Thread: Horrible Shaving Experience

Well, I am in the middle of my first straight razor shave and it is going so badly, that I am actually interrupting it to post here. I have been using a DE razor for the last couple of days to transition from shaving with an electric. The DE shave was a truly marvelous experience compared to what I'm going through now. I took the time to prep using a steamed towel and prepared a good lather to apply to my face. I'm sure I'm in the ballpark of the proper 30 degree angle, but the razor is doing an extremely poor job getting through my day's growth. Unlike the DE, the straight is making a "ripping" sound as it goes over my face. I bought my new Dovo razor from an advertiser on this forum and paid extra to have the blade "honed to perfection". A sticker affixed to the razor's box even states that the razor does not need to be stropped prior to first use. I got through my cheeks, but I cannot get the razor to cut through my chin hairs no matter what angle or what direction I try. The blade just grabs into the hairs. I am seriously beginning to doubt if the blade was actually honed. As it stands now, I am extremely disappointed and out a substantial amount of money. This is not what I expected.

Nobody ever expects their first straight shave to go bad, but it almost always does!
Tips for a better shave:
Shave with the toe of the blade leading ever so slightly!
30 to 45 degrees on the angle of the blade in relation to the face, and continue to make minute adjustments until you hit the sweet spot!
Lots of stretching to the skin while shaving is a tremendous help!
Go with the grain for starters! Across and against can be done as your skills improve!
Practice, practice, practice!
I won't say anything about prep as it sounds like you are doing ok there!
To shave with a straight requires a completely different mind set than any other method! It requires an open sort of concentration!

Good luck!

That is a bummer and I understand your frustration. Sounds like one might have slipped through the cracks. I am sure if you contact the vendor he will have you return it and give it special attention to make it right. Whatever you do stick with it because straight razor shaving is really worth the time and effort.

You shouldnt hear a ripping sound, this tells me either not a sharp blade or incorrect angle, my guess is angle. I always strop before a shave, stropping removes any corrosion on the edge and your edge more than likely corroded to some degree in transit, this minute corrosion will make the blade feel dull(pulling whiskers and a ripping sound). Though you may have used the steamed towel routine I would suggest trying your next shave straight out of the shower. Your face will be clean, the pores open and the beard very supple due to steam and plenty of contact with hot water. I understand your frustration, but remember its just the first time and this is just a learning experience. It will get better. God bless and good luck!

Why can't I get through my chin hairs? The blade grabs every time I try! I can't even finish the shave. I am putting a new blade in my DE to finish the job. Is it possible that I paid for a honing service that wasn't performed? I am extremely frustrated right now, especially because I know that I will not have the option of returning the used razor if this doesn't work out for me.

Originally Posted by RacerX

Why can't I get through my chin hairs? The blade grabs every time I try! I can't even finish the shave. I am putting a new blade in my DE to finish the job. Is it possible that I paid for a honing service that wasn't performed? I am extremely frustrated right now, especially because I know that I will not have the option of returning the used razor if this doesn't work out for me.

The chin hairs are usually the hardest to get through! I suppose you may have bought a blade that was poorly honed, but the skill level required with a straight is much greater than what is required with other methods! I still say practice, but contact the vendor anyways and ask them the same questions!
Could you tell us who the vendor is?

I actually sold a razor to a guy in my area not to long ago! He returned it and said it wasn't sharp enough and gave up on the idea of straight shaving! I took the razor and gave it a go and it went through my coarse beard like it was butter! my point is you don't know until your skill levels can inform you of what is going on!

my point is you don't know until your skill levels can inform of what is going on!

This is exceedingly true. The hardest part about learning to shave with a straight
razor is not knowing what's wrong when the shaves aren't going well. Give this a
try: after your face feels like it has recovered from any irritation, shave after a
nice hot shower. You can do any other prep that you feel like, and go ahead and
strop the razor while the shaving lather is on your face. Hold the strop taut and
keep a very light tough, try 30-40 laps on both the linen and leather. Keep the
razor about 1-2 spine widths away from your face, with nice light short strokes.

If you see an improvement in your shave, even the smallest one, you're on your
way.

Good luck,

- Scott

My face is so torn up right now, I doubt I will give it another try. I have very sensitive skin. I feel very foolish for spending the amount of money I did when I didn't even know how my skin would react. This may well be a very expensive lesson learned.

I don't claim to be an expert, but I had VERY simular problems with my first shave. I bought a prehoned razor and didn't think it was sharpened much and finally found out the problem was a combination of not stropping the razor, not getting my beard moist enough before the shave ( they say it takes 4 minutes of soaking to soften the beard) and using too steep of an angle. I corrected all I could on subsequent shaves and it felt like a whole different razor the difference was astounding!! So don't give up just yet, relax for a few days, let your face heal some, then try it again. I think you will enjoy it once you work it out.
Best wishes and cheers,
Photoguy67