Thread: not enjoying learning curve

I just started shaving with a SR after shaving with a DE for a couple of months. And I jack my neck up everytime. Prob its all my fault due to my jumping in both feet. I always shower first, then apply the art of shaving pre shave oil, and either art of shaving shave cream or country uncle lime soap. Go through my shave process right now a combo of SR and DE in order to get close then an alum block to clean up followed by a after shave which varies. And the only consistent is im bleeding from places along neck and can t shave for atleast 4 days due to trauma along my neck my wife doesn't understand why I stick with it. LOL sometimes the pain makes me doubt it Haha. Any suggestions would be appreciated and probably saving me from returning to the grind of normal shaving.

Welcome!!

For your issues I would imagine it's one of the following:
You are not using a properly sharpened razor (Many brand new razors claim to be "Shave ready" and they really aren't)
You are using WAY too much pressure (you want NO pressure, it takes some doing to get the feel for this but it will happen)
Your angle is WAY too high (Keep it under 30 degrees!!!)
You didn't strop before the shave (it does matter)


What Razor do you have and how are you preparing it (ie stropping etc)?

Originally Posted by mcgyver74

Welcome!!

For your issues I would imagine it's one of the following:
You are not using a properly sharpened razor (Many brand new razors claim to be "Shave ready" and they really aren't)
You are using WAY too much pressure (you want NO pressure, it takes some doing to get the feel for this but it will happen)
Your angle is WAY too high (Keep it under 30 degrees!!!)
You didn't strop before the shave (it does matter)


What Razor do you have and how are you preparing it (ie stropping etc)?

All sounds about right. It is quite a steep learning curve, but if you hang with it and get things right it is soooo well worth it

Im using a theirs issard hollow ground razor razor claimed to be shave ready like you said. So didn't strop it just actually picked it up today from the shop that does the honing for a friend of mine that's been SR shaving for years. And picked up a nice Illinois 3inch leather strop from him also for 30 how can u go wrong has a linen side and leather not a sexy strop but good to b i eat the crap out of lol. And with everything im sure im pushing to hard. My wifes always braking my chops and calling me thunder cause she says when I touch her it hurts lol

Ok so if it's been honed by a pro then the blade should be ok

My vote is pressure and angle. It takes a bit to learn to really really back off the pressure, if you think you are using too LIGHT a pressure, make it LIGHTER!!

the light touch is where it all matters, when stropping, and when shaving.
you literally want the blade to feather on your skin.

What could also cause this is that you're trying to go against the grain of your beard hair in the first pass, which with a mildly dulled razor will make it dig into your skin rather than cut the hair.

try shaving with the grain of your beard a few times before continuing your adventure.

Alternatively, you should really stick with only doing your cheeks with the straight until you get comfortable with it, before moving on to the harder areas such as the throat and thin.

I'm gonna go with the light touch as well with one other suggestion that may or may not be valid. Make sure the cream or soap hasn't dried too much by the time you get to your neck area. Put fresh if you need to. Of course if you hit that area first it's probably not valid. good luck, it will get better.

Originally Posted by goodoldboy

Im using a theirs issard hollow ground razor razor claimed to be shave ready like you said. So didn't strop it just actually picked it up today from the shop that does the honing for a friend of mine that's been SR shaving for years. And picked up a nice Illinois 3inch leather strop from him also for 30 how can u go wrong has a linen side and leather not a sexy strop but good to b i eat the crap out of lol. And with everything im sure im pushing to hard. My wifes always braking my chops and calling me thunder cause she says when I touch her it hurts lol

The first year I started straight shaving (2010) I used to joke that if I couldn't stop the blood bath, I could pick up some extra money renting my face out to Halloween parties.

Your demeanor seems to be that of one who can roll with the punches, and for that reason I think you're going to make it. I really didn't become a competent straight shaver until I had been doing it six months. The key is to enjoy the ride and celebrate the incremental victories. I can just now say I have mastered it and I started in March 2010.

You're wise in getting a 3" strop so you won't have to learn to criss-cross.

The biggest help to me was watching shaving videos and heeding advice posted on the forum. JimmyHad, hibudgl, and others stressed the blade angle and not applying too much pressure and finally after about 6 months my brain successfully communicated to my hand not to press the doggone thing so hard. Those pieces of advice got me to the "competent" level. Chimenesch's video was the final breakthrough and I know I must have watched it 200 times or more. Periodically I'd pick up a little more that I didn't notice on previous viewings. I couldn't get to some of the places the way he shaved at first, but eventually I could and out of that evolved even better ways to get those places on my own face. Perhaps the last thing I discovered was the lather. Why I didn't notice it the first couple hundred times I saw it is probably because I didn't know what to look for and was trying to absorb too much, but eventually, I noticed that my lather was fluffy while his was more slippery (watery). The blade was hopping off my skin and going in for a crash landing, which was why I cut myself so much. Now it glides and there is far less irritation.

Think it as an art form, a hobby, a luxury, and you will have the staying power to stick with it while enjoying the ride. For me it's still challenging. Now I'm trying to figure out how to get the same quality shave out of every razor. Maybe I can, maybe I can't, but there's always something I want to accomplish with the straight, especially now that I can really do it.

Yep, like was said, don't do too much too soon. It is exciting to hold that cleaver and run it across your face, but step back, and slow down.... There is a lot of muscle memory to learn as well as proper stropping. it just takes time.

I also have the illinois stop, mine is the russian one, great strop and built like a tank.