Thread: At what point did your shaves improve?

Originally Posted by Edwardd

It was about 6 months before my shaves were consistently good.But I only shave every 4-5 days,so it took a while for me.

If my math and assumptions are correct that would be about 40 shaves...so you are ahead of the learning curve for many...well done.

Smooth Shaving

A shave with a straight razor would take me 45 minutes the first week or so. That was finishing the tough areas, knob of the chin, some of the neck, with a DE. Within a week it was down to 30 minutes but the lather would still be dry on one side of my face by the time I got to it and I'd have to redo it. By the time a month went by I was getting decent shaves, the DE stayed in the medicine cabinet, and my time was down to 15-20 minutes. One lathering was sufficient per pass on the face/neck.

From there it may have been three months, I can't recall. The plateau thing kicked in and I seemed to be static as far as improvement went. As Jimbo pointed out, the honing and stropping was improving at the same time my shaving technique was. Add lathering to that equation as well. I specifically remember, at about a year into it, I began using a slicing stroke and that was a major step in improving my shaves.

IOW, visualize slicing a tomato rather than trying to push the blade through it as if you were scraping ice off of a windshield, or paint off of a sheet of glass with a scraper. Meanwhile my stretching was improving, I was getting to know my own face and neck, which stretches worked for problem areas, like the hollows on either side of my windpipe. BTW, if anyone who hasn't done that slicing/diagonal stroke thing reads this, just be careful, watch your blade angle, and no pressure. Don't make your cheek or neck the tomato, just the whiskers.

I guess I'm still improving, but that plateau is longer and wider than it used to be. Smooth shaving y'all.

As Jim Eludes to,Learning a scything/Sliceing ATG stroke is the Key to shaving nervana,JMO,be carefull.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

As Jim Eludes to,Learning a scything/Sliceing ATG stroke is the Key to shaving nervana,JMO,be carefull.

+1 - You get to this one when you are ready to try it.
For me it meant going from 3+ clean up to 2+ clean up with no loss in finish quality or "BBSness"

And moving way off track - I learned more than a few "Tricks" when trying to learn how to use a Kamisori in the traditional way.
The contortions and pass patterns showed me other ways to deal with those pesky areas.
Not a huge fan of the Kamisori, but grateful for the lessons learned.

Smooth Shaving..

Yup - exactly a year ago for me when I finally joined SRP.

Now, I can't imagine shaving any other way, the mindfulness of the shave, the technique, the absolutely beautiful soaps really made me realize as time went on how great this hobby is. The article in the SRP library called, "The Zen of Straight Razor Shaving" sums up my thoughts pretty well, great read.

The soaps were a big surprise, how very quickly they improved my skin versus the canned poison goo they currently sell. As my technique improved, like many have said, every 15 shaves or so, suddenly I could do something with the straight that I hadn't done before.

Using a brush was also an incredible leap in how my skin improved.

The scything and ATG pass as mentioned, were the biggest leaps for me, and now, I can decide on what type of shave I want, how much time I want to spend, and pretty much achieve whatever I want to do that day.

And one of the biggest fun factors, now I get to decide what straight I'm going to use for today's Canada Day's shave!

About a month or two months after going only to straights. Before that, shaving only once on each weekend I was never able to get enough continuity for the shaves to get any better or faster. Now they are quick and good, like 5 minutes, two passes.

The ideal point, to me, is when the shaves get good and quick, and you get a routine down that makes razor maintenance time minimal (for two reasons, one for time and for keeping a razor edge in top shape all the time, and two, because you might come across a rare razor and want to get a lot of shaves out of it without seeing it accumulate any significant wear).

I am right at 9 months of my straight razor shaving journey.
It wasn't until the past 2 or 3 months that my daily shaves began to equal those top shaves I used to get with a DE razor. I'm feeling more confident and capable with a variety of straight razors, and the results rare reflecting this.
I have been quite diligent about using a straight on a daily basis from day one, and am now finally seeing those great shaves I was initially after.

As I recall, there were several key phases:

1. Three passes: We all know it, others have already mentioned it in this thread, but for me it truly made "all the difference"
2. Proper prep: Specifically, allowing myself the time after I've lathered-up, to rub the lather into my beard (then wait, then rinse and re-lather)
3. Losing weight: For those of us unwilling to blunt/mute a spike-pointed straight razor, nothing tames it like a less-fleshy face (now, to keep it off!)

Smooth shaving!

Originally Posted by RollinCoal69

Just curious as to how long it took for your guys shaves to improve?

First consistent improvement took about 10 years when I found out you hone a razor with the spine on the stone.
Second improvement was when I discovered SRP about 15 years later.

I have the 3 passes down an touch up with DE. That feels pretty comfortable an getting good shaves with that method. I like some of you have mentioned have the "hollows" on both sides of my windpipe. These are my major trouble areas. I remember even starting with a DE this being an issue. I am committed to nailing the perfect shave eventually all with a straight an not using a DE for the touch up pass. That being said I am NOT ready to try the scything motion atg yet. We will get there just not yet....... Side note is I remember my first DE shave an how nervous I was to put that blade to my face. Kind of comical as now I take a non-guarded surgical sharp edge to my neck in all different directions.