Thread: Advice

I have only been using a straight razor for a couple of months now. I can shave most days without nicking myself, but I don't get a real close shave yet. I travel a lot so a few weeks ago I bought a Dovo Shavette to use while I'm in a hotel. I get an unbelievable close shave with the shavette but I end up nicking and cutting myself every time. I also experience razor burn with the shavette but not my straight razor. What am I doing wrong?

How do you prepare for shaving? what lather do you use? etc.
Also it may be a case of too much pressure, me being a noob myself i recently discovered what it dous to the skin if you use a lot of pressure.
May be that your straight isn't very sharp and that had you used to using a lot of pressure.

... so probably pressure

As my technic got better my razor was getting duller ( I would refresh it from time to time, but went to long without proper refreshing). I was compensating with more pressure. After I got them re hone, my technic was better and the razor was sharp. I started to get closer shaves with less irritation.

When you switch to the shevette, you probably uses to much pressure.

My suggestion would be to resharpen your blade and try again. Provided that it was honed to shave ready in the first place.

Double O

I think that IF your razor is sharp, you will of course get a very close shave, but only if you use the correct technique, and multiple passes. I would think that after only two months an actual CLOSE shave in fact SHOULD still be a little way off. So basically, it sounds to me like your experience is normal and you're doing nothing wrong.

If the razor was dull, you'd know it by the fact that it would 'tug' on the hairs; essentially feeling like it's pulling them out rather than slicing through them. The Beginner Tips post this month covers very well the guts of what you are asking/saying...

Carl

Shavette blades are notorious for nicking and leaving razor burn. try a little less pressure and some of that will go away. as for your razor perhaps it needs a touch up since it is not nicking and burning you your technique sounds fine. how many passes are you doing with each?

I only do two passes. The first with the grain, the 2nd pass on my face is across the grain and the 2nd on my neck is against the grain. Prep is shower, Proraso Pre Shave Cream, SRD-100-pure-essential-oil-shaving-soaps-Sandalwood. I have been using shaving oil instead of the Proraso for my 2nd pass.

Thank you for the responses. I think it is the pressure like everyone suggested. I eased up and I still had some razor burn with the shavette but not nearly as much. Thanks again...

Originally Posted by dunbarw

I have only been using a straight razor for a couple of months now. I can shave most days without nicking myself, but I don't get a real close shave yet. I travel a lot so a few weeks ago I bought a Dovo Shavette to use while I'm in a hotel. I get an unbelievable close shave with the shavette but I end up nicking and cutting myself every time. I also experience razor burn with the shavette but not my straight razor. What am I doing wrong?

You may be doing nothing wrong.

Your technique and shave prep might need improvement.

In part what you are discovering is that there is a difference between
a harsh and a smooth razor. In the ideal world you want sharp and
smooth.

How does the shavette shave day one, day two, day three, .... for you.
I find that many DE blades are harsh on the first day then get smoother
each day then cross the line to dull. Learning dull is as key as learning
sharp....

Finding the sweet spot between harsh and dull is for me and
many others the challenge when we hone and strop a razor.

Back to technique:
Softer lighter touch.
Lower the angle.
Softer lighter touch.
Short precise shaving strokes.
Softer lighter touch.

Do watch the angle of the blade and the
direction of the stroke. It does not take
much slice angle to get nicks, cuts and
little weepers. Yet as those that use DE razors
like the slants know that a little rake to
the angle helps slice whiskers and as long
as there is not too much the skin does not
suffer.

Shave prep:
Use a little 3 min egg timer. Once I began
taking my time making a lather and soaking
my whiskers my shave improved. A dollar
sand egg timer got me to slow down.

I always wondered if you could strop a shavette on newspaper before shving if that would take some of that harsh lazor edge out?... Smooth it a little..

When I use the shavette I change the blade every time. I know i need to improve my technique in building lather, I don't get as thick of lather as what I have been reading on the forum. I am sure that I am also using too much pressure and that my angle exceeds 30 degrees on some strokes (I catch it when I am doing it and then readjust)...