Thread: First straight razor shave

Hi all

I am going to have my first straight razor shave this weekend, I am 32 so a later starter! I have done lots of reading on this website over recent weeks. The last few times I have shaved with my normal razor I have prepared with my new brush, cream etc. so am fine with that part I think. I have bought a Thiers Issard razor which is shave ready, the guys at Introduction to razors did it so it is truly shave ready as opposed to factory shave ready. I need to practice stropping which seems like an art to perfect and will take some time.

Re the shave any last minute tips? The things I am concentrating on are shaving WTG initially keeping the blade 20/30 degree angle and not being heavy handed. I was thinking of maybe then doing a XTG too but that seems a bit ambitious for my first attempt!!

Ian

Lay the blade flat on your cheek, then slightly raise the spine off. That's your bench mark, you will have to play w/ angles to find the most comfortable for you. Go WTG on cheeks and neck, finish w/ your other razor. Don't try the chin and nose yet until you KNOW what no pressure truly is, otherwise you will have a red mustache. Rinse, wipe, rinse, wipe, wipe your blade when done, leave it out while you finish dressing, then put it up to make sure it's completely dry before you store it, otherwise it will tarnish and or rust overnight.

Welcome to the world of Str8 shaving and to this forum. The people here are very informative and friendly, as you have already found out. Your a youngster starting out lol. I'm 60 and started shaving in December of last year. I am just getting my stropping technique down so that I am happy with it. Just start slow, speed is not the issue and concentrate on technique. My last few shaves were very satisfying but it took two months to get very comfortable with it. Now I am starting to learn to shave my "Q ball" head. So far doing pretty well with it and I am only nicking the rear of my neck below the knot. Good luck with your new venture.

Originally Posted by tiddle

Lay the blade flat on your cheek, then slightly raise the spine off. That's your bench mark, you will have to play w/ angles to find the most comfortable for you. Go WTG on cheeks and neck, finish w/ your other razor. Don't try the chin and nose yet until you KNOW what no pressure truly is, otherwise you will have a red mustache. Rinse, wipe, rinse, wipe, wipe your blade when done, leave it out while you finish dressing, then put it up to make sure it's completely dry before you store it, otherwise it will tarnish and or rust overnight.

Thanks a lot for the advice. I was going to go for the whole thing but doing the easier parts while I get used to the pressure (or lack of!) makes a lot of sense. I watched a few tutorials on youtube and all of them shaved downwards from their chin when shaving their throat. When I feel the hair on my throat it seems to grow upwards, so I should shave it that way? When you say 'put it up' do you hang your razor up for a while before storing? Thanks again, I really appreciate it.

Originally Posted by CBrown

Welcome to the world of Str8 shaving and to this forum. The people here are very informative and friendly, as you have already found out. Your a youngster starting out lol. I'm 60 and started shaving in December of last year. I am just getting my stropping technique down so that I am happy with it. Just start slow, speed is not the issue and concentrate on technique. My last few shaves were very satisfying but it took two months to get very comfortable with it. Now I am starting to learn to shave my "Q ball" head. So far doing pretty well with it and I am only nicking the rear of my neck below the knot. Good luck with your new venture.

Thanks for the words of advice, slow and steady wins the race it seems! Thanks again!!

You can do all the reading in the world but in the end it's the actual shave that you need to master.

My advice is 1-realize this is a skill to be mastered and give it plenty of time (meaning weeks and months). 2-don't try and do too much at once. Forget about fancy strokes and difficult areas. Initially just do the sides of your face until you gain facility with the razor and learn how to adjust the angle of the razor on the fly and the pressure too. Then advance to more challenging areas.

Don't worry about getting any kind of decent shave at first. If you maneuver the razor and come away with no nicks and no irritation the first few times you will be ahead of the game.

And remember what Confucius says: begining straight shaver who think he can get great shave the first time he shave be like man who buy 4 wheel drive truck and think he can get out of any situation.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

You can do all the reading in the world but in the end it's the actual shave that you need to master.

My advice is 1-realize this is a skill to be mastered and give it plenty of time (meaning weeks and months). 2-don't try and do too much at once. Forget about fancy strokes and difficult areas. Initially just do the sides of your face until you gain facility with the razor and learn how to adjust the angle of the razor on the fly and the pressure too. Then advance to more challenging areas.

Don't worry about getting any kind of decent shave at first. If you maneuver the razor and come away with no nicks and no irritation the first few times you will be ahead of the game.

And remember what Confucius says: begining straight shaver who think he can get great shave the first time he shave be like man who buy 4 wheel drive truck and think he can get out of any situation.

Ha ha I won't take my new 4 x 4 to the Sahara desert just yet! Thanks for the advice, i am definitely going to take it slow and steady and keep in simple. I know it's going to take time to master it, anything worth doing usually does!!

"And remember what Confucius says: begining straight shaver who think he can get great shave the first time he shave be like man who buy 4 wheel drive truck and think he can get out of any situation."

And I thought that Confucius invented the hybrid?