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

[rmani]

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.

[Airportcopper]

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

[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.

[gssixgun]

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

[mjsorkin]

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.

Sorry about the confusion. I think I'm the one who told you you could test out the razor. I didn't mean to give you high expectations. Only for you to test the edge a tiny bit on your cheek or something.

My offer to meet up still stands if you want. Just let me know.

Michael

[LoneWolf]

I think the baby oil is a less than optimal choice. It is a quickly absorbed oil. You need a long chain fatty acid oil that sits on top the skin. You might do better with some glycerine in your lather, or a product designed as a pre-shave.

[ace]

The first shave with a straight razor is never going to be a good one, even with a shave ready razor. It is a little like giving your sixteen year old daughter, who has never driven a car, the keys to a Dodge Viper and telling her to go out and give it a try. The automobile may be in fine tune, and in the hands of an expert can be a great drive, but you don't want to start her out that way. In SR shaving, it is not just the razor, it's you, the operator, and you can't expect to get it right the first time out.

Unlike most who here who seem to start out without doing much research, I did it all, read the Library, watched the videos, had a shave ready razor, and my first shave was horrible. There is a skill set to be learned in SR shaving, and it is almost as complicated as running a Dodge Viper effectively through the gears.

My first 30 shaves were not good at all. My next 30 were more comfortable, and my next 30 were even better. My experience was that it took me almost three months to learn how to get really good shaves and not risk my face in the process. Two years later I'm still improving, and my shaves now are as good as I think they can get, extremely close and comfortable. It just takes time, practice and patience.

The straight razor is the best way to shave, but you can't just pick one up, start hacking away with no knowledge of how to do so and get good results. That's why we refer here to a learning curve. At first it is steep, then it levels off a bit but is still somewhat long. If you persist to that point, the reward will be great shaves. It just won't happen right away. Good luck! It IS worth the effort.

[rmani]

Hey michael i definitely want to but ive gotten into the hectic time of year and my travel schedule is quite extensive. I do need help though this razor sucks

[LeBois]

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.

WHOA NELLY! Makes all the difference in the world. Now go get it hone properly.

[Silents]

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".