Thread: First Straight razor shave

I shall attempt to use left hand next shave and see how that goes, if i don't reply for a few days someone please send an ambulance around my place and hopefully ill have enough blood left to pull through!

as for stropping, i'm applying as little pressure as possible and trying to lead with the spine so that the edge is just trailing behind and sliding across the leather, this gives a slight sound like Matt is describing, i hope this sounds correct, please let me know if it's not.

I have also heard people say that you should not shave with the same blade in two days as it needs to rest, is this true?

Welcome. Soon you Will have a colletion of 100 razors and 20 hones for a unknown addictive reason

Originally Posted by issimonete

I have also heard people say that you should not shave with the same blade in two days as it needs to rest, is this true?

Theoretically-yes, but I think this is not a problem if you have one. For example I have few razor but I can use one week one razor, second other.

Stick with the both hand cheek approach. Great simple strokes to get both hands comfortable with the razor. Wait until the cheek stokes are not only good, but you feel comfortable handling the razor. Move onto the next basics until the new hand positions are comfortable as is the changing of positions.

As for resting, I have not heard any solid evidence that supports a need for it. You would need to either apply force are some really high temperatures to make a change during its rest.

I am at the 6 month mark and have one razor ... Been thinkin really hard about the dovo diamant, I think it will contrast nicely with my dovo prima. And a scuttle by next winter. Something about a warm face massage before going out in the cold seems like it will be nice.

Originally Posted by LameBMX

Stick with the both hand cheek approach. Great simple strokes to get both hands comfortable with the razor. Wait until the cheek stokes are not only good, but you feel comfortable handling the razor. Move onto the next basics until the new hand positions are comfortable as is the changing of positions.

4th shave under the belt and i can shave left cheek with left hand much better now and with no major nicks yet. So far i have managed to get the closest shave on the cheeks that i have ever had, but the neck area is giving me a fair bit of trouble. I think this is because the hair on my neck grows up from the neck for about 1.5cm then grows from right to left of my neck and then from the chin down, the hair grows normally, as in downwards. When i use a DE safety razor i am especially careful to follow the grain on my neck because otherwise i get bad ingrown hairs and razor bumps. I'm good at doing this with a DE but i feel like i'm carving my neck up with the straight trying to do this. Could someone please give me some advice on grip or how to shave this area?

Also, thanks for the welcomes and advice that has already been given, i am taking it all on board!

Hello and welcome,

About pressure during shaving--as long as your razor is as sharp as a razor should be, you don't need any more pressure to remove hairs than you need to scrape away the lather. Just aim to remove the lather and the hairs will follow. If you aim to remove the hairs, burn will follow.

At one point I put that advice into haiku form, but don't remember where and am not feeling so creative tonight.

The grain on my neck is all over the place, too. I generally do my first pass downwards, and start my shave at the collarline then work upwards. This means I always have dry skin to grip and stretch as I continue toward the jawline. If I'm feeling ambitious, I'll do a second neck pass going upwards.

Stretching is a big factor; make sure you're getting your skin taut. One person suggested doing a sort of chokehold at the base of your neck then lifting your chin for a good overall neck-skin tightening. I tried that, and it works, but for some reason it hasn't become a regular habit.

Good luck and congrats on your progress so far!

It is excellent that you are learning to shave with good theory.

I first learned to shave from my father long ago, who learned it from his father, etc., and I don't think any of them got a good lesson on how to shave properly, as it were. I was taught to use only my dominant hand to shave and I've shaved that way for a good long time.


As far as stropping is concerned, I use a leather stuck to a piece of hard wood. Back and forth motion with little or no pressure, and it is silent. I can get razors sharp as the dickens this way. There are many different ways to hone and strop, and I think the fun part is trying to find out what ways work for you and for which blade. Good luck!

Originally Posted by roughkype

Stretching is a big factor; make sure you're getting your skin taut. One person suggested doing a sort of chokehold at the base of your neck then lifting your chin for a good overall neck-skin tightening.

Thank you, this is great advice and helped me shave the neck area last night. Before when i shaved i did not pull the skin tight on my neck and i think this is why i was getting such irritation because the blade could not glide easily over the skin, now when i pulled the skin tight it was much better and the hairs came straight off!

Originally Posted by issimonete

Thank you, this is great advice and helped me shave the neck area last night. Before when i shaved i did not pull the skin tight on my neck and i think this is why i was getting such irritation because the blade could not glide easily over the skin, now when i pulled the skin tight it was much better and the hairs came straight off!

That is good news. I feel ya, my hair only grows right in the goatee area, and even that has something odd about it. right under the jawline is horrible for me. I have tried to pull my nose down to my adams apple, and tried to pull my adams apple up to my nose, but it just refuses to get super smooth. I must honestly say, outside of my couple months, I just get it to pass visual inspection and not much else.

I just had a nice little eye opener. My right hand has been doing most of the work. my left I have slacked on and only have done the left cheek area, sometimes I will leave the comfort zone a bit. Not often enough. So I injured my left thumb, it was a fight to do the left cheek with my right hand. Made me realize that even after I am better, it would be good practice to learn to do whole face with either hand. per my namesake, I never know what sort of injury i may receive on any given sunny day.

Like many others my hair grows in lots of wired and wonderful directions. When I first started I found it helped to split my face into different areas. For example upper and lower cheeks, top lip and bottom lip, chin, left, right and middle lower neck, left, right and middle jaw line. This helped me learn the correct angle of attack for each area until I could get a good WTG pass. Then I moved on to ATG pass again learning the correct angle for each area and finally the ATG pass. Just take your time and if it doesn't feel right stop and try it a different way and there is nothing wrong with finishing your shave off with a DE or what ever you used before your straight.