Thread: first shave with a straight

i took the plunge and dove right in i bought a 5/8 'Special Coiffeur’ razor by Thiers-Issard. i made it through the shave and only nicked under my jaw once, thought that was pretty good. when i am shaving though it seems as though it is tugging a bit on the harder to get to areas like the chin and jaw line. i feel as though i am keeping a good angle so i was wondering if it could be the razor wasnt shave ready as it says it is. but like ive read on the forums most of the time when you buy a new razor it is not shave ready. on my second shave i gave it a pretty good stropping with the linen side first and then the leather and it felt better but still tugging a bit on the chin areas. is this just not having enough practice? thank you guys for the help.

p.s.
its true what yall say from the first time you do a straight razor shave you a hooked. i really look forward to my shaves now

Those are the areas that give everyone a problem at first and it is most likely a stretching / angle issue. These take time to get right.

Also I found for me with those tougher areas do to having to make turns and keep the blade in contact with skin I was sub consciously adding pressure at first. Something to keep an eye on.

As to if your blade is truly shave ready or not depends on a couple things. Did you have it honed when you bought it or bought it as already professionally honed as SRD does and some of the other sellers do. Or did you get one with a factory edge.

With that said if your getting a comfortable shave everywhere else other then those spots I would say your shave edge is shave ready.

Congratulations on your first shave and welcome! It sounds like things went pretty well for your first shave. I would say that unless you bought your TI from someone who explicitly says it has been made shave ready that it has the factory edge on it. The TI factory edge is pretty good but not shave ready IMHO so this could be your problem. Also, as Castel33 pointed out, the chin area is hardest to do since you're constantly having to change the angle of the blade and this is hard for beginners and even more experienced shavers.

One of the problems when you're starting is it's hard to tell from a sample size of one whether or not the problem is the razor or your technique. If it's an option, buying an inexpensive second razor that you know has been made shave ready will give you a basis for comparison. Also, having two razors will give you one to use while you're sending the other one out to be honed (assuming you don't acquire the next addiction: honing).

Hope this helps and good luck!

i bought it from vintage blades dont know how reputable they are for honing or if they are machine. thank you for the help though. ill look into one that is has been professionally honed jsut to have something to compare it to

Originally Posted by mbares86

i bought it from vintage blades dont know how reputable they are for honing or if they are machine. thank you for the help though. ill look into one that is has been professionally honed jsut to have something to compare it to

If you bought it from Vintage Blades it should be shave ready.

I've never dealt with Vintage Blades so I can't comment on whether or not their blades are shave ready or not. I can say, however, if this is your first shave I wouldn't worry about the fact that it was tugging on the chin area. If it's your first shave you should really be concentrating on the cheek area and perhaps leaving the more difficult parts to your regular blade, be that a disposable or a DE. Once you are completely comfortable with using the straight on your cheeks then move on to the more difficult parts such as the chin and jawline. Those areas take a lot more skill to shave comfortably.

The most important thing is to take your time, don't rush. Perhaps try a good preshave oil; I find they do make a difference. Maybe your stropping needs work, you may have actually dulled the razor if you stropped wrong. Just a thought.

I've never dealt with Vintage Blades so I can't comment on whether or not their blades are shave ready or not. I can say, however, if this is your first shave I wouldn't worry about the fact that it was tugging on the chin area. If it's your first shave you should really be concentrating on the cheek area and perhaps leaving the more difficult parts to your regular blade, be that a disposable or a DE. Once you are completely comfortable with using the straight on your cheeks then move on to the more difficult parts such as the chin and jawline. Those areas take a lot more skill to shave comfortably.

The most important thing is to take your time, don't rush. Perhaps try a good preshave oil; I find they do make a difference. Maybe your stropping needs work, you may have actually dulled the razor if you stropped wrong. Just a thought.

I'm probably a dozen shaves into my SR life, & my personal inexperience says that the chin is awkward. It didn't feel like it was tugging to me, but the blade just seemed to stop. It didn't dig in or draw blood, I just had trouble getting it moving again from the front to the underneath of the chin. It'll take time experimenting with which hand to use for which part of the chin & what angle/pressure (or lack of) to use. Even now it's still one of my problem areas & I'm only just starting to understand it.

Don't worry if you have to grab your old razor to finish off the awkward areas like chin & upper lip. I fully expect I'll be doing that for a while yet.

Vintage blades has all their blades honed by Lynn. I got my Bismark there. Likely you just need to work on technique. Those areas can be tricky at first anyway. Another possibility is that you rolled your blade when stropping. If you did so Vintage Blades will re hone it for free once.

thanks guys for yalls help. i have a feeling its just technique. thw shaves are getting better.