First Time Post, Experience thus far...

Hello Everyone,

I Have been reading these forums before I decided to purchase my first straight razor. I went with a 5/8 Dovo Professionally honed and shave ready. Got a good strop and my first badger hair brush. I'm going on my third or fourth shave...no lets call it, practice..today and so far not much improvement. My very first practice..and the ones afterwards I've started and pretty much finished with the right side of my face. The first day was horrible, I got my face all prepped and ready to go...and by the way that first lather with the badger hair....wow! I cant believe the difference! Ive always used the boar head brush since I started shaving, just using the mach 3 and wow what a difference, ill never to back to the boar hair. Anyway back to the story, the razor felt so dull as soon as I started shaving it was very rough and felt like it was pulling my hair instead of cutting, so of course I stopped to re-evaluate the situation. Well come to find out I had forgotten to strop first...figures. Anyway after that one, I practiced stropping pretty good and can almost, usually keep the blade flat on the strop. I now do the linen side first, then go to the leather. Now today after the fourth practice I still think I might be doing something wrong though the blade does feel sharper, I still feel a tug sometimes, So I'm thinking its my technique. At first I started with the blade pretty much flat against my skin and it seemed to work ok, seemed better when I leaned it out a bit but then I started nicking myself, which I'm not so much a fan of. I had problems with my lather drying out but I think I'm getting better at that, at least for now... I'm determined I'm going to get this right, just using the badger hair brush gives me hope, and so far is my favorite and pain free part of the shave. So, I'm headed to bed and hopefully my face isnt so raw when I wake up, and ill hit it with the Mach 3 again before work. Dont have time to try and perfect anything when I'm rushing out the door. Anyway just figured I'd let everyone know my shaving experience thus far and will continue reading and try and figure out what I'm not doing quite right. Thanks for reading!

Congratulations on your first series of practice shaves.

It sounds like your blade angle needs some adjustment. Try shaving at a 15-30 degree angle with your razor. Don't force the razor. Let the razor and a gentle scything motion cut your whiskers.

BTW...An occasional tough spot on your beard is quite normal. When you hit a spot like that, back off of it. You can always get it when you touch up after shaving the rest of your face.

Take care--and smooth shaving.

I clearly remember my first straight shave though it was around 10 years ago. I got a brand new TI razor and a CM Best badger brush and some Col. Conk Soap and a Dovo Strop and I thought I was all ready to settle in to a wonderful experience. (this was before these sites existed) Boy was I wrong. massive razor burn, crummy shave. That DE was looking real good. Luckily I persisted with it and only then did I come to realize this was a learning experience and it doesn't come quickly or easily.

So we can tell you about the shave prep and the angle and the stretching and the strokes and to only start with the easy parts of your face first but in the end you need to learn to manipulate the razor and accustom your face to the razor and that just takes time which varies with everybody. By the way if you mis stroped the razor may need to be touched up again depending on what you did to the edge. Restropping again even properly may not correct it using a plain strop.

You are doing great. Just keep up the practice and it will get easier and better.

By the way your comment, "...but then I started nicking myself, which I'm not so much a fan of." is priceless. I think you should use it as your signature.

It really helps to watch the shaving videos over and over in the beginning stages. Good luck and happy shaving.



Here is your signature line. Just copy and post under settings.
Bluetick89: "...but then I started nicking myself, which I'm not so much a fan of."

The fact that you experienced both nicks and razor burn point to a problem with pressure. If you have blade pressure right, as in NONE, then it is very difficult to nick yourself because the razor will glide along the skin, especially if it is stretched. You can use a surprisingly high angle, as much as 45 to 60 degrees, as long as you use no pressure. I'm not suggesting this for a Newbie, but it shows that pressure is likely to be the problem. There are many variables to get right in a straight shave, and they come only with practice. Adding pressure to the equation before you get those variables down just complicates things.

Aside from the fact that you have less than 5 shaves , under your belt , and what you're experiencing is pretty much normal . I think you need to stretch your skin a little better , keep your blade angle on the low side , and not press the blade into your face . Keep at it , and after a couple more shaves you will begin to get the hang of it . After about 50 more shaves , you'll be glad you stuck with it , and learned to shave with a straight razor .

Thanks everyone for the advice, I tried again today and used almost no angle, and the razor seemed to cut much smoother and without much resistance. Also tried for the letting the razor do the work. My face feels a little dry and a tad redness, but no nicks and a lot better than yesterday, though looking at it, I did miss some spots. Figured I would get those with my mach 3 when I wake up. I don't think I'm getting a really close shave just yet but of course I am just starting, and I only did two passes with the grain. Over all a successful shave I think. I do need to purchase some aftershave though, I'm thinking maybe witch hazel, Any suggestions?

Practice. Normally, getting the correct angle takes a bit of practice. Try having the blade flat on your face, then adjusting about 2 blade widths out, try that, then adjust as needed. You'll find as you get into this hobby, some razors work better with different angles. I'm usually adjusting as I go. Make sure your getting a good prep, Hot shower, Hot towel, pre shave oil, or you can use olive oil, any oil really will work amongst other things. Witch hazel will help afterwards, as will a good Post Shave balm. A good post shave balm will put out the fire....

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Originally Posted by bluetick89

Thanks everyone for the advice, I tried again today and used almost no angle, and the razor seemed to cut much smoother and without much resistance. Also tried for the letting the razor do the work. My face feels a little dry and a tad redness, but no nicks and a lot better than yesterday, though looking at it, I did miss some spots. Figured I would get those with my mach 3 when I wake up. I don't think I'm getting a really close shave just yet but of course I am just starting, and I only did two passes with the grain. Over all a successful shave I think. I do need to purchase some aftershave though, I'm thinking maybe witch hazel, Any suggestions?

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Get an alum block, it's antisceptic, helps against razor burn, stops minor bleeding and tells you how well you've shaved.
Another great use of the alum block is to touch your wet fingers on it when you stretch your skin, the alum gives you great grip on the skin.

For a nice inexpensive AS balm, you should find some Nivea almost everywhere.

Hi! Hey, I'm right there with ya man. I have been at it only about 3+ months now, and I still manage to cut my ears, nick my throat, burn my chin, etc. LOL. But, it's the ritual that is so cool.

I have had it pounded into my brain now: Pressure and angle. Learning those two things properly make all the difference in your results. Throw in patience in the learning process and there you have it.

I kept a cartridge on hand at first so I could finish shaving the tough spots after a couple of WTG passes on my cheeks and neck. I still can't really shave the left side of my face very good. But again, it's the ritual that makes it worth going back again and again. To be able to master this has become a goal. I don't see myself going back ever again. But I digress... I continue to get better every shave, and I'm still learning how to do things best for myself.

So I'm with ya mate!! Keep it up!! I used Tend Skin at first for razor burn and ingrown hairs. It worked well and was cheap. I also really like Truefit & Hill products for my after shaves, not to mention just good old Ol' Spice (the wife just loves the stuff).

Good Luck!!

M