Thread: Are You a Switch Hitter?

Gentlemen,

Do you switch hands using the safety razor?

When I started shaving with the straight razor some years ago, I switched hands from the first shave. If I recall, my friend Lynn Abrams suggested I do so, and I am grateful to him. Switching hands with the straight razor improves my field of vision, as well as giving me plenty of room to improvise.

I have continued the practice with the safety razor, too. This especially helps with some strokes now that I have lost some mobility in my shoulders due to age. For instance, my stiff right shoulder restricts my south to north strokes on the left side of my face using my right hand, whereas using the left hand makes the strokes a breeze.

Due to the weird hair growth on the left side of my face, shaving from mouth to ear is going against the grain. By using the left hand — with the straight razor, too — I avoid putting stress on my right should were I to use my right hand for that stroke. And so on. Switching hands with the safety razor especially eases the burden on my stiff shoulders.

So gentlemen, do you switch hands using the safety razor?