After two years, finally getting into the swing of things

I'm not sure what the initial push was, but about two years ago I became interested in DE and straight razor shaving. I've always liked old-fashioned, slow, manually controlled processes. I like black and white photography (which I can no longer find the time for or justify the expense vs. digital), driving a stickshift, running my own computer setup with linux, have a manual typewriter in the basement, self-winding automatic watch, and so on. So a more back-to-basics approach to shaving seems a natural fit for me.

I am in my 40s now, and actually shaved with a DE for a couple of years in the mid-90s with a Gillette butterfly top bought new back then. But I gave up on fighting the times and spent many years shaving with Machs up through 3, but never went beyond that.

So, as I said, something got into my head to try it again. I bought a couple of Merkur DEs, and picked up a few $20-30 straight razors off of e-bay to experiment with. I was able to shave successfully with those straights, but only with long shaving sessions up to 40-45 minutes. A Genco Gold Seal was the easiest to shave with and to sharpen.

Then my work got busy, and I fell back to DEs for about a year. But since this summer, I have made another push and am now shaving exclusively with the straight. It started with my decision to trade in some of the old razors and buy new, which turned into a small outbreak of razor acquisition disorder (5 TIs and holding). So, I wanted to recap some of my findings from the point of view of someone crawling out of newbie status. This board and other internet sites and shops have been very valuable sources of information.

* You do develop expertise in the process, and it is very satisfying. My typical routine now is a single pass accomplished in about 10 minutes. The single pass is not ultra-close, but is smooth enough if you are shaving everyday (feels BBS WTG but not against). More importantly, it is ultra-comfortable with zero nicks and cuts, and my face feels refreshed every morning. A DE would still be faster, and I'd need to go ATG to get smooth, but I always get a lot of little nicks and irritation from that. The DE irritation is very minor, but the straight delivers with no irritation at all.

* The Thiers-Issard's are very comfortable. I'm also a Francophile (hence "CoupeChou", so I don't have a desire to mix up the brands, at least not yet. They are very substantial and take a nice wide bevel that I suspect adds to the smoothness. My antique razors were much smaller and lighter. I haven't settled on a particular model or width as a favorite yet.

* My best TI is "honed by Lynn". I keep honing away at the others, and they do seem to improve but don't separate hairs quite as effortlessly or shave with as much comfort. I have a Norton, CrOx and a Chinese finishing stone. My next purchase will probably be a Naniwa 12K. As a do-it-yourselfer, I don't want to admit defeat quite yet, but it might be more sensible to send my razors out for honing.

* Skin stretching will help a lot in getting a close (and easy) shave and keeping your face safe. Do as much as you can. I don't think this is emphasized enough for beginners.

* A great tip (not sure where I saw it first) is to keep your razor dry. Wipe your shaving cream + stubble onto a towel and keep shaving. Of course this prevents possible corrosion on a wet razor, but it is also faster and safer. Your razor and hands never get slippery. When you're done, just pop the towel in the laundry, and you have less mess in the sink too.

* Preserving your razor. The razors that I didn't use for a year were coated in camellia oil. That gets sticky over the long term. I just didn't have time to use them, and didn't plan to put them away for long-term storage, but that's what happened. I now prefer something more neutral like mineral oil or ballistol just in case.

* Preserving your razor, pt 2. I bought one of those leather roll cases, and one of my new TIs developed black corrosion along the back after just about a week sitting in there without use. Later I read up and realized those cases are primarily for travel, and that some tanning processes can leave bad residues. Fortunately everything rubbed out with Cape Cod cloths, but I now keep my razors in a box with silica gel and take more care in oiling them (almost always). One of these days I will get a fancy display box.

So, that's probably enough for now. I did end up spending a lot more than I first anticipated, but everything I bought has its use. I am now a convert to a better way to shave, the coupe chou!

Hi, and welcome to SRP!

Great to hear you're back on board and that it's going well. You give good advice there, so I hope you won't mind me chipping in with some of my own.

First, I have never used one, but your choice of a Naniwa 12K is a very good one. Those who have used them tend to love them, and I have really heard nothing but good things about those hones. The Chinese finishers are a bit hit and miss. I got lucky with mine and it was my regular finisher until I picked up a Zulu Grey. So it's *possible* that the one you have came from one of the not quite so good quarries. Odds are it's just a matter of technique and practice, but I guess you'll get a better idea once the Naniwa is in hand.

Which brings me to my second idea: where are you located? It's possible there is a mentor near to you who could spend some one-on-one time with you to get your honing up that last final hurdle. But even if that turns out not to be possible, don't give up! Things will come together with time and practice, and remember we're here to answer any questions or help point you towards any posts, articles, threads, or videos out there that can help. You've probably already done this, but if not, check youtube for videos by Lynn Abrams and gssixgun. They both have some *great* videos that I found to be a big help when learning to hone. Which is, of course, not to say I'm not still learning to hone... :)

Good luck!
:tu