Thread: Newbie

I posted a thread in the New Members area, before I saw this fancy little place! I'll paste it here:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/membe...ns-denver.html

Hello all,

My name is Melinda and I'm one of the (apparently? [Apparently not by this subforum, yay!]) rare women interested in getting going with straight razor shaving. I'm still in the research phase right now and I'm completely ignorant as to the whole process. My reasons for getting into the notion are: tired of the boyfriend stealing my Mach3 blades, ladies razors are laughable, and I really dig the notion of the style behind a straight edge blade.

So if anyone reads this, I'll lob a few questions to the Etherverse and see what comes of it:

Is there a good resource for finding straight edge razors that are a bit more swanky looking? I've tried Etsy with no luck, although there are so many options for brushes it's downright silly by comparison. I've seen some nifty ones out there, but never for sale.

I'm not in need of face shaving or anything, but as a lady I would like to shave my legs and other less-easy bits as well such as underarms and bikini areas - should I have multiple blades? I saw mention of differing numbers for blades in another thread, so I'm assuming that's for blade length...?

In conjunction with that question, what are some recommended shaving creams and moisturizers for sensitive skin, and how do people cope with shaving knicks when they're starting out? I can't imagine everyone uses the TP method as much with all the fancy things out these days....

Hi and welcome to the forums!!!

Hello, I just had the same conversation with my wife. she loves my Baby Butt Soft (BBS) face. I asked to shave her legs for practice. I used on of my smaller blades on her legs. Did two passes one with the grain first then against the grain. Its been 3 days and her legs have never felt softer. So now she has told me to give her one of mine. I am going to ask one of the Senior members here to make some scales out of pink material. We found that some of my blades with more wear near the blade tip.offered her more control and ease of use around her ankles. When I say smaller blades I mean 1/2 inch in width. My wife is using just a blade right now so as to not have to wield such a large object in delicate areas. Most blade lengths are 3 inches unless otherwise specified. Same routine as a face. moisture,heat,shaving soap, then lotion. Well us boys use aftershave but no alcohol based product for intimate areas. We used her regular shaving gel, after moisture(bath/shower/moist hot towel). Lotion afterwards. they make some kind of product just for nicks. You would have to research that one a little more. If women take to straights its a whole new market for the craft.

Welcome Mel, You came to the right place. I am an SR shaver and absolutely love it. I have also given my wife a nice leg shave with my razors. With that being said she is terrified to try one of my SR to shave her own legs.

I got her a safety razor and it works like a charm. Especially for under the arms and other intimate areas. That would be my initial recommendation for you and see how that works out for you. With all the awkward angles you will need to get into to give your self a nice shave in different areas it just all around seems safer.

For sensitive skin I LOVE the proraso white products. Work like a charm. Nivea also makes a nice sensitive skin after shave balm.

Please continue to ask all the questions you can.

Originally Posted by CalamityMel

So if anyone reads this, I'll lob a few questions to the Etherverse and see what comes of it:

great idea!

Is there a good resource for finding straight edge razors that are a bit more swanky looking? I've tried Etsy with no luck, although there are so many options for brushes it's downright silly by comparison. I've seen some nifty ones out there, but never for sale.

This really just depends on how much you want to spend, do you want new, or vintage. One option to consider is a vintage blade from the classifieds here with some "swanky looking" scales (handle the blade closes into) put onto the blade after the fact. There is a thread here somewhere about one of the guys that does some really awesome things with dubl duck restores. Do a search for that and you might find something you like. If you want new I'd say stick with the vendors you see that advertise here on SRP.

I'm not in need of face shaving or anything, but as a lady I would like to shave my legs and other less-easy bits as well such as underarms and bikini areas - should I have multiple blades? I saw mention of differing numbers for blades in another thread, so I'm assuming that's for blade length...?

most all straights are 3 inches long. You might want a "shortie" razor. One that is around 2" long. Might be easier to maneuver around some of the tight places you'll be shaving. Most all straights are measured on a 1/8 scale so when you see 5/8 or 6/8 (which are probably the 2 most common sizes) that is the distance from the cutting edge to the spine. You will probably want a 4/8, again smaller size = better maneuverability.

In conjunction with that question, what are some recommended shaving creams and moisturizers for sensitive skin, and how do people cope with shaving knicks when they're starting out?

Nicks and such are usually tended with a stypic pencil. These can be found at most any store that sells shaving supplies. They will sting a little on a cut/nick but help stop the bleeding.

You'll also need to look at a strop to keep your blade in shaving shape.

Good luck and don't hesitate to keep asking questions!

Hi,
A lot seems to have been covered, from what i have read, skinnier razors are more poular with the ladies, though i am not sure why.
An advantage of skinnier razors, particularly vintage ones is that they can be cheaper than big wide blades as they are generally less popular.
There is a company called revisor who make some quite nice razors, their website is a bit painful at first, but they do a nice range of new razors in various sizes, and from all accounts they are nice to shave with too, though i dont beieve the edge comes fully shave ready, though i could be wrong.
Shave ready means it has been hand honed after the standard factory edge. Some vendors supply razors shave ready, and you should also find plenty of shave ready vintage razors in thne classifieds.
As has been said you will need a strop to maintain your razor, and you will need every so often to get your razor honed (sharpened), you can do it yourself with a bit of practice, but the first few times it is a good idea to get a pro to do it so that you know what to aim for.

I know there at least used to be a Lady's forum w/ secure access. I don't know if its still there or active.

Two places where you could connect w/ ladies using straights would be to send a pm (private mail) to the honorable Gerrit. His screen name here is "deighaingeal". He and his lovely bride both use straights, and are a joy to be around.

Another member "Joed"'s wife used to be the moderator of the ladies forum. She also made soaps & creams.

It would be my hope that you could get good input on their use from these sources. On care & feeding of the blades, there's nothing unique that I can think of to the gender of the user.

Thank You for posting. If any of us can be of help, pls feel free to contact by other threads on this forum or by private mail.

Originally Posted by dexter90723

Welcome Mel, You came to the right place. I am an SR shaver and absolutely love it. I have also given my wife a nice leg shave with my razors. With that being said she is terrified to try one of my SR to shave her own legs.

I got her a safety razor and it works like a charm. Especially for under the arms and other intimate areas. That would be my initial recommendation for you and see how that works out for you. With all the awkward angles you will need to get into to give your self a nice shave in different areas it just all around seems safer.

For sensitive skin I LOVE the proraso white products. Work like a charm. Nivea also makes a nice sensitive skin after shave balm.

Please continue to ask all the questions you can.

Awesome suggestion! I saw the safety razors and wondered what is up with those - does she have an opinion on how it works, and differs from when you use your SR on her? Is it the same kind of blade?

Originally Posted by edhewitt

Hi,
A lot seems to have been covered, from what i have read, skinnier razors are more poular with the ladies, though i am not sure why.
An advantage of skinnier razors, particularly vintage ones is that they can be cheaper than big wide blades as they are generally less popular.
There is a company called revisor who make some quite nice razors, their website is a bit painful at first, but they do a nice range of new razors in various sizes, and from all accounts they are nice to shave with too, though i dont beieve the edge comes fully shave ready, though i could be wrong.
Shave ready means it has been hand honed after the standard factory edge. Some vendors supply razors shave ready, and you should also find plenty of shave ready vintage razors in thne classifieds.
As has been said you will need a strop to maintain your razor, and you will need every so often to get your razor honed (sharpened), you can do it yourself with a bit of practice, but the first few times it is a good idea to get a pro to do it so that you know what to aim for.

Revisor - thank you for the suggestion. And the warning

Originally Posted by CalamityMel

Revisor - thank you for the suggestion. And the warning

You're welcome.