I myself am the most right handed person on the planet and I can relate. When I first started, using my left hand to shave the left side of my face was the strangest thing and seemed to require laser like focus. After a while, you develop muscle memory and it's just what you do. Oddly enough though when going South/North I shave the right side of my face with my left hand and visa versa.

When I shave with both hands, I initiate most of the movements with my elbow and arm, especially on WTG, downward passes. All my right and left hands have to do is hold on to the razor and keep it at the right angle. Some of the tougher areas might involve hand movements, but I get better results when I allow the arm to initiate the movements, not the hands. My left hand may not be as dextrous as my right hand, but the arms are about equal in dexterity so I stick with them.

I'm left handed. I have trouble mostly dealing with the neck area. My right hand will freeze up and skip if I'm not careful. But I do like the idea of doing other thing's with my right hand that I normally wouldn't do to develop better motor control.

Tell you how I learned to shave with both hands .... I tried switching to the non dominant left hand and would become discombobulated looking at my hand/razor in the mirror. I said the hell with it and went back to right hand shaving. A forum member named dannywonderful posted on how he took a dull razor and practiced the moves with his left hand while sitting in his living room watching TV. I gave this a try and whaddaya know, in a day or so I was manipulating the razor in either hand with near equal dexterity. I have gone back to dominant (right) hand shaving but just saying ..... take the blade out of the shavette and practice making the moves. Pretty soon it will become second nature. Read my sig below to avoid nicks and cuts.

I am strongly right handed, and have never used my left hand shaving. Even though some here will disagree, there is just no way I could use my left hand for shaving. I do fine one-handed. :)

As an aside, my brother is the same way. He was holding a cup half full of ice water in his right hand, swirling the ice and water with a circular motion. He tried it with the left hand, and couldn't do it! It just sloshed water over the table. That irritated him so much that he told me he practiced for a year swirling ice in a cup with his left hand. After over a year, he was able to do it.

So, given enough time and blood, yes I could shave with my left hand. But, why? I have no problem shaving both sides of my face with my right hand.

Thanks to all of you for your input. I'll watch that one-handed video but I think I'd really like to use both hands. Interestingly, I shaved with my Shavette again this morning, and have to admit, it is getting a little easier! So practice, more practice and then a little more practice will probably do it. I taught myself to fly an airplane from the right seat several years ago, and as strange as it felt in the beginning, it's now just as comfortable to fly from the right as it is from the left. So I'll keep at it. I have actually tried the empty Shavette technique, and will do it some more -- I'd forgotten about that!

Thanks again, guys.

Bruce

I'm VERY right dominant, but did learn to use the left during the wtg pass, on the atg pass I use sort of a Japanese grip (scales straight out) and only use the right hand. It looks strange but works for me.

I say keep at it. If you're making progress already then just take your time, pay attention to and enjoy the sensations from shaving with your off hand. You should be fully comfortable soon.