Thread: First shave pulled bad! Please help!

Hey guys my name is Chase. Im new here but have always looked over these forums for help. Great place! Ive shaved with a DE razor all my life and just today my SRD (great company by the way) Boker straight razor showed up. Obviously Im pumped. I have about a day and a half growth so i figure my beard is not to long and would be a good place to try out shaving with a straight razor. I do my usual prep dad taught me a long time ago, which is my shower to get everything moist and clean, then my preshave, then lather with brush and so on. But while i was letting my preshave set in I stropped my SRD boker, which was shave ready, i did 20 laps on Webbing and then 40 laps on latigo leather. just a light strop so i thought. my technique is obviously not perfect, but i did concentrate and stropped the way many others have told me too. Now i dont know if that me stopping my already shave ready razor or what it was but it pulled like hell. I guess im looking for advice or if i did mess up the blade how could i tell? how could i fix it? do i really need to send it back to get it re honed? Please help me cause i do love shaving and always have treated it like an art even with a DE razor. Thank you guys so much and any help is appreciated.

Well it would be hard to say if you did anything wrong, besides strop a shave ready razor. That in itself would only have a minor effect if your technique was good. More often than not (and again providing your stropping technique was fine) the razor pulled solely due to your lack of skills with the use of a cut-throat. Angle is important, and the best way I have heard, so far, for a beginner to check angle, is to measure by spine thickness of the razor. The spine should sit 1.5 to 2 spine thickness' off your face as a starting point. You will have to make some slight adjustments, but that will get you started. Others will chime in with more advice on this for you as well.


Mick

3 thoughts come to my mind

Bad technique?
Bad lather?
Razor wasnt at least 90% shave ready?..had a few friends who sent their razors back for re hone

Stop worrying about whether you messed it up by stropping. It doesn't really matter.

Try again tomorrow. Follow mickr's advice about the angle, but start lower than you think you need. Just do the sides of your face and finish with the DE. Strop, and repeat.

If you notice an improvement, then just keep doing that until you start to get a feel for shaving with a straight.

Michael

I would advise you to start the way Lynn suggests in the SRP beginner's guide. Start at the side burn and do a stroke and then put the straight away until tomorrow and finish with your DE. Gradually add to the amount that gets the straight over the next couple of weeks.

Why ? Anyone knows shaving with a straight razor is easy ! I watched the videos and I'm doing exactly what those guys are doing !

It is like a lot of things, looks easy until you're in the middle of it. Take your time. learn to stretch the skin, blade angle in various areas .... not the same throughout ... and angle of attack. Slicing rather than 'chopping' whiskers . Took me a couple of weeks to finally give up the DE and my first week a shave took 45 minutes. Just so you don't feel like the Lone Ranger, these instructions by Torrey razor Co. address the very concerns you've posted about, and they were written a century ago. Anyway .....

Yeah, I gotta say I'm with MickR and JimmyHAD. Angle....and take it slow.

Start at that side burn, put the razor spine against your skin. Then lift the spine about a 1/4" or just less. Start cutting straight down. Stop. Did that feel good? Smooth? Yes....try another patch, with the same technique. No....try another patch with a lower angle (spine closer to skin).

Continue this method, and you'll do just fine. Remember to make a mental log of not only your mistakes, but also your successes.

Learning happens best when it's incremental and not all at once.

Did you try shaving a part of your arm with your razor?
Also, I didn't get a description of what a bad pull is.
If you tried to shave just one or a couple hair, would it pull?

Originally Posted by smalltank

3 thoughts come to my mind

Bad technique?
Bad lather?
Razor wasnt at least 90% shave ready?..had a few friends who sent their razors back for re hone

First. Thank you guys so much. I've read all your help. And you guys chimed in way quicker than I thought. Amazing how helpful everyone is. As far as bad technique honestly I couldn't tell you, but what I did do is keep the strop taught and tried to keep a fluid motion. It wasn't that fast though. As far as my lather I use a preshave by dermilogica. It amazing along with their aftershave balm. I know it's not a normal brand to use but I live by it. My lather is built from a silver tip of a mix of Taylor jermyn st. And sensitive skin. after I let my preshave set, i exfoliate/paint it on. I think you all are right. It's prolly my angle and lack of technique. I did a HHT and it did well but it did kind of pop the hair a little instead of it falling effortlessly. Like I said its prolly just me. But thanks again for all your alls help. also one quick question. Could it be over honed and would it be a good thing to do a few laps on CrOx then strop it, to make it a little softer?

Thanks
Chase

Chase, it won't be over-honed at this point I wouldn't think, and also, stay away from your pastes for now. We are talking about an SRD honed razor here. You won't need pastes at this early stage, if at all (I'm no expert, but I've never bothered with pastes, I can shave just fine without them too).
Work on just getting your shave and stropping techniques right for now. Stropping speed is unimportant at this stage, you need to work slowly until you build muscle memory, while working on correct technique. Keep the whole side of the razor flat on the strop, no pressure, start the turn before you stop the movement and remember to always roll over the spine to flip. Never lift it over the edge.
You've already been given good advice on shave technique, and I personally don't doubt you have reasonable shave prep if you've been a DE shaver for a while. Stay patient, keep practising and you will get there. Cut-throat shaving is a different skill to DE, but one worth the time and effort to learn.


Mick

Originally Posted by MickR

Chase, it won't be over-honed at this point I wouldn't think, and also, stay away from your pastes for now. We are talking about an SRD honed razor here. You won't need pastes at this early stage, if at all (I'm no expert, but I've never bothered with pastes, I can shave just fine without them too).
Work on just getting your shave and stropping techniques right for now. Stropping speed is unimportant at this stage, you need to work slowly until you build muscle memory, while working on correct technique. Keep the whole side of the razor flat on the strop, no pressure, start the turn before you stop the movement and remember to always roll over the spine to flip. Never lift it over the edge.
You've already been given good advice on shave technique, and I personally don't doubt you have reasonable shave prep if you've been a DE shaver for a while. Stay patient, keep practising and you will get there. Cut-throat shaving is a different skill to DE, but one worth the time and effort to learn.


Mick

Mick thanks again. Thought that would be a dumb idea to use CrOx. Haha. Your the man. I will definitely take the time to learn and use your alls advice.

chase