7 month milestone

Just a word of encouragement to the other "new" straight shavers out there.

I am now on my 7th month of dedicated straight razor shaving. I've not used an electric or disposable for that long. All shaves, stropping, etc have been daily with my straight razor(s).

Only now am I seeing true noticeable improvements in my shaving techniques to where I can get a very close shave without any weepers or cuts. Now, saying this... I have had many, many shaves with no blood but I am now seeing truly close shaves on a daily basis rather than just once in a while.

I am also noticing a much sharper blade after stropping. I can maintain a blade for quite a while and keep it sharp using just a leather strop. I used to need a pasted strop to bring it up to sharp before, but I am not seeing the need for this any longer.

Why am I posting this... Because after daily usage (and 7 months) I am seeing myself start to show signs of really "getting it" and having A-HA moments. I suppose some people pick up much quicker than I did, but I thought that some people may wonder how long it will take to see measured improvement in their daily routine. Mine was 7 months of day-to-day use. What did I learn?

Improved shaving techniques
Proper lathering
Stropping technique
Shaving prep
After shave care

Here's to all of the other learning people and words of encouragement to keep you on your learning path and hopes to accumulate knowledge faster than I did.

Cheers!

Thanks for the words of encouragement. It's good to know what I have to look forward to, and even though our learning curves may not be identical at least I have an idea. Thanks again.

I love seeing threads like this. I'm about 3 months in so far, and over my past few shaves, I've noticed some huge improvement. Every day it seems like I notice another way to go about shaving that makes it all the better. Can't wait to see where I'm at in another 4 months! Thanks much!

I also love to see threads like this, it helps me to remember that I need to avoid feeling frustrated as I learn. It's tempting to think "Hey people were doing this a long time ago, and everyone could, I should totally be able to master this in a week or so."
The fact that it is a learned skill rather than a grab and dash makes it something to appreciate, and is the reason I was interested to begin with.
The fact that I'm not the only one who is still learning, and that everyone has bad shaves helps me avoid feeling I can't possibly learn this.

I thought I would learn this much faster myself, but without someone there "in person" to show me how to do it, you are left to view videos and read articles, but for me this is not my preferred way to learn. I like personal interaction and actually see someone do it.

So - I understand how it can be frustrating and discouraging too. The good news is, that it does happen and you can learn from asking people through forums like this and reading loads of information. At the end of the day, practice is what makes you better. Do it - observe your actions and continue to PRACTICE.

EVentually you will see what works and hone it to perfection (no pun intended!) :D