A couple of shaves in, need less obstructive arms!

Hi guys, 2 shaves in and really enjoying it, hardest part for me so far is..

Seeing myself in the mirror!

i find it hard to see where the razors going, with one arm up stretching the skin and the other one donning the razor im finding it very hard to see whats going on, im worried im gona knick my ear, been watching alot of videos to see other peoples technique for seeing there selves, im really turning my head and getting into all sorts of silly positions.

My razor came honed and it doesnt pass the HHT, but it seems to shave well with no pulling, im finding it very very hard to actually take hair off the left side of my face using my left hand (im right handed) my right side is fine, i gather this is just my angle of attack and will come with time, but right now im finding hard to see my angle due to my face obstructed in the mirror with arms and legs :D

Practice, practice, practice! You just have to play around to find the best POV's. Don't be afraid to move the scales around as you need to, that's why they are able to pivot, not just for closing and storage. With my ear I take my opposite hand come over my head, take my index and middle finger to pull up, and my ring and pinky on top of my ear lobe and push back to get it out of the way ( I have sideburns), basically make the "live long and prosper sign...it sounds weird, but it works! Also when I do this, I pivot the scales so they are almost horizontal, then I pivot them back to the "traditional grip" as I go or as needed.

Cheers Tiddle, im always looking forward to the "next go"

That's the spirit! :beer1:

Viva, bravo on a really fine start. Mine was much more colorful.
We're generally so visually oriented that we lose confidence when we don't have eye contact. The visual is nice, but the 'feel' on the face is the first feedback that things are going well or heading south. As you get more shaves in the bag, notice how the edge feels when cutting well or otherwise. Can you feel the point without risking a nick? Getting familiar w/ this feel will let you relax about whether or not you can see everything. It'll just feel right or it won't.
Keep going. It gets even better.

Thanks for the encouragement, sweet name btw :D

I also have noticed the limbs getting in the way. Especially when I am going ATG on my offhand side. I dont worry about my face as much as snipping off the odd ear :)
Have fun!

Just need to practice and experiment. For me I struggled with some of the same things then with practice and experiment I figured out the best way for me to do it almost without realizing it. Keep at it!

I don't think my razor passed the HHT when I first got mine but as long as it shaves well it doesn't need to. As long as it is cutting without pulling with your dominant hand it is sharp enough. Your opposite hand will catch up as long as you keep practicing!

Good luck!

I think most people have these sort of problems when they start, I know I did. What angle, what pressure? Why can't I see that sharp blade I'm waving around nervously near my earlobe? Where's that red stuff coming from this time?

I'm 3 months in & I'm finding that there are now times when even if you can't see properly you can feel it. Using your other hand also gets easier & you'll naturally start experimenting with what hand you use for what part of your mush. It's not set in stone that left hande=left side of face, it's just a beginners guide that I found worked for cheeks, sideburns & jawline, but once you get to the front awkward bits just find whatever allows you freedom of sight & movement.

I found the whole thing started to make sense about a month & a half in.

Good pruning.

I found this in an old shaving book. To shave your left check with your dominant hand (assumes right handed) angle the blade so the toe is up and the heel down. This takes the right arm out of the line of sight. I use this technique. Try it, see if you like it.

I will try this tonight and report back.
I don't realy need a shave (every other day will do) but I will take any excuse I can get to have one :idea:

What part of the face is the toughest for you Vivasanti? If it happens to be the WTG from the base of the sideburn, My suggestion is to use the opposite hand to the side you need to work on. What I do, and it works well for me, is to 'rest' my hand on my brow, this way I'm looking under my hand and I can see where to position the blade for the start of the stroke. I shave down about an inch before the vision is blocked. From this point I switch to same hand same side and find that there is little, if any, visual impairment. I continue the shave as per normal. I have no other problems with vsion, that I can recall off hand, for any other part of the shave.
I should also say, that I have no problems shaving by feel either. I can go without using a mirror, but I prefer to use one all the same. I like to make sure I haven't missed anything.


Mick

Quote:

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Originally Posted by matloffm

I found this in an old shaving book. To shave your left check with your dominant hand (assumes right handed) angle the blade so the toe is up and the heel down. This takes the right arm out of the line of sight. I use this technique. Try it, see if you like it.

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Have to say not getting it, just does not feel right.
I also did not get as close a shave that side as I am used to.
For whatever reason I have always got a closer shave with my non dominant hand?
I am still working at figuring that out, pressure angle and so forth.
I will have to try what MickR mentioned.
The top of the side burn seems to be my only blind spot; I do not worry about cutting myself but lining
things up and keeping the edge of the side burns straight.

Like the avatar, i hope that means we have another kiwi

Sup guys - Hey Grazor, yup NZ :D

thanks for the replies team, after a more shaves im getting used to it, pretty much moving my hands here and there, what im learning is, you just have to do what works for you :)

getting some great shaves, neck has caused some problems for me, to be honest ive been rubbing the lather away on my neck (its still very very slick and lubricated) so i can see what im doing and attacking with small strokes - no burn yet.

Mapping the direction of hair growth will help, especially as the neck, for most blokes, is where the hair growth turns into a bit of mad mans hairstyle. Learn the direction of travel for each small section and attack it the best you can. You don't have to be BBS everywhere. DFS is quite acceptabe too.


Mick

"right now im finding hard to see my angle due to my face obstructed in the mirror with arms and legs."

If your legs are getting in the way, what is it you are trying to shave? If it's what I think it is, I would avoid going against the grain. And if you hear something hit the floor, stop!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ace

"right now im finding hard to see my angle due to my face obstructed in the mirror with arms and legs."

If your legs are getting in the way, what is it you are trying to shave? If it's what I think it is, I would avoid going against the grain. And if you hear something hit the floor, stop!

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Be too late by then. You may as well keep going and make sure the shave is an exceptional one to make up for your loss :).


Mick

I haven't received my straight in the mail yet, but I've been practicing in the mirror my technique for how I'm going to shave. Lol!

You'll get used to it, man. I've been watching YouTube vids. Watch like geofatboy then click some random video and watch an obvious noob do it. You'll see what you're doing wrong then.

I feel pretty confident about doing it when I finally get mine in.

Best of luck man,
Chris

pretty sure that Geofatboys skin is leather :D

Maybe this picture will help.

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