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I was wondering if straight razor shavers follow a rigid routine for shaving (the route of the razor over the face), that has evolved and worked over time? Me, still being relatively new, I occasionally, well regularly experiment with routes and stretches but find more and more I am repeating the choice of routes. I'm sure the razor itself does dictate some of this.
I heard the rich and famous shavers (I'm talking massively well-connected people with uber-large JimmyHAD kind of money) hire professional face mapping consultants. :D
The rest of of find our own way at first by trial and error and, gradually, through a better understanding of personal beard character and amateur face mapping.
http://www.pbjsite.com/shave/whiskarmap/
I've been using a straight since last July and each day I find I am refining the directions the razor and I take over my face. I put that down to several factors. I get bored with the same routine all the time so I shave with a different razor without repeating for about 30 days. I enjoy immensely the challenge of having to recall the path taken with that specific razor. Each razor shaves differently and I have to treat the parts of my face accordingly. That and a strong cup of coffee gets my day rolling.
That whisker map looks like my face cuts the first week I use a shavette a year and a half ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by MisterMoo
I'm only at this a little less than a year, but I am constantly trying and learning new directions, approaches, grips, stretching and strokes. I find that the more I pay attention to my face between passes, the more I learn about how inconsistent the direction of my beard is. I used to just lather, then re-lather and do pass after pass. Of course for me, a "pass" is never really a classic pass, because I adjust midway through each part of my face depending on what I'm hearing from the razor and feeling on my face. However, I benefit greatly from rinsing between lathe rings and feeling my beard in the process, to see what I've got left and what direction it's growing in. Makes me wonder how I got by just swiping around with a cartridge razor all those years.
Two years in and settled into a routine pattern that changes little. That was after trying this and that.
Bob
Thanks Bob, that gves me something to look forward to!Quote:
Originally Posted by BobH
Even after all the years that I have been using a straight, I still rely on my index finger both to pick up an area I missed and to show me the stroke to use to get it before the razor goes after it. For the most part the routine has stayed the same, but I still find that I can pick up something new and the comment on razors being different is also right on in my opinion.
Have fun.
Pretty much the same for me now that I've gained experience with the passes, WTG first, ATG all over next, then XTG on the cheeks with another ATG on the neck area and done. Wish I could stretch the shave out longer!
At some point, I'd like to try the scything stroke from sideburn all the way down to the neck area, but just haven't seen the need to use it yet having seen it used in one video by a very experience user with a nice TI 7-Day set.
I've found a routine that works quite well for me. I won't bore you with it as its not likely to be of any use to anyone but me. But there is very littler variation in the routine. Now and then I may analyze one small area of my face and tweak it just a bit to make a small improvement. But its remained mostly the same for a while now. And I suspect that if you're doing it right, it won't change very much. Once you get a good game plan together the results are evident. Straying from the routine to make an improvement is one thing but anything else, for me, doesn't yield the same result. Most of my routine was established while I was using a DE razor. I altered it slightly to accommodate the SR.
My most colorful pass is on the right side from below sideburn to center of chin....done by looping left hand over head and yanking back the years of slightly loose skin (read simply: loose skin)....for me this pass requires the most attention because if I lose the line the razor should take I could easily remove flesh.....thinking about it, it is kind of a funny method as when I go ATG on my right side cheek area I simply grab my ear with my right hand and with razor in left hand move fluidly right to left.
I'm a three passer, sometimes four on special occasions like valentines day ( I need at least 2 days growth for this though).
1st pass: WTG
2nd pass: XTG
3rd pass: ATG.
I always scythe and stretch in all three directions. As for directions it depends on the direction your whiskers grow but I apply the above for mine.
It won't take two years to find a routine but you should be settled in inside of 6 months or so for sure. There is always a little experimentation here and there though to fine tune things a bit. Still haven't cut the passes back from 4 though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Haroldg48
Bob
I suppose I have managed to map my face out pretty good after my years in this sport.
That said, there are still moments where I find a new and improved way of handling whiskers in problem-areas.
Experimenting and reaching for improvements at all times is both fun and useful.
And naturally, an edge is never 100% the same every day, nor is the prep or products used.
For those of us with a few razors in our rotation, they too add to the variation.
Seems I tend to use a heavy Sheffield or a Big custom slightly different from say a ⅝ singing hollow:)
Another cool thing to me still, is razor-meets and having people over.
There is always new stuff to learn, be it from a novice or an expert.
I have a two pass shave that is pretty routine. I do vary it a little here and there trying to get closer on my throat, which is the last hold out on getting it pretty sweet in two passes. I do have a three pass shave I run if I'm trying extra hard to get the wife to fondle my face, or if I have exceptional growth.