Thread: Avoiding Nicks and Cuts

wow-- theres hope for me now--ha,ha,ha.Now ,I hope I can remember to not put any pressure on the spine

Originally Posted by donjcschilde

One of my hard earned lessons is to not inflate my cheek or upper/lower lip with the razor touching my face. Ditto for skin stretching by hand. Sounds and is stupid, but as a newb, it happened more often than I'd like to admit. Also, if you do change the contour of your face by said acts, do not forget to adjust your razors angle accordingly.

HAHA, Iv been guilty of this especially on the bottom lip and chin!

Great thread and comments everyone, wish I had seen this when I started. Thanks to all for the suggestions

I am a newbie to straight razor shaving. And i found the following tips received very helpful.

1. Prep your skin (Towel dipped in hot water on the bearded area)
2. I use a little bit of moisturizing cream with my soap to lather the bearded area.
3. Lastly very important is to stretch your skin.
4. Go into ZEN for the shave as if you dont calm down and concentrate at the task at hand then you will cut yourself.

I found these few tips added into the normal shaving routine to be very helpful to a clean and clear shave. Without any nicks. And i feel more relaxed after a shave than any other hobby of mine.

Originally Posted by Ryan82

Good to see you post your old signature Jimmy, I always thought that was sage advice.

I would say don't skimp on the prep, and using good quality products goes a long way towards a nick-free shave.
And keep your mind focused on the task, if possible keep distractions to a minimum.

Focusing on shaving is where I fall short. I've been using a straight razor for almost a year. Concentrating on shaving is something I've never really done before. Using safety or electric razors didn't seem to require as much focus. Or maybe I was so used to it I could whip right through it. I would also think about other things like work for the day. I still find myself drifting and thinking about other things. That is when I'll nick myself. I cut myself normally when I'm first applying the razor to my face AND not thinking about what I'm doing.

I'm too new at straight shaving to know how much difference prep routine effects nicks. I have seen a HUGE difference in the closeness of the shave when I use a pre-shave product. So far I've used Castle Forbes and Proraso pre/post shave cream. For me though nicks and cuts happen because of lack of concentration
, no matter what routine I use.

Make sure the angle of the razor is right when it touches your face. I had the same problem the razor was 90 degrees to my face. It will cut you every time

What a great piece of advice. I think if I hold the blade a tad more secure, just a tad, I will get less nicks. Which would be almost none if I keep on track. I'm surprised I've made it through 20+ shaves with nothing more than a couple flea sized red spots. Well, then one scratch under the chin that wasn't even enough to burn under aftershave. If it was not for SRP, I would never have taken the first step in straight shaving. I have so much respect for people who learned without internet!

Originally Posted by donjcschilde

One of my hard earned lessons is to not inflate my cheek or upper/lower lip with the razor touching my face. Ditto for skin stretching by hand. Sounds and is stupid, but as a newb, it happened more often than I'd like to admit. Also, if you do change the contour of your face by said acts, do not forget to adjust your razors angle accordingly.

I thought I was the only one to learn this lesson, and a painful one it was
If you have Cates, jetting then watch you shave is a bad idea, they may try to help and bat the razor into your face.

Straying from the subject of nicking your face, has anyone cut "the other hand" during the shaving routine? I have a couple of times. It's forgetting there is a sharp tool in one hand and reaching around for whatever else you may need to reach for. I've cut myself just a little bit on two or three occasions on the hand I'm not holding the razor with. Truth is, it was just dumb luck the slice in a finger wasn't any worse. I guess it's still a matter of keeping focus on what you are doing.

I have the most problem on my face when shaving the chin in one manner. If I want to cut whiskers right on a very curved spot I find it easier with less chance of a nick if I start shaving above the rounded area and turning the razor to maintain the proper angle as the razor travels around the chin. But if not concentrating on that it will still result in a nick. But I'm glad to say after 17 months of straight razor shaving my nicks are becomming less and less frequent. I think it's about a month since I nicked my face. I probably just jinxed myself.

Jack

Using a Coticule to sharpen my razor has been the single biggest improvement after I learned how to adjust pressure and angle. The feeling of the blade has greatly improved from my previous routine of barber hone + diamond paste.

That said, I'm sure other honing regimens could work as well, but the lesson is that any theoretically good honing system is crap if it doesn't work for you. Now I can shave every day with three passes and zero nicks, zero irritation, zero pimples! It's been a week so far.