Thread: How often do you cut yourself? Be Honest...

I'm still dwelling on this subject...and must admit to not exactly cutting myself, rather I kind of pushed the blade deeply into my chin. I even remember the day, 5 Oct., 2011. It happened when my dog went crazy at the window while mesmerized by a squirrel, and he caused me to jump. The result wasn't a slice, instead, more like a deep pushing of the blade into the skin across my chin. And since my heart valve surgery six years ago, I'm on a high dose of coumadin. If I could have sold my blood that day I would've been a wealthy man! My xwife even said to me "wow, that looks really deep."

Been shaving for a little over a year now. Knock on wood... I have cut myself twice. Once about a month after I started shaving, and the last time about 2 weeks ago. Neither cut was very deep, just enough to be little more then "bleeders". And both times was in the exact same spot. I will mention that my beard grows in a swirl on my left cheek, so shaving east to west it goes XTG most of the time, but this one spot is ATG. Other then that, I never even really get bleeders at all. With a DE razor though I have pink lather.

Nathan

Ocassionally, I shave with a DE too and wind up with the pinkish hue to the lather. It's probably a result of all the little weepers. Really, the only reason for me shaving with it is if I have a job interview and I'm nervous about cutting myself. Or, if I'm in a hurry. I can shave with a DE in about less then five minutes I think. Also, I think it's not such a bad thing to keep in practice. After all, I'm going to be starting my own son on the DE very soon. And, I should at least be able to show him properly. Though, he's well aware that his daddy shaves with the straight...but he doesn't care too much about such things either way. I have since bought him a fairly new looking Gil. Tech razor. I've also bought him an Army & Navy straight razor in commemoration of our annual viewing of that great college football matchup.

I jinxed myself this morning. Getting ready for church my 6 yr old said don't cut yourself when I said I was going to shave. I've been letting him use a knife (under supervision to cut his food) so the warning "don't cut yourself" is ingrained in him now. I responded " I won't, I'll be careful." I gave myself something between a scratch and laceration when approaching the change of grain on my chin area. My mind wandered for that moment and I knew I flubbed instantly before the blood letting started. It sealed by the end of the shave but that is #3. I'm averaging once a year.

Well I have started to cut myself this last week. Developing an ambidextrous shaving style means starting all over again. Then I had to add a new razor to the mix(a round point which was honed to the end). The first two openings were closed by the end of the shave. The third and I hope the last still is radiant on my cheek and seems to have a half life of at least a week.

I had my first real cut last week (SR usage going on 4 months). I had just finished honing on my Arkansas translucent, stropped it. Lathered up and started shaving. Razor sharp one could say ;-) Well I was trimming up my side burns and some how managed to cut the inside of my ear.....I have no idea how the razor got INSIDE my ear. Just wasn't paying enough attention I guess. Bled for an hour even with a styptic applied to it.

Once every couple of months.

skinnerj...I did something similar not so long ago. I "brushed" the blade past my ear and I had a tiny little bleeder. I've gotten "the feel," where you begin the CUT, and that at least fraction of the second before you expand the cut, you back off and the damage is minimal. Of course, the wealth of experience in order to get there is paid for in blood and stares by folks in public wondering how a grown man in a shirt and tie can appear as if he has recently survived a serious mugging day-in-n-day-out.

Never in my first month, but I credit that to following advice here....

I still rarely shave my whole face at once. As son as I feel a bit uneasy or distracted, I pick up old reliable Merkur HD and finish.

I have taken the beginner column this month t heart..."rush, rush, rush" is not for me.

The 'coup de maitre' comment has me proceeding VERY cautiously.

PhiGam, I went from shaving most of my face - tediously I might add - to shaving the whole thing after watching (over and over) the videos; and not only watching them, but paying attention to the nuances. When I learned (half-assed I might add) to shave this way almost half my life ago, the gentleman that taught me basically didn't tell me anything about stretching my face or tightening my skin. So, basically I gave up. Yeah, occasionally I would dig out the razor, shave most of my face and finish it up with a DE (which is a fine alternative). Then, when determined to shave this way for the whole shave, I would switch out the razor (when I was sure it was the razor and not my lack of skills), sometimes using as many as three for each shave. These days, however, I begin with one and finish with the same. Unless, of course, I notice that the razor really is on the side of NOT scary-sharp, at which time I immediately put it down and grab another. I never, ever, strop a razor during mid shave; it should be sharp enough to begin and finish the shave without the additional fuss. My routine has basically became the intended result - No Fusssss.