Thread: Another Journey Begins

Greetings all,

Firstly, Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope the holidays find you with those you love.

A bit about myself: As you could probably guess, I am new to the world of Straight-Razor shaving. I am not, however, new to this site; I've been vising StraightRazorPlace off and on for over a year, and I must truly commend everyone who has contributed to this wonderful community.

Being a young student (Computer Science) and working as a computer/network technician, I spend more than my share of time on the Internet. Off all the site, blogs, and forums I visit, I don't think I've ever seen such a close-knit and inviting group as you all have here at SRP.
When you guys disagree about something, it's things like whether or not to feed carrots to a badger if you want "the ultimate lather," and always done respectfully.

What's most striking about this place is the sheer joy and enthusiasm with which you embrace fellow shavers, experienced and beginning. The idea of bringing a sharpened piece of steel to one's neck can be quite daunting, and your guys' support and advice makes it seem not only possible, but very rewarding.


The First Cut:

My first shave, I was still in Boy Scouts, probably in Jr. High or early High School. I used my Dad's disposable razor and a mug with a bar of some shaving soap in it. The brush was an "Ever Ready 500 PBD Pure Badger."

It was the only brush I had ever seen, and it was evidently quite worn - I didn't know before visiting this site that the bristles were normally longer than 1".

It was exciting to cross over that bridge and realize that HO! I was a man!
That feeling lasted for a couple weeks, then it became another tedious bathroom chore like clipping my nails or cleaning my ears.

The Electric Razor:
Once it was certain that this "shaving" thing was going to be a continuous part of my life, someone in my family got me an electric razor. It was novel at first to be able to remove hair from my face in less than 2 minutes, but it always felt like it pulled more hairs out than it actually cut, and I got more severe razor rash from my electric than I had so far with the Gilette.


Dr. Dash or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Blade
(Ok I'm not really a doctor, yet)

At about the age of 20, I eschewed the electric altogether and returned to the disposable razor. Shaving was still a chore, but it was now less painful and at least i didn't have to worry about the discomfort from the electric.

I carried on that way for some time until I came across this site: You guys really like to take care of yourselves! Pre-shave creams, shaving soaps, shaving creams, post-shave lotions, creams - heck even cigars, ****tails, and soundtracks! Here was a bunch of guys doing probably one of the more manly activities possible, while at the same time pampering themselves indulgently, without apology! I had seen straight-razor shaving in westerns and mobster movies, but I had no idea there was such a dedicated and passionate following for it.

I read and read and read - pretty soon I had so much new stuff floating through my head - 7/8" barber-tip silver point ATG hollow-ground . . . my brain was spinning but at the same time I was thoroughly enjoying myself.
I knew that it was something I had to try.
While that was many months ago, and to this day I have not straight-razor-shaved, (well that's not completely true, but that is another story . . .) the discovery of this site did have an immediate effect on me - since then I have began to really embrace my shaves, taking my time and doing more than just "cutting off hair." I can't put my finger on just what changed, but the elation I get now when I am freshly shaven is just wonderful. I am a person that believes that if you do something to yourself, it should be for yourself, and shaving had become an opportunity for me to do something for myself that was both productive and relaxing.
I can't wait to get out of the shower now and lather up with my can of Barbasol and my Gilette and get to work. When I'm done, I feel like my skin is glowing and just generally good overall - something that's hard to describe but that you all undoubtedly know.

So now, Christmas break is here and I've decided it's time to take the next step. For Christmas, I asked for and received my 23" Illinois 127 strop, which I thought was a reasonable pick for a new shaver. And I know, I shouldn't get to attached to it, as I have been warned, but I have yet to use it and I already am very fond of the thing . . .
Now that I have my first piece of equipment, I know there's no backing out for me. In the next few days I plan on buying a razor. I am planning on following the FAQ guide with regards to size, grind, and tip, and unless one of the classifieds calls out to me, will likely get a new Dovo Best. The video that one member posted of Dovo's manufacturing process, coupled with their consistent praise and recommendation on this forum, is what has sold me on them.

Anyway, WOW! I just signed up just to say thanks and talk about my new Strop, and it looks like my keyboard has run wild.
I have no doubt that you guys will be hearing from me in quite a bit, so until then, thanks for the great site and resources, and Merry Christmas to everyone!

Welcome to SRP Dash and Merry Christmas to you too.

Welcome and enjoy. Great Place with great members. Merry Christmas

Welcome to the great world of straight razor place!! and the first thing you will do,is get rid of that can of goo.

Welcome to Straight Razor Place!

Comp Sci in Northern Cal - That would be Humbolt?

You have a number of forum members in that area. When you take the plunge, you might try contacting some to see if they would have time to show you their process - stropping, making lather, shaving, post shave. It's alot easier than flailing about solo. In the last week, one friend has tried his first 3 shaves w/ a str8 at my place, and remains pretty much without a nick. I let him use my different blades, brushes so he doesn't have to go and buy all this stuff to learn what his preferences are.

I do think you're on to something - sensing the excitement, joy from doing something 'for' ourselves that we have to do 'to' ourselves. It's a real scream. I loved listening to my friend talk about how different his face felt - how the air on the skin feels different.

You're right about the attitudes here - and the quality of the help. It's really impressive. I've not found this level of quality on any other board, regardless of topic.

Best of luck w/ your plunge. You're about to get the best shaves of your life.

Welcome, and enjoy the ride!

Goodness folks! I haven't posted in quite a while!
I come to you all bearing good news - I've just survived my first shave!
Considering some of the horror stories on this site, I'd have to say it went quite well. While certainly there were a few nicks, I didn't end up needing a transfusion (:

For other newbies wanting to compare themselves, here's how I'd describe my face:

Age: 25
Hair: blonde (beard is somewhat reddish, thanks grandpa . . .)
Build: slim (Adam's Apple is something to shave around, not over)
Skin: On the sensitive side (Electrics give me razor burn, and going against the grain is usually a bad idea)

The save itself, as you can guess, wasn't the best I've ever had, but it was a great learning experience. I went down the sideburns, cheeks, lips and other "easy" areas cautiously. Then I just kind of felt-out what doing the chin and jawline would be like. I had to go over much of it with my tri-blade, but the experience was great none the less. As silly as it might sound, I can see how this could result in a nice shave - just need to keep practicing.

I'll save everyone the trouble of insulting my pathetic brush and just say this: I know it's old. Really really old. Until I started reading this forum, I kind of figured that's what they looked like. It's on my list to replace, don't worry. Christmas is coming up and you can bet that'll be on my list.

As for my Razor, I keep hearing the Rifleman's Creed in my head: This is my Dovo, There are many like it, but this one is mine . . .. It feels great - the weight of the blade feels sturdy but nimble, the scales are simple and solid. I tried the hanging hair test as soon as I got it (my hair is only about 1/4" long, but one of the side-effects of sharing a bathroom is there are no shortage of hairs laying about). It cut most of the time but had a tendency to catch and cut the hair almost all the way a few times. I carefully stropped it about 20 times on each side on the leather and tried the HHT again: snip snip snip! I cut that hair to little pieces. That made me feel pretty good about my stropping technique.

Anyway, I'll be following up more regularly since I've actually got my blade now! I wish you all the best!

Welcome to SRP, Dash, and to your first step on your journey.
You have a lovely looking blade there, I wish you many smooth, bloodless shaves with her.
I have a Franks Shaving finest badger brush that has served me well since I got it, if you are looking to upgrade.
They are available on eBay and are very reasonabley priced IMHO.
I wish you and your family the very best for the festive season too. (Good Grief it's here again)