Thread: Right Handed Shaver Question

I've been using a SR for about 6 months now and I feel like I'm really starting to get the hang of it. One area I'm still struggling with though is when I have to use my left hand to either go across or against the grain. Does anyone have any tips for how to minimize left hand usage? When shaving across the grain I generally go from ear to chin on the left side of my face and opposite on the right side so I don't have to switch hands. I also feel pretty confident going against the grain on the left side of my face but because I haven't figured out how to do it not using my left hand on the right side of my face I generally either don't do it or I wind up getting pretty cut up.

Long story short, is everyone on here who's nailed SR ambidextrous or am I missing something?

I'm a one-handed shaver...I don't trust my left hand. A lot of people think you should try to learn to use your off-hand but I doggedly refuse to. My left hand lets me down too often!

There are a few videos of one-handed shaving and those can be extremely helpful. For the right side of my face I fold the razor straight open (180 degrees) to go against the grain and for the right side of my neck I only open it about 90 degrees (so the scales are pointing straight up).

This is a lot more difficult to explain than I thought it would be. I think experimentation and video watching will get you there if you don't want to learn the other hand. Good luck!

I went straight to using my left hand and have been surprised at how quickly confidence builds. Just go slow and take it easy.

The biggest advantage to being able to learn to use both hands is that you increase your field of vision when using the opposite hand vs. reaching around your face. I normally recommend putting the razor in the opposite hand and try to duplicate the strokes you want to use without touching the razor to your face until it starts feeling comfortable for you. The more you fiddle around with the razor in your opposite hand, the more comfortable you become in using it.

Good Luck.

Lynn pretty much said all that needs to be said. When i started off i went straight at using my off hand. after a year, there's no difference in my left or right hand.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. To confirm, is going from chin to cheek/sideburn the right way to go across the grain or are you better going from cheek/sideburn to chin? I've had my fair share of slip ups going both ways.

The right way to go against the grain is going the direction in which the hair grows, I'm being facetious but seriously, it's diff for everyone, you should let it grow a few days and have a real close look at the grain pattern before you lather up. Amongst the many things in straight shaving, knowing your own face is vital. Also i wouldn't try and take it off in one big stroke, try for little short strokes

Edit: My bad, didn't read what you said properly

Originally Posted by Straightrazzin

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. To confirm, is going from chin to cheek/sideburn the right way to go across the grain or are you better going from cheek/sideburn to chin? I've had my fair share of slip ups going both ways.

Either way works to go across. Against is just one direction, but I'd go with whatever direction works the best and/or whatever you're the most comfortable with.

Originally Posted by Straightrazzin

I've been using a SR for about 6 months now and I feel like I'm really starting to get the hang of it. One area I'm still struggling with though is when I have to use my left hand to either go across or against the grain. Does anyone have any tips for how to minimize left hand usage? When shaving across the grain I generally go from ear to chin on the left side of my face and opposite on the right side so I don't have to switch hands. I also feel pretty confident going against the grain on the left side of my face but because I haven't figured out how to do it not using my left hand on the right side of my face I generally either don't do it or I wind up getting pretty cut up.

Long story short, is everyone on here who's nailed SR ambidextrous or am I missing something?

I'm kind of an oddball in that I write and eat left-handed and do everything else right-handed. When shaving I'm definitely more comfortable left-handed but shave with both hands because I wanted to learn to do so. I must also say that I'm closing the gap and probably because I'm concentrating more with the right hand sometimes wind up with a better results on the right side. But BBS is becoming the norm after a year and a half. Collecting razors and experimenting with a wide variety of products has become a hobby of mine, so learning to use both hands was a labor of love. The only thing that really matters are the results. I think specific instructions are helpful to get you started and after that it's up to you. I saw lots of barbers shave customers in movies but never saw someone actually shaving himself until I saw a YouTube video right before I started. And that guy only did one pass, so there was a lot more to learn. I needed those instructions up front!

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

I'm kind of an oddball in that I write and eat left-handed and do everything else right-handed. When shaving I'm definitely more comfortable left-handed but shave with both hands because I wanted to learn to do so. I must also say that I'm closing the gap and probably because I'm concentrating more with the right hand sometimes wind up with a better results on the right side. But BBS is becoming the norm after a year and a half. Collecting razors and experimenting with a wide variety of products has become a hobby of mine, so learning to use both hands was a labor of love. The only thing that really matters are the results. I think specific instructions are helpful to get you started and after that it's up to you. I saw lots of barbers shave customers in movies but never saw someone actually shaving himself until I saw a YouTube video right before I started. And that guy only did one pass, so there was a lot more to learn. I needed those instructions up front!

I'm glad to hear it took about a year and a half to get it right. I'm still on my first razor but plan on ordering another one in the next few weeks. I'm also really enjoying doing the research / trying new creams, soaps, etc, but definitely gets frustrating when I feel like I'm missing something or doing something completely wrong. It seems like everyone has their own method which is great to hear. I'm definitely not giving up and really appreciate all the feedback/knowledge I've gained from this site. Until the next shave...