my first 3 straight razor shaves

ok so i purchased a Wapi (prehoned) and a DOVO (lynn honed). i shaved with both razors in the past 4 days . First day was the wapi.. only bc it arrived first.. My face was burning by the end.. i stroped correctly before i shaved. it passed the HHT plus it was prehoned. i definity didnt know what i was doing and pressed too hard...

second shave, not too bad... i had a much better WTG pass... noo irratation at all.. but my XTG pass ..wow.. that hurt just as bad as the first day.. so i figured it was me pressing too hard..

third shave, was better.. i did tried the DOVO. right away i felt that it was a better fit in my hand... i had similar results as my 2nd shave.. good WTG but bad XTG... im really trying not to press hard at all but i dont know how to judge this.. all i know is my face is fine after the WTG and burns after the XTG. especially on my cheeks, where its just a clean pass towards my ears....

anyway i can fix the XTG passes.. im not gonna attempt ATG yet till i get XTG.. im at about 5oclock shadow after the WTG and BBS on cheeks with major burn.. neck area is getting better but i havent gotten the hang quite yet..

sorry if this is long winded. but basicly how can i improve my XTG pass?

What kind of stroke are you taking with the XTG? When I tried a little of it I did short, careful strokes with very little pressure. Felt good and shaved decent.

My suggestions, either battle on XTg and try less pressure and a much shallower angle.

Also, get your prep down, what prep are you doing?

There is a reason we advise newbies to start only with the area between the sideburn and jaw line. It's because it is the easiest place to shave. Get comfortable with how the blade feels in your hand and against your face. It also gives you time to to learn the proper angles and pressures so you don't run into the problems of lots nicks and burn. Once you are comfortable the blade, and your pressures and angles, then you can add new areas of your face and new techniques (XG and AGT). Start slowly and build your skills over time. Your face will thank you for it. In no time you will be getting that coveted BBS... :gl:

It may be your prep, as Greg says, your stropping (it's very easy to roll an edge), but my guess is the old chestnut of pressure and angle, as well as your skin probably not being used to the feel of the straight yet. Make sure you stretch your skin properly, make sure the area is well lathered, and definitely don't give in to temptation like I did, and go over and over an area wanting to get it perfect, because that gives you BAD razor burn (trust me on that one!).

archangel, Like the others have said, your prep is probably the most important thing to do. If you can, take a very warm shower before and/or place a hot, moist towel on your face for awhile. If you don't soften up the hair before you shave, it will make your razor seem to be dull and ineffective. Next is pressure and angle. Don't try to take all the hair on the first pass and maybe decrease your angle of the blade to maybe almost laying flat on your face. But take your time, get to know the feel of the razor and it will come eventually. It doesn't happen over night, but soon you'll be so impressed with your results, you'll wish you had started shaving with a straight razor a long time ago! God Luck and God Bless!

i have the Filly strop, i strop by pullin it tight and makin an x pattern with only pressure to keep the edge on the blade.. i have tested using the HHT and the pin point test to see if there is a rolled edge.. passed both..

my first two shaves i didnt shower before, third time i did but i always used warm water to wet my face for about a good 1-2 mins... and i have a Ebay "silvertip" brush, i soaked in water, shake out the excess, and i have Tabac soap.. build a good thick lather and rub in to skin for a minute and them smooth out the strokes at the end.

now the pressure im using is as light i can without the razor skipping on my face. i think i will have to learn this better regardless.. my angles are not shallow, i use the 30 degree for the WTG pass but i think im using the same for XTG.

im gonna wait another day to give my face a rest.. and try it again.. could i have been so bruised up the first day and thus effected my 2ndand 3rd shaves?

Archangel, yes, your first shave could very well affect how the 2nd and 3rd went. Any insult to the skin by shaving will take time to heal. I might suggest using a DE with same prep and same passes until you see your skin return to silky smooth, ( Ha, assuming it was before). Of course if you are not good at a DE you might want to use whatever method you did before the str8 just to let the skin recover. I found that my face skin took some time to adjust to the str8. Even now after 6months of str8 shaving I will take a break if I have an unhealed nick that I don't want to reopen. Oh, and the pressure thing is really decieving. When I first started I swore that I was using no pressure, well over time and constant reminders to my self I find that I'm even using less pressure now than when I wasn't using any. In other words practice makes it get better.

Good luck!

I would suggest you lather your face BEFORE using a hot towel, it's not a huge difference but it helps I find.

Also, try using a shallower angle XTG. I don't use XTG at all, so I can't really give you much advice on it strokes or what ever.

Certainly give your self a day to rest, it can't hurt.