What I have learned in my first 10 shaves with a SR

I have been shaving with a SR since my birthday in mid July and am up to about my 10th shave. I managed to shave all of my face on my third shave, but this was only because I felt comfortable and took my time. I have had a couple of minor nicks, but interestingly the worst one was from a DE on my first shave, not the SR as I am more careful with this. I know there is a wealth of advice from SR veterans on here, but I wanted to put my thoughts up as a newcomer as I thought it might be an interesting perspective, and also I may learn a few things from replies from the more experienced. I am also very happy to be corrected.

1 - Strop slowly and carefully. I think speed will come later, better to concentrate on technique early on.

2 - Keep another form of razor to hand (I have a DE) so you can touch up if you miss a bit.

3 - Do not be in a hurry. Pick a time to shave when you will not be rushed. Shaving with a SR is not a speed test. If you are in a rush shave using other equipment.

4 - It's all about the angles. I have found one of the most important things to observe is the angle of the blade. This is a bit difficult around the chin area, but becomes easier with every shave.

5 - Re-apply lather if it starts to dry out or if you need to go over an area again. I got myself a small nick when I used the SE when it had dried out. Better to apply 5 times than cut yourself.

6 - Slack skin cuts. Keep your skin stretched when shaving as slack skin can drag and catch on the blade. On my first shave I very nearly gave myself a bad cut on the neck when I allowed the skin to slacken. I only avoided it as when I felt the blade snag I stopped dead. Didn't really cut myself doing it but managed to raise a line of blood where it caught.

7 - STOP if you feel any tugging, snagging or something not quite right. Stop fast.

8 - Don't do anything you are not comfortable with.

9 - Using your non dominant hand is scary, but it get easier quite quickly.

10 - Dry hands. After the first couple of shaves I learned to keep my hands and razor dry. this improved things no end, as the razor grip felt far better and much more stable.

I have so far really only shaved with the grain. I have done a partial XTG pass, but struggled a bit with the angles on the neck.

I must say I am really enjoying it. I really enjoy the ritual of it, and the fact I am learning a skill.

Yea, sums much of it up in a nutshell. Lot of different things to come to grips with all at once.

Bob

If you have an alum block try rubbing your finger tips on it. It'll give you a non-slippery grip. Helps a ton for stretching your skin and making sure that razor doesn't slip.

You know I never understood the need for alum. If I grip my skin where I have just shaved it is so dry like a squeegee was used that there is no problem getting a grip.

Bob

For me personally, I love it as a toner directly after my cold water splash. The added grip was just a nice side effect of having it in the den. True, it's not needed though.

Hello Al, and welcome! It sounds like you're off to a good, careful, mindful start. Yes, it's a skill, and it's one you'll enjoy improving for the rest of your life. After some point, your improvements will be almost imperceptibly small, with the occasional new insight or breakthrough. Those moments are really fun, and give you new variables to play with for the subsequent weeks or months until they fade back into your imperceptable progress.

My thoughts to add to your own...

On angles: I use a low angle for my first passes over the easy zones, but increase it to give the edge a better bite at the stouter whisker bases on and around my chin.

Relathering: Yes! In fact, I lather my whole face, do everything but the mustache and between my lower lip and my jawline, directly beneath my mouth. Those last spots are, as on your face, the most difficult one. I do a complete rinse at that point, getting the rest of my face clear of the soap and re-wetting the whiskers before giving them a fresh lathering and the extra attention it takes to shave them away.

Dry hands: Plus or minus. I keep my blade hand from getting slick with soap, but don't work too hard to keep it dry. For stretching traction I use a washcloth between my left hand and my skin. I've also mapped out my shave so that I'm never trying to grip from an area that hasn't been shaved yet.

I very much believe that you're enjoying this. It shows in how carefully you're thinking about it. I'm glad you've discovered the hobby.

Best wishes to you