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Hello friends,
Sadly I tried today my first shave using my razor but unsuccessfully.
Maybe my techniques are not good. I could barely glide the razor over my face :(
I did not feel very comfortable holding it.
Any tips and suggestions will be greatly appreciate.
The razor I used it s the one in the picture.
Thank you all
Where did you get the razor? Has it been honed by a reputable honer?
Hello Endofab,
An experienced member honed it for me.
I think that probably I'm not doing something right.
Thanks
Most likely your technique then. Make sure you angle is twice the width of the spine against your face. If the angle is too wide you will just abrade your skin. I believe the guys recommend a couple strokes every time you shave to learn the process and razor. In other words don't go whacking at your whole face not knowing how to operate that thing.
I'm continually surprised at how much lighter I can go. When the edge is keen, it shaves! Stretching the skin is something else I have to remember to do. So far I'm getting the best result with a WTG pass followed by more lather and an ATG pass. The most trouble is when I get too heavy, go too fast. go too slow or go too long. Short, light strokes wins the day, and a shallower angle is better than a steeper one. No more than two spine widths seems to work best for me.
Other than that, I found that honing helped me get the feel of the razor, and getting a 2nd good razor with an excellent edge helped me know when I got the first one right. It was something of a necessity for me, since I managed to roll the edge on my first razor on my first attempt at stropping.
I'm new to this myself, & it wasn't until my most recent shave midweek that holding the razor started to feel even vaguely normal. That was my 6th or 7th shave & it's such a good feeling when you realise that you're no longer spending 2 minutes staring at the razor wondering which way the sharp bit should be pointing. Don't expect too much too soon & be prepared to put it down & grab your old razor if you feel you're getting out of your depth, it will come to you & start to make sense.
As others have said, it takes practice and experimenting with which grips work best for the different parts of your face and neck. I'm still at the stage where there are places on my neck and chin where I change grips and hands several times before making a stroke. I put it all down to learning and am in no hurry, it'll come just like any new skill.
As far as the end result is concerned, mine differ on different parts of my face & neck. The "easy" places (flat of cheek e.g) I get a nice smooth shave. The "hard" places I don't get as good a shave but I'm not trying for BBS smoothness there. I'm assuming that since I can get a good shave in places the razor is sharp and the bad spots are just down to technique - which will come.
Take your time and enjoy the journey.
That's the key, right there. If you're out of your comfort zone, then everything you do will be tentative & the tendency to second-guess what you're doing will increase. I only say this because I'm speaking from experience. The first...ohh...ten or so shaves for me were REALLY bad. I was getting BAD razor burn at best, and drawing a lot of blood at worst! I soon figured out that it all boils down to experience...Quote:
Originally Posted by gcappo
It's like learning to drive a stick-shift....really uncomfortable at first, but you gradually get used to it as you go...
Just keep at it & you'll get better!! :)
It took me two full years to master the straight razor. After six months I got my first competent shave. Between then and mastering it I would get mixed results. I think you're expecting too much of yourself. I had a real desire to learn how to use a straight razor so I was willing to gradually let everything evolve.Quote:
Originally Posted by gcappo
YouTube videos were invaluable to me and I watched them hundreds of times. This was the most helpful shaving video for me: Chimensch's Shaving Video - YouTube
What you realize from watching these videos is that you notice something you didn't notice before. With shaving, gradually you will be able to have a different feel for your razor; reach places you couldn't previously reach or could with great difficulty; instinctively go at it with the right angle. It all evolves. It's like with any learning experience. You can't always explain how all of a sudden something you couldn't figure out for a long time comes together.
Hang in there. You can do this!
