Thread: Got my first straight

I got my first straight razor in the mail today, courtesy of a certain professor on these forums. I'm really happy with the shape it is in, and I think it will be a good first razor. I plan on shaving with it this weekend, as my four-sided TM special is on its way. Here it is.

Looks like a beauty, very nice. My humble advice (if you haven't used a straight) would be to start out slow, just do the sides of your face and see how it goes. Use a good lather and presoak your face with a hot wet facecloth.

You will get lots more help here I'm sure.

Emil

It's truly unfortunate. You are now officially ruined. Shaving with a straight is, at bottom, just scraping hair from your face. As you go, though, you'll find that it's not just that...it's an experience, and a connection to an earlier time, when everything wasn't easy. Men took care of their own business, rather than having someone do it for them. The modern man is effectively neutered by PC. The straight is a way to really pamper yourself, and reclaim a bit of the male genetic proclivity to sharp, shiny things. Welcome to the club!

Great looking razor. Enjoy and welcome to the addictive world of str8 razor shaving.

Oh, congratulations, it's a straight razor! Looks good too. Let us know how it goes with that little number ... and the strop ... and the creams ...

X

But in this case the PC is helping re-attach our... uhmmm... family jewels.

Well now you've gone and done it and gone over the point of no return. Don't say we didn't warn you!

Welcome to the fraternity.

Well, I just couldn't wait until the weekend. I ended up shaving last night with the straight...well partially with the straight. I wasn't too worried about trying to do much with it. I just wanted to try a couple strokes and get a feel for it. I did my cheeks and a couple strokes on my neck, one on my lip...thats about it. I didn't escape totally without drawing blood...but then again, I wasn't able to finish with my M3 without drawing blood either.

I'm pretty excited about how it went. My right cheek was almost as smooth as with the M3, so I figured that was fine. I had a hard time being able to see while shaving my left cheek with my right hand. My arm was in the way because of the way I was holding the razor. I definitely don't think I can shave with my left hand though.

Anyway, thanks to all for the great information offered here.

Jordan,

Congrats on the new razor. Go ahead and try shaving with your left hand. It may feel a bit awkward at first but after several tries, it will feel just as natural as using your right hand. I went through the same thing and now it feels odd to not switch hands. Your cheek should be as smooth as a baby's butt, so if it's not, you might need to do more beard prep and a bit more stropping and concentrate on keeping the angle between 20-30 degrees. That was the hardest part for me. As my shave progressed and I moved on to different parts of my face, I would notice that my angle was getting too steep and I'd have to readjust. Just take your time and after several weeks, it will feel totally natural to you. Good luck and happy shaving.

Originally Posted by senorswiss

I definitely don't think I can shave with my left hand though.

The trick is that you are just as clumsy with you right hand now... So, better start training both of your hands from the start. I did that, and now I don't have problem whatsoever shaving with both hands.

Nenad