First Shave completed successfully!!! At least the cheeks :)

Hi all,

Ok, newbie here. Just got my Boker KC from SRD yesterday, today is the first stropping and shaving attempt. Here are the results:

1. prepped for a good 20 minutes as I was nervous as hell. Showered, hot towel, mucho rubbing. Stropped on my new strop for 40 strokes. I didn't think it needed it, but Lynn advises it.
2. Added a drop of mineral oil to my cheeks before soaping. Rubbed in very deeply.
3. started with VERY hot water, towel and staring at myself in the mirror before soaping.
4. Soaped heavily with extremely wet lather. Not thick lather, wet lather, thin and slick. Worked in very well on top of the oil.
5. started with my right hand on the right side just below the side burn and made several 1/2 inch or so small movements downward, trying to keep the blade @ 30 degrees as instructed.
6. stopped just above the curve of the jawline.
7. keeping the same hand, I then did the same to the left side. Nicked myself 2 times crossing over like that on the left side. Very tiny nicks, as the moment I felt it pull I stopped and restarted. Didn't even feel the nick, it just started bleeding, which is how I know it got me. As I was paying attention to the tiny spot beginning to bleed, I did it again, just below the first one. Neither one even hurt, just a tiny spot of blood on both places.

I finished my shave off with my normal razor, cleaned up the 2 spots with my brand new styptic pen and both tiny spots stopped bleeding.

I then took care of the tools, drying the knife and then placing a tiny layer of mineral oil on the blade. Then I set it up in my bedroom, propped open with a small eraser to dry for a few hours before spending the night in my sock drawer.

I used a tiny amount of Keri oil on my cheeks (sadly it is scented, I want something unscented) and they are smooth as glass and feel wonderful.

Tomorrow I do the cheeks and then move to the sides of my neck.

So far so good, fellows!! This is a wonderful adventure that I'm enjoying very much.!!!

I'll update again tomorrow evening after my next shave!

Best to you all, and special thanks to Lynn for starting me off down the right path with a wonderful tool (my boker KC, Lynn honed) and for the excellent advice on the first shave.

Later!!!

Congratulations.
That sound like a really great first straight shave.
This will surely be the start of a lifelong career as a straight razor shaver.
Keep it up, great job!

great job on the first shave. keep it up and once you get more comfortable shaving with your right hand and becomes almost second nature, start using your left hand also. you'll get a much closer and more comfortable shave on the left side of your face.

It's best to make your progress in small steps. It's not how fast you get to the end, but whether you get there at all.

You are taking the right approach. Just keep conquering one area at a time. That allows your technique to develop. Before you know it, it will all be second nature to you.

Glad you had a really successful first shave!

Second shave update!!!

Wow, after the first day, as the stubble came in, I got a really bad rash on the left cheek. A whole bunch of little tiny red spots where the whiskers are starting to come back up.

I waited until I got home from work to shower up and shave for the evening. That way I had plenty of time and wasn't in a rush to get my butt out the door.

So, I shower up, prep as usual and get ready to shave. Today's target was to do the cheeks again, and this time to add in more of the cheeks, up to the front of the chin. I have a large soul patch to shave around, so I don't have to worry about the front of my chin, just the cheek sides.

So, I shave the right side just as yesterday, and just start a second row down to the jaw line.

When I tried to do the left side, I had a lot more trouble today than I did yesterday, I couldn't see well, my own stuff was getting in the way. I started with my right hand, didn't like what was happening and tried to shift to my left hand.

I was doing ok at first, then I started kind of making to small of strokes, if you know what I mean. I kept switching back and forth trying to figure out how to do the left side correctly.

Well, I hacked up the left side of my face something terrible. I have small scabs all over today, close to the jawline and along my chin.

I finished my shave with my normal razor, and when it came to after shave balm, my wife got me some Gillette balm that had no ingredients listed. It smelled gentle so I rubbed a tiny amount on my face.

HOLY CRAP!!! it lit me up like a firecraker. My face was burning like crazy. I had one small nick under my lip that I was aware of, but it was my whole face that was on fire.

I instantly washed it all off, but it was too late. My face stayed red and stung all night long. When I got up this morning, there was a whole line of tiny scabs along the jawline and on my cheek. I don't know what the heck I did.

As i said to a co-worker today: 'I'm not giving up, I'm just giving up for today!!'. I think I'll wait a day or two to shave again and let the face heal, then start over again.

What an adventure guys... I'm still having fun tho!!

Someone's signature read: Straight razor shaving is a manly pursuit that requires manly perseverance.

Man am I finding out how true that is!!! :)

Thanks for all the support guys!!

Best to everyone....

Remember that you are scraping a razor against your face. If you get the result you did, that almost absolutely has to be using too much pressure. Give your face a day or two off, then return to shaving with the lightest pressure you can muster. Let the razor do the work. If it is sharp, it needs no help. In fact, trying to help it just gets in the way, as you have experienced. Good luck! It does get better. It's a little like learning to drive. You can have the best car in the world, but there is a considerable learning curve. At first it is very steep, but progress does come.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ace

Remember that you are scraping a razor against your face. If you get the result you did, that almost absolutely has to be using too much pressure. Give your face a day or two off, then return to shaving with the lightest pressure you can muster. Let the razor do the work. If it is sharp, it needs no help. In fact, trying to help it just gets in the way, as you have experienced. Good luck! It does get better. It's a little like learning to drive. You can have the best car in the world, but there is a considerable learning curve. At first it is very steep, but progress does come.

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Don't I know it!! But man, trying to do the left side with my right hand sucked, then when I tried to switch I'm so uncoordinated with my left I had no control. I'm taking the advice and holding off for a day or two to heal, then starting from the beginning again until I can do both sides equally well.

Darn left hand anyway!!!

Thanks!!

Go slowly you will learn faster. Gl

Don't lose sight of the fact that everyone on this forum who is ahead of you in the process of straight shaving was once where you are right now. Some had mildly better first and second shaves, some worse. All the people on here who appear to you to be experts were once standing in your shoes, perhaps scared to death, uncertain of how to proceed, not sure what went wrong. All your mistakes are lessons. Just take your time and learn from them. We all did.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ace

Don't lose sight of the fact that everyone on this forum who is ahead of you in the process of straight shaving was once where you are right now. Some had mildly better first and second shaves, some worse. All the people on here who appear to you to be experts were once standing in your shoes, perhaps scared to death, uncertain of how to proceed, not sure what went wrong. All your mistakes are lessons. Just take your time and learn from them. We all did.

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+1. I know of at least one person, possibly me, who had to have part of his left earlobe stitched back to his face after initially trying to learn to shave left handed. Several years later and I'm glad I kept at it when I had every reason to quit.

Congratulations keep the good work up. You will be shaving like a pro in no time.

Allow me to add my congratulations to your successful first straight razor shave.

As previous posts suggest, you may have applied too much pressure the second day. You are correct to skip shaving for a day or two. Believe me, your face and beard aren't going anywhere.

Next time try to relax and don't apply as much pressure as you shave. This will be difficult at first. But as you gain in confidence, it will become second nature to you.

Take care--and smooth shaving.

Next update!!

After holding off for 2 1/2 days I shaved tonite.

I'm so friggin happy with my results I can't hardly take it. I did so good. I shaved 90% of my face tonite. I was just a lot slower, really, really soaked my face before starting, like for 10 minutes, hot as could be, with the wettest soaping I have ever done.

I left off all the crap, like the oil rub, etc. and focused on taking my time and doing one spot until I could hold the razor to my face without fear. This time I started by laying it flat against my skin and then bringing the angle up slowly until it was working. THat way I got a feel for the angle that actually shaved. I didn't try my left hand tonite. I just stuck with the right and did a much better job on my left side this time. I just applied that same technique of laying it flat and adjusting the angle until it was shaving.

Of course, I missed tons of spots, got a few razor burn spots, but NO NICKS!!! Amazingly I did not nick myself once.

I did however cut my finger. Don't ask me how, but I tagged myself while drying it with Tissue. It just slightly slid under the top couple layers of skin, but it scared the crap outta me and bled, and hurts.

I told myself if that's the worst nick of the nite, that's pretty friggin good!!!

I feel like I'm on my way men!!! AFter last time, I was so sure. I got my new strop today and threw out the Selective POS that I had wasted my money on. This one I got from Star Shaving and it's is wonderful. I stropped it 40 strokes before, and 40 strokes after. Maybe it was the stropping on a quality strop that made the difference in my face. I don't know.

I'm still pretty much sting city still, but the face is red with pride tonite. It's weird, but I can't wait until tomorrow to be able to try it again.

Thanks for all the support and feedback folks!!

my best to ya ....

witch hazel will help with the redness and bumps!