Thread: What am I doing wrong?

I can't say for sure, but if I were you I would send that razor out to a competent honemeister and get it re-honed. You have done a lot of work on that edge and it is possible that you have damaged it beyond the ability for strops and pastes to recover it.

Also, there is a break in period for your facial skin that is not about your razor or shaving technique. It is about your skin toughening up for the type of shaving your are now doing.

I think there is a propensity at the beginning to blame the razor, blame the lather, blame the technique - and then change all of them every day. Truth is it could be one, all or none of those. Work on one area, such as skin prep or lather building and get that right.

Like it or not, this is a system. All of the aspects work in harmony with one another. They WILL come together over time. Be patient and have fun learning.

I too started shaving with a disposable blade str8 razor. It took me about 20-30 shaves before I really stopped getting razor burn. Over time, I learned how to prep my face, make my lather, how to hold the blade, how much pressure to use, etc. I have now begun the transition of using a standard Str8 razor. Take your time, and don't give up, you'll get the hang of it with practice. Also, like others have said, don't try to change everything all at once, you're just sabotaging your shave if you try to change too much all at once. Good Luck.
Andrew

Originally Posted by souschefdude

I thought about using a dispasable, the local Beauty Supply sells an inexpensive dispaosable for about $12.
Would this be a mistake, or would this give just as decent a shave as a Shavette, (assuming a quality blade is used)?

I started off with a Magic Shaver and a 5-pack of Personna blades from Sally Beauty Supply, total cost about $15. You cut the blades in half lengthwise with scissors. This was a low-cost way for me to test the waters and see if I thought I could learn to shave this way, concentrating on angles and technique without having to worry about stropping, etc. I got about 3 shaves per blade-half, and by the end of the 3d blade-half I knew I was hooked, so I geared up. I think this is a good way to start out. Just be aware that these blades are a lot sharper than a real straight is going to be, and you are more likely to cut yourself. If you decide to try this, I'd go with a cheaper solution than the Shavette. Heck, you can get great-shaving straights for less than that thing costs.

After considering all of the good info of you wise people I decided that I did not ruin my TI with the paste I used on it, because the shave was pretty much the same before and after, no better, no worse. I figured it really has got to be the technique. So after resting my scars for a day I lathered up after a hot shower. I tried to hndle the blade as gently as I could, and started out at a very low angle, making tiny little passes, gradually increasing the angle, then backing off when it felt like I went too far. Then I made a pass WTG all over. Whew, no weepers, no pain. Not even on the chin! Relather, another pass WTG, almost nothing left to be taken on the cheeks, still plenty of work to do on the chin and jawline and neck. A little bit of weeping under the corners of the mouth. Relather. Now XTG on the cheeks, hardly anything being taken off. Yay!. Still WTG on the chin, XTG on the jawline, and tryng XTG on the neck, but having trouble still. Oh well, good enough for tonite!. No new scars!.
So I feel I made significant progress.
Thanks for all of the advice.

Glad to hear you're making progress. Based on my experience so far and what I've read in the forums, most folks don't do a true XTG on the neck. Read through this thread for some great tips and a really helpful diagram on how to tackle the neck: http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...-neck-xtg.html

Keep us posted!