Thread: Questions from an idiot

Originally Posted by mike-s

This could be a new thread, but I was also wondering about facial features. I am a pretty tall & skinny guy, and I have a kind of lean face with lots of angles. My skin is pretty sensitive too. Could that affect the type of razor I should have? It seems the shaving experience is very different for people with heavier faces or people with just plain more meat on them from a couple of videos I've seen. One guy in particular I saw on YouTube was really pressing the razor into the side of his face and the shave looked great. If I tried that I'd have no cheek left!

I've never heard a correlation between BMI and razor type, usually the discussions are about possible correlations between beard type and razor grind and size. But you're right that people with more rounded faces probably can get away with more pressure than guys with bony angular faces. It's probably also the case that they probably need to use more pressure as well to make their skin conform to the edge of the razor if they want to shave more than a 1/2" stripe at a time, especially if they're using a razor with a smiling edge.

I'm pretty sure I know the video you're talking about, it's the one with the mediterranean-looking guy shaving with the TI Pierre Theirs razor. He does seem to use a lot of pressure, though that's because his razor isn't terribly sharp (he mentions in the comments that it was due for a refresh at the time he made the video), and also because his heavy beard is just tough to shave. He's also pretty heavy so it wouldn't take much pressure to distort his face like that. I've got a heavy beard as well and my face distorts some (though not as much as that guy) even if I'm not using any pressure - even with something as sharp as a Feather. The particular razor this guy in the video is using usually has a smiling edge and he's got a pretty round face so he may use more pressure than you would just to shave a decent swathe of skin.

OH, thinking of it let me run this past all y'all:

I said even after 3 passes, I don't get really close. Thinking about this for a while I have discovered that this is the case primarily along my jawline. The hairs tend to grow back toward my ears (horizontally). When I've stretched the skin I stretch back toward the ears and I've tested this only to find that those hairs "disappear". If I were to stretch toward the chin, those hairs stand up. I wonder if I did an ATG while stretching my skin toward the chin if I wouldn't get that cleaned up.

Also, I've been thinking more about my stropping/honing. I spent some time on the phone and PMing with Lynn. He's been a great help and I can now get a good edge of the Norton following his advice. So, I do believe it's my stropping technique that's the problem and from the advice here, I think I can narrow it down to one or two errors. I'm looking forward to touching it up tonight and trying the stropping advice previously posted and seeing how it goes.

Originally Posted by mike-s

Is that right? No pressure on the strop at all? It looks like people are pulling on the strop a lot from several videos I've seen, but I still see it sagging as the razor is drawn across the leather-- tells me they're putting a lot of pressure on it.

If I'm not mistaken, I think Mike is talking more about pressure being used to hold the strop taut, than pressure being used on the razor against the strop. If that's the case, then you do indeed want to use pressure to draw the strop out. Sagging strops often to result in lost edges.

Originally Posted by mike-s

Maybe that's my problem, I've been pressing in a little too much. To be honest, my shaves with the straight are still leaving me really rough. My wife prefers me to use the Gillette I've been using up until now

The use of pressure will vary by individual - some don't use any, some use it judiciously. This is just something you'll have to figure out about your own face.

It will get better - my wife much prefers my straight-shaven face nowadays. The first week or so your main goal should be to avoid serious cuts, and just learn how to hold the razor, maintain the right angle, strop correctly etc. You can worry about getting good shaves a little later. Just shave your cheeks at first, and don't push it - and don't worry if you have to clean things up with your old razor. Remember, back in the day guys learned how to use a straight when they were young and all they had to shave was peach fuzz.

Originally Posted by steve

When I've stretched the skin I stretch back toward the ears and I've tested this only to find that those hairs "disappear". If I were to stretch toward the chin, those hairs stand up. I wonder if I did an ATG while stretching my skin toward the chin if I wouldn't get that cleaned up.

Yes, it should solve the problem. For an against-the-grain pass you should pull from in front of the razor so the hair stands up. Be careful - your hand will be in front of the razor so don't slip!

Mike:

Keep at it. Although it may not sound it from my questions, my shaves are very decent. I'm just looking for that additional improvement that will make me a better shaver, with a better shave and improve my skills in shaving and razor maintenance.

I can count about 9 cuts while learning and I've had 4 or 5 shaves now with no blood loss at all.

I'm much more comfortable with the blade and I've learned quite a bit about honing and edge maintenance in just a short time thanks to wonderful people on SRP.

Now, I'm starting to learn even more about stropping technique and when it gets all put together...it will be worth the effort.

Originally Posted by Sweeney Todd

If I'm not mistaken, I think Mike is talking more about pressure being used to hold the strop taut, than pressure being used on the razor against the strop. If that's the case, then you do indeed want to use pressure to draw the strop out. Sagging strops often to result in lost edges.

Actually I think we're talking about both of these aspects. :-)

Drawing the strop taught is always needed from what I've read, it's just that when I see videos of people stropping, it looks like they're applying a lot of pressure with their hand & razor because you can see the strop making a V shape. But now I learn it should be feather light!

Originally Posted by mike-s

Actually I think we're talking about both of these aspects. :-)

Drawing the strop taught is always needed from what I've read, it's just that when I see videos of people stropping, it looks like they're applying a lot of pressure with their hand & razor because you can see the strop making a V shape. But now I learn it should be feather light!

That bowing or dipping in the strop is natural because it's justa strap of leather and no matter how taut it is it's gonna bend some. It can be misleading as you watch, I'll admit, but with al stropping, pastes or non, you want a very light touch and watch the edge of the blade on the edge of the strop. You can wreck your edge that way.

As for technique, very man's face is different, so to get The Closest Shave, every man will have a different aproach. the constant is that stretching from behind the razor is the safest stretch while stretching from behind the direction of growth will give The Closest Shave.

X

Originally Posted by steve

Is there any way to describe those 6-12 zones? It might help my chin shave as well.

A picture's worth a thousand words. I wish I had a picture

When you look in the mirror, just pick... say 20-30 individual whiskers and focus just on them. Repeat until smooth. Stretching the skin really helps, and stretching so that the whisker stands up is really the key. So, as you learn more about your face, the angles and the direction the beard grows you'll have it BBS in no time.

Originally Posted by steve

If I understand this right, I should be using fluid motion on the strop instead of a start/stop motion. I can't think of a good analogy but basically stropping should be one continuous motion. Am I understanding properly?


Thanks to everyone for helping me.

Yes, thats correct. This is why your needing to return to the hone so often too probably. The second you stop your edge will dig into the leather and you'll be pulling it out of the leather sideways when you flip the blade.