my first straight razor shave

last night i stropped up my NOS expertly honed Wapi, scrubbed away with my trumpers coconut exploded best badger Edwin Jagger....

I initially set out to follow Lynn's advice in the FAQ...you know, start with just the sideburn area, then quit. But that was so easy, that I proceeded to the cheek...that was also easy, so I thought I would tackle the neck....well I got so far, I though I might aswell just finish the shave.

I completed the shave, without any nicks . The result was not at all bad, but there is definately alot of room for improvement. For example, there are a couple of ruff patches, but I just couldnt figure out how to attend to them. The areas immedeatley to the side of these patches were getting a little 'sore' through repeated attempts. the main problem areas seems to be under jaw line, and the chin...my word the chin is tough to navigate! I had a fair bit of tugging and discomfort on my first chin pass. The second pass was much improved (presumably due to beard reduction). The multiple touch-up passes on the chin left the skin there feeling a little delicate, and there were still missed patches. I gave up on the areas under the jaw line entirely! No amount of face distortion or tugging in any direction helped. I will just have to learn to navigate over time.

Anyway, overall, I loved the experience, and Im looking froward to my next shave (may give it a couple of days to let the skin recover first!).

Many thanks to all the users of this forum. I would not have got this far without you!

oops wrong board. sorry

That sounds very much like my first straight shave earlier this month. Congrats on the Wapi too, one day I will get one. For now though I managed to pick up 4 vintage straights for 40 bucks though, two shave ready and two are out to be honed.

Congrats
Drew

Congratulations on the first shave! Under the jawline, on the neck, is a tough place to get smooth because of the whisker grain direction. Don't rub yourself raw trying to get it. The trick is to get the right contortion, skin tension, angle, blade technique, etc. That will come in time. If your razor is sharp, all you need is a light touch during each pass. I haven't solved the "under the jawline" area myself. I'm getting close, but not a BBS yet in that area. Have fun shaving. :)