Thread: Questions, Comments, Concerns...overall Woes and Thoughts after 2 weeks

Hey Mike

I also joined the forum mid-January and started shaving with a straight round about then. In terms of getting as good as my Muck 3, I have only just achieved that with the last three shaves. Up to then, I might have a good-ish shave followed by a few horrors (nicks, razor burn, missed patches, certainly not BBS). And using a strop is harder than it sounds... I'm sure I dulled my blade through bad stropping and only really achieved sharpness again through the use of hones and my trusty coticule. (Others prefer a pasted paddle.)

What I'm saying is that despite the obvious enjoyment I got out of the soaps, lathering, prep stuff, post shave stuff, etc. like you I always harboured a suspicion that I would not get as close as a Muck 3.

I was wrong. Don't lose heart. You CAN get BBS off a straight, and with less burn and about a thousand times more enjoyment. But you've got to play the patient game.

One more thing. There's only so much you can learn through reading about it. The guys on here, especially the more experienced, have given me such incredible tips, help, and information. But there's nothing like rolling up your sleeves, taking it steady, and really learning from doing.* Sure you'll make some mistakes, we all do, but that's part of learning. Your face is a unique shape and form, so at some point you need to apply the lessons you learn from reading and start practising like you would any other skill. As you get more confident, you'll try things that feel right and with each step you get closer to the goal.

It's like learning how to ride a pushbike. No matter how much you read about how to do it, and no matter how many Youtube vids you watch of others doing it, you won't really master it until you get on the damn thing and take the falls and tumbles until one day... Eureka!

*Example: despite the dire warnings and holy scriptures of "Thou shalt not shave ATG on your top lip",** I found that the only way I could get a satisfactory shave there was to do exactly that, go ATG. At first I was nervous, and didn't do a good job, and suffered a couple of minor nicks. But I've learned loads about the shape of my top lip and can now shave ATG there, and very smooth it is too!

**Xman is the exception regarding the Scripture of the Top Lip.