First Blood: Part 1

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06-09-2011, 02:02 AM
Cutty

First Blood: Part 1

Well, fellas, I can now officially count myself as one of you. My "wapi" arrived in the mail today, and I couldnt wait to give it a test drive. Rather than going through the laundry list of soaps and creams to buy, I rushed out and went with the only brand that I was familiar with from my grandfather's house: Proraso, in the green plastic container.

I won't bore you with the details, given that I imagine most of you have all been through this at one time or another. There were a few nicks here and there, but the jugular is still very much in one piece. The strangest thing about the whole experience was how natural shaving with a single blade was. I really felt, at one point, like I'd done this before. There was nothing frightening or stressful about the experience. I was wise to stop when I did, though. I wouldn't want to get too comfortable too quickly. I did manage to get my whole face (chin included) taken care of.

So, my face is currently, as Lynn once put it, "baby butt smooth" as well as feeling more than a bit singed (I haven't quite nailed down the best aftershave yet). But the feeling of finally getting the chance to really shave was an awesome experience!

Here's to keeping the hairs off my face, and the blood in my body.

Cheers,
Cutty.
06-09-2011, 02:24 AM
dyimages

Well done Cutty. If you got BBS smooth on attempt one you are far ahead of most.

So i trust your Fendriahn razor was sharp enough for you?
06-09-2011, 05:59 AM
mjhammer

Quote:

Originally Posted by dyimages

Well done Cutty. If you got BBS smooth on attempt one you are far ahead of most.

So i trust your Fendriahn razor was sharp enough for you?

Must have been sharp enough, or the story would have been about the razor burn instead, hehehe....

Great job mate!!!
06-09-2011, 06:57 AM
hcintineo

great job! you'll see how many terrible first shave threads there are around here. keep it up.
06-09-2011, 10:58 AM
carlmaloschneider

Well I was ultra stressed and frightened as soon as I saw the blade and how sharp is was! But I agree with the point about how natural it feels. As I told everyone at work today in the conference room, I feel so PROUD! People look at you like you're MAD when you say you shave with a straight razor. "Oh", they say, "that's really hard...", as they give you sidelong glances and wonder if you're a mass murderer or are harbouring thoughts of self harm. And it IS hard, harder that dragging a green and white plastic boring thing over your face, anyway...and MUCH cooler...
06-10-2011, 12:35 AM
Cutty

@dyimages - The blade was plenty sharp! Definitely "shave ready".

@Mjhammer - Unfortunately, the sharpness of the blade didn't protect me against the razor burn. I certainly need many more shaves to find that sweet spot of blade angles before I achieve straight blade nirvana.
06-10-2011, 01:48 AM
dyimages

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cutty

@dyimages - The blade was plenty sharp! Definitely "shave ready".

@Mjhammer - Unfortunately, the sharpness of the blade didn't protect me against the razor burn. I certainly need many more shaves to find that sweet spot of blade angles before I achieve straight blade nirvana.

Do not forget pressure. Any time i have gotten razor burn it usually was a result of me pushing to hard trying to force the whiskers off
06-11-2011, 02:59 PM
Cutty

So I don't want to apply pressure? That's a surprise - I honestly thought that a bit of pressure was necessary. Thanks dyimages! I'll give that a shot today - I've been looking forward to my shave today for the past two days. I've been going over my game plan and coming up with a strategy. I haven't been this fired up since my high school sports days.
06-11-2011, 03:26 PM
Eventhorizon

I'm new to this game aswell and have shaved about 10 times,I to find that I can't wait to shave and am going over my game plan.
I bought a Dovo Bismarck black that was said to be shave ready but is not,so can't wait to get it shave ready.It should be a lot easier.
06-11-2011, 03:34 PM
ace

Having a good game plan ahead of time is a good idea. It should include having a Styptic pencil, some Crazy Glue and band-aids at the ready.

It's OK to have a detailed game plan, but when you start writing it down, that's when I'd start to worry.
06-11-2011, 08:23 PM
acoda

when I first started I just relied on styptic pencils and duct tape. Hope you enjoy your adventure into this fantastic hobby
06-11-2011, 08:32 PM
rafeblank

I hear you on the natural feeling, Cutty! So far I've only shaved a few parts of my face with the straight razor to practice and switch back to my normal disposable razor. It's weird how awkward and uncomfortable the disposable razor feels now, and how little control you have with it. It actually somehow feels less safe, than with the straight razor where you know exactly where you are cutting and you have control over the angle of the blade.
06-11-2011, 08:37 PM
1OldGI

It would appear I have underthought this whole concept of bodily injury and blood letting. All my cuts have been easily handled by a styptic pencil/alum block.
06-11-2011, 11:02 PM
bondpunk

First Off-Cutty Amazing Profile pic. I love the Sailor Jerry flash and old school tattoos. (my right arm and apartment is covered with them, my avatar is a take off on one of his pieces.)
Second- after shave is personal preference. I have about 6 bottles of after shave and post shave balm I bought trying to find something in town that I like. Gilette lotion for sensitive skin, Nivea for men post shave balm, old spice, and my favorite the one my girlfriend hates the most Clubman Pinaud (smells like a dirty old man if you sniff the bottle) but on the face reminds me of baby powder. all stuff you can find at your local drug store. Hope this helps.
06-12-2011, 08:28 PM
Cutty

Thanks for the compliment on my pic, bondpunk. I'm currently working on completing my right leg with a Sailor Jerry inspired gypsy head that is based on a portrait of my wife. I love the look of the old school tattoos much more than the wild designs of some of the new stuff. Is your right arm a full sleeve? Thanks for the hints on the aftershave. I'll take a look around for the "dirty old man" stuff. It sounds interesting, but might be a bit difficult to find in Canada.

Cheers,
06-12-2011, 09:49 PM
Moodster

I liked your take on the first straight razor shave. I hope that those pondering wether to start or not run into your thread before others. People have to remember that when you have a tool that requires your complete control, it's not necessarily a bad thing. Actually, it is more precise due to that fact. Congratulations on your first shave, and if I may recommend an aftershave, Ogallala Bay Rum. The sandalwood is my favorite, but if you look carefully in the site, you can find a 5 pack (or was it 6?) that has all their Bay Rum scents in small bottles. You can also buy some cool soaps from them that are not bad either, which you can also buy in a sample pack. I felt it was worth getting their aftershave sample pack because it was not too expensive compared to buying just one big bottle while thinking "I wonder what the other scents are like". Now I know my favorite (kind of, they all smell pretty good) and which big bottle to buy from here on. You can also check the "Preshaves, Aftershaves, and Cologne" threads or the search bar and see other opinions about other aftershaves.

Cheers! :beer2:
06-13-2011, 01:29 PM
Streetprowler

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cutty

@dyimages - The blade was plenty sharp! Definitely "shave ready".

@Mjhammer - Unfortunately, the sharpness of the blade didn't protect me against the razor burn. I certainly need many more shaves to find that sweet spot of blade angles before I achieve straight blade nirvana.

Copy that. I am still developing my weak-hand stroke: I always seem to be doing something vicious to the area right under my jawbone on the left side...
06-15-2011, 12:44 AM
Cutty

I hear you on the weak-hand stroke, Streetprowler. So far I've been too much of a chicken to attempt going lefty. I gotta say that I've been feeling really good with keeping things on my dominant hand. As long as I don't end up slipping and cutting it off, I think I'll stay a righty and hone my technique as such. I'm four shaves in and each one gets better than the last. BEST HOBBY EVER!
06-15-2011, 01:54 AM
mjhammer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cutty

@dyimages - The blade was plenty sharp! Definitely "shave ready".

@Mjhammer - Unfortunately, the sharpness of the blade didn't protect me against the razor burn. I certainly need many more shaves to find that sweet spot of blade angles before I achieve straight blade nirvana.

Same thing happened to me, mate. I must have taken the top 2 layers right off with everything else, heheh. I stocked up on Tend Skin and tried different razors. I found some gave less than others. Eventually I got the pressure and angle pretty good and don't have the problem nearly as often or over as wide an area. I did notice though that the pressure came with a "dull" blade. Once I mastered stropping a little better the burn went way down too.

Forever the search for Shave Nirvanna!!!

M