Thread: First straight razor shave. absolutely horrible what am I doing wrong?

Hey guys,

So i've been wanting to try and prevent razor bumps and acne on my jawline, plus get a decent shave for the first time in my life since i started shaving. I came on here and purchased a dovo bismarck. It arrived yesterday and tried it out today after a shower. I even used some baby oil to try and lube up my face good. Well the razor was just tugging on hairs. It was so painful it felt like every hair was being pulled out and to top it off it didn't even look like i had shaved!

After an hour i went back to my disposable and my face is 10x smoother. What did I do wrong? I have a very thick beard but i was told by so many people a straight razor could get me a decent shave.

Please help.

Was the razor sent shave ready.? It may not b you? From what ur describing seems like razor wasn't honed..

no it wasn't honed but how can it make that much of a difference? i was told i could still try it out before getting it honed.

It sounds like you started out with a good tool in the Dovo. The question comes in with where did you purchase it and did they hone it before they sent it to you. Razors are sharpened coming out of the factories, but they are not honed sharp enough to shave with (called shave ready). Most, but not all retailers will either hone a new razor for free or will do it at an additional fee. In my estimation, this is what it sounds like.

If the razor was honed by the retailer, your difficulty could be technique, stretching, preparation or a myriad of other issues. I'd take a look at the Wiki section here for "Your First Straight Razor Shave".

Originally Posted by rmani

no it wasn't honed but how can it make that much of a difference? i was told i could still try it out before getting it honed.

You tried Now get it honed

Try reading this thread too, it might explain some

http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...ry-2012-a.html

The difference in honing is the same difference in try to cut a steak with the side of a fork or a high end Henckels Steak Knife. There is a HUGE difference.

Thanks for all the quick replies guys. I purchased the razor from fendrihen online

Originally Posted by rmani

Thanks for all the quick replies guys. I purchased the razor from fendrihen online

Fendrihen is a great dealer, but they are one of thosse that do not hone for free. I'd recommend seeing if there was a reputable honemeister in your area or I'd send it to SRD (Loading...) and have those gentlemen hone it.

A non honed razor can still draw blood, cut slices out of fingers & generally feel sharp as hell if you touch the blade - this doesn't mean it's good for shaving - that's a whole other level of sharp & smooth. A shave ready edge requires virtually no pressure & just slices through a well softened beard like a knife through butter. Trying to shave with a dull blade is just asking for irritation & unsatisfactory results which will just put you off using a straight. With a shave ready edge, time & patience, it will eventually become enjoyable you time.

As a beginner I found that you could shave your sideburns/cheek area without too much trouble with a reasonably good edge (even a slightly worn one) but once you get to the jawline & chin even a professionally honed edge can feel rough until your technique improves. I'd say as a very loose personal guideline that if you can't shave any part of your face (especially your sideburns) it more than likely needs honing, but if it's just the lower part of your face your having trouble with it's probably technique.

I've been doing this for about 4 months now & it's only in the last few weeks that I've been able to get my chin & jawline anywhere near satisfactory, my neck still gives me problems.

Good luck & I hope you get the results you want out of this. I'm just starting to.

Just checked the Fendrihen site and they offer Dovo Bismarks in as supplied from the factory edge and one sharpened in house. If you did not pay the extra for the in house sharpened version the factory edge is likely not completely shave ready. This is/was your first straight razor shave so your technique is likely not 100% with the blade and your lather may not be also. Add that to a factory edge and you got a recipe for a lousy shave. Your first step now should be to have it honed by someone who specializes in honing straight razors. Once this is done and you get your razor back, do not strop it before using it the first time. You will then know what a sharp blade feels like. Strop it before your second shave and each shave after that. If you notice the blade is duller after stropping it on the second shave you will know that your stropping technique needs work.

Bob