Thread: Any Monocular shavers out there?

Good morning everyone!

Well, while I am waiting for my whipped dog razor to arrive in the mail I decided to pick up a shavette, the theory being I can practice grips and blade angles without having an actual blade in the razor so I cannot cut myself learning that.

So this morning, I am getting ready to shave , and the shavette was sitting there, I had planned to practice with the shavette tonight when I got home and just use the DE for my normal shave... so of course in goes the blade to the shavette and I get ready to shave.

PREP
Took a nice hot shower, used conditioner on my whiskers while I finished the shower to make them nice and soft

LATHER
I decided to superlather (been doing that for a few days and kinda like the scent/feel) and mixed some of my L'Occitane soap with some AOS lavender cream soaked in my HOT scuttle with piping hot water, after a minute of whipping with my badger hair brush I had a nice creamy lather that really was slick and smooth. Applied some AOS pre shave oil and off we go!

Time to shave!
Ok, decided to do only 1 pass WTG with the Shavette figuring I would finish with the DE for my XTG and ATG passes, Get the razor in a light grip and gently start to shave...

at this point I discovered what may be a bit of a challenge, I am blind in the right eye, and when I hold the blade in the correct grip and use my opposite hand to stretch the skin, I cannot really see where I am shaving.... Was kind of scary actually.

I finish the pass with only 1 nick (not too bad) felt weird in that I didn't think it was taking anything off until I cleaned the lather off the blade and saw lots of hair so it did shave.

Finished up with my DE, tried my new alum block (very little sting), some witch hazel and then AOS lavender after shave balm.

Face feels great, no burn no irritation and no bumpage

So my question, are there any other one eyed shavers like myself and how do you deal with being able to "see" where you are shaving...


Cannot wait for my real razor to arrive

Well, I have both eyes, but have yet to figure out how to use my left hand to shave shave the right side of my face, so with the left hand stretching, the right hand shaving, I can't see when I shave from my sideburn on down, so it's shaving blind for part of the shave. Scary, but with extra care, it's been ok..I'm getting a slight glimpse of what you have to go through, so good luck and no cuts!

Originally Posted by davemillard

Well, I have both eyes, but have yet to figure out how to use my left hand to shave shave the right side of my face, so with the left hand stretching, the right hand shaving, I can't see when I shave from my sideburn on down, so it's shaving blind for part of the shave. Scary, but with extra care, it's been ok..I'm getting a slight glimpse of what you have to go through, so good luck and no cuts!

same exact scenario here...

To the OP, you just have to take it slow and remain very light on the pressure. I've been using a round point as my first razor and it has touched my ear a couple times in the beginning. I imagine if I were using a spike or spanish point I may have nicked myself those first couple shaves.

I am visual in both eyes, but if I understand your dilemma correctly I think I may have a workable solution for you. Like Dave, when I was first using a straight razor I discovered that shaving the right side of my face with my right hand and the left side with my left hand my hand totally blocked the view of the razor on the skin. Bob Allman showed me a trick that solves the problem. Turn the razor around in your hand, i.e., have the hinge/tang end toward your ear and the toe of the razor pointing toward the mirror. I put my index finger on the monkey tail and the thumb and remaining fingers on the tang. There is a minor problem with doing this - you'll find your ear is somewhat in the way, but it is very doable. I now shave my entire cheeks WTG in this manner, not just my sideburns. I just "mock" practiced doing this looking in the mirror with my right hand shaving my right sideburns with my right eye closed and can see everything I'm shaving.

Hope this helps. Happy shaving. Let us know when you get your gear. You're in for the ride of your life. Shaving with a straight is awesome. Welcome to SRP! Greg

Thanks I will give that a try! The nice thing about the Shavette is that I can pull the blade out and experiment with grips/angles and not hurt myself


Really looking forward to getting my SR

Once you have been at this a time you will realize it is done mostly by feel. You don't need to actually see much at all. We actually had a totally blind member who used a straight. There are various techniques for using a finger as a guide in those areas. I can't see the left side of my face near my ear and when I started using a straight I would put my finger just above the razor and that told me where the razor was just as a cue.

Thanks, Just need to keep at it.

The plan is to use the shavette for another WTG pass tomorrow morning then this Sunday when I have time in the AM use the actual SR for a full shave and see how it goes

Like thebigspendur said, you will learn to shave mostly by feel.

I am nearly blind in my right eye because of a detached retina and 2 subsequent surgeries. It took me a little while to learn to trust myself with a straight razor, but once you get a feel for it, shaving will become second nature.

Practicing with your shavette without a blade would be a great way to learn the touch necessary to shave with a straight razor.

We had one member who was completely blind, some time ago.
Shaving with impaired vision is not an insurmountable problem. The key thing is to go slow, use a sharp razor, and feel where the razor is and what it is doing. Occasionally I shave with my eyes closed, just for the experience of having to do everything by feel (I admit I lather up with my eyes open )

Originally Posted by mcgyver74

at this point I discovered what may be a bit of a challenge, I am blind in the right eye, and when I hold the blade in the correct grip and use my opposite hand to stretch the skin, I cannot really see where I am shaving.... Was kind of scary actually.

The more I read here the more apparent it is that everyone has their own techniques that work for them.
The "correct grip" is the one that works for you

Have just had a practice with one eye closed and find that my hand position isn't in the way.
Are you trying to shave with one or both hands? Having the shavette seems like a great way to find what will work for you.

WTG - Right hand for Right side of the face. Left hand over the top of the head and stretching up is well out of sight line. Change hands for Left side of the face.
XTG - Right hand for Left side of face, shaving from the ear toward the mouth. Once started the Left hand can stretch from the ear and again is well out of sight line. Change hands for Right side of the face.

and enjoy the journey!