Thread: What have I learned in the last month

Actually, I started straight shaving a little over a month ago, but this title sounded so much more dramatic

Anyway, it has been a fun ride and I have learned a LOT.

I have learned a bit about restoring, repairing, honing, stropping, lathering, and a little about shaving....and that is where I went wrong.

I got a little too fixated on the gear and the care for it. I am up to almost 10 razors now (all but 2 had to have fairly substantial edge repair prior to use) and they all shave well, but I am afraid they shave better than I do.

I know a bit about pulling and stretching, and a bit about the grains of my beard...but not nearly enough! Sometimes I take lots of time to feel the grain through the lather with my fingers during the shave...this helps, but when I am in a hurry (relatively) I just do not get the results I want.

The take away from all this, a chap needs to really study his own face in order to get a decent shave. I feel like I have a pretty good handle on most other aspects of this hobby/way of life (though there is PLENTY to learn still), but I hope to memorize and master the geometry of my OWN FACE in this next month. I am certain that this will unlock the next set of doors...and this step is perhaps better placed as the FIRST for new shavers, but I rarely see it mentioned here. Perhaps everyone has a simple grain that is easy to follow, but not mine...it is all over the place. I may take the time to draw up a map...I have seen this done, and quite honestly, I am not sure why I did not do it sooner.

It is funny really, the solution for a BBS shave for lot of us may be literally staring back at us in the mirror!

Happy shaving, Gents!

The timing of your post could not have been any better! I too feel like i have been spending more time looking up which razors, soap etc i want next then concentrating on getting a great shave out of what i have. I find i have trouble getting along my jaw line and chin, and just this morning i started feeling around to see which way the hair grows there to get at in better on the WTG stroke. So im with Unit, if anyone could point me in a direction to look up info, or could drop in with any advice, count me in on this.

-Tyler

Originally Posted by Tylerman

The timing of your post could not have been any better! I too feel like i have been spending more time looking up which razors, soap etc i want next then concentrating on getting a great shave out of what i have. I find i have trouble getting along my jaw line and chin, and just this morning i started feeling around to see which way the hair grows there to get at in better on the WTG stroke. So im with Unit, if anyone could point me in a direction to look up info, or could drop in with any advice, count me in on this.

-Tyler

Tyler, for me it may be as simple as filling in the sectors with arrows to indicate the grain. Only I can do this as everyone potentially has a unique map for grain.

Once you do this, then it is a slightly simpler endeavor to figure out how to align your strokes best. I have realized that shaving WTG and ATG in some areas simply is not possible for me yet...so I go in opposing XTG passes for now.

I hope this helps you and possibly others?

I read here somewhere 100 shaves and you will be getting pretty good at it, i reckon that is about right. Probably up to 40 myself, you have moments of brilliance, and epic failures too. Watched a few you tube vids, that helped, but everyone has their own style, thats where the 100 shaves comes in, and eventually BBS. Learned so much on here, and it has been a heap of fun.

That diagram should definitely help. i Found my stopping technique was a little off too, i was going too slow, so now that iv started working on that, the razor is performing a little better now.

I know that I heard from people a lot, at the beginning, to just focus on learning how to shave. They actually said to not even think about honing until you've been shaving for about six months. Now I disregarded that to a certain extent and started after just a couple months, but I had about 45-50 shaves under my belt at that point and thought let's try this thing.

That being said, I know the only references I had to studying the face were the facial map, you were supposed to feel your face and map the grain patterns, I believe that is in the Begginer's Guide! I am not sure where I actually got the printable version, but I know that it said to map, probably under the shaving section itself!

Anyway, the information is there if you take the time to read the beginner guide, it's very thorough and helped me a ton when I first started. That was more than a couple months before I decided to even join the site.

Listen to the folks here and ask questions, you will always get great answers and responses. Even sometimes ones you don't agree with, but they will be well thought and accessible.

Yeah, I am sort of an idiot about some things...I honed 2 razors before I ever shaved with a straight...Obviously, I am embellishing a bit because you can not really claim to "hone a razor" if it was unsuccessful...and you can not discuss success without a test shave...but I digress.

That said, I have been drinking from the proverbial fire hose lately, and it has been surprisingly successful, but I am not sure there is any way to shortcut some aspects that must be learned. Unfortunately, I can only shave once a day, so learning will take a while...but anything that is easy, is also not much fun....that is why I feel so sorry for those poor souls dragging disposables across their skin without thought...or worse yet, the guys I see shaving with electrics as they drive to work (wow, that must be invigorating -monotone Ben Stein voice-).

There are totally some cool, "AHA!" moments ahead for you. I can't wait until you get your first true CCS after only 2 passes. Then when you get your first "Passable," shave after only one pass! Those were two way cool moments. I can now go to work comfortable and happy after two passes, and if I am just trying to look decent I can do it in one. I still do three for the wife most days though, and I like the practice!

What I was new to this I also ended up with a number of razors and used a different one very day. I found my technique improved when I made one signficant change in my rotation. I shave every day, and I started using the same razor the entire week. Thus, the same razor gets used from Monday thorugh Sunday, then on Monday I start the week with a different one. My shaving improved dramatically because I got to know the nuances of each blade and how it worked best on my hair and skin.

As an added benefit, my honing also improved. By using the same straight every day for 7 days, I learned to detect subtle changes in the condition of the edge. Now, on Sundays, after I do my 7th shave of the week with the same razor, I do whatever touchup it may need.

Originally Posted by Yochatman

There are totally some cool, "AHA!" moments ahead for you. I can't wait until you get your first true CCS after only 2 passes. Then when you get your first "Passable," shave after only one pass! Those were two way cool moments. I can now go to work comfortable and happy after two passes, and if I am just trying to look decent I can do it in one. I still do three for the wife most days though, and I like the practice!

Funny that you say that, today I was shaving and finished my second pass and put some later on my fingers to do my "feel test". It was a DFS so I stopped after two passes. I have never really checked after one pass, but judging from the darkness in the lather I rinse from the blade on the second pass...I have a way to go

Originally Posted by TheLegalRazor

What I was new to this I also ended up with a number of razors and used a different one very day. I found my technique improved when I made one signficant change in my rotation. I shave every day, and I started using the same razor the entire week. Thus, the same razor gets used from Monday thorugh Sunday, then on Monday I start the week with a different one. My shaving improved dramatically because I got to know the nuances of each blade and how it worked best on my hair and skin.

As an added benefit, my honing also improved. By using the same straight every day for 7 days, I learned to detect subtle changes in the condition of the edge. Now, on Sundays, after I do my 7th shave of the week with the same razor, I do whatever touchup it may need.

Fantastic points. I was considering doing this (not rotating daily) for the exact reasons you mention. I will probably use them 3-4 days then rotate...I just love my razors too much to neglect them for that long