Hey Guys,
I returned to straight razor shaving last week after a 25 year hiatus only to realize that I wasn't going to be an instant success just because I know how to sharpen things better now than when I was 22.
Thanks to some suggestions from Jonathan (Datsots) on my introduction post and some further exploration through the threads here, I think I have improved my technique a bit. The biggest impact was lightening up on the pressure i was using. Just barely enough pressure to remove the lather yielded drastically fewer nicks, and was comfortable enough that I could relather twice and go back over some areas with ATG and XTG strokes. It still was mildly uncomfortable afterwards, but I put a little bit of Nivea Creme on the face and it felt a bit better. Most of my face was Baby Butt Soft, but obviously I will need to develop more technique for a few areas. I am not comfortable with shaving the left side of my face with the left hand...
Who uses thayers witch hazel as an after shave? Which one?
I think I will also take Jonathan's advice and get one of the experienced honers here to put a proper edge on my wedge and 3/4 wedge. When I rebuilt the edges on my razors, they all ended up more straight than smiling...oops
David