Thread: Hello

Hi Everyone,

I want to introduce myself and say hello. I am new to str8 razor shaving having just started the transition from DE wet shaving. I purchased the Gold Dollar razor and Filly strop from RupRazor.

Just completed my first shave today (actually a couple of passes WTG) and wow, did it PULL! It felt like the razor was tugging each individual wisker out of my face. The good news is no nicks or cuts. Looks like this may be a long learning curve.

Thanks,
DJ

Watch your angle. I'm sure Ken honed it properly before he shipped it out, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Every once in a while, one slips by. Tugging can be a razor that's not really "tweeked" just right, or it could be your angle, which is a common obstacle with new str8 users. There's a huge learning curve. Beard prep is equally important.....Spend some time going through our WIKI. There's a bunch of useful info on there. Welcome to the forum...

Rich

I think my prep is pretty good (Proraso shaving creme, badger brush, hot towel, etc.) and the blade feels SHARP to the touch, so I'll try to concentrate on the angle for the next shave. I spent a lot of time reading the WIKI before I started, but it seems like all the info left my head once I put "the steel to my face!"

Thanks for the words of encouragement.

+1 on watching the angles, It takes a bit of time to dial in to what angle works the best for each person. The suggested angle to start with is about 30 Degrees, or a spine width above the skin. If you razor seems to start to pull decrease your angle a bit and try again. Straight razor shaving is worth the time and effort you put into it. One day it will all click into place and you will wonder why you didn't start this earlier

Welcome to SRP. Multiple passes with little pressure are the way to go. Don't try to get it all with one pass and it may improve.

Welcome to SRP, DJ!
You'll soon get the hang of it.

Second shave was much better. The angle is the key. I did sideburns only and it was amazing how changing the angle made such a huge difference.

Great advice everybody. Thanks.

+1 on the angle being key to the whole shave, I will add that "stretching" the skin is also very important to a good , close shave. When your skin is tight the razor will glide over it taking the hairs with it. When the skin is loose, just the opposite happens and we tend to put too much pressure on the razor which can cause a bunch of problems, discomfort being one of them. Good luck and keep practicing, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
ENJOY!

Good Job. Angle is key, and sometimes they vary with razors believe it or not. I have some that seem to take less of an angle than others. At least now you know to increase or decrease your angle accordingly. Other than tugging, major skin irritation is also a problem, sometimes of too steep an angle. So, you really need to stick with the sweet spot...Congratulations, and let us know if you need more help...

Rich

As I progressed from the sideburn and cheeks to the chin, mustache and neck I had more learning curve to get through. This is where the prep, skin stretching and direction of attack began to enter into the picture. It may go easy for you or it may be more difficult but we come through it to smooth shaving if we stick with it.

Took me two or three weeks of progress to finally put the DE in the closet and leave it there since then. After a couple of years of it I still find new ways to stretch and angles of attack so hang in there and it just keeps getting better and better.