Thread: Question about a close shave

Hey everyone,
I have been shaving with a straight razor for about a year now and something has been bothering me.

When I shave with a "store razor" (big name brand) I tend to get a very close shave.
Maaaaybe it is because I go over the same areas several times in different directions.

When I use a straight razor - I seem to have places where I have "stubble" is the only word I can come up with.

What am I doing wrong?

Maybe not going in the right direction?
Maybe being scared of killing myself with this sharp blade in those areas?
Maybe my razor is not stropped right?

I have no clue.

Anyone else have this happen and figured it out?

Thanks,

Jamie

I have some days when i dont get as smooth a shave as id like. But the main thing to learn is to get a comfortable shave. When you can shave and have no discomfort and the skin feels good then dont worry about that little spot you might not have made baby butt smooth. Can you see the stubble left? If no then Dont worry about it and be happy you got a comfortable shave. After a couple years of shaving with a pro honed razors you will find that one day your getting the perfect shave, but this takes time, effort in learning the directions to shave on each part of your face and the razor needs to be right.

It is a learned skill with many variables.
Incorrect stropping can degrade your edge in a few swipes. A good soap and prep do make a difference, as does skin stretching and pulling weird faces at the mirror to flatten out those hard to get to places. Don't expect instant results.
No shame in finishing with a cart, but those multi blades give me mad irritation.
You could send your razor out for a refresh to one of the honemeisters here, then you would have a reference to what shave ready really means.
Don't be scared of the blade, respect the blade...

Assuming equipment is in good, correct condition, your answer is: patienice, practice, observation, correction, pressure, angle, stretching, lather, etc., etc. I’m 2.5 years in and still learning.

Originally Posted by Longhaultanker

Assuming equipment is in good, correct condition, your answer is: patienice, practice, observation, correction, pressure, angle, stretching, lather, etc., etc. I’m 2.5 years in and still learning.

This is the best part about shaving with a SR. You can always learn more and get better. One way to not get 'bored'. ��

My shaves were hit and miss for the first while. I soon learned that pushing for that BBS smooth shave risks irritation. I started using a straight seeking a comfortable and close shave. Perfection is not a requirement for me. That being said it got consistently better for about two years, I still get aha moments but they are not very frequent. For me the key was to study the direction of growth of my beard and then experiment a little with the order of shave direction in an attempt to get a clean and comfortable shave in fewer passes. With that is wet lather, a sharp edge, low angle, no pressure and good skin stretching and holding. There are areas on my face, that after a shave I can feel that the shave is not perfect. There are only two people including myself that touch my face. No one else can tell my shave is not 100% smooth, and I am ok with that.

I don't see any mention of honing in your post. I would not be able to shave on a blade for a year with stropping only. It could certainly be that your razor needs a tune up at least. I have found that my best shaves are when I shave after a shower, and proceed with a WTG, ATG/XTG, followed up with another WTG. My chin area is the most challenging, which I've learned to incorporate short blade buffing strokes in different directions to get extremely close. You just need to experiment with different techniques to see what works for YOU, but if you persist, you will figure out what it takes. Shaving is a very individual experience.

Originally Posted by jamiedaniel

Hey everyone,
I have been shaving with a straight razor for about a year now and something has been bothering me.

When I shave with a "store razor" (big name brand) I tend to get a very close shave.

When I use a straight razor - I seem to have places where I have "stubble" is the only word

What am I doing wrong?

Maybe not going in the right direction?
Maybe being scared of killing myself with this sharp blade in those areas?
Maybe my razor is not stropped right?

I have no clue.

For a perfect straight shave everything has to fall into place: honing, stropping, and shaving - which admittedly can be a challenge in the beginning.

The way you describe it, I venture to guess that you haven’t lost your “training wheels” yet and keep depending mainly on the “store razor”, as you describe it.

Mastering a straight shave requires commitment, (+100 shaves) practice, and perseverance.
As long as one deprives oneself of continuous practice, straight shaves will IMO never amount to much.
So my advice is to lose the “store razor” training wheels and keep plodding on with a straight until you have mastered it; even if you might on occasion be tempted to throw in the towel.
(Trust me, we all had to go through this - and this is where “perseverance” comes in.)

And getting a close and comfortable shave around the jaw line and chin may be the hardest and last frontier to conquer when learning how to shave with a straight. This is an area where after years of straight shaving even I experiment occasionally with a new tweak in my search for the pefect shave.


In my book there is no such thing as a “weekend straight shaving apprentice” and one will never find out how close and comfortable a straight shave can be unless one is willing to commit the required extra 10-15 minutes to one’s shaving routine on a daily basis.

Wishing you steady improvement in your shaves,



B.

Good advice above. My best advice to add to that is find someone near you or go to a "meet". You will learn more in just a few hours than weeks and months on the web.

Example: If you came to my house, we would first check the shave ready-ness of your razors and touch up as needed. I would then shave, followed by watching you shave. Just seeing a proper routine can mean a LOT, having someone evaluate and guide you is the icing on the cake.

Gasman made a good point modern mach whatever type cartridges have many blades effectively making one pass 3 to 5+ couple that with a short length and ability to hit your face in every conceivable angle and direction its a system that any moron can get a clean shave without any skill or effort and of course by design for the masses to succeed in a task that used to take skill and or a barbers intervention to get right. So keep in mind the straight razor we all love has many challenges with it. You have to develop skill and an understanding of your beard growth and overcome the obstacles of a large blade that has to get sometimes in impossible places on your face and again hit it in multiple directions, no easy task but fun. Then again there is blade maintenance honing and all that jazz that makes up this hobby and again fun. Straights have the same potential in doing a great job as any other brainless system the difference is us not the tool on how far we achieve a great result. Some people shave to get out the door and some people shave to have fun and enjoy the luxury. I happen to be the latter. So keep at it and have fun.