Thread: first shave was a little harsh..

well, i got my dovo 5/8" best quality from SRD.com yesterday, and since i was sick with a stomach bug, i waited until today to give myself my first shave. i hadn't shaved since sunday, and i have pretty coarse whiskers, so let me begin, and hopefully i'll get some quality answers. started out taking a shower, then proceeded to lather up(doesn't lather too well) my face with my wally world special "premium shave set" from a company named Van Der Hagen enterprises(www.vdhent.com), comes with a boars hair brush, soap, and a cup. i start to strop, using only the leather side, and ofcourse i nick it slightly a few times from when the razor hit the riveted handle and hanging riveted portion....but its all good, no deep gashes, very light pressure, and feeling the edge of the blade with my finger nail, i didn't roll the edge. so i start the shave and im actually a little suprised on the slight harshness i was feeling while doing some parts of my face. another thing is that i found myself holding the razor like its a knife a few times and although this felt more natural to me, i think i was getting a closer shave with the standard/basic grip. my questions are, do you feel the shave's harshness was due to the soap i was using or is this natural until i just get better at it? if its the soap, what's a reasonably priced soap that performs well? something i could buy locally is always a plus(baltimore, md). also, is there a reason the way your supposed to hold the razor, or is it just personal preference? i ask this because is i could get used to the basic grip, but if there is no benefit to it, i wont bother. thanks guys

ps: did i cut myself? damn straight(pun intended)

Hello there,

I would suggest to try different soap, maybe try to get some sample of recommended brands, they you will have chance to compare soap performance. Personally I have HUGE irritation and skin pain when using Omega products but anything else works.
Beginnings are always challenging and I went thru learning curve as well. Please try to adjust pressure and position of the razor towards your skin. Try to make it smaller, like 18 degrees and later progress towards more degrees, like 30. Then you will determinate what is working for you. Also I have question regards"ofcourse i nick it slightly a few times from when the razor hit the riveted handle and hanging riveted portion". I ddin`t get this one. Does your end of razor is damaged?
Regards the way you hold razor, well there are many different ways to hold it. If this one works for you, it is OK.
I`m not sure if you stropped razor before shave but it should come shave ready.

You may have very well rolled or dulled your edge when you hit the riveted portion. I would suggest to keep trying to improve your technique first and take prox advice about trying different angles and such. This alone can make a huge difference. The VDH soap is not horrible but it can take a while to get it to lather. They say if you can get a good lather from VDH you can get a good one from any soap. Try some glycerine in your bowl and get a pre shave oil. All this can signifigantly help. If all this fails then you may want to think about sending it off to see if you damaged the blade.

I learned the hard way that in the beginning find a routine that works and stick with it. If you are changing prep, razor and post shave at the same time, you'll never figure out what the problem is. Find things that work for you and stay with those while you work on technique. There will be plenty of time to try new and different things later.

I would start with shaving cream as it is easier to deal with than soaps (I am very fond of Proraso). Review the videos on making a lather. If you have hard water, you will need to add more product. If during the shave the lather is drying out, add more water. Don't continue the shave with bad lather, fix it first.

As to the smoothness of the shave, that depends on so many variables that it is hard to say at this point. Straight razor shaving requires that you find the correct angle for the blade for every part of your face. It depends on what pass you are on (WTG, XTG or ATG) and your beard growth pattern. The beard on my neck grows toward my ear, when I draw the blade straight down on my neck, I am going XTG not WTG and must adjust the blade angle accordingly. Stropping does not sharpen the razor. It removes soap residue, drys the blade and, I am told, polishes the edge. If it's a hanging strop, keep it stretched out, don't let it slacken. Keep the spine on the strop always. If the strop is slack or you lift the spine, you will dull the edge. Go slow at first when stropping, you'll get faster with practice and it's not a speed contest. As to the shave, take small strokes, about an inch or so long. Think about what you are doing. WTG usually cuts smoothly, XTG requires a change in blade angle, but should not be very hard to cut. The ATG pass is the most difficult. Beginners are advised to just do WTG at first and try the more difficult angles later. Most people don't get a great shave using a straight for the first time. It is okay to use your old razor to clean the shave up until you get the hang of it. And of course, do not use force to cut the beard. If you are meeting resistance, stop and figure out the problem. If you force it, you will get cut and probably end up with razor burn.

Don't rush anything, take your time. Lots of help available at SRP take advantage of it.

i meant nicking the strop, from dragging the blade too far and the spine hit the overlapped leather piece/s that attach the leather strop to the handle of the strop, thus causing an abrupt stop and a slight change of direction......that change of direction caused the edge of the blade to cut into the strop. i was also under the impression that even though the razor comes shave ready, you should always strop before you shave with it. i figured "shave ready" was meant to be taken as it has been honed from a professional, not so much as gauranteed to be stropped too. even if i didnt have to strop, is there such a thing as too much stropping? thanks guys....btw, i've been sharpening my own knives for about 10 years now, i do understand rolling the edge and such, and im not on an elementry level of sharpening(dont take this as sarcastic, im just bad at typing my own words/thoughts,lol)

thanks matloffm

Whitey,
over time you will develop your own personal style of holding your razor that will allow you to shave your face well. everybody is different and i change the way i hold my razor a couple of times in each shave personal comfort and confidence are the goal. nearly everything shaving is subjective.

there is a real chance that you damaged your edge when you tapped the metal hardware, even nicking the strop can damage it ... try 50 or so laps on the linen followed by another 50 on the smooth leather, that may help. SRD sends blades out that have been pre-stropped so the first use you do not need to strop them.

on plain leather there is no "over stropping" that i know of, but honestly, i have never felt the difference between a blade when i have stropped it 100 and when i have stropped it 200 laps. in fact i don't find a change when i do over 50 laps, but i'm a heretic to some.

enjoy,
jim

If you get a razor from a reputable seller, which you did, that is shave ready I would not strop it before the first shave with it. It is just too easy to take the shine off a keen edge when you are new to stropping. Save the stropping for the second shave and if you notice the edge is duller than the first shave you then have an idea that your stropping may be off.

Having experience sharpening knives may give you a leg up when learning to hone your own razors but a straight's edge is much thinner than a knife's edge and far more easily damaged. The two skill sets are similar but different.

You might want to practice raising a good lather with the VDH soap you have until you can get a rich thick lather going. I don't know your technique but you could try taking your water soaked brush, give it a shake or two to get rid of the excess water and start swirling it on the soap to load it. Keep loading it for a minute or two to make sure you have enough soap loaded, then wet you face and apply the soap to it dipping just the tips of your brush occasionally into the water to add more water till you have a nice lather going. I find it easier to raise a good lather on the face rather than in a bowl.

How you hold the razor is an individually developed preference, just use what works for you. More important is the angle of the blade and how much pressure you use on the blade. If you use too much angle and pressure and add thin runny lather to that you will get a harsh uncomfortable shave with razor burn. You could try using short light strokes with the spine of the razor about a spine with gap to the your face and adjust from there.

Have fun experimenting.

Bob

Running it on your finger nail wasn't the best thing you could have done. That is a test used before honing not shaving. You will get better at lathering. If it doesn't work try a new soap or try cream. The biggest thing is the prep. Most people when they start out think its easy and not a big deal. But you stated your beard is coarse.

My advice to anyone new. Is to feel you beard before you take a shower and prep. Which will usually feel pretty sharp and unpleasant. Then feel your beard after you have done some 'prep' on the beard. If it doesn't feel significantly better than before your face is not shave ready. One thing I do. That in haven't seen suggested around here is bringing a towel into the shower and giving your self a few got towels in the shower. It really moistens and softens up my facial hair. Keep at it! And enjoy!