Thread: Off it came....

Holy Cats! The last time I did that, I was having a bad reaction to hydrocodone after knee surgery...Stuff made me crazy, and I thought shaving my beard was somehow curative...Wife took me to the doctor, changed pain meds and grew back the beard. Hats off, but I have this mental picture of you hanging your head out of the car window which will be hard to forget...

Just do us all a favor, OK? If-and-when you decide to have a go at "Shaving Private Ryan", keep it on the down-low. (no pun intended, but I'll take it, just the same)

Whew! When I first saw this, all I could think of that someone was shaving in the shower...Yikes!

I don't see a picture in the OP, but the handful of times I did a full face shave were humbling. Shaving the areas I usually grow out, especially around the mouth were challenging for me.

Originally Posted by JP5

I don't see a picture in the OP, but the handful of times I did a full face shave were humbling. Shaving the areas I usually grow out, especially around the mouth were challenging for me.

I'm on about my 5th shave now without a goatee, clean face....tell you, whole different ball game using a straight and doing the entire face.

Tonight was the first shave I came away with no little cuts anywhere, nor any nicks.

What I found interesting, in that my entire time spent shaving with a straight, I always loved the big blades. Well, maybe the reason they were called, "For Barber's Use", was that you had to have a pretty darn skilled hand to get the upper lips and chin areas of your customers, and maybe the width of the blade gave the barber's more visibility.

Tonight I used an Heljestrand Mk.32 in tortoise shell scales, 5/8 I believe, and the shave went easy as pie.

One thing I am really enjoying about this is, it's like starting all over again, everything's brand new again, and even though I've had my nicks and cuts, I know it's just a matter of practice, and I'll be right back where I was, so that's exciting personally.

Gave my face a break once with a shave with a Schick Adjustable SE, got some burn, but a clean shave with no cuts...actually had to put it away so I wouldn't get lazy and just go for the safety razor.

I encourage all fellow straight shaving brethren to give it a try, much different experience that wiping a couple of passes along the cheeks and under the chin.....

Although my looks might likely improve with the addition of some facial hair, I refuse to diminish the enjoyment and satisfaction I get with my full-face shaves. Haven't started shaving my head yet and still use a Wahl trimmer for that, but I do frequently clean up the back of my neck sight-unseen. It's so awesome to be able to do this myself rather have a barber attack it on a monthly basis.

Oh, and for me, the XTG/ATG strokes employed on my chin/moustache area determine how well a razor is performing for me.

I agree, the moustache area is where blades get tested. If an edge is off much at all that spot will be very difficult. I have always said that goatees were for people that couldn’t decide if they wanted a beard or to be clean shaven. Then when I started with a straight, I thought they were just shaving the easy parts. I’m glad Andrew decided that it was time to be a real straight razor shaver. Also I to have been using some small blades lately. They are are great, at different times. For the longest time 7/8 was my go to.

Originally Posted by JP5

I don't see a picture in the OP, but the handful of times I did a full face shave were humbling. Shaving the areas I usually grow out, especially around the mouth were challenging for me.

Agreed! Achieving smoothness in this area was my final accomplishment (plus eliminating the usual random missed hairs).

You'll know you're there when you catch yourself frequently faceturbating the fantastic results of the day's glorious shave.

Originally Posted by Speedster

Oh, and for me, the XTG/ATG strokes employed on my chin/moustache area determine how well a razor is performing for me.

This is the shave test.

............