Thread: First shaves

Last week I received some strops from Tony Miller, a DVD from Lynn Abrams, and a Friedmann & Lauterjung Electric 6/8 half hollow shoulderless razor from Joe Chandler. Saturday afternoon, after watching the DVD I headed to the bathroom for my first attempt at straight-razor shaving. My plan was to only shave my right sideburn and cheek with the straight, and over the next week or so slowly add new places. So there I was, face lathered, razor in hand, staring at the mirror. I used my left hand to stretch the skin on the right side of my face, brought the razor up, looked in the mirror and couldn't see a thing. No matter what angle I tried either the razor or my hand was blocking my view and I didn't want to start out by shaving my sideburn crooked nor too high, or worse by slicing my ear. Somehow I finally found a way to see and commenced shaving. Things went surprisingly well. Well enough that once I finished the right side I decided to keep going with the straight. I switch hands, nicked my left ear while trying to line up with razor, paused to put some styptic on, and continued. I ended up doing one pass on my whole face. It was more like 7/8 of a pass because there were some spots I missed, but it was Saturday and the first time so I just left everything rather than destroying my face. The only noticeable spot I missed was right under my nose. I just couldn't figure out how to get at it. The hardest spots for me were my sideburn due to vision and under my nose. For my first shave I was happy. Sunday I was dying to shave again for no reason other than to shave, but decided it was best to let the razor and my face rest. This morning I got up early and went for shave number two. It was better than the first, although I still had problems under my nose. This is great. It reminded me of when I was 12 or so and wanted to shave my peach fuzz with my grandpa's DE razor and he told me not to, because soon enough I'd have to shave and wouldn't want to. Well he was right for a time, but for the first time since then I want to shave. I'm not sure I can wait a couple days between shaves to let my razor rest--I'm going to have to get another razor. Maybe the next one will be smaller and that will make under my nose easier. Thanks to everyone here.

B0000urns,

To avoid blocking your vision while shaving the sideburns, try reaching over your head with your free hand and pulling up from the area next to your ear. To shave the left side, hold the razor in your left hand and reach over your head with your right to stretch the skin. (This assumes you're learning to shave with both hands, which isn't hard to do and will help you later on.)

Under the nose is tricky. You can try to do diagonal strokes, which works for me because my mustache is pretty light. Or you can start with the spine at a 90-degree angle from your face, directly under your nose, and gently rotate the edge downward in a scooping motion. It's really easy to cut yourself doing this, so be extra careful.

Chris Moss's document, The Art of the Straight Razor Shave, available in the Help Files section of this site, gives photos of these techniques. Study the shots to figure out the best hand positions.

Good luck,
Josh

Making a surprised look, and rolling your lip over your top teeth will also open up the area below your nose. Don't worry about pushing the flat of the blade up against the underside of your nose either -- it'll help you get closer in to make a good cut while easing the angle slightly too.

Good Start b0000urns. Try using both hands on those sideburns for better vision.

When I discover missed spots a half hour after the shave or so I just go at the spot dry with another razor and seldom experience any rash from it. I'm sure I go gentle though.

X

Good job b000urns! I had a lot of trouble under the nose too. I just kept working at it carefully. Eventually you get better at putting the blade just where you want it. At that point its less scary to get in there and do the job. Keep at it and be patient.

Jordan

Thanks for the tips. This morning was another improvement. The problem with my sideburns is that currently they end right at eye level so my hand that is holding the razor is what blocks my vision. Slowly I'll figure out what angle my head has to be at and how best to hold the razor. The better news is by following the advice here I was able to shave under my nose. I used a mix of diagonal and across strokes and starting with the blade at a very steep angle right under my nose. I'm still not getting to BBS (nor am I really trying), but I've now gone from shaving once every week or so to shaving every other day (and would shave every day if I had a second razor) so it's a huge improvement. The people at my office who don't know I have a new razor probably think I'm interviewing.

b0000urns,

If you feel up to trying to learn to shave with both hands (I couldn't tell from your post whether you were) you can use your right hand to shave your right sideburn and your left hand to shave your left one.

If you turn your head slightly to present your cheek to the mirror, you should be able to see what you're doing pretty well. Your shaving hand won't come in between your eyes and the mirror.

Shaving with both hands isn't hard in my experience, and I think the benefits are worth the learning curve.

Good luck,
Josh

I have been using both hands. I don't find it much harder learning with my non-dominant hand, as this skill is new for both of my hands. Maybe I'll just start leaving my sideburns crooked.
Thanks,
Ryan