Thread: Please tell me I'll get better at this!

Thanks for the words of encouragement. Yes, there really was a lot of information already on SRP. I actually took the time to read and see the videos. All good stuff. The discourse between Lynn and one of the other members (sorry, I forgot) shed some light for me on the shave angle. I was tracking what Lynn meant by the angle in relation to the skin, but I was way off as to my concept of 30 degrees! Geometry is not my strong suit. Anyway, I feel very fortunate to have found a group of folks who are so supportive and generous with their time and knowledge. A very sincere thanks to all. I actually had a decent comfortable shave this morning which left me a five o'clock shadow, but I'll take it.

You'll grow particularly better at it when you stop thinking about how badass it is and learn just how delicate a touch it takes to hone, strop, and shave.

It might be badass, but in a real delicate gentle sort of way . . . just don't tell anyone the truth.

Make certain that the romance doesn't interfere with the marriage, so to speak.

This might be heresy, but sometimes returning to the first steps is helpful. I have done this because I got stymied with the mustache/chin area.

The advice given on the wiki here is to start just by shaving one cheek down to the jawline, then finish with your other shaving method. Then move to the neck below the jawline on your dominant side, finish with your other method. Then, when you are comfortable with that side, move to your non-dominant side, non-dominant hand and again, just the check to the jawline. Then move to doing the neck on that side. Don't rush, give each one plenty of time, several days, making the goal a smooth shave with no rash or bleeding. So now you have cheeks and neck on both sides, no blood or burn. You can read the wiki for the rest.

HERE'S THE PROBLEM: I felt like a failure putting down the straight and finishing with the disposable! So I went out and bought an extremely cool DE adjustable razor (I used them as a younger man). So when I finished, I'd finish with the DE. Still "old school," still rejecting the disposable, still whipping up a killer lather in the mug.

Slowly you can then move to the easiest parts of these hardest areas. Probably from the chin down the neck comes next. Now you are straight shaving everything except the mustache/chin.

I think you see the point. Don't expand what you are doing until you have the first steps in hand, with good results and no blood, burn, or embarrassment (the "what happened to your face" looks from family and friends!). You don't want to say "I shave with a straight razor" and have them say "Oh, so that's what's happened to your face!"

Go slow, and get each stage right before moving on. It's not a race.

Originally Posted by flyman

I actually had a decent comfortable shave this morning which left me a five o'clock shadow, but I'll take it.

That's okay. One general rule (out of many) is comfort before closeness. And if you have to touch up an area with another type of razor, so what?

Stick with it FlyMan, it'll be worth it, and more than likely, sooner than you think. All the Best-J

I am not far ahead of you, I started back in January. The key is to take the advice of the senior folks who know what they are talking about and go slow.
The skills required to str8 shave take time to learn. Have any questions, use the search feature or just start a thread an ask. The senior folks will help out as they normally do.

Sooner than you think you'll put down your razor after shaving, feel how close your shave is. Realize you enjoyed shaving and have a great feeling of self satisfaction.


THAT is what is BASS ASS about Str8 Shaving.