Thread: this is wrong

Ok so I have been straight shavng for around 2 months now and I am getting better results every time, but the comfort level has not getten any better. I am getting this tug and pull on all areas of my face, my razors came shave ready from whipped dog and I even went as far as to have them rehoned last week, I know my angle is right because I also shave my arms with my straights and use the same angle and produces no tug or pull on my arm. Is it possible that I may just have really really tough facial hair and so I need to re think my plan of attack or just keep at what Im doing and eventualy my face will get uesed to it?

Just because you shave your arms with one angle means that angle is going to work on your face. You can use a much stepper angle on arm hair then you can on your face.

Judge from everything you wrote I would say your problem is angle. I would say your still at to steep an angle.

I use about 2 spine with, my beard grows thinck and hard, my wife calls it face armor, but tomorrow I will try some different angles see how that does

Just from experience I find that 2 factors really add to comfort in shaving. Stretching the skin in the area that your shaving and the soap that your using.
Straight razor shaving for many is a two handed task . One hand on the razor the other stretching the skin you're shaving. Fit you don't / can't use two hands, jaw movements can also be used to accomplish the same stretch.
Soap; try a good Lanolin soap: MWF or the like and leave it on the wet side.
Just something to try if you haven't.

On another note, if your beard is that tough, try a good pre shave gel or cream to help soften it first. It has helped with my wirey whiskars. Girlfriends always tell me its like kissing barbed wire sometimes ha ha ha.

Or, put some hair conditioner (not a thick layer) on your beard, and let it sit for a few minutes. Apply lather right over the conditioner.

. Charles

what would you sugest for a good pre shave treatment?

If you're looking on the cheaper end then you could try Proraso Preshave which works well for many or on the higher end Truefitt & Hill works well for me. Thats just a couple examples...there's many out there but like everything else you'd need to try and see what works for you.

Hello there!

Do not give up! You are doing great, especially because you keep trying! :-)

When I started straight shaving I had the same problem. For me, the root of the problem was that I had had many years of shaving experience with the disposable blades. And also some very little with a DE. But in a certain way, they are the same. What I (and everybody I guess) is doing with them is that you lather up and put the blade onto your face, and take it for granted that the only thing you have to do is to pull the razor down. More precisely, to pull the razor perpendicular to the blade. And it cuts. At least for a little while... Why? Because it is factory made and way more sharp than a straight. Then after one or two shaves, it is not quite right any more.

My point is that naturally, I tried to do the same with the straight. No good. And since everybody stated here that sr shaving IS superior, I kept blaming myself and kept trying.

I personally believe that the sharpness of an ordinary straight that I use every other day - here I'd like to emphasize that I do not talk about a str8 that has just been honed but one that has been used couple of times - is nowhere near the quality of a brand new DE blade's sharpness. But, it does not have to be! If it can pass HHT3, it should be enough. You should be able to maintain that level of sharpness with no problem. The rest depends on your technique.

The greatest advantage of a str8 is that the user can navigate with it freely on the face, not like with any other razor. It means that you actually can CUT the whiskers with it. Not just scrape them off... You can adjust the pressure and angle and direction however you wish.

Note that by "angle" I do not mean the angle in which the blade touches your face. (ie. the width between the skin and the spine) In my opinion it is not that relevant. By "angle" I mean the direction in which the edge travels on your face when you do the strokes. It should be angled. Not perpendicular to the direction of the stroke. It makes all the difference. :-) Most of the time it is point(toe)-leading.

Once again, it was what helped me. Might help you as well. :-) And almost a year in I'm still learning. Enjoying every second.

Opinions...?

I have never thought of it like that, and I am far from giving up, despite any discomfort I get it is worth it for the quality shave I get from a straight, thank you guys for all your sugestions and helpful comments.