Thread: First shave and don't know what to think

i am still trying to figure out how to edge my goatee properly ! man it definitely is a learning experience.

@Bakepit haha it definitely is :P
@Jetmech I just did my 3rd shave and tried going against the grain like you said. The razor had A LOT of resistance. I had troubles getting through my moustache and chin area. I nicked myself in the moustache even though my blade did not make a slicing motion or the angle was at a really weird degree. I am used to nicks because I trained with the shavette but this time it felt different as in my body did not give any feedback that something wrong was happening. Also, my lather was foamy and wet all the way through. It seems the blade was already a bit dull when it got here or I probably dulled it myself with stropping. I am going to see if I can find a member somewhere in my living area who is experienced at honing and ask if he can take a look just to be sure.

I finished the shave and even though it had cost some effort and pain from the razor burns, it is the closest shave I ever had :P

EDIT: I had some problems with the shavette in the beginning, but I did not mention it on my original post. I did mention that I used my shavette after the SR to finish the shave to a passable result.

Read up in the library about shaving passes and the angle used for each pass. I'm laying the blade flat on the ATG pass on neck and under chin. I have not tried ATG on the mustache area though. I would definitely have your razor checked and I'd probably stick with just WTG and maybe XTG until you get more proficient and are sure you have a perfectly sharp razor.

Originally Posted by Fathardie

Hea everyone!


I reached the point of shaving really comfortably with the shavette, but it never gave me a really close shave on some parts
of my face like the chin and jaw.

This is what i was referring to, that you were atill not getting a close shave even with a sharp shavette. That's why I said it's probably technique. I probably should have asked if you had tried multiple passes using WTG, XTG, and ATG with the shavette. It really takes a good lather, proper angle, and a sharp razor for ATG. I still don't go ATG on the mustache.

Ah that is what you were referring too. Yes I did have a little bit of a stubble left there, but not real hairs still sticking out like I have with the SR :P
Never did any ATG as I did not have real lather but only canned goo and I was not confident enough yet. A shavette can really create nicks easily haha.

I read the wiki page about shaving passes and it seems that my angle was way to great according to the manual. But if the angle is greater with ATG shaving,
doesn't that give an even closer shave? The skin seems to able to handle angles of up to 30 degrees when shaving WTG so why does it hurt the skin so much?
Probably something simple that I don't see here :P

You actually want to keep the angle smaller; you want the edge to just glide across the skin and not dig into it (which is what is causing the skipping). Also make sure you are being careful when you strop the razor; not putting any more pressure on it than what is need to keep the spine and edge in contact with the leather and most definetly not digging the edge into the leather.

You may want to think about resending the razor out to be rehoned just to be sure that it is still sharp.

If possible you could try posting some pics and/or videos of you stropping and shaving and some of the more experienced members might be able to point out some corrections to your technique.

I thought this might help you determine how your blade is doing. What is "The Shave Test" for a Straight Razor - YouTube
This is how a honemiester tests his work. I see a lot of great info in this thread and the word pressure doesn't come up much ? I don't have any idea what a shavette feels like or how much different the 2 are but I would forget what you know about that and think all new when learning the straight. I have had razors that act like what you describe and have brought them back with a good stropping. By the way stropping is another learning curve you must master. If you don't figure this out then I would suggest finding someone close to you that can help you figure this out in person. You can learn more in 10 minutes from another SR user than in a year of experiments. :<0)

I agree with above two posts. You want NO pressure. If you are having to use any pressure to get it to cut then your razor is the culprit. That's how you get irritation and razor burn. A sharp blade should just slice right through, no tugging, pulling, or skipping. As far as the angle I think lowering the angle closer to your skin on XTG and ATG passes might have something to do with minimizing irritation also. If everything is right the blade should cut with no pressure and irritation. I'm still not brave enough to try ATG on chin and mustache, just the neck and under chin for now.

Check out the Wiki on guillotine and scything strokes also. But it might be better to wait on those until you are comfortable with regular strokes and have a sharp razor.

Thanks again for all the great posts! Love this community so far, really makes it a great learning experience I will make a video of my entire shave (prep, strop and shave) so you guys can get a bit more physical evidence where my questions come from and if possible provide me with some pointers and tips. I will also include the shave test as demonstrated in the youtube video 10Pups included. Would you guys recommend letting my beard grow for a few days or is a 1-2 day beard visible enough for this?

The edge on a straight, for the average user, is not as sharp as a DE blade or shavette. But the edge will shave you smoothly if your prep is good. Your beard must absorb water during the prep. You should feel it relax. If not, try washing your face with different soaps or lather until you find what works. DE blades let you get away with skimping on the prep. If you have a coarse beard and you want a close comfortable shave with a straight, you prep must be first rate. This is from personal experience.
Good luck.