Another noobs first shave
I picked up all the shaving supplies that I ordered yesterday but waited til this morning so I could take my time with everything. I've turned into a slight nut when it comes to creams and soaps so one of the hardest things this morning was deciding which of the 3 new creams to try.
I setup a few towels and took a hot shower. While in the shower I put on some pre-shave oil just before getting out. I do this so I can wash the stuff off my hands because my brush is usually soaking in the sink. I lathered up some of the Trufitt & Hill West Indian Limes then used a hot towel and re-lathered just like Lynn shows in his video.
I've been using a Merkur DE razor and the concept of using no pressure is easy with one of those. But when it came time to use the straight things were a little different. The DOVO ebony Silver Steel 5/8" that i purchased is nicely balanced and lite.
My first stroke was a little awkward. I had 3 days worth of growth and even with the prep and as close to a 30 degree angle as I could maintain, I could feel the razor hitting all the hair. I wouldn't call it a pulling sensation, and the feeling wasn't dissimilar to how the DE felt with a few days growth so I kept at it. It's surprising how much feed back I can actually feel while shaving with a straight in addition to the audible. I'm guessing that the weight of my DE masked that pretty well.
I can tell this is going to be an ongoing learning experience as I get used to holding the razor with both hands (which I did today), how much pressure to use as well as how to move the razor in the most effective way around each section of my face.
I did shave my entire face today minus my goatee of course. I made a WTG pass, followed by a XTG pass but only in the areas and angles that I felt comfortable with which did not include my neck. Then I made another WTG pass. I did get a little over zealous and attempt an AGT pass with my dominant hand in the side burn area, and that was my first and only bite. At that point I decided to save ATG until I have spent more time with the razor. But I did finally get some use out of the styptic pen that I bought with my DE and had never used. hahaha
Post shave was my main evaluation time as an Alum block will do a good job of letting me know what kind of shave I've just had. I was surprised that I had less of that Alum sting than some of my DE shaves. In fact there was hardly any sting at all. When it came time to put on some after shave balm I found some areas that I will need to work on next time. My neck which doesn't surprise me in the slightest and I've got a faint line on either sideburn closest to my ear. I suppose thats from being too cautious, which I think is better than having a bleeding line down each ear. :)
Even though it isn't a BBS shave, I'm happy with how my first shave went, it's smooth when I feel WTG and XTG. A little prickly when I feel ATG but I'm sure that will resolve its self in due time.
Thanks to everyone here and SRD for helping to make this a good start to my adventure in straight shaving.
