Nicks, Cuts & Beheadings (missing ear parts count too)

Waiting for my first razor and strop to arrive (see beginners intro). I keep reading where an occasional nick here and there is basically all that there is to concern oneself with (I'm assuming that we're not talking about total idiots but mature people who have bothered to "research" the tools, techniques etc to "try" to do things the right way. So.... with no further ado ....... how bad is it "actually" when you began. I know everyone's learning curve will be different but ........ Has anyone heard or seen anyone actually "gash" their face or take a "chunk" of skin out! I know it "can" happen but then again .... someone "can" be run over in their living room eating popcorn watching a movie by an 18 wheeler with no brakes and bad steering running through their house out of control. It "could" happen but ...... what are the chances.
Guess what I'm asking is that I'm going to be an absolute "wreck" with nervousness till I get the hang of things. I can handle the normal "wear and tear" ........ well....... let's not use "tear". I can handle a few "nicks" here or there (anything septic can handle will be fine ..... I'll stop if the septic stick gets too small to hold). I like hearing about how much fun it was and that it was much easier than ya'll thought lmao. Thanks.

my experience has been that a) its not bad at all, b) it looks worse than it is, and c) go slowly and gently. If you havent seen it I would reccomend that you look at this www.shavemyface.com/downloads/The-Straight-Razor-Shave.pdf.

Even at the beginning, I was sold from the very first shave. The nicks I found a little embarrasing when they occured, but more often than not there were none.

well only once i got a nick that wasnt just a thin red line.
due to a dull blade i was buffing a bit much and finally pulled the blade along a bit
It took quite a bit of force and, well it hasnt left a scar

now im supposed to tell you these things dont happen?

The worst cut I ever got whilst learning was about 8mm long on my chin. It bled for a bit but it stopped after about 10 minutes or so.

Really the best advice I can give to avoid a cut is make sure your razor is truly shave ready, keep your touch light and dont force the razor if it snags.

If the razor is sharp enough you wont need any pressure or force to get a good shave. Its the sharpness of the blade that does it, not the pressure you use..!

Dont ever make a slicing motion with the blade, that will open you up so fast you wont know what happened! Its a scraping motion with the blade you want to go for.

If you're not sure about what you're doing, then go check out the shaving videos on this site. Jockeys has done some brilliant ones that show all the different passes and trouble spots.

I watched loads of videos before I tried it for the first time and that really helped me.

But if you follow the advice given here then you wont have any problems! The worst you may get is a few small nicks, but you can clean these up with a styptic pencil in a flash!

When you first start, just shave the sideburn area on one side at the beginning. Then next time do the sideburn area on both sides and then just add more areas as you go, leaving the chin and lip area for last.

I didnt actually follow this advice myself, I got carried away...! Hehe!

But really it just comes down to being careful and treating the blade with respect! You're in the right place here, and if you want any advice you can check the wiki and ask here in the forums!

Good luck!

hate the beheadings though--can't tupe wprth a damn afterwards

Riucg

Well the worst cut I got was entirely my own fault, I shave my sideburns quite high, and whilst not really paying attention I managed to put the razor far back into my ear and cut the inside of my ear and my earlobe.

It happens, but as long as you're careful you'll probably get little nicks and not much else.

Geek

Read my sig below and follow the advice the old barber gave to me and you should be fine. Works for me.

I've not beheaded myself, yet, but have gotten myself a couple times pretty good. The first was when I was making a transition from the cheek to go behind the ear...the square point hooked my earlobe and got me pretty good. The second time was with a Dovo Bismarck, again, making the transition from cheek to neck and I changed the angle on the blade too soon and it ended up giving my about an 18mm reminder not to do something like that without paying closer attention.

Having said all that, the nicks and cuts I've gotten were never too deep...heck, they never even bled too much. The deepest mine go is only as deep as a M3 would give me.

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Read my sig below and follow the advice the old barber gave to me and you should be fine. Works for me.

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+ 1 on that, there really aint nothing much to it besides that.

When first starting out, I was very cautious and a little nervous around the blade. Then I realized that it wasn't as dangerous as I thought and then I started to get over confident and gave myself little cuts. But that smartened me up a bit and I have had not had issues since.

Just go easy and follow the basics as advised by everyone and SRP Wiki.

Good Luck,

Pabster

If you really want to try straights but have these reservations go slow, start with small areas and finish with your current tools. Read Lynn's thread to beginners and take his advise. I'm sure it's a sticky in the beginners forum and there is a bunch in the WIKI.

Good luck!

Slow down. As you approach your face with the razor, approach the last 3 inches in slow motion and begin the shaving stroke as lightly as possible with only fingertip pressure. Keep the razor's spine within one or two spinewidths of your skin. This should minimize nicks and cuts.

Let us know how you make out.......JERRY :gl:

I have never "cut" myself with a straight, and I think it's because of the great info I gleaned off of the old Yahoo group that preceded this site.

In particular I remember one bit of advice that the razor is a push cutter, not a slicer. You should never move it along its edge while you are shaving.

I have had, and occasionally still have, little pin sizes spots. When they happen I don't feel them at all, and they are never present after I splash cold water on my face at the end of the shave.

I have styptic that I have never opened. I got it when I started based on the advice on the old forum. I still keep it around just in case.

I've cut myself a few times, but since the blade is so sharp, you don't feel a thing, but you do know blood is on its way. And if you ever behead yourself, it will only happen once (that's the good side of it).

It may seem obvious, but the most important thing is to concentrate on what you are doing and not let your mind wander.

I've cut myself more than I'd like to admit... :cry:

I'd say not paying attention the toe of the blade, a dull/poorly stropped blade, bad choice of pressure (too light and the edge skips, too hard and you remove large swaths of skin) and bad angles are the biggest culprits for me. Still, I think you really have to go out of your way to get a nick bigger than a 1/2".

Happy New Year Kempster,

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Originally Posted by Kempster

how bad is it "actually" when you began....Has anyone heard or seen anyone actually "gash" their face or take a "chunk" of skin out!...I like hearing about how much fun it was and that it was much easier than ya'll thought lmao. Thanks.

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I can't say that starting to shave with a straight was easier than I had expected. I accepted the fact that I would cut myself and this put me at ease somewhat. I ended up paying the price of admission (no scars) but it was most definitely worth it.

The moment you let your mind wander off of the razor's edge, it increases the probability of drawing blood. Using a professionally honed razor, go slow with no pressure and pay particular attention to the tip and heel and their proximity to your nostrils and earlobes. I've seen pictures of gashes on this forum but as far as taking a chunk out of your face, I suspect you won't get that far as it will probably hurt a great deal if you cut below the epidermis. But anything is possible. ;) :tameshigiri:

Good luck and, again, go slow.

Of course the guys who really messed up and are missing major body parts or are deceased now can't relate their stories. Just kidding.

Just remember if your are worried about injuries and start to frett about it you can be guaranteed it will happen. Just keep a positive attitude and respect the razor and you'll be ok.

The worst cut I got was the second week I was shaving. I thought I had it all down pat and was overconfident and sliced a 1 inch piece of my lower lip area. No stitches but it bled like crazy and left a scar.

I am a newbie too, I was also very nervous when I first started but I found as soon as I quit being so tenative my shaves started to get far more comfortable. The edge is very sharp and so it must be respected just dont be afraid of it. I am about 12 shaves or so in and have yet to cut myself, although since I said that I will probably lose some skin today when I shave. Good luck and enjoy.

You have a lot of advice already...yes, I cut myself bad on one occasion, a half inch cut over my left cheek, the heel of the blade sunk deep below the cheek bone, and yes, it bled for a long time. Out of this accident I learned four things which I pass along to you:

1. Respect for the blade. Yes, it is sharp, and will cut you mercilessly
2. Concentrate. Keep your eyes on the blade, don't daydream.
3. Do not consume alcohol before you shave...do it after to celebrate your accomplishment.
4. Do not hurry. If you are, do like me use a DE. Most of the time I shave at night when I am not in a hurry and there are no distractions or lastly, don't shave at all; leave it until the next day.

I shaved 3 times in the last week with a razor I KNOW needs a good honing (ie it's dull) and nothing happend besides a not so good shave (stubble). Shaved with a disposable gilette this morning and nicked my upper lip... go figure?

BrSpiritus

Worst cut I ever got was a small nick in my nose where it touches my upper lip. Hurt quite bad for such a minor cut.

Worst shave was when I was completely clueless, and used a dull razor and a really wrong angle, and scraped the hairs off instead of shaving. When I put on AS my neighbors must've heard me scream :)

Treat your razor with respect and don't get overconfident.
Follow Jimmy's advice and you should be fine, other than minor things that can happen to anyone.

Your face with a beard on it is quite tough. Like previous advice approach the skin slowly and with the razor almost flat. Almost all my cuts when I first started were due to the lack of depth perception in the mirror and hitting my skin with my razor. Go slow and just one pass N-S for the first couple of shaves and remember that if slight pressure is use then any cuts will be very superficial.

Take Care,
Richard

Welcome aboard mate! It can be quite daunting feat but reality is it's simple once you get used to it. We've all nicked ourselves one point or another. I myself have done so because I got distracted. Don't get distracted. Part of straight razor ( SR ) shaving is being able to be in that zen-like zone where nothing else matter but you and your blade. Imagine you're eating the culinary masterpiece the missus cooked or that fine piece of double double burger at In N Out with animal style fries. The same thing applies. You don't rush with a meal and you should apply the same principle with shaving.

I started out by doing sideburns with the grain ( WTG )-North to South.

I don't typically do a "normal" pass if you will. Instead I employ short buffing strokes which has worked for me and I'm sticking to it. One thing to remember is the razor should glide smoothly over skin no pressure at all. So even if you make a mistake the repercussions won't be so severe.

Eventually you'll get used to it. Nevertheless, you should never get overconfident. When you lose respect for the razor, believe me when I say this, the blade will bite and it will sting. Cut out all distractions.

You'll find that you'll get one of the best and closest shaves. You will never go back to disposable, electric or what have you.

Best of luck

I was stropping using my inside forearm when I accidentally slit my wrist, blood spurted into my eye temporarily blinding me - in the haze I decapitated myself. The aftershave afterwards was not a good idea... :w;) :D

I nicked the back of my ear the other day which decided to start bleeding some time afterwards while I was out having a meal. This was a talking point which led onto conversations about using straights.
I half-sliced through a small mole on my face at the same time (if my razor stops I stop then stare in the mirror until I'm sure there isn't any blood)
I suffer more from burn round the jawline and neck area than actually cutting myself.

Last week I took out the razor and shaved, when I finished I put it down opened on the towel. I went to close it up while not watching what I was doing and sliced open my thumb. This sucker bled pretty good and was kinda deep also, probably could have used a couple of stiches. My bathroom looked like I just slayed a cat or some other small animal, blood everywhere.

Hey you live and learn. It was my own stupid fault for not paying attention. Just a reminder to not be distracted when straight razor shaving, give it your undivided attention.

I cut myself a few times over the years, especially back in the 60's and 70's when I was drinking beer by the gallon.

I am tickled pink at your sense of humor. I keep a short list of members who exhibit any evidence of a sense of humor and you are now on my very short list. Be careful in the future and watch out for them there decapitations. They're dangerous!!!!!! You can actually get hurt there!!!!!

Well, there was this guy...
BBC - History - Historic Figures: Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890)

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Just remember if your are worried about injuries and start to frett about it you can be guaranteed it will happen. Just keep a positive attitude and respect the razor and you'll be ok.

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This reminds me of one of the best pieces of advice I ever had about driving: center your attention on where you want to go, not on what you want to avoid.

~Rich

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Originally Posted by rastewart

This reminds me of one of the best pieces of advice I ever had about driving: center your attention on where you want to go, not on what you want to avoid.

~Rich

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Another piece of advice is..

'..if at first you don't succeed then skydiving isn't for you.'

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Originally Posted by Yorkie

Another piece of advice is..

'..if at first you don't succeed then skydiving isn't for you.'

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That's the kind of reasoning I always fall for. :D

Thanks for all the great replies. I "think" I'm being encouraged here (don't worry about the lion when you go in..... it's nothing .... he's been de-clawed and de-fanged). Just make SURE you NEVER take your eyes off of him!!!!