Thread: Newbie from India.

Hello everyone,

I am a 25 year old from India, discovering the art of the straight razor shaving. Having used a Mach 3 ever since i can remember, it was a pretty steep curve for me to start using a straight razor and i must say, i have cut myself often .

Anyways, a big hello to the straight razor community . Would love to hear from you guys

Hi, and welcome to SRP!

Sorry to hear about the cuts, but don't get discouraged - we have all been there.

Now, the next step is to figure out why you're getting those cuts! How much pressure are you applying to the blade? What kind of angle are you holding the blade at? Are you paying attention to what yoru blade is doing at all times? Are you taking your time and not rushing? Those tend to be some of the main reasons why cuts happen.

There is a whole lot of info on the site here, so take some time and read, read, read. A lot of new shavers also find it helpful to watch videos (youtube has plenty) so it is worth taking some time to watch guys shaving as well as read about it. And when you have questions, please ask!

Good luck

Hello Cangooner,

thanks for the reply. I started using a straight razor after watching the youtube videos, also i watched Mantic's series on lathering and stuff. I also read this pdf book by Christopher Moss

I suppose the major reason for those cuts would be when i go across the grain, still not quite adept at that i guess

that apart from the fact that we dont have most of the premium shaving products available in my country. No Truefitt & Hill, no Taylor, no Trumper
Not even Tabac :@

When I was starting I found that most of my cuts came when I hesitated, stopped the blade moving, and it dug in. Is that a problem for you? Another thing for me was using a blade that was not truly shave-ready. This required more pressure (particularly across or against the grain) which then led to more cuts.

Did you have your razor honed by a pro? That might also help.

A common suggestion when starting out is to stick to the easier bits at first (for example going from sideburn down to jawline with the grain) and then adding sections to your shave as you get more comfortable. That of course requires another kind of razor to finish up the other bits, but if that helps reduce the number of cuts, it might be a good idea!

I wouldn't worry too much about not having the luxury products though. They are, after all, luxuries. Hopefully some other members from nearer to your part of the world will join in with some suggestions.

ok i would clarify some things at this point.

Firstly, India doesnt have any company that makes striaght razors, all we have are shavettes, similar to the ones made by Dovo. I use that and a new blade everytime i shave.

Preshave consists of just a facewash and really hot water splashes.

The soaps we have here are made by indian companies, like Godrej. Its a round blue coloured thing, costs $1 for 3 of them. Absolutely NO lubrication, not even with the addition of glycerin.
Generally i use Old Spice shaving cream and then make 2 passes, one with and one across the grain

Finish it off with some moisturizing lotion and some cologne (also Old Spice )

Can you direct me to someone who would be selling a straight razor online ? because most places dont ship all the way here and if the day then the cost of shipping is HIGHLY prohibitive :@

Have you tried different blades? I don't use a shavette but I know both from shavette users and from my own DE experience that some blades just don't agree with some faces. I have also heard that some guys find the first shave with a blade very harsh, and from the second shave onwards, it seems to get better. Maybe instead of a new blade with every shave, try re-using the same blade a couple of times. Maybe that will help.

If you're looking to buy a straight, there is always the classifieds here at SRP: Straight Razors - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

I don't know what shipping costs to India would be though, so you'd have to check with the sellers. My usual suggestion for a starter straight razor is from Whippeddog.com but again I don't know how prohibitive the shipping cost would be.

The Classic Edge Shaving Store Your Straight Razor Specialists. offers free worldwide shipping on orders over $100, so you might want to check that out as well.

The only problem I could see with you getting a real straight rather than a shavette would be with honing. Buying from one of the above vendors would get you a truly shave-ready razor, but a time will come when it would require honing. When that happens you would either have to send it out to be done, or learn how to hone. Both are possible, but you should be aware that honing might be an issue down the road.

I hope this helps.

I have used a number of blades, right from the cheap Indian made Supermax to the Gillete Seven o Clock Permasharp, infact i was overjoyed when i laid hands on a Feather in my country, was totally shocked out of my skin, since India isnt too high up on the shaving market.
I also found a person selling Truefitt and Hill shaving cream.

I am quite satisfied with my shavette, but i really want to make the jump to a straight razor and learn the art of honing and stropping and stuff. Thats why i am desperately looking for someone willing to ship overseas.

Thanks for all the links you have provided Shall look into them

Hi Voleman,

I did register in 2010, but after cutting myself one too many times, i gave up on the straight razor shave( using a shavette that is) . Dunno why but i never got the knack of it back then. Now i have rediscovered the same.

Also have a lot more time on my hands, so trying this out.

I checked out whipped dog, is that place reliable ?? i mean the straight razors there seem to have no "bling" if you get what i mean


I am addicted to cream, but yeah will try out soaps too. The thing is, i have hard water where i stay so getting lather is an issue regardless of what i use

'Bling' rarely shaves well. Quality well honed steel shaves well and does not need to be pretty. whippeddog is considered reliable.

have you tried filtered or perhaps bottled water when making your lather?

enjoy,
jim

Originally Posted by drnarp

I checked out whipped dog, is that place reliable ?? i mean the straight razors there seem to have no "bling" if you get what i mean

Yes whipped dog is most reliable as syslight mentioned. Search the forum and you'll find many testimonials. The reason his razors are cheap is precisely due to lack of 'bling' (and his newbie-friendly sales concept).

Originally Posted by syslight

Quality hell honed steel shaves well and does not need to be pretty.

Uh.. I'm not quite sure in which realm Larry does his honing but the shaves are heavenly! Heh heh..sorry Jim couldn't resist.