Thread: Help for a potential straight shaver!

Well, I have pulled the trigger and now I am waiting on my first ever straight set! It's the dovo 5/8 (i think full hollow) and the black 3" latigo strop plus Lynn's World Of Straight Razor DVD and the oil for the blade! Thanks guys for all the info and pushing me towards getting my first straight set!!! I can't wait to try it out!

Great!
Best of luck in your new adventure. I'm quite sure you will enjoy it..... if, you visit the tutorials on this site, Don't go for BBS right away, don't try to shave in 1minute 37 seconds, don't shave distracted. Pre shave prep is huge.
Huge warning! This is a HIGHLY ADDICTIVE activity.
Enjoy!
Ed
quicknicker

Quicknicker is absolutely correct.. Think Zen of Straight razor shaving and look it up on the forum.. Enjoy... Oh and of course no shove at all from us.. we would never do such a thing..

Just my two cents.. the first few shaves i did were pretty cool, but I had one particular day where I had the house to myself and made a full on ritual of it.. one of the most relaxing days I have had in year.. the shave didn't even come out perfect either.. Welcome to the dark side...

Originally Posted by esstothejay

Well, I have pulled the trigger and now I am waiting on my first ever straight set! It's the dovo 5/8 (i think full hollow) and the black 3" latigo strop plus Lynn's World Of Straight Razor DVD and the oil for the blade! Thanks guys for all the info and pushing me towards getting my first straight set!!! I can't wait to try it out!

esstothejay,

You made a very wise choice. Personally, I opted for the 5/8 to begin with. Its a little less intimidating when you put it next to your face for that first shave.

Your purchase of Lynn's DVD is a plus. I watched his chapter on shaving with a straight several times before actually attempting to do so myself.

Later, after gaining a little experience and confidence with your blade handling technique, you can move up to a 6/8 and even beyond. I've shaved with a 7/8, but that was about a year into straight razor shaving for me.

Remember to prep your beard thoroughly before you shave. Hot water, apply lather with yourshaving brush, massage the lather into your beard with your fingertips, let it set for awhile, perhaps even apply a hot towel to your face. Let the hot water, lather and towel soften your whiskers. Then reapply your lather and shave.

Don't try to shave your entire face the first time, just shave one side of your face--either the right or left. As you gain in confidence you can attempt to shave the other parts of your face, especially the more difficult areas such as your chin and neck.

One small thing everyone seemed to fail to mention........It's absolutly addictive! I started str8 shaving wit a DOVO Best Quality at end of December (Christmas gift) after 3 mo of DE. Now have nine more from various antique stores/gun shows. After buying some norton stones and learning (still learning) to hone, all shave nicely. love it. seems longer than 3 1/2 months. Take your time, trust yourself/your instincts. The lather seems to make an awlful big difference on shave. If blade sticks to face try diff amount of soap or water in lather. Have Fun and ENJOY!

Thanks again guys! A little disappointed that it didn't arrive today although it was shipped yesterday..I thought it would only take one day since it's coming from OH to VA..well good thing about usps is that they deliver on Saturdays. I have no doubt that I will enjoy shaving with a straight and I recently had a bad case of SCAD and SSAD and increased my collection of creams and soaps from a tube of proraso to AOS lavender and sandalwood, Speick cream, Tabac soap and EJ buckthorn soap. I am also looking to buy a better brush. I think shaving with a straight is hands down THE ULTIMATE way of shaving and I hope that I learn to do things properly and not pick up any bad habits. I can't wait 'til I'm good at shaving with a straight and also honing but I will also definitely enjoy the process! Thanks again!