Hey, Roughkype.

Sorry about that. I just got finished shaving not too long ago. It was a great experience. Almost therapeutic. I love the process of making the shaving soap. The badger hair brush and 'soap' felt amazing in and of itself.

Few things. I probably should have trimmed my face down before I shaved. I usually sport a semi-beard. Maybe inch long give or take a 1/2. So I went at it straight with the, well, straight-razor. It felt like it was kind of tugging / sticking to my face a bit. But I am almost certain that it was because I didn't dilute the soap down with enough water in my mug. It was thick and kind of 'sticky'. Not aerated enough. So I diluted it down and the shave went smoother.

No cuts, no nicks, no irritation of any kind. Caveat: I hope this doesn't upset any 'purists', but I didn't give myself a full shave. I will be doing that tomorrow. However, I'm meeting with someone soon and I've worn a beard ever since I've known them. Waiting one more day can't hurt. But, what I did do is 'trim'. And honestly, I did the parts I felt would be most difficult:

I shaved everything up to and below my jawline. So I shaved my neck, behind my sideburns, my throat. These were the parts that were scaring me, but I managed to pull it off with no 'authorities' having to be called. My technique needs serious work, this I know. I often caught myself with a very peculiar grip. And what are your opinions on shaving 'against the grain'? I felt myself naturally doing it for my neck and lower throat. As I'm typing now, I feel a little bit of a burn / warmth at the throat area and cheeks. But I just applied aftershave.

Anyway, I've never had such a clean / clear / close shave on my neck and throat area. One or five hairs always escape me. And when I do get them, there is always stubble (uneven stubble for that matter) the multi-layered head safety razors just don't have the flexibility and mobility to contour to my jawline appropriately. So that was a definite plus.

So to sum up: It was a great experience. Can't wait to finish the job tomorrow. I have the right idea for making my soap next time. I will try to keep a better angle on the blade as well as a more consistent grip. I also used my right hand the entire shave. I know that's not ideal, but I wasn't comfortable going 'lefty' just yet.

I'll attach a pretty crap quality photo. But you'll get a better idea of what I shaved vs what I didn't.