My first shave.

Did my first shave tonight... learned a couple things real quick.

I did 2 passes, one WTG and one ATG. I was using my can shave gel (yes, I know... I was curious as to why people recommended against... now I know why).

Lesson 1) That damned gel dried out WAY too fast, does not give a good shave at all. This alone changed the blade feel on my face.

Lesson 2) The angle. I was able to go shallower and shallower and I could feel the difference, and I got to I think 1.5 to 2 spine widths angle on my face. Now I need to work on consistently hitting that angle.

The WTG pass got all whiskers at a consistent height, which I found interesting. Lathered up again, for the ATG pass. I managed to get a small area on my cheek itself a bit larger than a half dollar, BBS. Did not go ATG on my neck yet, I'm still in practice mode, will continue dominant-side-only practice for a while. I have one small area on my neck that has razor burn, and I believe that's because the angle was wrong.

Continued shaving with my Mach3 on the left side (right side was straight razor), got it pretty smooth even though that razor is kinda dull and needs a new cartridge, and although it's considered BBS, I can still feel the difference. The straight razor area felt smoother.

Best of all: NO CUTS! :)

Now, all I need is a good shave soap and brush, and I'm waiting on that. If I'm not mistaken, the soap lather stays wet far longer than that canned crap they sell at Hellmart et al.

PondRacer

Sounds like you're off to a good start, and good for you for paying very close attention to your blade angle. That is one of the crucial aspects of straight shaving.

Another crucial aspect, which you will soon be able to experiment with, is your lather. A good lather makes all the difference in the world. Proper moisture content, proper cushion for the blade. Oh yes, it's fantastic.

Keep us posted.

You're well on your way Pondracer. Very soon, the best shaves of your life. ATG already is unusual and really good. As you get more comfy, you might venture into trying WTG on the left side with your left hand. Careful, easy, no pressure on the edge. Big grats on a nice start. Mine wasn't so gentle, but somebody's gotta make pinklather...

Harry, this one's hooked. Will it be RAD, HAD, SAD or BAD?

Keep going, Pondracer.

Congrats on your maiden voyage.
You've done very well with that low angle already, I think on my first outing there would have been five or six spine widths and some lateral movement so I've got a small trophy scar to remind me.

+1 on the soap as Maxi said and +1 to pinklathers suggestion of NO PRESSURE!

Keep up the good work

Congrats on the successful shave! No worries about having to use the DE to finish up, I did that for my first couple months. I started with the canned shaving cream too, and I still think it is an acceptable option. Personally the best shave soap I have used is the cheap "VHD" shaving soap you can buy at any pharmacy or grocery, it's worht a try to learn on since it will run you less than 2 bucks!

I think being deaf (and thus that much more attuned to my body and how the razor feels on my face) helped considerably with regard to paying attention to what the blade was telling me. I was doing WTG on underside of chin, but am not yet comfortable with ATG there. :)

I DID have just a touch of pressure at first... and I know I was trying for no pressure at all; the pressure I had was just enough to keep blade on the face, no more. At least I was trying for that light kiss of blade on face and nothing more. The big problem with that was when the lather dried out and the skin kinda tried to move with the blade despite my trying to stretch it out. Here's where the short strokes that I used paid off in preventing the formation of pink lather... :D

PondRacer

Well done, great start to straight shaving there! And a warm welcome to SRP!

Great achievement! Your shave will get better with time and experience!! Enjoy the day.