Thread: Shaving the Face with a Straight, not your face??

Originally Posted by Yves81

I agree, you don't get any feedback and I would be very afraid to cut someone.
The one thing, IMO, that would make it easier, is that you can see what you are doing.
You have a perfect view of the blade, the angle and the skin.
So the feeling of the blade on your skin is gone but is replaced by a better view of what you're doing.
At this moment, to me, it seems easier because I have some trouble getting used to shaving my own face and a better view might be usefull, however I'm afraid I would cut someone completely up. And by the time I have enough experience not to cut someone, I'll be used to shaving my own face, so I'll probably miss the feedback.

I know what you mean, as your shaving someone else that gives you a completely different vantage point to allow you to see much better than you would If you were shaving yourself, I was just thinking as when Im shaving generally I can see ok but also as well as sight I rely on how the blade feels when it passes over the skin, if its pulling etc so for me I would probably find it more difficult because I couldn't feel what was happening, although that's maybe just my in experience talking. But yeh, I would also be way too anxious about cutting someone to attempt it.

i have shaved three other people besides myself. I'm paranoid when i do it so im crazy light on the touch. i can use Turkish barber stretching on other people which helps. i find what i lose in feel i make up for in visual feedback and verbal feedback from whoever I'm shaving. however i do the neck with a de because i don't trust myself quite that much with someone else's trachea.

i actually give straight shaves to grooms whose wedding party I'm in.

I asked a Barber once if he use to give straight razor shaves, and he said yes. Then I asked did he ever cut anyone and he said yes. He said the bad thing about giving someone else a shave is by the time you realize you cut them, it's deep compared to shaving yourself. He shaved with a straight when he was younger. I asked why he stopped, and he said see all this loose skin.............

I've never shaved another guy but I have shaved my wife's legs and that was fairly effortless. Though, unlike a face, legs have very little contour or nooks & crannies....

And yes, barbers were/are known for giving the odd cut. Any time I've left the barber chair bleeding (both times) the barber has said nothing nor apologized, just pretended that it didn't happen. Probably thinking if he admits to shoddy work he'll lose a tip....

Once

and only once have I attempted it, I was letting some guys at work try a SR shave out, they were doing pretty good but one of them got the edge close to their cheek and I swear his hand would not stop shaking..
Scared me so much I finally sat him down and shaved him, I figured there was no way I could do more damage then he would have

Honestly it went much easier than I ever expected, I of course kept it simple and only did WTG, nothing fancy, but all in all I felt pretty comfortable, he said his face felt great so I guess it was a success...

My dad likes to tell the story of barbers in the UK learning to shave balloons. A pop equals a cut! I have no idea whether the story is true...

Although not a face, I did shave one of my buddy's heads for halloween, he went as Lahey from the Trailer Park Boys so it was just the top of his head. It was definitely a weird experience and I was more nervous of scalping him in one fell swoop than anything else. I much prefer shaving my own face and being responsible for my own safety, not someone else's. Kudos to those who do it for a living and have steady hands!

Originally Posted by superdaveosbourne

Although not a face, I did shave one of my buddy's heads for halloween, he went as Lahey from the Trailer Park Boys so it was just the top of his head.

LOL Now that would be something to see! Did he recruit another friend to accompany him as Randy

At the beginning of the night it was just him, as the kegs got dry there were several larger framed men volunteering to be Randy. It was not a pleasant sight... haha

All this reminds of a story from many years ago...

A friend/roommate of mine decided he was going to shave his head down to the wood but we decided that we'd have a laugh first. So I shaved the Bay of Fundy into his head (or the typical horseshoe/male pattern baldness shape, for you non-Canadians lol) before we had company arrive. He put on a toque when greeting everyone and later nonchalantly pulled it off for the big reveal, the reactions were priceless

Anyway, a few hours and several alcoholic drinks later, he tried shaving the rest off on his own but couldn't finish a strip on the back of his head. He pleaded with me to help him but I told him I was too drunk, which was partly true but it was also fun to watch him squirm. So I finally relented and had to finish shaving his head, all while very inebriated. It's a wonder he wasn't a patchy, bloody mess the next day.... and probably good that I was using a disposable and not a straight! lol