getting my first straight razor in about a week

so my grandpa is in portugal rite now and i asked if he could find me a straight razor cause over there they have the ones from germany and the are of good quality. so he is going to bring me a good razor, strop, and hone. hes going to bring me good stuff, even though i told him not to spend to much money i know how my grandpa is and he would only bring me something that is good. so my thing is, is honing and stropping as hard as people make it out to be? aswell as actually shaving with a straight? my ultimate goal in shaving with a straight is to get a more comfortable shave without irritation and bumps and ingrown hairs and cuts that i get from a gillete. im scared to even try going against the grain because ive had terrible experiences. so will using a straight help prevent all the irritation and bumps and help me atleast get a more comfortable, more enjoyable shave. im only 17 by the way.

Most of the components of straight razor shaving take a little while to get used to. Honing, stropping, actually shaving with the straight - they're all completely alien to you if all of you've used are cartridge razors.

I was a little frustrated when I first started, because after you've lathered up, it's not like, "Time to shave my face!"

It's more like, "Time to figure out how to shave my face!" Your hands have to be trained to get used to the new grip, you'll be thinking about the angle, etc. After a little while, though, you don't think about those things and you fall into a rhythm.

And yeah, when you get there, I'm sure you'll find the shaves quite comfortable.

yea i guess all im looking for out of it is to get a more comfortable and less irritating shave

I am new at all this dont really know if i am in the right spot to ask this question. ok ao i want to get my husband a stright razor for christmas what do i look for i buying one????

Hi Katy. You should probably have started a new thread with this question. After all, this is someone else's thread.

But welcome and good luck.

Ed

Hi viegas703,
As Blade Wielder said,it takes a while to get to grips with straight shaving. I think that achieving a passable shave & stropping are the easier bits & honing & getting a good shave far harder.
Don't be put off though. Straight shaving is definitely the way to go if you suffer from irritation & ingrowns. Keep the touch very, very light & do more passes, rather than trying to get it 1st go & you will notice the difference almost immediately.
It takes time, but don't give up. It's worth it!

Katy, you shouldn't really hijack someone elses thread, but Dovo are good. Thiers Issard if you want to spend more. The classifieds here are great. Make sure it's shave ready & don't forget the strop. Look at The Invisible Edge site. He's a member here & has a good reputation.

well my grandpa is going to bring me a very good quality razor, a strop, and a hone. I want to straight shave but i also want to learn all about it and learn how to hone on my own instead of having someone else do it for me. Id rather learn everything that i possibly can. and i know i have read a lot of information on the straight and watched a lot of videos and i have a good idea of how to go about it.