Thread: First Shave, Chick-Style

Aww, don't be scared! Think of it like... like learning to drive a stick shift. Same activity, slightly different hardware, more control.

This said by the girl who spent her first day with her new stick shift in tears because she and first gear just didn't see eye to eye. I'm so glad shaving with a straight is easier than that!

Great job! Congratulations on taking the plunge and trying it!!!

Honestly.. you don't want to know about my learning to drive a stick.. I have ridden motorcycles all my life, so my dad bought a VW bug for me... it took me 2 1/2 hours to make a 45 minute drive home... because I kept stalling out.

Now adays a stick is more comfortable than an automatic. But it was a long road.....

Straights seem safer to me because I can see the blade. I used my Dad's DE once as a girl and it scared me from 'Men's Razors"... pink bics become de rigour.. nothing more.

So, honestly, I would rather learn with a straight than a DE. it just makes more sense to me.....

Just start out slow, shave his cheeks, It's how we all learn to shave ourselves, you need to get a feel for the blade before you can shave the whole face.
look into skin stretching, and relax.
A barber friend of mine told me that for the large areas they are taught to move the skin not the blade. If you can do that, you'll have the skin stretching down, and may be able to give him better shaves with a straight than he can get on his own.

Just make sure you use a good quality soap...

Nice work. I'm trying to convince my girlfriend to go for a DE or a straight. I've been shaving her legs since I started with a DE and the difference on her legs is remarkable. The straight is even better and seems much more forgiving on the skin.
Anyway, nice job Lilith, it's good to hear that some girls choose the right shaving tools instead of bowing to the Gillette marketing!

LilithParket, I've been meaning to ask you: Did you just go against the grain on your leg shave? I mean when I shave my legs with the ole Venus, I only go against the grain. Thanks!

Originally Posted by Viola

LilithParket, I've been meaning to ask you: Did you just go against the grain on your leg shave? I mean when I shave my legs with the ole Venus, I only go against the grain. Thanks!

Yup, just against the grain. And I've found that stropping between legs does help.

I just started using a straight to do my legs. Yes, I am a guy who shaves his legs, as well as arms, chest, and other areas. The reason is 1) I compete in submission grappling, so less hair means slicker skin, so it is easier to slip out of submissions 2) I just don't like hair on my body, it just looks cleaner.

Good soap on these areas almost matters more than on the face, IMHO. The slicker and richer it is, the better. I add a little HeadSlick(from HeadBlade) to add some extra slickness to the lather I create. I'm sure that you could find a less masculine smelling lubricant addition.

Also, stretching is extremely important, but do not overstretch as it will cause unnecessary razor burn(bad upper leg experience with this). I find it easier to get the knees clean if they are bent. With me, I have the "teardrop" quadriceps, so if I keep them straight, the knee area has less curves and shaves better.

As for a razor I use a 4/8". I find it easier to get around the curves and the extra heft of a larger razor to be pointless. For my armpits, I still use a DE because I haven't found a cheap enough broken razor to reshape to fit the bill, but if I do I'll let you know and maybe pass it around.

Anyway, congrats on the straight shave on the legs. It is a pain in the ass, but in the end it is really worth it.

Originally Posted by Mama Bear

Straights seem safer to me because I can see the blade. I used my Dad's DE once as a girl and it scared me from 'Men's Razors"... pink bics become de rigour.. nothing more.

So, honestly, I would rather learn with a straight than a DE. it just makes more sense to me.....

My little girl (3 yrs) is very interested in my razors, and she made me promise to make one for her for her 12th birthday.
I plan to teach her how to use it too. As far as she is concerned, straights are the normal way to shave.
And she is proud of the fact that her daddy sharpens and restores razors for other daddies.

I shaved two sets of legs last night and I still have to say that it's 10X easier to shave myself. I know it's from all those years of raking a disposable up my legs that makes it go by so much quicker. Last night I only used my 5/8 Wapi, stropping between legs (you're right, Lilith, it makes it soooo much easier). It's funny, when I'm shaving myself it doesn't bother me that I can't see what I'm doing on the backs of my legs and the knees aren't a problem either (such a relief). I always expect more paranoia when I can't really see what I'm doing. I still need to work on my angle and laying off the pressure, but all went well. I had not been shaving with straights recently because I was waiting on my strop to arrive in the mail, but now I'm off to the races. I"ll hopefully get a couple faces in there soon.