Thread: Old but new

Hi. I'm going by the name Razorfeld. I'm in western Oregon and I'm 80 and new to straight razor shaving. Only been at it for two weeks. Had a full beard for forty years but have reduced it to a goatee because of some hidden skin cancer scares that my dermatologist found. Could of stayed with safety razor shaving but felt, what the heck, lets see if the old dog can learn new tricks. eBay and I became well know to each other as I acquired some necessary tools. I've watched a number of you tube videos and have discovered that experience (and cuts) are my best way of learning. Didn't trust the sharpness of the razors I bought and found a local man that sharpens everything that can be sharpened and took three razors to him and I now have three super sharp edges. I am naturally ambidextrous and have no problems in that area. I would like some suggestions for shaving soap for sensitive skin. Also on the lookout for a traditional Japanese straight razor mainly out of curiosity but also to see if they are different in the act of shaving.

Welcome to our little corner of the world! It does my heart good to know that some people grow up, but refuse to grow old. My hats' off to you sir!

Greetings Razorfeld--and welcome to SRP.

In reference to your question concerning shaving soap for sensitive skin...Try Proraso for sensitive skin. There is also Mitchell's Wool Fat.

There are probably other shaving soaps out there for sensitive skin. The two I just mentioned are ones I am familiar with.

I hope that this helps.

Again. Welcome aboard.

Welcome to SRP and the Razor. I noticed your sharpener guy is handy at sharpening about everything, I mean no disrespect, just make sure he has proficiency with razor. They can be quite tricky to learn.

Welcome to SRP.

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

Hi. I'm going by the name Razorfeld. I'm in western Oregon and I'm 80 and new to straight razor shaving. Only been at it for two weeks. Had a full beard for forty years but have reduced it to a goatee because of some hidden skin cancer scares that my dermatologist found. Could of stayed with safety razor shaving but felt, what the heck, lets see if the old dog can learn new tricks. eBay and I became well know to each other as I acquired some necessary tools. I've watched a number of you tube videos and have discovered that experience (and cuts) are my best way of learning. Didn't trust the sharpness of the razors I bought and found a local man that sharpens everything that can be sharpened and took three razors to him and I now have three super sharp edges. I am naturally ambidextrous and have no problems in that area. I would like some suggestions for shaving soap for sensitive skin. Also on the lookout for a traditional Japanese straight razor mainly out of curiosity but also to see if they are different in the act of shaving.

Welcome - I've been at it for a little while, still consider myself a beginner, for me, I've found sticking with one routine beneficial. I use the same DOVO 5/8 razor (even though I own three other brand new razors), same soap erc....

I find the Prorasso soap and pre-shave / after-shave cream excellent.

Here's a great chronicle of SRS from a user named JTDO, or Jack, well written and very humourous:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...xperience.html

Cheers,
Andrew

Welcome, my beginners advice as a beginner is dont rush into buying loads of stuff, its tempting to buy a pile of different things then discover they are unnecessary to you. Enjoy.

BRAVO SIR
You've found the right place !
Best Regards,
Mike

JimBC, thank you for your concern. I did a very detailed look at my sharpening guy. Discovered that he's been sharpening since the '80's and is an active consultant to a major knife manufacturer. What really sold me on this very personable gentleman was that local chefs use his service. Among knife users chefs are almost the most picky about the sharpness of their knives (and protective, allowing no one else but themselves to use them.) He had good knowledge about straight razors and admonished me slightly about the lower quality steel that mine were made of. I also tested him with a pair of my fabric scissors. I am a fabric artist and, of course, cut a lot of fabric. I got a useful lecture on scissors, the many types and how they differ, in terms of cutting edges, from each other. My daughter in law is a beautician and uses $400 scissors and has trouble finding a good sharpener. Now she has. He even said some things about the various grades of hair cutting scissors and how they hold up. Plus, he was a lot more reasonable that some of the on-line sources that I looked at.

Welcome, and Bravo, Razorfeld. Should you wish another source for for edges, I still do them for just actual mailing. If you're local, I can do while you're here. I'm about 28mi. NW of Portland. If I can be of help, or if you'd like to try some other gear w/out having to spend anything - let me know. On sensitive skin, there's the chemical sensitivity and mechanical. The allergist would have to speak about the chemical sensitivity. On mechanical - you're likely looking for the best 'cushion' attributes for a lather - facial protection. My fav so far is Provence Sante (not Pre de Provence). If you'd like a brick and mortar store, Essential Oils on Hawthorne in Portland carries it (after bugging them to for a year). Another aspect of skin irritation, nicks - is letting the lather get too dry. If running water won't visually clean the blade completely, its too dry & you're cruising for a nick. Its not enough to paint some more water on top of dry lather - use the brush to scrub it down to skin level - where you need the protection. 'Hope you just love your shaves. 'Hope to hear more from you soon.