Thread: I'm keeping the beard!

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Good news
The words from my Barber in 1981 "Glen if yer gonna keep that crap on your face, let's at least get it straight"
"Want straight lines learn to use a Straight Razor"

I did !!!

Bad news

The bad angles that we have to use to get those straight lines are rather hard on the edges, so cutting less hair doesn't mean you get longer lasting edges

You are going to need to learn to use a spike point and you are going to need stupid sharp edges, so think extreme hollow grinds...


YMMV of course, but this is what I have learned...


Welcome to SRP let me know if I can help in anyway with shaving with a beard tips...

Thanks for the tips, I was leaning away from a round toe anyway...not for a go0d reason, I just think they look dumb.

I was looking at this razor in the classifieds, any thoughts?

Joseph Rodgers & Sons 11/16 Square Point L@@K - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

I hear that Rodgers are good blades and, again not a good reason here, but this one is really "sharp" looking (pun way intended).

You may find you end up with a goatee.
The shaving becomes addictive and you'll want to do more than just your neck.

Originally Posted by nzFuzzy

You may find you end up with a goatee.
The shaving becomes addictive and you'll want to do more than just your neck.

It probably would want to...if I didn't look so damn good already.

Originally Posted by nzFuzzy

You may find you end up with a goatee.
The shaving becomes addictive and you'll want to do more than just your neck.

I agree. I've been trying to shave just my neck for two years now. Everty day, I think, "Maybe today I'll shave it off." So far I haven't but, damn it's tempting.

Welcome. I too have a goatee, and I also keep some pretty good mutton chops. When I was first learning, I sacrificed the chops-- now when I look back on it, it was probably uneccessary, because I ended up doing two full passes on my first try anyway. So, go for it. Just be prepared, because once you get the hang of straight shaving, you'll love it so much that you'll contemplate losing that beard almost every day (I know I do). But if you keep it, you'll have the most well-trimmed beard of anyone you know. And don't hesitate to ask any questions, the guys on here are the best.

I have a beard also. I started straight shaving a couple of weeks ago and found that my neck wasn't really that bad of a place to start. The grain changes right where my beard ends so it actually clears up a lot of the confusion over the parts of my face I would have to change direction. Part of the reason I have a beard is that I hate shaving. The close shave from the straight ensures that I don't have to touch up my neck near as often.

Good luck

Originally Posted by bmcwil

I have a beard also. I started straight shaving a couple of weeks ago and found that my neck wasn't really that bad of a place to start. The grain changes right where my beard ends so it actually clears up a lot of the confusion over the parts of my face I would have to change direction. Part of the reason I have a beard is that I hate shaving. The close shave from the straight ensures that I don't have to touch up my neck near as often.

Good luck

+1. The neck is a great place to start just with down strokes. Then stretch the skin as you need to. For me it's side ways. When you get comfortable you can go up the side of the neck until you feel OK with it and start increasing the area to the rest of the neck.

Have fun,

Lynn

I had a beard for years, until I got into str8s. This summer I shaved off the whole shebang on the last day of school (I'm a teacher). But because part of my image of myself is that of a guy with at least some facial hair, I am growing back a goatee. It sort of gives me the best of both worlds, and lets me fudge on shaving the two biggest problem areas, the moustache and chin.

I posted another thread about how unbelievably close and smooth my str8 shaves are now after a summer to learn. I never would have believed I could get shaves this smooth! I just finished up a wicked good shave, my best yet, after giving my son's Dovo 5/8" the CrOx and newspaper treatment.

In doing so I discovered another new favorite cream in our seemingly bottomless basket of samples: TABAC! The scent grows on me, and the performance is hard to beat!

Do ALL PhD biologists have to have the Charles Darwin beards? Seems like most do.

Originally Posted by leadduck

I agree. I've been trying to shave just my neck for two years now. Everty day, I think, "Maybe today I'll shave it off." So far I haven't but, damn it's tempting.

FWIW --

I recently switched from beard to goatee. That happened before I started experimenting with straight razors.

I've found that I _like_ having "skin cheeks" again, after 40 years keeping them covered in hair. And people haven't noticed (much) that my style has changed, since my frontal view still has lots of hair.

I have enough shaving challenges with a goatee; keeping a beard, and using a straight razor, would be beyond me. As it is, I use a Gillette cartridge razor for a lot of my face.

Charles

well right now i have a beard it starts from the bottom of my ear and runs down my jaw line so a shave my neck and my side burns lol no hair from the bottom of my ear and up !