Thread: First Straight Razor shave was ok...

So I tried again and did much better, though I did cut myself pretty decently. I have a small cut (1/4 inch, tops) just under my nose from where I came in too steep. I knew it the second I did it. I've had deeper paper cuts, but this was in just the right spot and it bled like crazy. Still weeping a bit, actually, even with the styptic. Well, I felt like it I learned that lesson pretty much IMMEDIATELY.

I lowered the strop to my waist. This gave me better contact with the strop, more control, and a much better strop (I think). I was also more aggressive on the strop. Yesterday, I treated the razor like a piece of dynamite that would go off if I put too much pressure on the edge. So today I gave it 100ish laps with solid, but not too solid contact on the entire razor. It was a much better strop. I think I had better lather. I used more water and it shaved great. But due to the stoppage to tend to my wound, the lather in my bowl started to go away and it wasn't useful anymore. Lathering still needs improvement but gets better every time. Tonight I used a combo of soap and cream. I also think I got a much better angle on my cheeks and neck, so that was good.

I had to touch up with a disposable, so I plan on getting a DE for some touchups for now. My weekend project is to make a simple shaving box to keep the stuff out of the bathroom and away from small hands, so I'll stop in the antiques stores in my area while I'm out for a DE.

I think I have to resign myself to the fact that I'm going to need to strop while I'm shaving. I did my cheeks and lip, but then found the razor pulling on my chin and certain areas of my neck. So I stropped and it was better. I need to improve the stropping because I feel like even though it's better, it still needs a lot more improvement.

Overall though, huge improvement over yesterday's inaugural shave. I'm feeling pretty encouraged. You guys have been fantastic, of course.

Glad your second shave was better. There are so many things to learn at first, it can be a little frustrating.

One thing I recommend is to try stropping on newspaper and put away your strop for a few shaves. Try 100-200 laps with the newspaper on a flat counter, 5-10 sheets thick. You won't have to worry so much about pressure on the strop, rolling the edge, etc. It will refresh your edge pretty well, and you may not have to re-strop as much during the shave.

When you go back to the strop, exert a lot of pressure on the handle of the strop to keep it flat, and very little on the razor. It's more the pressure you would use to butter toast, not slice bread.

Just think, after about 30-40 more shaves you'll really have the hang of it! Stay with it, the payoff is great.

Jason

Hi U2Bono269, Stropping correctly is very important, as you're finding out. Personally, I don't see any huge problem with stropping a razor just received from a honemeister. Even if they stropped it prior to sending it to you, stropping again won't do any harm, as such, in my opinion. In fact, given the extremes in temperature and humidity, etc, it may have gone through (consider post offices, post office vans, different post offices, the hot (or cold) tarmac at the airport, the plane hold, etc) stropping to me seems reasonable and logical. But of course the emphasis is on correct stropping. I found when I started I had to go REALLY slow to get the right motion and build up muscle memory. I always strop 30/70 (canvas/leather) before each shave, and 10/10 after.

In regards to the cream/soap issue, I think it's really important to know what is needed. I feel it's cushion first, then glide, then quantity and 'lasting' and then scent. Making a Überlather (soap/cream/glycerin mix) makes a really easy to make large amount of 'frothy' slippery mix. If you are having any troubles at all with soaps, etc, making an Überlather will allow you to make a fun to use lather and continue shaving while you practice with JUST a soap or JUST a cream.

Everyone is different, but for ME, stropping during the shave isn't needed.

Round three...I'm really getting how the pressure (or lack thereof) with the proper angle is really important. I'm getting progressively smoother, though I still feel like I'm at the point where, instead of shaving myself smooth, I'm mostly just reducing the amount of stubble I have, especially on my neck. I imagine part of this is technique, another part is the fact that I'm only doing on WTG pass and then stopping for the night.

But I'm still having issues with my lather and its longevity. I'm going pretty slowly, so one pass takes me about 10 minutes. I make my lather, I love it, it helps my razor glide pretty well and it's nice and slick and what I would hope it to be. No problems...yet. But then when I'm all finished and I want to go touch up a spot, I have no lather. There was plenty in the bowl, and it's just gone. I try to swirl it up, add water, nothing happens. Is it normal to have to make a whole new batch of lather for your second pass? Even when i wanted to add more lather to my mouth, I couldn't because it was gone. I'm using a little dab of cream mixed with soap swirled on the brush for 45-60 seconds. Then I swirl for another 60 seconds, and get a big pile of lather. It feels nice and works with no issues for about 5 minutes, and then it suddenly gets drier and drier until it's gone, both from my face and the bowl. I don't have a problem with it not lasting that much on my skin, but do I really have to keep making more lather WHILE I'm shaving?

I've never had to make another batch; and when I started a shave would take almost an hour! However, today, coincidentally, I noticed my T&H Trafalgar cream has almost turned to powder on my face! I think too little water and not enough mixing.

Then again, you could always apply pre-shave cream (if you're using it) to one side of the face, make lather for that side, lather and shave that side, rinse, apply pre-shave to the other side, make more lather, lather face, shave...

If you don't MIND stropping 1/2 way through, you could apply pre-shave to one side, make a lather, lather that side, strop, shave, rinse, apply pre-shave, make more lather, lather face, strop, shave. From what you've said above, i think that would work for you :-)

I always apply the cream before stropping; that way the cream does some of it's work as I strop. I do 30/70, so I guess it takes about a minute and a half to two minutes to finish stropping...

Originally Posted by U2Bono269

. . .

But I'm still having issues with my lather and its longevity. I'm going pretty slowly, so one pass takes me about 10 minutes. I make my lather, I love it, it helps my razor glide pretty well and it's nice and slick and what I would hope it to be. No problems...yet. But then when I'm all finished and I want to go touch up a spot, I have no lather. There was plenty in the bowl, and it's just gone. I try to swirl it up, add water, nothing happens. Is it normal to have to make a whole new batch of lather for your second pass? Even when i wanted to add more lather to my mouth, I couldn't because it was gone. I'm using a little dab of cream mixed with soap swirled on the brush for 45-60 seconds. Then I swirl for another 60 seconds, and get a big pile of lather. It feels nice and works with no issues for about 5 minutes, and then it suddenly gets drier and drier until it's gone, both from my face and the bowl. I don't have a problem with it not lasting that much on my skin, but do I really have to keep making more lather WHILE I'm shaving?

An off-the-wall suggestion:

. . . If you start with a pile of lather in the bowl, and it disappears after 5 minutes, the water may be evaporating.

So add a bit of hot water to whatever is left in the bowl, and see if you can produce a new batch of lather just by pumping and swirling, without adding any soap (or cream).

I've been letting my bowl float in a sinkful of hot water. It keeps the lather warm for a second pass.

10 minutes for one pass is rather slow shaving. But it's better to make new lather, than to try to rush. Straight razors hate rush, almost as much as they hate rust.

Charles

Had a much improved shave yesterday. I feel like rather than just removing half of my stubble, I got about 3/4 of it on the first pass. The second pass was smoother but I missed spots. I stropped on newspaper, like was suggested, and then on the leather. But it was the lathering that was the most helpful for me. I used straight up cream, rather than mixing cream and soap, and the lather was the best I've had yet. It lasted in the bowl until almost the end, too. I did two passes for the first time, and I was running low by the end of it but it lasted way longer than it did before. So, I guess that either means I prefer cream to soap, or I have bad soap. But for now, the cream is working, so I'll stick to it. I'm going to give the razor a pass or two on the barber hone tonight, followed by a good many strokes on the strop and see if I can't help the last vestiges of pulling I'm feeling.

What kind of soap are you using? I tried a bunch and now will only use triple milled soaps (I prefer L'Occitane Cade soap). They seem to perform way better for me, perhaps it's my water.

it's a handmade shave soap I got from etsy...dirty deeds soaps? Based on what I've read it's not "real" shave soap but body soap "tweaked" for supposed shaving. But even though it was a subpar soap, the cream by itself was a nice enough experience that I'm going to stick with it. I need to get me some Proraso or TOBS.

I tried getting a puck of some "custom" shave-soap off of etsy once. It was a fun idea but I was really dissatisfied with it. Used it once and never again. That was in my "experimental shaving stuff" phase. An interesting time, I suppose, but also an uncomfortable and bloody one! These days I stick to my tried-and-trues: Cade soap ($10 a puck) and Nivea cream ($4 a tube). Maybe not as fancy, but I've never gotten a better lather.