Thread: Straight razor 3 pass shave

I just started shaving with straight razor a couple of weeks ago. I notice the day after shaving my is not as comfortable as when I shaved with DE. Is it because of the repetive passes to get that baby smooth finish? My razor is sharp no pulling when shaving? Please help

Could be using too much pressure and irritating your skin.

Originally Posted by Chalito

Could be using too much pressure and irritating your skin.

+ 1, what he said. As your technique improves the 'burn' will go away.

The main things you want to be sure of are: 1- Face prep is on point 2- Blade is sharp and smooth 3- angle and pressure of the blade are correct. That third one is whats going to take the longest to get right, but don't give up and you'll figure it out.

Might be two passes is plenty for a couple more weeks; for some folks it's enough for a lifetime. Let the perfect shave wait out there for a while - allow time to let your skin get used to the blade and try easing into a lighter-handed technique. How is your stropping? It took me a couple of weeks to notice 40-60 light passes made a huge difference in shave quality; it also helps me to strop again before a third and final pass.

Rinse well (cold water), pat dry with a clean towel, a little witch hazel and then after-shave balm? This is working for me as a novice but, since I AM a novice, take my advice with caution.

MisterMoo may be a novice himself but his advice about letting the perfect shave wait is spot on. The first order of business is to get the process down pat. It'll take time, trust me. The learning curve here is a lot greater. Accept the fact that your shaves are not as good as a DE for the short term. Once you're up and running, things will improve. My advice is usually to start by tackling one small area at a time. Think about that area and how the hair is growing. Think about what direction the blade has to attack it on order to get that BBS shave you're looking for. Analyze how effective each pass is knowing that the more passes you make the more discomfort you'll feel. Once that area is conquered, focus on the next. Later, think about the sequence of events that will allow you to string them all together in a single day's shave. The straight razor is completely manual. Its performance is all dependent on the user. So it will take you time to figure out how to get along with one another. Be patient but try to resolve ONE area with every shave. Short term goals. You'll get there.

+ 1 on all the members who answered already.

Take your time to learn the technique and forget the perfect shave, especially the goal of bbs. Cudarunner once wrote "shaving with straights is an art". Certainly this is true.

My discomfort is from my chin down to my neck. I must say it takes many passes in different directions in these areas to make it baby smooth.

Originally Posted by Chet

My discomfort is from my chin down to my neck. I must say it takes many passes in different directions in these areas to make it baby smooth.

Not sure how many shaves in you are but ...... for the first few weeks I did my chin and the tougher parts of my neck with a DE. Eased into doing the whole shave with a straight.

Too many passes will ensure some real nice burn. Give that first and second pass some real evaluation. In my case, and yours may be very different, I find that the WTG pass on my neck is a waste of time. It simply does not remove enough stubble. I find that first pass is far more effective if I go XTG on a hard angle almost ATG. I do one pass from the jaw line down toward the base of my neck, then the next is up from the base of my neck toward the jaw line. The last pass I go directly ATG. If you are doing many passes to get it clean, the efficiency is not there. That can be the razor or it could be the way the hair on your neck grows like mine does. Try going XTG in your first pass and see if it helps any.