Hello from Calgary, Canada

Hello Gents! I just wanted to introduce myself, I'm new to the straight and DE shaving world, having just bought a Merkur 43C DE, and a Dovo 5/8 straight.

I want to thank you guys for all the information that you all have put here, it's been instrumental in helping me choose the right stuff to get started with.

Now, I haven't used the straight yet, as it's still in shipping, but the Merkur DE is a beautiful piece. I've only shaved with it twice so far, and it's a real treat to look at and to hold. Has really nice weight.

The only issue I've had so far is razor burn. I've tried both the Merkur blade and an Astra blade, and both have given me some pretty bad burn, mostly on my upper lip. I'm a long time multi-blade shaver, and haven't had razor burn like this in years. I was planning on changing blades again to try the feather that a lot of folks seem to like, but I'm going to assume im doing something wrong too.

Any suggestion as to what I might be doing wrong? I'm trying to use as close to zero pressure as I can remember to do, letting the heft of the razor do the cutting, and trying to figure out the best angles. Also, it seems to be that I get the burn on my second pass, which has been a ATG pass, the same as I would do with my multi blade razor, but it never burned me.

Thanks everyone, appreciate your thoughts on the matter.

-Jeff

Welcome Jeff. The feather is a very sharp blade and might not be a good choice while you learn if you are already getting razor burn. Holding the handle further away from the blade helps reduce pressure.

Hi & welcome to SRP. You will love it here & there is plenty to learn as there is a wealth of information on here! Here is the first bit of information for you to know:
Straight Razor Place - Beginners Tips: December 2014
Frequently Asked Questions - Straight Razor Place Library
You will want to buy you a nice straight razor to begin with whether used or new. Beware of used ones not that they are bad but know what to look for like a lot of hone wear on the spine & edge or chips in the blade. Stay away from razors with rust on the cutting edge as that will only result in it chipping more metal off as it is honed. Here is also a list of straights to stay away from:
Brands of Straight Razors to Avoid - Straight Razor Place Library
Here is a list of good brands of razors you will want to own plus there are more than just these out there which you will find out from other members here:
Good Straight Razor Brands - Straight Razor Place Library
If buying a new razor, I suggest you buy one from Straight Razor Designs - Gifts for Men | Straight Razors or SRD. The owner & founder of this forum is Lynn & he is also part owner of SRD. When you buy a straight razor from him, he will personally hone that razor before you get it plus you will get a certificate for another free honing for when that razor needs it which should be a few months. There will be vendors who will sell you a straight razor that is supposed to be shave ready but really won't be. You will most importantly need to know how to strop & you can learn in the Library or here:
Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Library
You will need to strop your razor before & after you shave. If you buy one from Lynn, chances are you won’t have to strop it before you use it the first time.
You will also need a shaving brush, a shaving mug & some shaving soap. Later it will also do you good to get a second straight razor so that when you send the first one out to be honed, you will have a backup to shave with.
Here is a link to the Library where you will find stropping in there & everything else you will need to know including how to hone:
Beginner's Guide to Honing - Straight Razor Place Library
Also here is Lynns bevel setting video & some of gssixguns honing video's:
https://www.youtube.com/user/gssixgun/videos
Bevel setting on a Chosera 1K taught by Lynn Abrams
Here is another good link to know:
Welcome to the Workshop: How do I / Where do I / What do I / answers are here
Should you have any questions, there are a lot of knowledgable members on here that will be more than happy to help you out. If you want to find someone in your area, you can look here:
Local Help - Straight Razor Place Library
And if you can't find anyone near you, just ask and someone that lives in your are & hopefully they will let you know how to meet up & you can get some one on one mentoring. There is a lot to do on here, just search everywhere on the forum & in the Library. You will spend hours on here & have fun doing it, so there you go, have at it!
Good luck & have fun!
Steve

Hi
If you tried any links in my first message, some of them weren't working because I think they made some changes. I fixed them all now!

Hi and welcome. There is a learning cure and you will find angle, Pressure and Skin stretching plays a big part of the shave. Good luck finding what works best for you

Pressure, Prep, and Angle. Tell us about you pre shave route.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TrilliumLT

Pressure, Prep, and Angle. Tell us about you pre shave route.

---

Pre Shave and shaving routine:
Hot Shower
Hot Towel while brush soaks and warms up
Apply êshave pre shave oil
Lather êshave shaving cream in bowl
Apply to face with brush
Shave WTG
Rinse face, re lather with cream
Shave ATG
Rinse face
Clean razor, bowl, brush etc
Apply AS balm

-Jeff

Hello and welcome Neighbour.
The double edge razor and a bit too much pressure can easily take a layer of skin off if to give razor burn.
I always suggest that the first pass be looked at as just to take off the shave soap and nothing more.
The second pass can be a bit tighter but still very light.
Maybe we should meet up sometime and review your technique?

Welcome to the forum. Looking above I see you are well taken care of. Enjoy!

Thanks Raol, I appreciate the offer, and will take you up on it when we get a bit further into January when life settles back into routine around the house. :)

When I shave again I'll try to watch the pressure more closely, my shave yesterday evening went OK, but I only did 1 WTG pass, so I'll try a 2 pass again this time.

And thanks to everyone for the warm welcome, and the continued advice, I really appreciate it!

-Jeff

[QUOTE=JMueller;1439778]Thanks Raol, I appreciate the offer, and will take you up on it when we get a bit further into January when life settles back into routine around the house. :)

When I shave again I'll try to watch the pressure more closely, my shave yesterday evening went OK, but I only did 1 WTG pass, so I'll try a 2 pass again this time.

And thanks to everyone for the warm welcome, and the continued advice, I really appreciate it!

-Jeff[/QUOTE
Hi there and welcome. Your new so take it really slowly at first both with the DE and the SR.
Only think to add is I'd wait a few weeks at least before trying ATG. Try XTG from ear to nose and the XTG again nose to ear. Wait until you've got that perfect before moving to try ATG again. As has been said watch your angle and pressure. Don't keep swapping DE blades at this stage, It'll take some months before you recognise which ones suit you. If your still having problems keep asking for help.

Hi & welcome to SRP.
You will love it here & there is plenty to learn as there is a wealth of information on here! Here is the first bit of information for you to know:
Straight Razor Place - Beginners Tips: December 2014
Frequently Asked Questions - Straight Razor Place Library
You will want to buy you a nice straight razor to begin with whether used or new. Beware of used ones not that they are bad but know what to look for like a lot of hone wear on the spine & edge or chips in the blade. Stay away from razors with rust on the cutting edge as that will only result in it chipping more metal off as it is honed. Here is also a list of straights to stay away from:
Brands of Straight Razors to Avoid - Straight Razor Place Library
Here is a list of good brands of razors you will want to own plus there are more than just these out there which you will find out from other members here:
Good Straight Razor Brands - Straight Razor Place Library
If buying a new razor, I suggest you buy one from Straight Razor Designs - Gifts for Men | Straight Razors or SRD. The owner & founder of this forum is Lynn & he is also part owner of SRD. When you buy a straight razor from him, he will personally hone that razor before you get it plus you will get a certificate for another free honing for when that razor needs it which should be a few months. There will be vendors who will sell you a straight razor that is supposed to be shave ready but really won't be. You will most importantly need to know how to strop & you can learn in the Library or here:
Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Library
You will need to strop your razor before & after you shave. If you buy one from Lynn, chances are you won’t have to strop it before you use it the first time.
You will also need a shaving brush, a shaving mug & some shaving soap. Later it will also do you good to get a second straight razor so that when you send the first one out to be honed, you will have a backup to shave with.
Here is a link to the Library where you will find stropping in there & everything else you will need to know including how to hone:
Beginner's Guide to Honing - Straight Razor Place Library
Also here is Lynns bevel setting video & some of gssixguns honing video's:
https://www.youtube.com/user/gssixgun/videos
Bevel setting on a Chosera 1K taught by Lynn Abrams
Here is another good link to know:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...wers-here.html
Should you have any questions, there are a lot of knowledgable members on here that will be more than happy to help you out. If you want to find someone in your area, you can look here:
Local Help - Straight Razor Place Library
And if you can't find anyone near you, just ask and someone that lives in your are & hopefully they will let you know how to meet up & you can get some one on one mentoring. There is a lot to do on here, just search everywhere on the forum & in the Library. You will spend hours on here & have fun doing it, so there you go, have at it!
Good luck & have fun!
I just went back over all these links & they are all working so far. I hope it continues to do so.
Steve

Welcome to the forum, good to see another Canuck...

Welcome to SRP!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Anthony1954

When I shave again I'll try to watch the pressure more closely, my shave yesterday evening went OK, but I only did 1 WTG pass, so I'll try a 2 pass again this time
Hi there and welcome. Your new so take it really slowly at first both with the DE and the SR.
Only think to add is I'd wait a few weeks at least before trying ATG. Try XTG from ear to nose and the XTG again nose to ear. Wait until you've got that perfect before moving to try ATG again. As has been said watch your angle and pressure. Don't keep swapping DE blades at this stage, It'll take some months before you recognise which ones suit you. If your still having problems keep asking for help.

---

Anthony and Raol,

Thanks again for the advice. Did a cold water 2 pass today, skipping the hot towel and pre-shave oil. First pass, WTG, watching like a hawk to make sure to use only enough pressure to remove the lather, second pass with same pressure, only XTG on the upper lip and ATG on the neck.

This worked great! Only a very small spot of irritation on my neck, where I know the angle wasn't quite right on the second pass, and the lather had dried out a bit.

Not BBS, but definitely acceptable. SWMBO won't have too many complaints I think. :)

Thanks again everyone for the warm welcome, and for being so helpful!

-Jeff

My straight showed up the other day, and now that I've gotten a chance to use it a few days let me just say that had I not lurked around and absorbed all the information here I would have probably slit my throat open the first go! Thankfully it's been a real treat to learn and use, and my shave with it is getting better each time. :)

Attachment 189770

-Jeff

Nice Razor.
My first was a Dovo Best and is still in rotation.
Congrats on your shaves, you did it right by studying and absorbing prior to putting sharp object to face.
Now that you have come this far be prepare to build overconfidence and shed some blood.
Standard learning curve so don’t sweat it.
Next you may consider learning to shave with the less dominant hand.

Welcome! Plenty to learn here, you're in the right place. :chapeau

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Raol

Nice Razor.
My first was a Dovo Best and is still in rotation.
Congrats on your shaves, you did it right by studying and absorbing prior to putting sharp object to face.
Now that you have come this far be prepare to build overconfidence and shed some blood.
Standard learning curve so don’t sweat it.
Next you may consider learning to shave with the less dominant hand.

---

Lol, Thanks for the heads up about the about the overconfidence, you were right! Very overconfident in my new found ability, blood was shed tonight, in the pursuit of BBS. However, in spite of the small cut on the neck (wrong initial cutting angle) BBS was achieved on 80% of my face, with very little irritation. :)

On another note, It's interesting to me that this has become a bit of a place to share what I would personally consider quite the victory, with people that will hopefully smile to themselves and internally celebrate with me, which is in stark contrast to various other friends who think I'm crazy for even wanting to shave this way, and roll their eyes whenever I try to talk to them about it. :rolleyes:

In short, you guys are awesome! :D No wonder guys like TaipeiJake feel comfortable enough to share things like a complete log of each of his shaves with us! Great community! :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JMueller

It's interesting to me that this has become a bit of a place to share what I would personally consider quite the victory, with people that will hopefully smile to themselves and internally celebrate with me, In short, you guys are awesome!

---

We be just reeling you in :roflmao

I wanted to take a minute and update this thread, just in case someone comes across it in the future and is curious what worked for me to solve my initial irritation issues with the safety razor.

I found a combination of things worked great for me:

1) Pressure - ZERO pressure. Pretend that the face is a balloon, and all your doing taking the cream off

2) Cold Water - Subjective, but works better for me. Warm water tends to make any irritation worse for some reason

3) Wetter lather - the lather I was making was thick, but dried out quick. A little more water in the lather heloped a lot...

4) Feather Blade - After all of the above, I was still getting a bit of irritation, and the alum block still bit me when using it. Switching to the feather blade was easily the best thing that I've done to my safety razor. The difference between it and the Astra and Merkur blades was night and day, I almost wish I would have started with it in the first place. Smooth, comfortable, and it just glides down my face, leaving nothing behind. It's the closest thing to my straight that I've used so far. And not a peep from the alum block afterward. BBS, and no red, all in 2 passes. And this is comming from a back to back shave, 24 hours of grow, and both brand new blades. That feather blade, no wonder it's highly recommended.... It's the best in my mind.

I hope that one day this might help someone else.....remember, YMMV, but don't give up. Keep at it, and it will get better and better, and better. :)

-Jeff

Some more updates: Found out that some of my earlier issues were also caused by the lavender êshave stuff I was using....after I started using some other soaps and aftershaves, it was even better still.

Gonna go shave now. :) I got some new aftershaves for my birthday that I want to try out.....

If it's as good as I'm hoping it will be, I'll tell you guys all about it tomorrow. :D

A belated welcome to SRP, Jeff

Welcome to SRP Jeff, Raol is a great person to touch base with. He's helping me out and setting me straight :rofl2:

Thanks Optometrist and Armourer! I do have to hook up with Raol at some point yet, I keep meaning to set that up and then I get tied up with something else LOL...

So....a note on the Lavender I talked about.... I'm definitely sensitive to it. Tried some Castle Forbes lavender aftershave balm on the top of my hand at my local shave shop yesterday, and it burned and left red behind... Going to have to watch out for that I guess.

:(

In better news...

Had a great shave the other night, as I had hoped it would be. Used Edwin Jagger aloe soap, 3 passes with my Dovo (WTG, ATG, and XTG with touch ups, BBS everywhere), and finished it off with my new bottle of Castle Forbes 1445 balm. Such a fantastic aftershave balm, could still smell it the next morning, and throughout the day!

If you've never smelled it, do yourself a favour and find a way to do so, it's amazing!

And just when I thought it couldn't get better, tonight's shave really hit the spot. Same 3 passer, BBS, easy peasy.The real treat (aside from the 1445, man I love that stuff!) was the new soap I tried, Alpine Frost from The Strop Shoppe. Wonderfully new and refreshing scent (I'm a smells guy, can you tell?), but the kicker was the lather. Pillowy clouds of lather that never dried out, with a glide that should really be categorized as NSFW... :P Amazing, simply amazing. I've only used Proraso and Edwin Jagger soaps prior to this, so either this one is the real deal, or the others aren't as good and I should be looking to try some more new soaps... :D

Needless to say between this new soap, and the 1445, I'm currently in Nirvana. :)

-Jeff