Thread: First Shave Questions

So I recently purchased a Dovo Inox 5/8" hollow ground blade. I bought it from Classic Edge Shaving in Canada. According to the website each of their razors come honed and stropped shave ready. Last week I received the razor and tried shaving with it. Things didn't go quite as I hoped. Afterwards my skin was fairly irritated, I had a good amount of nicks, and my beard still had the slight feeling of stubble in some places. Today (about a week later), I shaved again. This time my beard hair wasn't nearly as long, but it was still a good amount to shave (probably average guy's 3-4 days growth). While my skin isn't as irritated as the last time and with considerably less nicks (I'm learning!) I am still lacking that completely smooth feeling from a really close shave, as I still feel a little stubble. My beard normally doesn't grow in very full or thick, but the hair is definitely coarse. Thus, I am thinking that in the future I may have to do 3 passes to get it completely smooth (I have only been doing 2 because of the irritation); only time will tell though. Also, I have been using an electric razor for like the past 5 years, so it has been quite a while since I used any kind of razor blade on my skin. Thus, my skin might just need time to get used to using blade again, hence the irritation.

Questions!:

1) Does anyone else have coarse beard hair? Do you experience this 'stubble' feeling even with a straight razor?

2) How do I know if the razor was honed well? Because I am not entirely convinced that it is as sharp as it should be. I have stropped the razor before both shaves (although I did strop it a lot more for this second shave as the first shave went pretty poorly). It cuts and I can hear that subtle grinding noise as it goes across my beard, but it doesn't glide. Now I am completely new to straight razing, so it is entirely possible that I just had unrealistic expectations of how these shaves would go. I am new, so I know part of this is my technique, which will improve in time (hopefully), but I am just curious as to how much of it is me and how much of it is the razor. How do I find out? I am not too keen on spending $30 to get it rehoned just yet if there is a possibility that it is all just user error.

3) Have any of you experienced similar situations when you first starting straight razing? Is this normal?

4) [Kind of unrelated] Has anyone ever used Truefitt and Hill's sample shaving creams? When I've been shaving with their creams, eventually it kind of dries out a little and if any of it is near my nose it sort of starts sudding and blowing bubbles all over the place when I breath. This is kind of annoying. Has anyone else experienced this?

1. Yes, I used to do 3 passes, to get BBS but it began irritating my skin since I can only have a goatee and mustache at work I have to shave 3-4 times a week. I only do 2 passes on my cheeks and 3 on the neck and still have the "feeling of a bit of stubble" but looking at me I look BBS; so no harm no foul for me.

2. Most likely it will be your technique and stropping. You have to learn to map your face for the best approach and blade angles...sorry bro, it's just different for everyone. Stropping on the other hand will dull the edge if done w/ too much pressure, not enough (so the blade isn't lying completely flat on the leather, raising the spine when flipping...million and one things could be going wrong, but with practice you'll be more atune to when you are not using proper technique. When the edge starts dulling it will begin slightly tugging at the hair but still cutting w/ little to no irritation (pasted strop works well here), if it is pulling or skipping and still cutting but missing some hair it will need refreshing on a high grit hone 8k and up. If it is pulling and cutting little hair and causing irritation it needs to be rehoned or the bevel is damaged.

3. Yes to all though the irritation wasn't as bad for me, I did knick myself quite a few times, now I only knick myself every blue moon when my attention wanders at times...I know, I know shame on me!

4. Any cream or soap will do this, just swipe your brush under the tap really quick, and rebuild the lather a bit, problem solved.

I too bought a razor from classic edge and it came shave ready and shaved well. They will do a 2nd re-hone for you and all you have to pay is the price of S&H which is 7 dollars. I doubt that the blade is not sharp unless the edge has been rolled by stropping. It all just takes time and practice and soon you will get it. As for the Irritation it can take up to 20 shaves for your skin to become accustom to the different shaving technique. Try doubling up on your stropping laps. Some suggest 20 strokes on fabric and 40 on leather. I do 50 fabric and 100+ on leather and that seems to improve the feel. I believe the inox is stainless so it is harder steel and will need more stropping laps as well as honing, but that will be a while before you need to do that. I have course beard growth and my edge is still sharp after 2 months with just stropping. Just keep watching videos in the wiki and reading articles and trying new techniques and you will get the hang of it. And yes I have a nice scar that I got on my cheek that looks like a battle wound but really was from shaving because I wasn't comfortable with the way I was holding the blade and the area I was shaving. I watched a video of someone shaving and I copied their technique and well since then I haven't cut my self.

I also recently received a razor from The Classic Edge. There was no doubt it was properly honed and shave ready when it arrived. Phil did a good job. The stubble issue is likely a need for a 3rd pass or poor technique. Make sure you're always stretching the skin. I find any irritation is usually caused by a combination of too straight up an angle with too much pressure. Keep your angle low and pressure very light. Practice makes perfect.

So far I have had at least 4 razors honed by Phil at Classic Edge anfd they all were sharp indeed so I don't think that is the issue. You are brand new to SR shaving so your shaving and stropping technique may not be the best and that is more than likely the cause of the irritation and poor shave result. You also stropped the razor before the first use which may have dulled it. The advice has been not to strop a pro hone razor before first use if you are a beginner. That way you will not harm the blade due to poor stropping and will feel what a shave ready razor actually feels like. Strop it before the second use and if the blade performs more poorly than the initial shave without stropping you have a clue that your stropping is harming the blade and you need to improve that.

Yes, I had a similar experience when I started SR shaving and improved over time. Yes, I do think some people have unreal expectations of what can be done with a straight at the start. I don't think most people will get a BBS shave with one pass. I take 3 passes to get there and don't have a coarse beard.

I would concentrate on using a proper angle on the blade with little to no pressure, improve stropping and get the blade rehoned if a good stropping does not bring it back. It also takes a while to get the lather right and if it is drying out be sure and relather and not shave with dried lather. I think it is normal for most people to have lather dry out at the start as most of us tend to go slower at the start than when we get better at shaving and making lather. I think your experience is fairly normal.

Bob

Originally Posted by mschenoweth

I bought it from Classic Edge Shaving in Canada. According to the website each of their razors come honed and stropped shave ready.

2) How do I know if the razor was honed well? Because I am not entirely convinced that it is as sharp as it should be. I have stropped the razor before both shaves.....

Hi msc,

You have kind of answered your own question on this one. It came honed and stropped shave ready, and you stropped it before you shaved. Unless you're very confident in your stropping ability, and in the beginning, I can say I thought I was, but, I wasn't.......and most of us aren't, you probably didn't experience that edge that I think Classic Edge has a reputation for supplying.

When they come shave ready, just very carefully wipe any oil off the blade and shave with it. That way you will experience the true edge they supplied.

I'm sure technique.....angles, pressure, grain of the beard, etc. all played a roll. It takes time and practice and perseverance, but the smooth shaves will come.

My first stroke was on my right cheek, dominant hand and after I made that stroke, I reached up to feel the smooth. Nothing had happened. Oh, by the way, I had stropped my SRD shave ready razor too.

Try stropping it slowly, lightly and carefully and keep that blade flat and see if it brings the edge back any. If not, you may have to go for that honing, but there's a good chance it will work if you didn't damage the edge with the previous stropping.

Here's a video by Lynn that demonstrates stropping.



Best Regards,

Howard

Bob typed faster than me!!