Butchered by a Barber

Hi, this is my first post and I don't actually own a straight razor. Yet. The purpose of this post is to see if anyone out there who gets a good, comfortable shave with a straight razor has had a bad shave from a barber, as I did a little while ago.

I started using a DE about 6 months ago and have been very pleased with the results. I've spent years getting unsatisfactory results, and only being able to shave every second day, using cartridge and electric razors. I enjoy learning new skills so I thought I would take the next step and get into shaving with a straight. But before spending $200 on the equipment (I live in Australia and pretty much everything is more expensive here than the UK or US) I thought it might be worthwhile getting an SR shave from a barber, figuring that if they couldn't give me a good shave with a straight then it probably wasn't for me.

Anyway, this guy who has been a barber for a number of years cut me to shreds. It was the worst razor burn of my life, I had cuts everywhere and it wasn't even a close shave. I could have got better results with my DE in the dark after a bottle of tequila.

So, a few months have passed and the scars (both mental and physical) have healed and I am once again thinking of trying a straight. I was curious to see if other people have had a similar experience from a barber, but are able to successfully shave themselves with a straight razor. Is it my face/beard that is the problem, or did I just get a shave from a clown?

Appreciate stories, anecdotes and advice.

Cheers.

You weren't Butchered by a Barber. You were Barbered by a Butcher. Some people are good at it. Some ain't. You'll certainly do better yourself although there is a considerable learning curve to SR shaving.

Welcome to SRP, Ragamuffin.
It's good to have another Aussie here.
I have to say that I have only had one straight shave from a barber and that was free 'cause he was a first year apprentice and needed the practice.
He is (legally) required to use a shavette and he went through three blades during the shave.
It was close, nick free and comfortable - and I was able to assist with his training, with feedback.
I didn't find out 'till afterwards that it was his first full face shave....(nervous)hehehe
I posted a thread about the experience but can't remember where - I think it was called 'training new barbers'
You haven't told where in Australia you are, however, if you are it the Brisbane area, I can lend you a razor and strop to try and also assist with your technique - if you want.
I'm sure other members in the other states would do the same.
We all want you to succeed.
Hang on and enjoy the ride

I've never had a shave from a barber on the level of quality I can produce myself. I go for the experience though and still enjoy it. In the defense of barbers, I think I would have a really hard time shaving another person, especially if they have a nose. :-)

I am no barber but I have shaved family members and done a fantastic job. All ears and such accounted for and saved in formaldehyde . I also go have a possessional shave even they don't do as well as I can. On the other hand they can shave my head and I can't .


---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=31.182574,121.542327

Barbers of yesteryear were properly trained to give straight shaves and the best shave of your life came form a barber. In this day and age barbers aren't trained to do this service so basically when you go to one you are the crash test dummy.

Of course there are some folks out there who do a great job giving shaves but they are few and far between. If you have one nearby you are a lucky duck indeed.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Havachat45

Welcome to SRP, Ragamuffin.
It's good to have another Aussie here.
I have to say that I have only had one straight shave from a barber and that was free 'cause he was a first year apprentice and needed the practice.
He is (legally) required to use a shavette and he went through three blades during the shave.
It was close, nick free and comfortable - and I was able to assist with his training, with feedback.
I didn't find out 'till afterwards that it was his first full face shave....(nervous)hehehe
I posted a thread about the experience but can't remember where - I think it was called 'training new barbers'
You haven't told where in Australia you are, however, if you are it the Brisbane area, I can lend you a razor and strop to try and also assist with your technique - if you want.
I'm sure other members in the other states would do the same.
We all want you to succeed.
Hang on and enjoy the ride

---

Hi Havachat, I live in Sydney, but thanks for the offer. A colleague at work has since recommended another barber that I'm thinking of trying. I might take the three strikes approach, try three different barbers and if none of them work out then decide it's not for me. I will then most likely buy a straight anyway because I'm never satisfied until I've had a go at something myself. At $200 it's still half what I spent on a Philips electric that I used about 6 times.

Thanks everyone else for the advice so far. I'll update this thread after my next barber experience. Fingers crossed it's from the comfort of my couch and not the stark vacuousness of a hospital ward.

I've never had a shave from a barber but I remember as a kid in the 60's getting my neck shaved by the barber & it was always a painful event. I'm glad that didn't influence my opinion on straights.

G'day Ragamuffin, learning to use a cut-throat will take a few weeks before it even looks like you're getting a half decent shave, so have patience when you finally do take the plunge. You should be able to get what you need cheap enough from vendors here or perhaps some of your fellow Aussies are able to help out in some way. Legion is down your way and he makes a mean 'roo hide strop, so that might be a start in that direction, and there are also Aussie sites like Himage.com, ShaveShack.com and Mensbiz.com to name a few.


Mick

Take the plunge and get your own razor. No one will know your face like you. I could never have some else that close to my neck whith a sharp object.

Instead of spending 200 bucks, spend $48 bucks american at whipped dog and get the starter sight unseen deal, WAY cheaper and has everything you need (Razor,strop and it WILL be shave ready)

I have been butchered by Barbers in the past, it was more inexperience with straight shaves that caused the issue, most barbers don't shave much anymore, most of their shaving is limited to back of the neck touchups during haircuts...

Ragamuffin-Shaving with a straight is loads of fun after you get past the initial scary/nervous part. What I did when I first started a couple of years ago was to shave all I could, as close as I could without too much razor burn, and then clean up with a DE. I soon got to the point where I didn't need as much cleanup with the DE, and soon not at all.

And yeah, a well-executed str8 shave is by far the closest shave you can get. I'm sure many wives and girlfriends of SRP members would attest to that. Take the plunge-you'll be glad you did!

Ragamuffin,you can do it.I could not imagine having someone elses face and neck in my hands with me to shave them.No way.Its the feedback from the razor in your hand and the nerve endings in your face that you have to learn to str8 shave more than anything.If a barber gave you a bad shave then thats on him,but you can undoubtedly shave yourself much easier.Ive only been at it for 2 months or so and am extremely pleased with the progress so far.shaving is so enjoyable now that i have gone from shaving once every 2 or 3 days to 1-2 times daily. I bought and old W&B razor from an antique store for $15 and its the best razor i have.My brand new Dovo just sits on the shelf after being used only a few times.Might be able to go that route to save some cash

Thank you everyone who replied to this thread, I've been convinced and spent some hard earned on a razor and strop from SRD. I had my first shave with it last night, and true to what everyone has said, it seems that knowing your own face makes all the difference.

Now I'm not saying it was an unmitigated success, but I shaved my cheeks, chin and half my neck without a nick or razor burn. Before you think I have some mad, innate shaving skills, I should point out that I didn't remove much hair in the process. I held the blade at quite an acute angle, maybe 15 degrees, which probably accounts for the lack of nicks and hair removal. Nevertheless, it was a great experience and I was stoked with the result. I would actually consider it a greater success than my first shave with a DE 8 months ago, and I'm sure in a few months time I will relegate the DE to the drawer.

Congrats on the results. A safe start is a good start.

Ditto to onimaru55's comment. Keep the safety for cleaning up while you learn the ropes on your straight.

Good job and good luck.