Thread: Using Non-Dominant Hand

Adama,

Start using your non-dominant hand every opportunity you have: turning the door knob, opening kitchen cabinets, brushing your teeth, opening bottle caps, pouring coffee into a mug, and so on. Use it constantly.
With shaving, you will need extra care, of course. I used my non-dominant hand, the left, for my straight shave from the first day. It was difficult, and I might have given myself a couple tiny nicks, but looking back, I am glad I did. Get the non-dominant hand working from the first day. As my friend Ace suggests, "Start slowly and carefully."

Welcome to SRP and to straight razor shaving. How I learned was by taking a dull straight razor practiced the motions with my left hand while watching TV, surfing the web. I got this from a guy who used to be around SRP whose screen name was DannyWonderful or something like that. Worked like a charm for me. I did go back to shaving with my dominant right hand because , for me, shaving with both wasn't that much better, and I'm quite proficient with the dominant hand for shaving and stretching with the other. Give it a try and see if it works for you.

I have been using my left hand to shave the left side of my face since I started straight shaving. It feels a lot more comfortable to me than using my right hand on the left side of my face.

Adama,
I just could never get comfortable using my non-dominate hand when holding a straight razor. So, I learned to manipulate the blade in my hand while maintaing a consistent angle to my skin. For example, at times a may open the scales so it is even with the spine, then secure the blade in my hand by holding the shank. Another is opening the scales until they touch the spine and hold the razor by the scales and spine.

I found there to be many 'must do's" such as blade angle on the skin, but other times we do things that are comfortable and productive. Good Luck.

Start now learning to use your off-hand. Go slow and stretch your skin always. Later as your technique improves, you'll be glad that you learned both hands. Switching hands for those hard to get spots works wonderful. You'll see as you get better. Remember: go slow!