Thread: New to straight shaving, hi!

Thanks again for all the comments. It's a refreshing change to find such a good community with people so willing to share their knowledge with those of us who are starting out.

I have been playing around again with lathering and things are getting a little better but the "foam explosion" has yet to happen for me just yet. That said, my lather is thickening up, though it has taken a fair bit longer than I have expected it to take (4-5 minutes) before I find it thick enough to shave with.

Where we live on the South coast of England, the water hardness is very high and perhaps this isn't helping matters too much. I will prove the point perhaps by trying some good quality bottled water to lather up with and see how it goes.

Tony - The strop is a beauty even to a layman like myself, and I will be recommending your products to those that I convert to straight shaving in the coming years. I am delighted with it.

Dave - Thanks for the lathering tips, I will continue to work on it and in a few days will summon the courage to take my first few short downward strokes to see how things feel.

I'll let you know how things go, but don't expect too much just yet as I am not rushing into the first shave until I feel the time is right.

Right now it seems that going from a Quattro to a straight seems as big a jump as riding a bike to flying a fighter plane though with the information and help I have gleaned from SRP and it's users I feel as if I am off to a fine start.

I am so looking forward to that first shave now ..

Cheers, and catch you soon!

Steve.

Originally Posted by Shorty

Where we live on the South coast of England, the water hardness is very high and perhaps this isn't helping matters too much. I will prove the point perhaps by trying some good quality bottled water to lather up with and see how it goes.

Hi Steve. Where I am in Swindon we also have quite hard water. What I tried for a while was pouring some water from our Brita filter jug in the kitchen (for the kettle) into a mug and microwaving it for 2 mins, then using that for the lather.

However, in my experience it doesn't seem to make much difference to using very hot water from the tap. From my chemistry days, the hardness in the water will bind with some of the soap and after that it will lather just fine, you just need to use a tiny bit more soap/cream than in a soft water area.

I stopped bothering with filtered water, it was too much hassle and provided no major benefit.

Try starting with more cream/soap than you need, as it seems to make lathering a bit easier. Then slowly reduce the amount of lather you make as you get mor proficient. I started off using creams as I found them easier to lather when i was learning, but I have since switched to soaps which I find give me a slightly smoother shave.

Of course your mileage may vary, you should trry a few things out and see what works for you. Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions, it's a very friendly bunch in here.