Thread: Switching Hands

Gentlemen,

In Lynn's DVD he does his demonstration using both hands, right for the right side of his face, left for the left side. Which do you guys prefer? Using one hand throughout the shave, or have you trained yourself to be more ambidextrous.
As i new shaver im trying to get myself to learn to use both before I make a habit of sticking with my dominant hand. For now though, using my left hand on the left side of my face is leaving that side less smooth than the right. I guess im going to have to keep practicing.

-Tyler

You have guessed correctly young man. You will only get better and more confident with your left as the muscle memory develops. Give some time. Have fun.

Sadly I started straight shaving without benefit of Lynn's DVD or the wealth of information here on SRP and so never even considered using my left hand. Now I kind of wish I had that option more easily available in my arsenal. So I think your plan to get used to both hands right from the start is a good one.

At first I was really hesistant using my non-dominant hand (left for me). Surprisingly it did not take me long to adjust. I am finding it much easier to shave because I just mimick with my left hand what my right hand does. There is no acrobatics and neck twisting going on, its much more comfortable. I just had to get over the initial jitters with my spastic left hand holding a razor blade against my neck

I prefer to use both hands. There is a learning curve to using your off hand that ranges from negligible to impossible, but it sounds like you aren't struggling with any major issues. For me it was not a problem at all, but it does take time to dial in your shaving to the point where you get comparable results with either hand.

Stick with it, I don't think it will take you too long until you barely notice a difference based on which hand you use.

I shaved with only my right hand , for about the first 2 months . For me , getting the basic technique down , with my right hand first , made it easier to learn to use my left hand . It went pretty fast , and by the time I had done it a third time , it seemed pretty natural .

Like most of us I think, I struggled at first with my left hand. Loads of weepers and cuts... I had the most difficulty adjusting the blade angle with the off hand. But upon reading the wonderful advice on this forum, I stuck with it, practised using the left hand more doing mundane stuff like brushing my teeth, opening doors etc etc. I'm glad I did, I can now get to all the difficult spots on my face and neck, I can mix it up at will - go XTG from ear to nose or from nose to ear, left hand to go ATG on the left or right side and vice versa.
Especially useful when you have whiskers growing in all sorts of funky directions like me!

End result - BBS 99% of the time (the remaining 1% is when I'm rushing things or get too complacent and sloppy)

Ash

Tyler

Yea, it did take awhile to get as good with my non dominant hand (left) as with my right. I was very tentative at first using my left hand and got similar results to what you are getting now. As you get more comfortable and confident the results will eventually be virtually the same using either hand. Just stick with it and go slowly.

Bob

I shave with both hands. Its just how I started! The first time I tried(which was the first time I shaved with a straight) was very different! Don't worry, you will get it down with good time!

Yes,learning both hands from the beginning is best. It doesn't take long for the left hand to catch up and then you'll wonder how anybody doesn't use both hands. Crossing over allows for getting into the otherwise impossible spots that the dominant hand can't get to. You'll get it, just be patient.