Woohoo, lost my virginity at 44!
Last week my first straight, a Dovo 6/8 arrived from Canada along with some assorted soaps and a proper shaving mug. Jane and Phil from the Classic Edge even put a piece of candy and a syringe with oil in the package! I've been wet shaving ever since my wife bought me a tub of shaving soap and I was "forced" to source for a proper DE. That was 5 years ago and my collection has steadily grown and includes a menagery of boars, badgers and the like. However, the ultimate test for me would be shaving with a real straight. My son and wife are with grandma this morning so I could finally get around to my first straight shave. It wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. I've been watching every Youtube video I could find to get the technique down and even properly prepared with a hot shower and conditioner. Normally I don't bother because a: the weather is a constant 35 Celcius here and b: even hot water isn't really hot here, unless you boil it. The mug really helped to whip up a nice lather from my Parker Sandalwood soap. I'm pretty disappointed in this soap though because it doesn't smell like sandalwood at all and it doesn't give a smooth "gliding film" like Tabac, which is crucial for a good straight shave. Nevertheless, the lather went on my face and I finished the shave with only one minor nick under my nose. I forgot to mention that I have a moustache and goatee so it required extra care not to shave of too much :). The end result was as smooth as with a DE (unless I really go all out for a BBS) and a LOT better than my first DE shave which ended in a minor blood bath (but that is normal with a virgin...). My neck is much smoother than after a DE shave even with Feather blades. I give the experience 8 out of 10.
