Thread: Watch out! Redhead with a razor comin through lol

Hello,

Found this place on a Google search, it came up a LOT in my search in curiosity of straight razors. Very likely am the only friggin female here that doesn't use those Venus pieces of junk, I've tried them and others and all were nasty little gimmicks that ended up in my garbage can.

Long time ago when I was learning to shave...I'm 31 btw...I started out with those plastic disposables. I HATED shaving because every single time no matter how hard I tried I got razor burn and ingrown hairs, my legs were redder than my hair and that's no mean task!

I complained one day when my granpa was visiting, well he ended up giving me a safety razor for my birthday, I was 16 that year. I still have it till this day, a 1959 E1 Gillette Fatboy adjustable. He had me watch him a few times, the angle and so on, and finally I got to try it, just had him watch me shave a calf in the kitchen to make sure I wasnt going to butcher myself lol.

Well I learned how to use it and use it well, then came creames and soaps, balms and so on. Today I own a Merkur HD and also a Parker 99R. I love these things and am collecting, dunno what it is but the whole ritual of it all is what hooked me, not to mention my legs are smooth as a baby butt, no burn or irritation ever and no dry out!

However as of late I have been intrigued by strait razors, I love old school stuff and learning how to do things that are nearly forgotten, to find out the old ways are the best way's in a lot of things.

So here to learn more on SR shaving, keep in mind I do legs and under arms so...I'm a diff case with diff areas to shave lol.

So...what is a good high quality SR? I been looking at Boker, Ti and Dovo's. I love how the 7/8's look, but they all have those tips I read to be warned about when starting out, and likely go with a smaller razor. Was tempred to get a Ti Sparticus or Boker Celerated lol, but that's my ego...not too brilliant and love big shiny things lol.

What is a best to start with razor? I don't mind cost btw, I see it as an investment.

I am married to a redhead, aka, a blonde from hell! She used to use the Venus razor but I gave her a Merkur 34C safety razor to try once. After she used it, she asked my why anybody ever uses a cartridge razor ever!

Even if you don't mind paying more, you might want to start with a cheaper razor from the classifieds. The reason is that beginners often find creative ways to destroy their first razors. You will also need a strop and of course, you will need to do a fair amount of reading here. Feel free to ask any questions you might have.

Welcome to SRP!

Tyvm for the welcome!

Mhum I have never looked back really, tried a few things that were "all the rage" and well, they turned out to be nothing but more of the same, just fancier packaging! Plus I recall disposables to make shaving a very dull and tedious not to mention rather uncomfortable, expensive to boot.

For me nothing beats a DE with a new blade, I also am extremely fond of using Talor of old bond Street and Proraso, been also goofing about with Trumpers and even Trufitt and hill. All lovely creams.

At any rate here is my first odd observation...I have watched quite a few videos on youtube of ppl who know what there doing with a strait, and the angle looks like it would just make you a face omelet...or in my case a leg omelet LMAO. I know it is something like 30 degrees, but I also suppose it is also a thing to try and see by feel and sight.

What sort of creative ways are there to botch a good razor? lol

Welcome to SRP.

There are quite a number of women on the forums and the best place for you to start is probably in the Ladies Corner where a lot of your questions may be asked. Well good luck and happy shaving.

William

Originally Posted by TomBoyRed79

I know it is something like 30 degrees, but I also suppose it is also a thing to try and see by feel and sight.

Yes, exactly. After you get the hang of it, you will instinctively adjust the blade to the correct angle, but you will start out needing to think through every little thing you do.

Originally Posted by TomBoyRed79

What sort of creative ways are there to botch a good razor? lol

The two most common are just flat out dropping it and banging it against the sink. The blades are quite brittle, so impacts usually lead to shattering or chipping. Other methods involve the sudden opening of doors, surprises by small children, well-intentioned cleaning, the embedding of cat claws in ankles, the curiosity of strangers, Dremels, and gravity in general. Anyway, that's enough to start with. Hopefully you will not discover any new ones.

welcome to srp

yeah 30 degree is the angle you should shoot for, may be easier to estimate with the spine being about 1.5-2 widths away from the skin.
light touch and a proper angle is the key, a sharp razor glides over the skin and cuts just the hairs.

i don't have experience shaving anything but my face, so i don't quite know if it's harder to do the legs. i guess bending over that fat belly would make it much harder for me


also another pretty standard way to destroy a razor is leaving moisture between the scales - high carbon steel rusts really fast

Nope you are not the only female that uses a straight.. nor the only red headed female either Welcome and enjoy your visits. I look forward to seeing you around the forum

I would highly suggest getting a 5/8 or 6/8 round point razor. It's much easier on the ankles and knees. I still use a DE for the underarms. Haven't been able figure out quite how to get a razor around all the hollows and curves and still be able to see what I am doing.

Welcome to SRP. Good luck on your foray into straight razor shaving.

Sound's like you're in for some fun! I second the 5/8-6/8 recommendation. More towards the 6/8 side of things anyway. Welcome to the forums! It's good to have another Midwesterner in these parts (Chicago here). Looks like you have a decent amount of ink, you should post in the "Finer things in life" there's a thread about tattoos. Where did you get it all done? I've worked all around the midwest as a body piercer I sometimes did guest spots in Indiana.

Well tyvm! Midwest sucks for me, originally from florida, got all my work done by a man there that's from near a town called Sasebo in Japan where my parents are from. Very expensive and took 4 1/2 years to complete, as it was done with the traditional bamboo and tapper not a modern gun. Not going to go into the price, friend of my fathers so.

I'll keep the sizes in mind, more research to be done before a purchase though. =^-^=