First Shave a Disaster, But i won't give up that easy!

Hi everyone

I felt compelled to post and talk about my recent experience with a straight razor shave.

It wasn't the best experience, and i put it all down to ignorance on my part and not doing enough homework. And... also believing that a freshly purchased Dovo SR was "Shave Ready" !! Big Mistake....

Anyhow, i have not let the razor burn i have right now put me off!

I have purchased a nice new Dovo SR, Brush and cream.
Just waiting for my Strop to be delivered in the mail.

I am going to be looking for a hone this weekend and try my hand at honing and then Stropping my new blade, and then will give it another try!

I'm pretty determined to get it right ;)



thanks for all the information here on this sight! It is priceless when starting out!

Man, send it off to be honed. You'll just make the edge worse in all likelihood. Ask me how I know :-D

Then you'll have a properly shaving razor to work with and you can learn to touch it up first.

You'll be better off, I promise.

There is a lot to read, but I would hunt the many tips for beginners. It might be a good idea for you to send your razor to a reputable honer as well...at least until you get the shaving/stropping technique set.

It's like the story of the tortoise and the hare, only with more blood and pain...slow and steady will get you where you want to go faster.

+1 to the advice above from ryanjewell and maddafinga,

*Please* learn from my mistake and get the thing honed by a pro right away.

If you hone it yourself at this stage and the next shave goes just as badly, will it be because of your technique or the edge on the razor? If you get it honed properly, you can eliminate that variable. Honers don't charge all that much, and it will make a huge difference.

As for my mistake - I didn't get my razor honed properly for a long, long time. And when I did the results were like night and day. The classifieds here are a great place to start looking for a honer:

Member Services - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

BTW, I'm not a pro and so you won't be sending it to me, so I don't say this for personal gain, but in the hope it will save you some grief.

Good luck, and hang in there. It will be worth it!

Don't feel bad about the first being a disaster. You've a lot to learn. It is NOT rocket science. When you feel like things aren't working just right, remember that your grand father probably went through the same stuff learning the ropes with a straight.

Heck, I just had a disaster of a shave. I went through FOUR razors before I got one I liked. I was testing to see how much my honing has improved in the last few months. Judging by the first three razors I tried, my honing has improved a BUNCH as the first three were honed when I was learning and I just THOUGHT they were sharp.

Listen to the lads above. Send your razor to a pro to get it honed. Then you'll know what a shave ready razor feels like on your face. ;)

Welcome to SRP.

Shave long and prosper. :p
Willie

Reminds me of a sign my barber used to have posted:

Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not. Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not. The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

Believe me, it does get better with a properly honed razor! I'm glad to hear that you're not giving up!!!