Using Non-Dominant Hand

Good morning, gentlemen. I'm a newbie both to SRP and to straight razor shaving. Earlier this week, I received my Whipped Dog Razor and Poor Man's Strop Kit. The razor is a real beauty. I'll post pictures later. Anyway, last night, I took my first attempt at using the straight. I only did my jaw line and some of my cheek on the right side of my face. I'm right handed. I think I did okay. I had no cuts, weepers, or irritation. Just with the one pass, I reduced my beard more than I would have with one pass of a DE razor. I finished the rest of my shave with one of my DE razors.

After I get a little more used to using the straight, I want to tackle the left side of my face using my non-dominant hand, possibly in a few days. Does anyone have any tips for this? What's a good way to get used to holding the razor in my non-dominant hand? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

i just kinda pass it over palms up into the same 2 tang 1 tail hold. You can try just holding the razor and mock shaving in the mirror to bring the comfort up some. Straights are a lot of fun on the cheeks. What used to take a few lines is gone in one big swoop. even after months I am still sometimes impressed by it doing that.

It takes time to get comfortable with this. Start slowly and carefully.

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. :gl:

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.

Do your dominant hand in your pocket or hold him on your back. And start do anything whit your nondominant hand a couple day's or so. You sall see your getting handy whit that hand..
Enyoy

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'll try using my non-dominant hand more often to start conditioning it to straight shave. I know I'm looking forward to my shave this evening. Then again, I look forward to every shave.

It sounds like you're still going to be using your DE, at least some of the time, until you become proficient
with the str8.

Do you use your "off" hand when you shave with the DE? If not, you might try doing that...just to let your
left hand know that it has a new job description.

Shave whichever way you feel most comfortable. If you feel best using the same hand for most of both sides of your face, than do that. Each persons dexterity differs. Just enjoy the trip.

Being left handed made it easy since we live in a right handed world and most southpaws already use the right hand to do many things however the best way to gain facility with your right hand and it's what I did is practice writing with it, printing that is. Using the off hand for opening doors and the like is nice but won't give you the fine motor control you need for shaving. Writing will do that. it's not easy and you really have to try hard.

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!

For me when learning the tough spots on my neck. Which are not perfect I must admit. But I would take the razor and run the spine over my skin as if it were the blade and I was shaving. Just be mindful of the location of the edge and for me it helps.

I'm as right dominant as anyone can be, and I found using the razor with my left hand easy to start with. As I continued, it became quite natural.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ace

I'm as right dominant as anyone can be, and I found using the razor with my left hand easy to start with. As I continued, it became quite natural.

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Pretty much the same here. It feels a bit awkward at first, but it will feel natural in a short amount of time.

Like everyone has stated, TAKE YOUR TIME! ENJOY the trip. :)

I just started shaving with a SR as well and I have been having a lot of trouble shaving with my non-dominate hand. I really feel like I "should" be using my non-dominant hand but I have gotten quite good at using the same hand to do my whole face. Does anyone think this is a bad idea or if it works go for it?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ShaveLikeAFish

I just started shaving with a SR as well and I have been having a lot of trouble shaving with my non-dominate hand. I really feel like I "should" be using my non-dominant hand

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Don't feel pressured by any "shoulds." When I first started shaving with a straight, the idea of learning to use my non dominant hand appealed to me because it helped me to see what I was doing in the mirror. That gave me motivation to develop those skills. If you don't feel any particular motivation to develop your non dominant hand, then don't worry about it. I encourage you to give it a try, because you might just discover "Oh, hey! This is a good thing!" But if you find yourself wondering what the point of using your non dominant hand is, then set that task aside.

We're taking what many guys find to be a monotonous drudge and turning it into a rewarding pastime we look forward to every single day. It isn't a bathroom anymore; it's our shave den. Ain't no "shoulds" that belong in there; just a whole lot of enjoyment!
Namaste,
Morty -_-

Well I had an eye opener a couple weeks ago. Got a nice cut on my off hand. It was tough to shave the left side of my face with my right hand lol. It made me realize that with the things I enjoy doing, I would be best to not just use both hands to shave, but to learn one handed shaving with both hands before I am stuck doing it on the fly.

Well, I tried my off hand yesterday evening and did okay. It felt weird shaving with my left hand but I'm sure I can get used to it. I went very slowly and carefully. I was lucky enough not to get a nick or any irritation. I plan on just shaving my jaw and cheeks for another week that way I can get more comfortable with it. Then I plan on moving on to the rest of my face.