Thread: 1st one is in the bag... Wow, pretty exhilirating!

I've been DE shaving for the past 2 months and finally decided to take the leap. I can't believe I waited so late into my adulthood to try a straight shave! Incredible!
I never had a problem with sensitive skin, in-growns, and things like that... so the Mach 3 was always a no-brainer. If it's not broken, why fix it? Then a buddy at work introduced me, and some other coworkers, to the world of wet shaving. He proclaimed the virtues of wet shaving... you know, slow down, enjoy the process... stop and smell the roses kind of stuff. Initailly I balked. LIke I said, my Mach 3 did a fine job, and being rather miserly, I could go weeks on one cartridge. But with nothing but time on my hands and a little curiosity, I jumped in. Bought a 34C, a jar of Proraso pre/post a cheap no-name badger brush and a tube of Trumpers Sandalwood.
It opened my eyes... I got it. Take some time, relax, enjoy the process. Appreciate the materials and the craftmanship of tools... and of course enjoy a super-close shave.
So here we are right now. Tonight. 2 hours ago a package came in the mail and contained some creams, soaps, aftershave lotions and my newest weapon of choice, and Sham-honed, Dovo Special 6/8 in tortoise.
I needed to workout first. So I spent some time on the treadmill thinking about what products I wanted to use and how I was going to go about doing my first straight shave. Like a mantra, in my head, over and over, "stretch the skin, pay attention to the angle, take it slow....".
I also decided to buck the conventional wisdom. Like an earlier poster said " I read all the advice and promptly ignored it." I was going to do this start to finish, no matter what.
After the shower, I immediately applied some Proraso pre/post and let that sink in. Played some Miles Davis on Itunes, and began laying out my other gear. I stropped the blade for 20 laps on a 2-inch wide, black veg tanned belt (yikes!). My Vulfix brush was soaking since before I got in the shower, so I shook her out several times and prepared the soap. Using a brand new stick of La Toja, I swirled the brush about the stick, and then when properly coated, dropped 3 drops of Trumpers Sandalwood Skinfood right into the middle of the up-turned brush. After a minute of vigorous swirling, a crazy lather exploded in my Japanese wooden rice bowl. I applied the lather, looked my self in the mirror, and very cheesily said aloud, "here we go".
Not gonna lie, it was easy. And what a rush! WTG and then ATG, and I ended up with just as good a shave as I was getting with my 34C and Feather blades. Finished with the Proraso pre/post, some Floid Suave, and some DR Harris Arlington Cologne. The only issues was a mole on my non-dominant side cheek that has a little stubble left near it, which I didn't notice while I was still at the sink. Otherwise, I shaved myself ridiculously well - no blood, no burn. Took just over 25 minutes start to finish. I must say, this was a great experience and I can't wait to do it again tomorrow!
Thanks for all the kind advice that is offered up here everyday, and the fellowship that make this forum a joy to visit.

Congratulations!!!

You seem to be a natural talent, well done!

Congratulations!

When a group of us (7-10) where getting together to learn RC Helicopters there would be one guy that would come in late in the year and start flying like a pro in very short time. What took a year to learn this guy learned in a few month.

We stood there amazed! Scratching our heads. You seem to be one of those guys with a natural ability.

Congrats! Double O

Great start


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Nice job! It's a real eye opener for sure

wow, you talk as though this is not the first time around lol....congrats man...traditional wet shaving is soooo much better than the old mach 3 routine....God I hated that. oh, welcome to SRP. The greatest shaving forum IMHO. enjoy

auto, it seems you are a natural.
You have the right mentality, you're made for this special lifestyle.
Im 25 and i started wet shaving a little over 6 months ago, still learning. I dont cut myself anymore, got over that hump in about a month - not as impressive as your 'instantly' haha

well done!

Thanks for the great feedback... I will admit, I am not so naive to think that my subsequent shaves will go so well.
I would say that with the DE shaving, until I really focused on my prep, lathers, and technique, I would schwack myself maybe every third shave.
With the straight, I found myself really respecting the edge, and being very methodical. It should go without saying that having a blade honed by a master, I would imagine, goes a long way.
Tonight will be the same drill, but slightly modified with different products. Gonna start with the Poraso pre/post, Tabac stick, and Tabac AS.
What I am going to look forward to the most is the "new to me" Tabac. When I was a kid, snooping through my Pop's shaving gear, I found -a now- iconic bottle of Tabac. Not sure if he used it then, as the scent didn't transport me back to that time, but I like the idea of trans-generational/heirloom product usage in a modern world. I still use my Grandpa's hankies/bandanas. And until is was stolen, I carried with me everywhere my Dad's lawschool briefcase. Both of my cars are over 13 years old, and I have no plan to ever, ever, ever sell them.

Sometimes, you just have to jump in with both feet. Good for you!

Ed