Advice for beginners wanting to use both hands.

Some guys use just their right (or favored) hand for shaving both sides of their face. I can't figure out how that's done, so I use my left hand for shaving some parts of my right half of my face, and most of the left side of my face.

Just a beginner myself, I mistakenly got a little cocky, started shaving a little too fast with my left hand, and gave myself a half inch long fairly deep slice, that has left a little scar. After that, I almost gave up, and when I did start using my straight again, my left hand would shake, I was so nervous.

My advice: before going all-in with your straight, PRACTICE with your left hand using your current disposable or double edge for a month to gain coordination and confidence with your off hand.

Practice with a butter knife,is nothing more than Eye hand co-ordanation and muscle memory,within a week it will become second nature.

We usually recommend that you try doing everyday activities with your left, like brushing your teeth. It takes awhile to get used to, but it does seem helpful to train yourself to shave with both hands.

Chuck, your advice about practicing w/ your existing methods makes good sense. 'Sorry to hear it was a costly lesson. Many Thx for posting this. 'Hope it helps other new shavers.
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I was forced to learn the hard way - by wiping out 2/3 of the nerves in my dominant hand/arm. I remember being proud when I could eat a meal of Thai food w/ chopstick using my left hand. 'Took about 7 yrs for the hand/arm to come about 85-90% back to normal.

Another suggestion I tell new shavers is about where they focus their attention on the 'feel' of the shave. We're mostly visual now, and if we pay attention to 'feel', its in our hands. But the first sensation of a stroke going well or heading south is on the facial skin. It takes a fairly determined effort to change the concentration on 'feel' to the facial skin - but the payoffs are pretty tangible. I don't make much 'pinklather' anymore.

+1 what Ryan said, before I took a straight to my face I used my non-dominant (left) hand for everything I feasibly could.

Training your other hand ends up more useful than you would think.

I'm a righty and shave my right side right handed, and the left side left handed.

Chuck, I remember being so nervous in the beginning that the perspiration ran off my forehead and temples and left trails through the lather.

It only took a few weeks and all of a sudden I noticed that my left hand was more proficient with the razor than my right. It still is today. I guess it didn't have any bad habits to overcome.

Hang in there, and :gl:

Regards,
Howard :)

All I ever got was what I call cat scratches. Trying something different in the middle of a pass or just making a wrong move. It's easy to do. Sorry to hear about yours Chuck. I have a couple of guys I am helping get into this and I always tell them to concentrate on what your doing and be deliberate in your moves. I am glad you shared your experience. It is a good example of what can happen. Hope the scar goes away :<0).

I "learned" how to shave with the straight by watching youtube vids, and while helpful, the shavers move pretty fast- much faster than beginners should even attempt.

I was in a hurry to go to work, and it was the third day I'd shaved with the straight. The first two days went without incident, and I was thinking this is pretty easy. Shaving under my nose, I was too quick in moving the razor, and basically stabbed myself with the sharp corner. Didn't stop bleeding for hours, even with butterfly closures. Man, was my wife pissed.

Now I switch to my DE when I'm in a hurry, or in the middle of a shave and I'm just am not feeling confident in my technique, or the straight razor pulls a bit on my neck.

i learned my left heand to come along whit the other hand to going write everything wat i normaly do whit te richt hand. In te beginning it looks like handwriting of a 6 years old kid but after a few days it was readable.
So what Ryan said is tru, use your other hand for a while.

I jumped right in with my left hand. But I have had to use it on and off over the years due to occasional injuries to the right arm. The wierd thing for me is my left cheek and jaw are much smoother after shaving than my right side.

I tried my left hand on my second shave and found it easier than i thought it would be. I don't use my left hand for much other than drinking when my right hand is busy. Still is instinct for me to use my right hand for my whole face but i make a point when i reach the middle to switch hands. Odd thing i have found is that certain angles are easier with opposites (right side of face with left hand, etc.) mostly just under the jaw line though.

If you are not ambidextrous at all, or want to build muscle memory while still shaving you could try shaving with a different kind of razor (whatever you were using before you started SR shaving.

As a jr member I watched most videos out there too. And a lot of reading on this forum. However anorher useful tip a got from a barber was to practice on my legs...now, as I'm a roadrace biker this wasn't a problem for me at all. I did get some nicks on the knee and just above the heel but that's better than my face. Plus it's a big surface to practice on.

There are really cheap shavettes out there. If you're realy struggling, get one of those and practice without a blade in. Real (ish) feel with no danger.