Thread: Successful first shave, no cuts.

Well it's over at last. My first complete straight shave and no blood. Whew..
Concentration by the bucket full and lot's of deep breaths..must remember to breath out though.
The sound was a bit disconcerting initially..sounds like scraping but is cutting..once I ignored this I kind of liked it..sort of gladiator stuff.
The cheeks and neck were the easiest part when I remembered to stretch the skin again. Lip and chin a bit tricky, mostly trying to get the correct angles more than anything esle and looking at where the blade wasn't touching..the extremities that could nick.
I'm using Trumpers soap and did find it not as slippery or lubricating as I would like..almost a squeeky feel..which tended the blade to "stick" in a few places. Not sure that stick is the right word, like a wet finger tip on super clean glass..tends to stick not glide. Maybe there is a better soap / cream to try ?.
Thanks certainly go to Bill Ellis and Lynn for providing superlative razors with which I now have a great benchmark to go by. And thanks also to all members of SRP that have answered my questions and shared their expertise.
One happy chappy here.
Best regards
Gary

Gary,

Congratulations! Glad everything went great.
Though I've never used Trumper's soap, it seems
to get great reviews. You might try experimenting
with the amount of water that you use. You may
need to use a little more water?

Anyway, my quess you are now hooked on the
straight and you are probably looking forward to
your next shave.


Terry

Gary,

That's great news on your first shave. After a few weeks, you'll learn your way around your face much better and you'll feel much more comforable handling the razor.

I sometimes have the same problem with the blade sticking to the lather because it's so thick. I just dip my brush in the water and run it over my face and it will loosen up the lather and make it a bit more slick. You could also try some of the creams that Taylor of Old Bond Street offers. I find it tends to produce a more slippery lather.

You might also want to consider a few drops of pre-shave oil or jojoba oil massaged into your beard before-hand. I use the jojoba and it works really well.

Also proraso preshave cream at target in the spa section is excellant. I use it most days.

Here in NZ no one has heard of Proraso let alone stock it. I'll have to try to find some pre-shave oil from somewhere.
Thanks all for your comments.
Gary

Originally Posted by garythepenman

Here in NZ no one has heard of Proraso let alone stock it. I'll have to try to find some pre-shave oil from somewhere.
Thanks all for your comments.
Gary

Gary,

Here in America, I'll bet no one outside these shaving forums
has ever heard of Proraso.


Terry

Hi Terry,

I can get King of Shaves oil if that's any good ?.

Gary

Originally Posted by garythepenman

Hi Terry,

I can get King of Shaves oil if that's any good ?.

Gary

Hey Gary,

I've never used King of Shaves oil, or any other other oil
so I'm not really sure.

All you need to do when the blade sticks is add a little
water to the brush and relather. This should take care
of the problem.

Be proud of your first shave with a straight, you did quit
well.


Tery

Gary,

You might want to try the Pacific Shaving oil. I have some but haven't used it yet, but from what I've heard from those who have, it is one of the few pre-shave oils that won't gunk up your brush and cause too many issues with your beard. I don't know if they'll ship to NZ but it's worth contacting them. Try adding a bit of extra water to your lather first though. That may be all that you need.

http://www.pacificshaving.com/