I'm still alive!

So I gave my razor a go yesterday. I bought it at SRD, so I knew it was ready to go. I gave it a nice stropping, just to see how a sharp blade feels on the strop. It was so fun I could have spent hours stropping, but eventually decided to put the blade to my face. I started out a little timid - my first few strokes snagged a bit. I re-evaluated the blade angle and made a few more strokes with a little more confidence and an increased blade speed. Success! A nice, smooth finish on the sides of my face! I also managed to get a very smooth upper lip and a decent neck. I did have quite a bit of trouble with the chin area, and eventually decided to leave the point of my chin for the next time around. Overall, a very pleasing experience. I managed to get away with a countable number of nicks (which my styptic pencil took care of) and a shave that ranged from good in some places to not so good in others.

Any tips on the chin area?

I typically use the tip of the blade going from right to left and I typically get things real well.

Another thing I would like to say here is I am a new straight shaver as well with nine shaves under my belt and let me tell you it only gets better and easier once you take the plunge. But if you decide to tell your significant other or family members about your straight make sure that they will think that you have lost your mind. My pop thinks I am nuts my Mrs likes the idea that I am using a striaght so that I can keep it sharp myself and not have to buy anything more.

You are doing well taking it in sections and building on your successes!

I use most of the blade when shaving( this part front, that part middle, this part the end) and learned to do this after I achieved BBS results. It was more of a refinement in shaving.

When I started using the disposable straight and use the tip point area a lot, I would flip the blade around and reverse it to the back point after the second shave. These days, it doesn't matter as I use the entire blade each shave.

Pabster

Congrats Mad. Really, believe everyone that says it will only get better because it is true. I'm pretty new at it too and I cant wait to shave. I wish my hair grew back faster.

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Originally Posted by kooray83

Congrats Mad. Really, believe everyone that says it will only get better because it is true. I'm pretty new at it too and I cant wait to shave. I wish my hair grew back faster.

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Haha! Yeah, unfortunately, I think the most I can shave is once every third day - otherwise it's just like scraping skin! I'm sure looking forward to my second shave this weekend!

mad434, congratulations on a job well done and the start of an enjoyable journey.

I have been straight razoring for a month now I shave every other day at night after a shower and I still haven' gotten a great shave on my neck and forget ATG I always end up cutting myself at least 3 or 4 times but congrats

I don't remember where I read this, but years ago I read that the chin area was better done with the heel of the razor. Because of that, I've always done it that way. I'm not sure if I get better control with the heel because it's closer to the fulcrum point of the hand holding the razor or because of the power of suggestion after reading that instruction. Either way, that works better for me.

congrats. I use to have a gotee but needed the extra real estate for my razor. Still learning the chin area so can't help much. good luck.

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Originally Posted by Utopian

I don't remember where I read this, but years ago I read that the chin area was better done with the heel of the razor. Because of that, I've always done it that way. I'm not sure if I get better control with the heel because it's closer to the fulcrum point of the hand holding the razor or because of the power of suggestion after reading that instruction. Either way, that works better for me.

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Read this!^^^^^^ And then remember to look at the contours of your face, especially the chin, and break those contours down into smaller flat planes and then adjust your strokes accordingly.

I use the middle and heel part of the blade and do small sections at a time. The most difficult for me has been the middle section just under my lower lip. I have found that of all the tricks out there to determine sharpness, this is the section on my face that tells me when it's time to attend to my edge. That being said, in the beginning use small strokes to determine the optimal pass for your beard.

Lewis

Welcome to SRP, Martín,

And congratulations on your first successful shave. You may find the images in Shaving passes - Straight Razor Place Wiki useful. Mapping your face before you shave has helped many of us to decide on the best succession of passes and directions.

Regards,
Robin

I leave the chin for last so the whiskers will soften more and have found for me that going straight across worked best. This is the only time I stretch the skin.

bj

Since we are talking about chins, I thought that I would share a new discovery for me. My chin is also my "trouble" area, or at least it was. I have found that I have most success and no nicks, if I let my chin move and keep the razor still. This applies to the middle of the chin and a bit to the sides. By holding my razor lightly on the skin and raising the lower lip the chin actually moves and there is less chance if nicks and the shave is close. Anyone else found this to be true?

Thanks to everybody for all the helpful comments. I've gotten another successful shave under my belt - this time with less nicking and smoother on the chin. I still haven't got it perfect, but that's OK with me. Progress with every shave is what I'm looking for. So far, so good.

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Originally Posted by mad434

Thanks to everybody for all the helpful comments. I've gotten another successful shave under my belt - this time with less nicking and smoother on the chin. I still haven't got it perfect, but that's OK with me. Progress with every shave is what I'm looking for. So far, so good.

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So what are you doing that has made the improvement?

One thing that I think helped a lot was the quality of my lather. I worked in smaller sections unlike the first time when the lather began to dry out on my face. I also studied a couple of pass diagrams to find the best way to attack my face (peacefully, of course). However, I think what made the biggest difference was my increased confidence from the first shave. I noticed that my stokes were a lot smoother and more deliberate. I still had a bit of trouble on my chin, but not nearly as much as the first time around - I actually attempted the entire chin this time, but had a few tough spots. I think I'm going to keep experimenting with different methods until I find a good one for me, as I've heard everybody's shave is different.

I thanked you for posting an answer to my question, and asked the question in the hope that someone would read your post and realize they can do it too. Very good post.

Well, thank you for the thanks. I'm glad you asked the question otherwise I would have never thought of writing what I thought helped me. And yes, hopefully it will be helpful to others who might come across it as I have been helped by other posts. This forum is a pretty awesome place!