Thread: First Straight Razor Shave - A Review/Plea for Advice

Hi guys,

Well I say "shave" I actually mean I spent ten tense and frustrating minutes trying to shave the left side of my face with varying degrees of success and no shortage of heart-stopping moments before throwing in the towel for the day and calling it quits and finishing the shave with my DE razor.

I only ever intended to shave one side of my face and get comfortable with that before moving on to different areas and then eventually a full straight razor shave. I've seen some guys here suggest that for a newbie and it seemed like sound advice.

Anyway, the razor I bought was a 5/8 full hollow "classic" from theinvisibleedge.com

It said it was shave ready so I lathered up and went to work.

At first I was very tentative. After 18 months using a DE razor and my whole shaving life (about 8 years) before using cartridge razors it felt completely wrong and alien to be using a straight razor. This knowledge didn't help and I began to psyche myself out. I could see the razor trembling slightly with my nerves so I had to stop to compose myself for a moment.

I know that you're supposed to use minimal to no pressure and let the razor do the work. Hold it at a 30 degree angle etc.

But as I was moving the razor down my face it was skipping/jumping. It was lose contact with my skin, then make contact, then lose contact etc. And quite a lot of resistance was met. Blade seeming to get caught in my beard. Like it was losing momentum or something. I'm not sure.

I'm wondering what you guys think?

Is it a confidence issue? Or an issue of technique? Or both?

And what do you guys suggest for me to go about fixing this?

Thanks guys. I'm a patient guy and am committed to learning my craft and paying my dues. I want to learn and knew it wouldn't be easy. But I won't let this deter me.

Thanks to anyone who responds.

The razor should just be wiping the lather away. In some ways you could say you are not even touching the skin. Miraculously the hair gets removed.

I am not sure about the razor. What manufacture is it?

Anyway, for many people the first shave is lousy. I know mine was. I did get a decent shave after weeks of trying.

Btw, did you strop it? Sometimes beginners will roll the edge due to improper stropping technique.

The razor is manufactured by Solingen.

No, I didn't strop it beforehand. It came shave ready and I was conscious of the risk of accidentally rolling the edge before trying to shave with it.

Originally Posted by Fittz

Hi guys,

...knowledge didn't help and I began to psyche myself out. I could see the razor trembling slightly

I'm wondering what you guys think?

I think...

when you get the shakes it was time to knock off five minutes ago.

Speaking for myself (a relatively old newguy who is really enjoying the razor thing) I feel like I had a very fast learning curve; I was doing pretty good a day or two out of the gate. I attribute much of it to shaveless shaving practice with a butterknife. A half-dozen no-risk non-shaves got me comfortable with the grip, stretch-and-stroke, etc. There is something to first acquiring the moves without the nerves. Good luck.

My understanding is that Steve at Invisible Edge sells quality product and does good work.

You say that you've been DE shaving for 18 months, so I'd assume your prep was probably okay. This makes me think that it's most likely technique/angle. I'd start by adjusting the angle ever so slightly one way or the other, most likely taking the spine closer to the skin... skipping makes me think that the angle was too steep, especially if you have a tough or wiry beard. If it was too shallow, I'd suspect that the lather would come off without shaving, but you wouldn't have the skip. Also, from my own (limited) experience, I had skipping, too, on my neck coming right up to my chin, which is where my beard is really thick. I adjusted the angle so that the spine is closer to the skin and repeated the stroke and had great results.

Either way, it's just singling out a variable and correcting it. Be methodical and patient and you'll get it.

I think you did quite a few things correctly by not stropping a shave ready razor before first use, by only attempting to do one cheek first time out and by having the good sense to stop when you did and not push and do more. I think it was a little bit the trepidation of the first SR shave, a little bit technique or at this point lack of it and possibly slightly dry lather. That is assuming the razor was shave ready and I have no reason to doubt that it was. I was as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof at the beginning too and that was no aid in getting a smooth short stroke in. I would leave the long continuous strokes till later.

Blade angle was hard for me to visualize but someone on here, Glen possibly, suggested 2 spine widths gap between face and spine as a starting point. You can always adjust from there.

I think if your lather is too thick and pasty you might also get the blade skipping.

Those are the only things I can think of but I am sure a more experienced member will be along shortly to add their knowledge to the problem. Hope you have better luck on the next attempt.

Bob

Does stropping a razor before using a shave ready razor damage the blade if so does that mean i have to send it back to be resharpen/honed as i think 2 razors that i brought from Invisible Edge that where shave ready I stropped them before the shave Have I ruined the blade?

Originally Posted by ECD

Does stropping a razor before using a shave ready razor damage the blade if so does that mean i have to send it back to be resharpen/honed as i think 2 razors that i brought from Invisible Edge that where shave ready I stropped them before the shave Have I ruined the blade?

If stropped properly, you will not damage a shave ready razor. If fact, stropping should improve it.

Oh, make sure you stretch your skin. Skin stretching is essential. If that was not mentioned already it really important on the cheek area.

Originally Posted by ECD

Does stropping a razor before using a shave ready razor damage the blade if so does that mean i have to send it back to be resharpen/honed as i think 2 razors that i brought from Invisible Edge that where shave ready I stropped them before the shave Have I ruined the blade?

No, stropping smooths the edge. But for a new person who has not stropped, poor stropping technique can damage the edge. The idea is that you want to get a shave ready razor, so that you have a reference point moving forward as to sharpness, eliminating the possibility that a first shave was bad because of poor stropping technique.

I have no experience with this vendor, so will assume the edge was good to go. So above advice is solid. I would guess nervous shaking could be your culprit for skipping. The best shaves come from short, quick, confident strokes. Thick, dry lather could also be a cause, but if you've been wetshaving for a bit you should be good there.