Thread: New member

Hello,
I just started "trying" to shave with a straight razor and had to join the form for helpful hints and hopefully to become a regular contributor.

I'm glad to be the first to welcome you, I'm a new SR shaver myself. .. stick to the plan and keep trying

Sergeant,
Thanks for replying to my first post, much appreciated!
I switched to a safety razor about 6 months ago and thought that the natural progression would be to go the SR.
I've done my research, watch numerous videos on shaving with a SR, made the investment in all of the supplies I would need and as of today I have shaved 6 times with my new SR.
I have to say it's not as easy as all of the videos make it out to be. My face looks somewhat like a battle zone, but I will get it eventually.
Any advice from the forum members would be greatly appreciated!

Well seems like to a good start, here is how I do it, I wash with hot water and I scrub my face with my hands, I lather a lot and I add few drops of my kid,'s dipper lotion, shave and touch up with my shaver (I'm in the military) I have to be 100% clean shave, then a splash of after shave, and this is something I do, I think it works for me. .. With the leftover foam on my brush I lather my face and head (I shave my head too) and let my skin absorb the soap.

Thanks for the advice, I pretty much do the same thing, for my face that is! And, to hear from a fellow military brother is even more appreciated, I'm a veteran, so thanks for the advice and thank you for your service!!

Originally Posted by Sergeant

Well seems like to a good start, here is how I do it, I wash with hot water and I scrub my face with my hands, I lather a lot and I add few drops of my kid,'s dipper lotion, shave and touch up with my shaver (I'm in the military) I have to be 100% clean shave, then a splash of after shave, and this is something I do, I think it works for me. .. With the leftover foam on my brush I lather my face and head (I shave my head too) and let my skin absorb the soap.

Hi and welcome. Coming for a DE will make it easier for you. Most of a great shave is in the stretching, angle and pressure. Good luck and any questions always feel free to ask

Manicotti, was your SR professionally honed? As so many seasoned veterans here have advised, there are so many aspects of this sport to learn that it is important to at least start with a razor that has a proper bevel set and finish. From there your only task is to properly strop that edge in a way that brings if back to smooth shaving without doing any damage(rolling the edge). If you have that then it is all about prep, angle, pressure and skin stretching. Stick with it. My DE sits lonely in its' stand and never sees any action. Once you feel comfortable with your straight, you will look forward to the process.

Welcome to SRP. Just a word about 'what ifs'. If you have, or develop irritation from shaving with a straight there are a couple of factors to consider. One would be blade angle and pressure. Generally shallow angle and the homily of 'shave the lather, not the skin' in regards to pressure. The other major concern, and a lot of people don't consider this at first, is sensitivity to product. Some faces react to items like menthol, eucalyptus and Shea butter. Some develop irritation with seemingly no known cause. Simple solution to that is try a lukewarm or cold water shave. A lot of problems solved with that one. Ya gotta remember that in the old days hot water wasn't generally available daily to shave with. And if your lather dries out too soon its because it's water thirsty.

Hello, and welcome to SRP !!

Welcome to the forums! If your face is turning into a battle zone then there is a good chance the edge isn't properly honed. I've been having that problem with my blade but that's because it's near impossible for a newbie to fix a warped blade. If your blade is good then it's likely pressure and/or angle. Or product reaction. Just gotta eliminate the demons. Hope things go smoother and thank you for your service! I wanted to join the service but I'm not allowed.

May your shaves be BBS!