I shave my whole head. In my wilder moments, I have shaved with a straight but I usually use either a DE or a Mach 3. Shaving with a straight is a bit nerve wracking until you do it once or twice. I used to go against the grain but was suffering too many nicks on the back. I settled on with the grain and using a nice sharp razor. I'm normally in too much of a hurry to go the straight route but it is no worse than the face. Lately, when traveling, I haven't been able to bring either a straight or a DE since I shun checked luggage. However, I sometimes drop down to Mexico and you can get a blade there very cheap... but it is also kinda cheap so you have to be prepared to work it over.