Thread: Left Hand?

One thing that might help is to concentrate on controlling the stroke with your arm, as opposed to your wrist. The tendency is often to try to control the blade with wrist action, which is much less controllable than keeping you wrist relatively ridged and moving the blade with your arm (mostly forearm). Emphasize short strokes, especially with the non-dominant hand. I've taught a lot of friends to shave with a straight, and few, if any, couldn't eventually get comfortable with 2 hands. At some point, muscle memory kicks in and it becomes natural. Just think of all of the other things a right handed person does naturally with his left hand, from picking his nose to catching a baseball to working the fretboard on a guitar. This list goes on. Keep at it. I think its worth it in the end.

I'm a lefty & from the start I've been doing the both hands thing. It took me about 8 shaves before it actually started to feel normal holding the straight in either hand. Wierdly it was my right hand that felt more natural from the get go, & my left hand was shaky as hell (I had the cuts to prove it). Especially wierd consdering that I use my old Gillette Mach 3 with my left hand.

The experience straight users in here aren't exaggerating when they say it's a long learning curve. I've been using a straight since early-mid December & I'm so far away from being competent. I still have to use the mach 3 to finish off, & I can't do ATG/XTG yet. My problem is nerves. I'm getting comfortable doing WTG & that's going well, but as soon as I try something a little bit new or different I get the shakes - maybe I should lay off the coffee.

Lefty here also. I only use my left hand. I wouldnt even entertain trying with my right... it has a mind of its own!!!!

I've only been using a straight for 2 weeks, shaving daily.

I tried a full shave using my right (dominant) hand which was ok. I then bit the bullet and gave the left hand a go.

I'm getting on ok with it and haven't nicked myself yet, with the left hand anyway!

The dexterity in my left hand isn't as good as the right but I feel a little better about it each day.

Good luck!

I too forced myself to learn to use my left hand. I'm not as proficient as my right for sure and where I REALLY notice the disparity is when I'm going against the grain upward. I'm MUCH better than when I first started tho. Just keep at it - it will come...

I did discover something yesterday on probably my best shave so far. I've been trying to stick religiously to left hand for lhs of my face & right had for rhs to train myself to do it properly, but I've been having serious problems trying to find a comfortable angle doing my chin & the blade just seems to stop as I'm trying to go round to the underneath of my chin. Tried it the other way round & used my left hand for the right hand side of my chin, & vice versa & found that to be so much easier. Still not perfect, but it's the first time I've not been left with chin strap for my Mach 3 to deal with. You learn something new every time. One day I'll risk ATG/XTG again.