Thread: First Straight Razor Shave

Strop slowly until you build up your muscle memory. Treat it like it's Tai Chi, Slow and Smooth.


Mick

First of all I want to say thanks for your replies and your advice as they've been extremely helpful. I've been at this for about a month now and I've been able to get acceptable shaves each time with no nicks, cuts, or razor burns. I'm becoming very comfortable wielding the razor with either hand and very comfortable with the feel of the edge of the blade against my skin. But there are a few things I'm having issues with that I can't figure out.

1) I'm having trouble getting a decent shave WTG no matter how many passes I try. Unlike most, the chin and neck areas are no problem for me, but no matter how many passes or different angles I try along the side of my face the razor has a hard time removing whiskers there. I always have to do some XTG and ATG on the side of my face. A theory that I have is that the hair on my chin is stiffer and grows more perpendicular to my skin, whereas the hair on the side of my face grows downward so as to be prone against my skin. Has anyone else experienced something similar? Does this reflect upon my stropping technique? My razor has never passed the HHT.

2) I've been experimenting with the soap to water ratio in my lather but inevitably the lather goes away before I finish one part of my face and I always have to relather before moving onto the next area. I don't think I take an unusually long time shaving each part, maybe a minute or two at most. I'm using the SRD unscented soap and have read that most people are able to get a very good lather from it. If my lather is disappearing so quickly does this typically mean I'm using too much or too little water?

It is hard to give correct advice on your problems via the internet, but the issue with shaving your cheeks nay be a poor angle one. Don't expect to have a clean shave with only one WTG abd one month experience. Hell I've got a few years experience and I'm not getting a clean shave with only WTG...Close, very close, but not clean. That comes from my second pass.

Your lather issue could well be too much water, making your lather too light and bubbly rather than thick and creamy. Again it is hard to say without a visual.


Mick