First two shaves !!

:)
Well... I did it. Finally...

I want to thank everyone for the advice as well as to the site for the wealth of information it gave me.

As far as the shave goes, it went pretty good. I won’t go into detail but I will say that it surely takes some practice to get the perfect technique down. The video was a great help and although I shaved a bit different, I tried to model Lynn as much as I could.

What I learned:
1) If you have some imperfections in your skin, (mole, zit, etc.) It will be removed when you use a str8 razor… imperfection addressed!
2) A str8 shave is THE CLOSEST shave you can get. Your skin will be extremely smooth (except for the scars) :cry:
3) There is nothing like the feeling you get, after you’re done, when you put some aftershave on and it burns the hell out of your face… it reminded me of when I was a kid and I put some old spice on my face and nearly went into shock!!!

Now…my face is void of imperfections, but what should I use to stop the bleeding or address the cut? (Just in case!)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by morningshow

:)
Well... I did it. Finally...

1) If you have some imperfections in your skin, (mole, zit, etc.) It will be removed when you use a str8 razor… imperfection addressed!

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Congrats on your first shave, it only gets better...

About your first conclusion, I think you need to master the technique a little more, and then you will have all the imperfections still there:) I shave over all my face moles (couple of them) with no problem, but I avoid my neck mole, which is slightly bigger and taller (1/10"). It might survive, but I don't want to test it... And yesterday I found that the razor passes over the zit (the nasty mountaintop white one) without cutting it. It glided over it with noticeable feel on the razor. When I added some pressure, it got cut...

sorry about the nasty story,
Nenad

MorningShow,

Don't forget to have a styptic pencil at the ready! Or you could pick up a block of alum, which is a giant sized styptic, roughly. There are also various aluminum solutions to pick up which staunch facial lacerations quite expediently!

Happy Shaving!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by morningshow

:)
3) There is nothing like the feeling you get, after you’re done, when you put some aftershave on and it burns the hell out of your face… it reminded me of when I was a kid and I put some old spice on my face and nearly went into shock!!!

Now…my face is void of imperfections, but what should I use to stop the bleeding or address the cut? (Just in case!)

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Ah, yes, the famous, "Yeaow! That @#$@ hurts!" reaction! You might try an aftershave that is not alcohol based. It is kinder to your skin and doesn't give you that burning feeling that makes you wish you could tear your skin off. Contrary to what the TV commercial says, if it burns, that doesn't mean it's working. The Trumper Coral Skin Food is highly recommended and has a light rose smell that goes away pretty fast. I know Taylor makes alcohol-free aftershaves, and D. R. Harris Aftershave Milk is very good, too.

As for stopping the bleeding - as people have said, the two major options are a styptic pencil (the white things that look like a piece of chalk) and an alum block. Clubman makes a styptic pencil that can be found at almost any drugstore - just wet the point with cold water and rub it over the wound. Provided it isn't a major gusher, it should stop. Or, as I have had to do occasionally, pressure, styptic, pressure, styptic, etc. :) (I got a cut a few days ago shaving under my nose, right on the top of the lip. That took forever to stop).

An alum block (or bloc osma, to use the French that you find on some of the higher end ones) is the same idea. It looks like a bar of soap, and you wet it and rub it over your face. Some people do this after every shave, to close the pores.

Now, if you only have a minor cut or three, just splashing your face with cold water at the end of your shave, which you should do anyway to close the pores, will likely stop them. Another old trick is to use a tiny bit of vaseline or other petroleum jelly, which will stop the bleeding and close the cut without leaving a scab.

I'm sure plenty of other people will have different opinions. But, good luck! Welcome to the 'club.'

-Keith

If you are going to get something to help with the nicks, and are only going to buy one of the two, I would suggest the styptic pencil over the alum block. The styptic will stop larger nicks from bleeding than the alum block will. I have both and use the alum block after every shave, and the styptic only when needed. The alum block will give a good tight feeling to your skin, so you might want to get one eventually. They are more expensive and harder to come by than styptic pencils, though.

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Originally Posted by smokey

If you are going to get something to help with the nicks, and are only going to buy one of the two, I would suggest the styptic pencil over the alum block. The styptic will stop larger nicks from bleeding than the alum block will. I have both and use the alum block after every shave, and the styptic only when needed. The alum block will give a good tight feeling to your skin, so you might want to get one eventually. They are more expensive and harder to come by than styptic pencils, though.

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This is very true. I have noticed the same thing.

Hey man, congrats.

I do two things to stop the bleeding:
1. I ensure my face and beard are wet and hot throughout the shave. Viscosity brovides lubrication to prevent cuts.
2. Cold water constricts the blood vessels and pores and helps begin the healing process without additives to the skin.

For aftershave I use Thayers, it's pretty mild as well with witch hazel for sanitation, and refreshing too, never burns ... except the cuts of course.

Does this mean you won't need this Henckels I have? I just ask 'cuz someone else might make use of it.

X

X,


You know the cold water never helps me stop the nicks. I always need either the styptic or the alum block. I guess I am just a good bleeder.
:cry:

Congrats! I myself enjoyed my first shave w/ a straight last night after getting it back from Tony. Took me a while, and sometimes I caught myself just looking in the mirror trying to figure the best angle of attack. It was a pretty strange experience shaving with my left hand too, as I've never done that.

Didn't do too bad for the first time around, only one small nick. The upper lip didn't get as close as I'd hope for (and was really a pain in the butt to 'attack'). I guess it'll come with more shaves though. Once you get a few shaves under your belt, you'll develop a good technique (or so I hope).

What I was most fearful of first time around (my neck) was actually the easiest thing I believe to shave. Here's to more shaves!

I have plenty of trouble shaving with my left hand myself. I tend to only use it on the far left side of my face and my left cheek. I use my right hand for my whole neck and chin.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by auximage

It was a pretty strange experience shaving with my left hand too, as I've never done that.

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The only thing I still do with my left hand is down the left side of my face, the rest I do better with my right. Still, for the first two months or so of shaving with the straight I had all these little red stripes, mostly along the left side of my jaw.

X

I have found that with each passing week, I'm much more comfortable shaving with my left hand. I've pretty much given up cross shaving and most of the trouble areas that I use to have a bear of a time getting clean seem to have been caused by not using my left hand when I should have. I realize that shaving technique is a very personal thing, but if you find yourself confused about the best way to approach some particular section of your shave, consider whether it would be easier to reach using your other hand :confused: .
Ed

When I first started shaving with a straight, I would do the entire shave with my right hand, and contort it around my face to reach (picture playing a flute or something, with your hand turned palm in across your face like that). My girlfriend actually first suggested to me that I use the other hand, and I tried it. It was awkward as hell at first, but is getting better every time.

It's sortof like shaving across the grain of my neck. I have trouble with that, still, because it's an awkward movement. Or getting my moustache, which is still the one part of the shave that gives me no end of trouble.