Thread: straight shaved for 1st time and I want to cry- help!

Hang in there, it's going to click before too long.

Here's my advice.

1. Take lynn up on his offer... send it back, let him give it a once over.
2. Once you get the razor back, don't do anything to it except for a rinse with water before you try your next shave.
3. Follow the advice for beard prep
4. Take Lynn's advice for beginners and only shave the easy spots for the first few shaves (below the sideburns & cheeks).
5. Use small, confident strokes at a good angle (15-20 degrees should work fine)
6. All the while, you should use no more pressure than it would take you to wipe lather off of your cheek with your index finger

All the best,
Keep us posted....

Dave

If you watch Lynn's DVD his WTG pass is way steep, probably >60 degrees by my guess. So I'm guessing that years of shaving have led him to certain habits that deviate from recommendations. So I tried it, and it does do a better job in my estimation. A few XTG and then a ATG and yer BBS. Still worikng on the neck/jowls, haven't found the right pass/stretch to go all straight. good luck

Joe

All of the above is good advice so I will not add anything there.

I will say that it was your first shave so relax. My first shave (about three months ago) was very similar! I was very discouraged but I kept at it. In fact, I can honestly say that I have only really gotten the hang of shaving within the last few weeks.

My advice is do not get discouraged. Take it slow, read the forum, ask questions and remember that this is a skill that takes time to develop.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by Rugesters

I was sooo excited... bought a razor, had Lynn sharpen it, bought a good shave soap, a good brush, read up on how to do it and it was horrible. I had zero blood but my face is a spotty with hair. I felt like the razor wasnt sharp enough. It sounded like sand paper and it was dragging so hard on my whiskers. My impression was that it would glide right through my hair like it wasnt even there. I tried every angle possible. I pushed harder and then hardly pushed at all but every pass left the hair standing on my face. Does anyone have some advice? Maybe I just was being to careful and not working through that "drag" on my whiskers, I dont know.

-This is my razor before it was polished and before it was honed.

Don't worry...First shaves usually are. You and your skin have to get used to the new razor and technique. Stick with it...If Lynn sharpened it, you can bet that it was shave ready and sharp (no doubt). It's most probably your technique, which WILL improve with time.

Hang in there...give your skin some breaks in between shaves. Follow the great advices above.

Rugesters,

You've already received some fantastic advice. My advice is to relax, be patient, and don't expect perfection at first. I've been straight shaving since May 1st and have found that I learn something almost every time I shave. There are as many variables to a good shave as there are types of facial hair growth. I'm 50 years old and thought I understood the patterns of hair growth on my face, but straight shaving taught me that I didn't know it as well as I originally thought. Slowly you'll begin to learn your face, become more adept with your beard prep and stropping and your shaves will improve. As others have mentioned, angle is crucial.

Remember, at this point in time it's about becoming comfortable with the process, not the end result. That will come in time. I've found that relaxation while shaving is essential. Whenever I become anxious about results, I tend to tighten my grip - trust me, nothing good comes from a tight grip with straight shaving. As Obie taught me, pretend the razor is a bird. Hold it tight enough so it doesn't escape, but loose enough so you don't harm it. As others have said don't EVER push (or hold the blade to the skin until you're ready to make a stroke).

Don't hesitate to ask for advice. There are some fantastic people on SRP who are always willing to help. I don't know what I would have done without the help of Obie, Lynn, and others.

Good Luck!

I don't think we can say that there will never be any pulling sensation with straight razors. I have received straight razors honed by two of the top honemeisters on SRP, and in fact both have responded on this thread. And, for both razors, even using good technique, they pulled to some degree with the initial WTG pass. Using the best technique, with the best edges possible, they don't always "slice like butter." (For most of my face, they did slice like butter. But, the toughest areas... not quite.)

Someone posted a link here several months ago to an old barbers manual that for the first WTG pass, the blade should be laid flat on the skin. I read it twice! While I still don't lay the blade flat on the skin, I do use a very shallow angle with my initial WTG pass, similar to what the barbers manual said. And, with that angle I am slicing thru whiskers at an exaggerated diagonal angle, which means that there might be a little more pulling than otherwise.

After that pass, I repeat the WTG pass at a 30 degree angle. At that point, and thereafter, there is very little pulling, etc, etc.

I'm a noob and I can relate, my first shave was five days ago and it was almost identical to yours. It was not smooth it pulled and it burned, when I was done my buddy looked at me and asked, "so how was it?" I had to lie and tell him it wasn't bad. The next day I went at it again this time I wasn't afraid of being cut, so I relaxed a little more and the shave was a little better it still burned and I missed some hair but it was better. The third day I went at it with even more confidence thus making me even more relaxed and the shave was even better, no pulling, no burning, just missed a little hair. The fourth day I was really looking forward to the shave, it was just as good as the third day but this time I went back and tried different angles to clean up the missed hairs. This leads me to my last shave so far the best, I was so confident in my skills I shaved using both hands, and it was great, not BBS by any means but every shave is getting better.

I cannot give a lot of advice being a noob, but the advice I will give is:
-Try not to get discouraged, it will get better with practice
-Try not to fear the blade, cuts don't hurt and the more you relax the better the shave
-Don't worry about the sandpaper sound, I hear the same thing when I shave and if you listen when Lynn shaves on his video you'll hear the same thing, he's been shaving longer than I've existed so I have to assume if it happens to him it's normal.

VR
Adam

Originally Posted by EODBombBoy

I'm a noob and I can relate, my first shave was five days ago and it was almost identical to yours. It was not smooth it pulled and it burned, when I was done my buddy looked at me and asked, "so how was it?" I had to lie and tell him it wasn't bad. The next day I went at it again this time I wasn't afraid of being cut, so I relaxed a little more and the shave was a little better it still burned and I missed some hair but it was better. The third day I went at it with even more confidence thus making me even more relaxed and the shave was even better, no pulling, no burning, just missed a little hair. The fourth day I was really looking forward to the shave, it was just as good as the third day but this time I went back and tried different angles to clean up the missed hairs. This leads me to my last shave so far the best, I was so confident in my skills I shaved using both hands, and it was great, not BBS by any means but every shave is getting better.

I cannot give a lot of advice being a noob, but the advice I will give is:
-Try not to get discouraged, it will get better with practice
-Try not to fear the blade, cuts don't hurt and the more you relax the better the shave
-Don't worry about the sandpaper sound, I hear the same thing when I shave and if you listen when Lynn shaves on his video you'll hear the same thing, he's been shaving longer than I've existed so I have to assume if it happens to him it's normal.

VR
Adam

That's the way to approach it...step by step. Each day, it gets easier with more confidence. it literally is like riding a bike. The first time, it's scary and you fall...by end of week, you are in the "le tour de France"

Thanks for sharing Adam

Cheers,
Robert

++1 on Robert's advice and encouragement. Rome wasn't built in a day and the same is true when it comes to achieving a close, comfortable shave with a straight razor. It requires patience as well as confidence and some skills that you are acquiring as you continue your journey into the world of straight razor shaving.

Originally Posted by LarryAndro

I don't think we can say that there will never be any pulling sensation with straight razors. I have received straight razors honed by two of the top honemeisters on SRP, and in fact both have responded on this thread. And, for both razors, even using good technique, they pulled to some degree with the initial WTG pass. Using the best technique, with the best edges possible, they don't always "slice like butter." (For most of my face, they did slice like butter. But, the toughest areas... not quite.)

Someone posted a link here several months ago to an old barbers manual that for the first WTG pass, the blade should be laid flat on the skin. I read it twice! While I still don't lay the blade flat on the skin, I do use a very shallow angle with my initial WTG pass, similar to what the barbers manual said. And, with that angle I am slicing thru whiskers at an exaggerated diagonal angle, which means that there might be a little more pulling than otherwise.

After that pass, I repeat the WTG pass at a 30 degree angle. At that point, and thereafter, there is very little pulling, etc, etc.

Agreed. Unless you're a lightly bearded gentleman there will be some form of resistance while shaving. This even happens with DE's (depending on the blade of course).