Thread: First Straight Shave

OK, the good points:
I avoided major blood loss

Bad Points:
My face looks and feels like it has been through a mincer

I received my razor yesterday, and it was sharp and had been honed. Tried HHT, but didnt really know what I was doing. Waved hair around and at blade, nothing happened.
Stropped blade 20 times, nice and slow.
Warmed up face with hot towel. (I had just showered)
Lathered up brush
Washed face with hot water. Applied lather.
Commenced shave, righ side cheek with the grain. Not too bad. Started on neck. Made complete mess of it and now have burn.
Attempted left cheek, again not too bad. Managed to shave neck without burn or blood loss.
Came to chin - didnt know how to start. Every way felt as if the blade was snagging.
Looked in the mirror and scared myself to death - looked like a scene from 'Chainsaw Massacre'

Took out Mach3 razor and shaved again. I always shave against the grain and it gives me a really close shave. I have never suffered from ingrowing hairs or razor burn.

When the trauma has died down, I will have another go - hopefully Lynns DVD will be here by then

My first few shaves were similar to yours. Be patient and keep at it. It takes a little time to get a feel for wielding the razor. Your skin will also have to adjust to the process. The DVD should give you a good place to start on the chin. Enjoy!

Jordan

I just finished my second straight shave yesterday (which hurt more than the first so yeah, I know what you feel )

I'm confident it's just a passing thing though


At least my shaves have been somewhat presentable (though I really have to be able to shave against the grain to get a decent one, was that way with my M3 as well). I do know that I only shave in the evening to counter any possible OMG it runs like a fountain!!! bleeding scenarios that cause me to lose time/get late to work.

Anyway, good luck.

Originally Posted by harold

I really have to be able to shave against the grain to get a decent one, was that way with my M3 as well

Thats how it is with me. I have always shaved against the grain (didnt know any better plus it gave me a real close shave)

I seem to have trouble getting the grip right on the razor when shaving 'uphill' - it looks like I'm swordfighting the invisible man

Download Lynn's shaving video from the help-files. It will help a lot with the technique.

I've been looking for a place to buy his dvd, but I scoured his website and couldn't find anything.

Anybody can tell me where I can get his dvd?

I just pm'd him direct, and paid via Paypal. Remember that the shipping is a little more to Europe.

ok, I did that as well. Why didn't I think of PMing him

I gave myself a fairly bad razor burn my first time out as well, though I think that was the result of a not-sharp-enough razor and using extra pressure to get that razor to cut hair. My face was quite red thereafter.

I'm assuming that you bought a shave-ready razor, and that you stropped carefully enough that you didn't roll an edge (I've been doing this a while, and I still manage to nick the strop every once and a while, usually putting the razor down on it for the first time). If that's the case, then you were probably too "aggressive". Remember to pull the skin tight and to use a very light touch.

As far as shaving against the grain goes, with my right hand, I'm dexterous (no pun intended) enough to turn my hand and hold the razor in the normal way while shaving against the grain. Wtih the left hand, I have to hold the razor "backwards" (spine down, edge up, with the scales going down the palm of my hand rather than out between my second and middle fingers) in order to shave against the grain. I usually don't bother, unless I want a particularly close shave, like I did this morning. I may speak heresy, but for the normal work-a-day world, I will only make one (with grain) or two (with and accross) passes.

I use my righthand for everything, tried with the left and I'm so clumsy with it I was afraid I was going to cut off my nose.