Questions for you more experienced guys

So the anticipation is killing me, my order ships out today so if I'm lucky I'll be getting in my first straight shave at the end of the week. In the mean time, I'm reading up and absorbing all I can.

I went over Lynn's guide and had a couple questions:

"It is NOT recommended that you try to shave your entire face the first time you shave with a straight razor."

Is this due to the major difference your skin experiences between standard multi blade n' goop shaving and a wet shave?

I've been wet shaving for 8 months or so with a DE razor and a variety of soaps/creams from Mitchell's Wool Fat soap to AoS creams. I always go through all the pre/post shave steps. I know myself, being slow and methodical I can do. But switching back to the DE razor after one small section is going to be difficult.

And just out of curiosity how many of you actually do shave with both your dominant and non-dominant hands? For better or worse, in most video's I see people only use one hand.

To only shave your sideburn area is a recomendation as for most it is the easiest area to shave until you get the hang of how the straight feels. Some people take this recommendation and some dont...I didn't...lol. You'll most find difficulty with angles along your jaw line and chin when starting out. Personally I shave with both hands as it makes it easier to see what youre doing :) Hope this helps.

I do get to avoid some of the tougher spots as I plan to leave my goatee in place. Though I fully expect I'll be falling back to the DE to get that annoying area under the rear sides of my jaw.

They usually recommend starting slow mainly for the adjustment you need to account for the handling. Although I was one of those people who attempted to shave everything on the first go around. Like you, I too had a goatee and didn't shave it, but the neck is tricky for a beginner, as well as getting used to using your non-dominant hand (or trying to use only one hand in the hard to reach spots).

If it helps you, I actually FILMED my very first attempt with a straight razor (with goatee) and you may get a little heads up on some of the pitfalls you may experience You can see the read HERE.

The recommendation to do just one cheek and to advance slowly is very good advice. I thought I was keeping that advice but the first time I moved to the chin a sliced a neat little circle right off - I have a faint scar still. You will be shaving for years. You can afford to go slow for now.

I do shave with both hands which kind of surprises me. I have a very strong left hand dominance, but manage fairly well with my right.

With less than a year into straight razor shaving, I still consider myself a newbie. The advice to go slow also works in relationship to buying and learning stropping and honing.

Good to have you on board.

You need to develop some technique prior to attempting to shave the more difficult areas. You can work on that technique on your sideburn and cheek areas before you move on. That is highly recommended for starting out. If you don't take that advice, you will be the first to know when you've gone too far too quickly.

As a newbie of four weeks, take the words of wisdom and hasten slowly. Finish the shave wishing you had gone a little further with the straight rather than nicking yourself and becoming frustrated. These guys really know what is best.

There really are no curves or hollows on your cheek areas, so to speak. When you start having to manipulate a straight object in a hollow or rounded place, such as a jowl or jaw line, you run into problems if you don't have a few trials in already. The cheeks are recommended for their generally flat surfaces, AND you can see what you're doing and the angle you're using.

I began shaving with my dominant, and after about a month I chose to train my non dominant hand. It was pretty terrifying at first, because the fine motor control was much less. After a bit, no worries. And now, I'm extremely glad I took the time to do so. It makes the other types of passes (X and A) much easier when you use two hands.

Good luck.