Can't see to shave my sideburns
I have a dull razor that I'm practicing with until I get my straights honed. I have watched some videos of people shaving with straights and they always stretch the skin on the side of their face and start with the sideburns. When I try to do this in the mirror, the blade blocks my vision of what I should be shaving. How can I rectify this?
Using visual contact only
I think visual contact is preferred, but over-rated. I find that paying attention to the tactile feedback from my face is indispensable. Best example so far have been my well sculpted ears, but this all begins at the sideburn. Cutting sideburns straight is the only angle that requires at lead an initial visual orientation - but that doesn't mean that visual contact has to be present for that entire side of the face or even to get the blade very close to the ear. If you can't see the blade as it approaches the ear - stop paying attention to visual and feel the toe end of the blade as it approaches the ear. Whether careful normal strokes or buffing strokes where the edge doesn't leave the skin on the backstroke, you approach the ear until you feel the rise to the ear. Visual or not, it keeps the ears whole, and gives a new and valuable feedback that keeps you aware of what good and bad cutting feels like. By keeping the tactile sensation in mind, you have added early warning when a stroke is starting to go carnivorous.