Hey yall thanks for the tips! Ill definitely try the cold water. I have been stretching the skin and trying different ways and directions. I don't use method shaving forms while using a straight, and have been using mostly non-hydrolast products as well. I jave instead been using motions appropriate to the direction of beard growth with the straight. I also have experimented witj using different sections of the razor, but those techniques are still formative. I'll be sure to look closer at that as well.