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

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.

How many passes did you do and in which direction?

I say this with caution but off the bat it sounds like your angle might be a bit shallow. The razor will eventually cut through the whiskers with ease - of course it takes practice.

Shave prep, stretching and understanding your facial hair growth patterns are just as important.

I started off by going WTG and got frustrated because it didnt seem to do anything so I jumped right to ATG and that didnt seem to help.

By "a bit shallow" do you mean the blade was to flat against my face? I tried 30 or less and it did seem that maybe I was at about 5. Then again I tried higher to so I dont know. I then practiced on my thigh and took a perfect patch of hair off. Perfectly smooth so I dont know if maybe I was to "soft" on my face.

Originally Posted by Rugesters

I started off by going WTG and got frustrated because it didnt seem to do anything so I jumped right to ATG and that didnt seem to help.

By "a bit shallow" do you mean the blade was to flat against my face? I tried 30 or less and it did seem that maybe I was at about 5. Then again I tried higher to so I dont know. I then practiced on my thigh and took a perfect patch of hair off. Perfectly smooth so I dont know if maybe I was to "soft" on my face.

+1 on the previous advice. Your blade angle is too shallow imho.

You also need to keep in mind that shaving with a straight razor is a lot like shaving with a de razor. The goal is not a smooth shave on the very first pass, but beard reduction. That is why straight razor shavers describe WTG, XTG and ATG.

With the proper beard prep and blade angle, you should be able to get a decent shave with one WTG and one XTG. Save the ATG for real problem areas of your face, such as your neck.

No pushing . . . ever.

What did you do to prep your beard? Shower, hot towel, anything like that?

Hello, Rugesters:

Sometimes the harder you push the worse it gets. In such circumstances, I would advice stepping back and thoroughly evaluating what you're doing. The other gentlemen have alluded to this point already.

Skin stretching, razor angle, blade pressure and and beard growth direction are important elements to evaluate. So is the ideal preparation. What's more, most gentlemen shave in three passes. I say most, because some can accomplish the task in one pass and some need even four, plus some touching up.

Eventually you will figure out what works best for you. That takes time, practice, patience and tenacity. In your case, under the circumstances, what is important now is to step back and relax. Then proceed methodically. You'll get there. Give it time.

Regards,
Obie

I actually enjoyed shaving with this one. Wadsworth razors are really decent shavers. Technique is the biggest problem for new guys. Send it back to me if you'd like and I'll shave with it again and then re-hone it for you on me and see if it makes a difference.

Have fun,

Lynn

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

No pushing . . . ever.

The above is good advice.

If you have to "force" the blade to do anything... you're going to end up cut.

Ask me how I know this. I had some trouble removing the hair on the underside of the tip of my chin a couple weeks back... I have some scar tissue there from childhood... always made shaving there fun. I pushed the blade through a "snag" once and removed a bit of the scar tissue along with the hair... learned my lesson about forcing the blade.

I believe it's Jimmy's signature that suggests letting the weight of the blade do the work... I've tried to take this to heart and have gone cut free since. A minor nick or two as I've learned to use my left hand, but nothing I've needed woundcare for.

tl;dr version: Straight razor shaving takes a lot more technique than regular shaving, so don't be too discouraged if your first shave is sub optimal. You will only improve with time.

Tons of great advice here. As was said, if your razor was honed by Lynn, chances are it isn't the problem.

I'd like to quicly share my experience, as I've only recently learned to shave with a straight. I started off with a razor honed by Lynn. Probably one of the smartest (or luckiest) things I did. Then I simply focused on the fundamentals I read about in the wiki.

Good stropping makes a huge difference in the quality of the shave. Read about it, watch the videos, practice with a butter knife, do what ever you can to improve your stropping technique because it makes all the difference in the world.

Over do your beard prep. There are some who don't do any, some who do enough, but as a newb, knowing beard prep is a very important aspect that is often overlooked by beginners, I prepped about double the time I felt was appropriate. Here is my standard prep: In the shower I shampoo my beard growth, then whip up some lather and go at it with a badger brush for 5 minutes or so. Then I apply conditioner and let that sit while I do the rest of my shower. The last thing I do before getting out of the shower is rinse the conditioner out. I then dry off, and build up a new lather and apply it asap so my growth stays as wet as possible.

When actually shaving, I focused on 3 things; Keeping the skin tight, the angle right, and the touch light. In the beginning, I had to constantly remind myself of all 3, and would often let one slip. I progressed with each shave though, finding ways to do each one of those fundamentals better. Taking the attitude that, "I'm probably not doing this the best way," kept my technique improving even after I was achieving good shaves.

After 6 weeks of shaving, I'm still finding ways to improve on those 3. With each improvement of technique comes closer and more comfortable shaves.

Anyway, that ended up being a lot longer post than I planned. Just remember that you are new to straights, so don't expect too much out of yourself too soon.