Thread: Hello From Brandon, Mississippi

OK, I am brand new to straight razor shaving. But, I have a passion for learning, especially the old ways of doing things. I have ordered a new Dovo Solingen razor, shave cream, strop and brush. They should be here in a few days. I have been reading this forum and look forward to learning a lot from y'all. Thanks for letting me join.

Hello and welcome to SRP.

Sounds like you're off to a great start.
First thing to do is have that razor checked by a reputable honemeister for shave readiness.
Many places sell new razors with a factory edge and call them shave ready when their not even close.

Watch as many straight razor shaving and stropping videos as you can stand.
Practice !earning shave strokes with a butter knife and find out what feels comfortable to you.
Figure out if your comfortable shaving with both hands or using only your dominant hand.

You can start out stropping with a folded up piece of newspaper on a flat, hard surface like a kitchen counter. Get used to what the razor feels like in your fingers and how to do the flip at the end of the stroke.
Do this for a while till it's comfortable for you. It will save you from nicking and cutting your new strop.

Most of all, if something doesn't feel right while shaving or stropping, put the razor down and walk away.

Stay in your comfort zone!

Have fun learning and don't be afraid to ask any of us questions.

Pete <:-}

Welcome to SRP! You'll find everyone very helpful should you run into any areas of concern or have questions. Be patient. You're in for a treat.

Welcome. Great bunch here. Always eager to help. Go slow. It takes a while to get the hang of it, but it's worth it in the end.

Thank y'all so much for making me feel welcomed here and for the much needed guidance.

Nice start! Look around and hit that forum search at the top-right!
So many things there. The whole forum is your new home.

Welcome from another old boy from down in the Southland. There are plenty of resources here to learn from. If you have a question likely there's already an answer for the searching but you can always ask. The shave library is another good source of information for basics all the way to restoring and history. Dovo is a good solid starting place . As has been said take your time and don't get discouraged. It comes to you as you go. There's always someone here to guide you through.

Welcome to the forum. A shave ready blade and the ability to strop it well are quite paramount to learning.

Great answers for ya. And welcome to SRP. Some say it take around 100 shaves before you really start to understand the blade so go easy and keep at it. Dont give up! And as been said, a pro honed razor is best for learning with. Factory edges are 90% of the time not shave ready. Also, i recommend you check out our BST thread and pick up a second razor. Two is best for learning, as you need to have one ready to use for when you send the first one off for honing.

Being new to this you will be hard on an edge and it wont last as long as someone who has been using a straight for years. Dont get discouraged if you cause yourself razor burn or irritation in the first few months. Its normal when starting out.

We will help all we can.

Welcome to the forum.