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!