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Hey, my name is Terry and I am new to straight razor shaving. I have been using a straight razor now for just over a week. Other than a few nicks it's been going pretty well except that I have been getting razor burn more than I ever did while using disposable cartridges. I am in the Navy and have to shave everyday for uniform standards. I was just wondering if anyone else here has had the same problem and if so what you can recomend. Also, I ordered my razor from classicshaving.com professionaly honed so I wont have to tackle that just yet, but I would love it if someone could give me a basic rundown of everything I will need to get started with honing my own razors when I do get to that hurdle. Thanks for any help you can give me and I am very glad to be here.

Hello Terry and Thank You for serving our country. You can check in here to get things started off.Straight Razor Place Wiki:Books/Beginners Guide - Straight Razor Place Wiki
As for razor burn, Could be to much pressure when using your razor.
Also could be your prep.

Anyway there will more folks with more knowledge who will chime in.

Welcome and enjoy this new way of life.

One of the most common mistakes beginners make is with pressure and angle. Shaving with a straight really needs to be done with as little pressure as possibile, where as shaving with a disposable cartridge razor often requires more pressure. Keep the touch of the razor as light as you can.

Angle is the other biggie. Beginners often have their razor angled at 45 degrees or so, when it really needs to be much less. 30 degrees or under is where it needs to be. Another good meaure is having the spine 2-3 spine widths off the face.