Thread: Making good progress

Not more than two weeks ago I was struggling to get a bbs with a straight. I've been using a DE for too many years to count, and had begun to wonder if the straight shave could ever be as close as a DE.

What I was missing in my straight shaves was ATG.. Just couldn't do it.

This week I scored a bunch of back-to-back near perfect shaves, and I thought it worth sharing the highlights of what I think contributed to it...

• If you haven't done it yet, create a face map. If you don't know which way your whiskers grow, you won't know how to start attacking them!!
• Prep is important.. I have found that software (creams and soaps) that do not dry down quickly are critical. The straight shave takes me longer than a DE shave so the software that might be ideal for a DE, might fall short for straights. I start my shaves at my right sideburn and end at my left neck under my jaw (which happens to be a really challenging spot for me) if the lather doesn't stay moist at the end of a pass, the razor just skips, stalls or at worst, digs in. As an alternative, you can reapply lather towards the end of the pass or construct a lather that is on the wet side;
• Divide the face into small pieces, much smaller than cheek, chin, neck.. divide each of those into three or four pieces each. Treat each piece independently. Once you figure out how to attack one piece move to the next.. Ultimately, you'll end up with a series of different angles and strokes.. And, keep in mind that way you divide the face and attack a spot will likely change with each of WTG, XTG and ATG as well as left and right sides;
• Small strokes.. short staccato-ish strokes instead of long sweeping strokes. This applies regardless of direction and works well with dividing the face into segments;
• Balancing pressure... enough to keep momentum, yet light enough that you aren't pressing.. The visual that works for me, is to try to clear away the lather cleanly while not actually touching skin. Of course, I have to touch skin to do it, but think that light.
• Clear the same spot more than once in the same pass.. for some reason, repeatedly going over the same spot with a straight doesn't cause the same irritation it would with a DE. If you experience the same, take advantage of it. Better to hit the same spot three or four times with a really light touch, than once with a heavy touch;
• Stretch!! The suggestion was made by a more experienced member that if you can't comfortably get to a spot on your face/neck.. move the spot. This might have been the single most important tidbit I've learned...

In retrospect, I wish I knew some of the above when I was starting. Especially the stretching and dividing the face. Hopefully this helps at least one of you gents as you learn your way around straights... Have fun!

I seem to have the same troubles with the lather drying to quickly. I use Osma shaving soap , I am not the fastest at shaving I have to re apply several times, I think its just the salts (potasium alum that has the drying effect).

Thinking of trying new soap like Kent's or Golddachs.

+1 on the stretching. The closer I get the stretch point to where I'm actually shaving the closer the shave. I used to do 'general' stretching. Such as pulling up and back by my ear to cover almost the whole side of my face. But as my stretching has become more 'local' I'm cutting closer and needing less passes to do so. If you watch a video on how barbers shave you; this is how they stretch.

Originally Posted by msimon

I seem to have the same troubles with the lather drying to quickly. I use Osma shaving soap , I am not the fastest at shaving I have to re apply several times, I think its just the salts (potasium alum that has the drying effect).

I've noticed that some soaps/creams tend to do this more than others, and sometimes even certain scents from the same company can be more prone to it than others. I've noticed this because sometimes I test several straight razors during one shave, and the result is it takes me longer to do the shave than normal (clean off one razor, pick up a new, repeat..).

Agree on the 'local stretching'..

I try to have the blade follow my stretching fingers across the area I am shaving, so the spot being shaved is never far from the initial stretch point, which works well with the short strokes..

I have a few soaps/creams that hold lubricity quite well.. Lea Cream, not the stick, the tube; TBS Maca Root; Arko Stick; LaToya Manantiales; Bath House Spanish Fig. A few that dry quickly are Kells Original in any flavor; MWF; Trumpers.. for those a drop or two of glycerin helps, but too much of that stuff gums up the knot, so brushes need to be cleaned often.