Thread: Getting frustrated

First off, even though I acknowledge that I'm becoming frustrated with straight razor shaving, I have no plans of abandoning it and I am determined to figure out what my issues are, mainly because I do enjoy it and it's a fun hobby. But still, I can't help but feel pretty frustrated about how it's going. For example, I just shaved about an hour ago. I did three passes, WTG, XTG, XTG again. I was still stubbly. My chin barely felt shaved. Under my jaw felt half-shaved. My upper lip and soul patch area weren't shaved at all because the blade got stuck there like a weedwhacker in thick brush.

My cheeks, however, are incredibly smooth. (I ended up finishing the rest of my face with my new-to-me Gillette 40s Superspeed. It gave me a little razor burn on the lip but overall that was a fun experience too).

Each time I shave, I think oh, it was my stropping! Or, the angle was off! Or, I didn't stretch properly! And then I go off thinking I've got it all figured out, and then the next day I'm still having a bad shave.

I did pinpoint my strop as an area of issue...it was quite wrinkled and rough. Larry at Whippeddog was kind enough to replace it no questions asked and now I have a perfectly smooth strop that's quite the joy to use. After my shaving these evening, I noticed that I was most likely stropping unevenly across the blade. I adjusted how I stood and I think now I have much more consistent contact with the strop, but I won't know if that has an effect until tomorrow. I suspect it does, but I also suspect it's not the only reason.

I think I have good lather. It's wet, slippery and thick. It's no longer disappearing on my face or in the bowl. I have more than I need lately, so I've still got to perfect my formula to make a more appropriate amount. Tonight's batch still felt awesome after 30 minutes.

I seem to have this weird obsession that my blade isn't sharp enough, that I've mis-stropped it to the point of dullness. Is this possible? Last week I gave it 2 laps on the barber's hone. I didn't notice anything different.

Is there any element of this I'm missing or not thinking about?

In the meantime, I'll be practicing my stropping and shaving until I get it right.

Hang in there. You will get the hang of it. I must have shaved 50 times before i started getting awesome shaves. Its possible that you f-ed your edge on the bad strop. But that should have been fixed on the barbers hone (remember no presure on the hone). I dont think i saw anything on a pre-shave so i would recommend you use something like proraso. Also no presure when stropping go slowly until you get the hang of it.

I've been using a straight for just under a month now and am still figuring it out. I've had 3 really good shaves in the past month. This evening I nicked my self twice and my chin is still a bit stubbly. I went light on my chin this evening because I gave myself razor burn on my chin yesterday--I was hell bent for strop-leather to remove every last whisker with the straight.

I seem to learn a little something everyday: better prep, light touch with the razor, how to see a certain area, best way to use a styptic pencil, etc.... With regard to getting the razor stuck in some areas, I've found that if you get the razor moving a little before it rests against the whiskers, it seems to start cutting more easily. BWTFDIK?

Let the frustration go and enjoy the process....I'm counting on learning how to do this and that's my approach. Happy shaving!

I seem to have this weird obsession that my blade isn't sharp enough, that I've mis-stropped it to the point of dullness. Is this possible? Last week I gave it 2 laps on the barber's hone. I didn't notice anything different.

FWIW (I'm not an expert):

If you can get a clean shave of your cheek, with light pressure (or no pressure) on the blade, the razor is sharp.

My test is the "arm-hair-popping" test:

. . . Hold the razor above your arm, as though you were going to shave off some arm hair;

. . . Lift the whole blade 1/8" - 1/4";

. . . slowly "shave" the arm, with the razor's edge 1/8" - 1/4" off the skin.

If the edge catches and cuts ("pops") arm hair _that's up in the air_, it's OK for shaving.

This test doesn't work for everyone, but it's worth trying.

I suspect that "clean cheeks" means that the razor is OK. And you're happy with your lather. Only one thing left:

. . . Your technique needs improvement.

It's tough to move a razor around your chin, and keep the angle that the blade makes with the skin _unchanging_. It's more difficult to do that under your nose.

I have a moustache and goatee. I shave my "soul patch" using the heel of the razor (toward the scale pivot), with the razor vertical. One pass to the right, re-lather, one pass to the left. And I'm careful to not slice my nose off.

Keep working on it . . .

Charles

Originally Posted by U2Bono269

For example, I just shaved about an hour ago. I did three passes, WTG, XTG, XTG again. I was still stubbly. My chin barely felt shaved. Under my jaw felt half-shaved. My upper lip and soul patch area weren't shaved at all because the blade got stuck there like a weedwhacker in thick brush.

My cheeks, however, are incredibly smooth.

This sounds like technique issue, chin and neck are the most challenging areas to work, so patience and practice will improve your shaves.

I'll chime in a bit here.

I'm in the same boat as you U2Bono with regard to my chin and neck. I have yet to get my chin totally smooth, and I would nick it up and the razor would bounce around and catch on whiskers but lately I've gotten it better.

For me it is difficult to keep the blade angle open enough, it wants to lie flat and then it does no good.

All I can say is practice, and that's because that's all the experience that I have!

Good luck!!

I'm not an expert, but this sounds familiar... I had the same problems when I first started, and I agree with everyone who has said it is a probably a technique issue. Go slow, and divide each part of your face into sections. When you begin shaving a section, concentrate on each element that you may be slightly off on. Angle, pressure, speed, and did I mention pressure? I couldnt get the hang of it originally, and I used too much pressure and it was causing me identical issues. It will come to you eventually, you will have an amazing moment where you just sort of "learn it", and then after that the shaves will progressively get better. Stick with it, it's totally worth it!

+1 on most of the advice given so far.

When I first started, I had exactly the same experience. I would shave and there would still be stubble. At first I thought the razor might not be sharp enough, but as was mentioned, if you're getting a good shave on your cheeks, that's most likely not the issue. It took me a few weeks to really learn the growth pattern of my beard in various places on my face and then to find the right grip on the razor and positioning to attack the hair in a WTG and XTG stroke. (I do 2 passes, WTG & XTG and it gets me a great shave)

I still have days when I don't get a fantastic shave, but they are becoming far fewer.

Keep practicing and pay close attention to your technique. What seemed to help me is deciding on a grip and technique before I start my shave and then assessing the shave afterward. If I got a great shave, I would make a mental note of what I did for that area of my face and kept that combination for the next day, while trying something new in the areas that still had stubble on them. As it turns out, I use 3 different grips for the 4 different growth direction on my beard and depending on if I'm doing a WTG or an XTG pass. The unfortunate part was that it took me about a month to figure it out while I had to clean up my mistakes with a cartridge razor.

There are a finite number of variables involved here and if you approach it methodically, you should get to your goal relatively quickly. Above all, enjoy the experience, take your time and get in the right headspace before you shave. If you're feeling frustrated, I can almost guarantee you that you won't get a great shave. There really is a zen to this. It sounds corny to some, but its true. You need to be relaxed and have the right combination of confidence and respect for that ultra sharp blade next to your throat

Having said all this, don't underestimate the importance of softening you beard with either some kind of pre shave creme, or a hot shower and towel (those are my preferred techniques)

Stick with it...you're really close.

Yes, pre-shave...I omitted that. I clean my face with some of that facial cleanser that comes with the rubber exfoliating pad. Then I put conditioner on my face while I strop, prep my stuff and make lather. Then I rinse it off and apply lather and shave.

I agree you may have issues with the edge if the strop was "wrinkly". A touch up may be in order. I think you are improving wonderfully with the pre shave/lather portion, as to angles, I can not say because I can not see what you are doing. When you look at the contours of your face, especially the chin, break those contours down into smaller flat planes and adjust your strokes as needed. But I think you need someone with experience to check your edge, until this variable has been eliminated as a culprit it does not matter what you do, you will fail.