Newbies first straight shave
NOT THE BLOODY NIGHTMARE!
I got a 9/16th Henkels from Whipped Dog and a strop. As I said on the other thread, it was plagued with rotting beard trimmings from someone whom ill never know. It was pretty disgusting, but for the most part I got all that crap out of there. Id like to remove the pins and really give a great cleaning to that area of the tang closest to the pin...but I digress.
So I got my razor in the mail today and after a thorough cleaning, I thought about everything that I read, and damn near dismissed it all.
I couldn't live with only 1 single pass on the sideburns...I had to go for more.
Since I had ben shaving with the DE for over a week now, I learned that the cheeks are the easiest things to work with. I have been experimenting with XTG and ATG passes in an effort to hone in on the BBS shave. I have been somewhat sucesful, and have been less of a scyptic pencil pusher than when I first began.
So Post shower, I lathered up really good and couldn't figure out how to hold the darn thing.
THe first issues
1, Im nearsighted, which isn't a problem because im close enough to the mirror that I can see clearly enough...but
2, I have a lazy right eye that makes it somewhat more difficult to focus in on the right side of my face ....and
3, Im left handed. I do use b oth hands with the DE, but thats pretty straightforward...keep the wide part on the face, no wierd angles and no flailing handle to contend with.
I found Larry's A's. Instructions to be very helpful. THe documentation from whippeddog.com coupled with the wiki really gave me some things to think about.
He talked about the various passes being stages of beard reduction rather than getting straight to the skin on the first pass. I kept this in mind.
So I got a confortable hold on the razor and started going from the sideburn down in north to south fashion. But the Wiki said "Leave it at that" but I couldn't resist. I immediately began to clear the cheek area and I also tried XTG and ATG passes after lathering. I even switched to the other side of the face. I did a good job considering that there is a lot of room for newbie error, but I didn't nick myself one time with the Henkels. In fact I even went down to the easier parts of the neck area (sides) and I think that you guys have made a new Str8 devotee out of me.
I did though take Lynn's advice and finish up with the DE because I didn't want to get too proud of myself. It was when I started focusing underneath the jaw/chin where I ended up kicking myself with the DE. heh.
I also went to a beauty supply store and got a bottle of Beyond Belief Witch Hazel for 4.29 for a 16.7 oz bottle and a bottle of Master Bay Rum for 7.99 for 15 oz. Trying to get used to the smell of both.
I took the advice of Larry, which said don't strop before the fist use to learn how the blade dulls to further learn how much stropping is necessary.
Basically, I like how the length of the razor covers more area and I reall liken the experience of shaving with a straight razor to be superior than other shaves because when dealing with a live blade, it almost brings about a different mental state. I don't know how many of you practice martial arts, but there is a style called Iaido, which is a Japanese Katana (sword) art which deals with striking at the same time you draw the blade from the sheath. Practicing with a live blade (when properly trained) makes you more intimately aware of the nature of the blade and therefore more careful.
I think Im going to enjoy shaving in this manner, provided that I can sucessfully get the areas under the jaw and chin, as these still seem to be difficult areas for me, even with the DE setting on 9.
I think, like anything, it is just going to take an adequate amount of time, but I think keeping my razor sharp is going to be harder for me than shaving properly. I plan on shelving the DE in the future, but this is just the first day of the rest of my str8 shaving existance.
Thanks to everyone for the help, all the tops and encouragement.
Eric
