Thread: Need some reassurance

Been shaving with a SR for nearly six months now. My confidence level is high and just as I thought I would never cut myself again, WHAMO!! I produced 1 inch cut/slice underneath my chin this morning. The lesson is never to underestimate the razor in your hand. Shaving with a straight requires your undivided attention. In my case, it is hard because my attention is divided with little people jumping and screaming around the house in the morning. The muscle memory that develops with time will set in and your brain will know how much pressure to apply and when to stop to prevent tissue damage. Happy SR shaving my friend!

Take your time, I get most of my cuts when I am in a hurry.

Originally Posted by sbframp

The place from which I bought the razor is actually called Vintage Straight Razor (VSR). Now that I know that Lynn works with VB LLC, I'll probably buy my next one from them.

If that is the case maybe the razor throws in a new variable. Unless it is a Dovo or similar the other razors sold by that dealer are made in Pakistan & at this stage of their manufacture none have been known to take & hold a shaving edge.

Originally Posted by Razorthin

Been shaving with a SR for nearly six months now. My confidence level is high and just as I thought I would never cut myself again, WHAMO!! I produced 1 inch cut/slice underneath my chin this morning. The lesson is never to underestimate the razor in your hand. Shaving with a straight requires your undivided attention. In my case, it is hard because my attention is divided with little people jumping and screaming around the house in the morning. The muscle memory that develops with time will set in and your brain will know how much pressure to apply and when to stop to prevent tissue damage. Happy SR shaving my friend!

Dude! Shave at night after all their little bedtimes!

Originally Posted by sbframp

Hey, everyone.

I'm new to this site and I'm excited to take my place in the community. I'm starting this thread because I haven't been able to find anything that relates to it. Basically, I just had my second shave with a straight razor. I know that my technique isn't great, obviously; howeverSeth,
I eally cut my face up this time. I guess what I'm wondering is did a lot of people have an experience like this when they were starting out, too? I have about 4 pretty distinct cuts on my face just from the second session. It's a little discouraging, obviously. I'm hoping to get a couple of personal experiences from the members of the community.

Thanks very much,
Seth

hi seth,
I am on my second shave and sustained more, though less serious cuts than my first shave, not to mention reopening some from my first shave, I think it was a combination of lack of awareness of where my razors toe was on the first day and poor angle and too much pressure today. I recon I can only improve (or kill myself)

Originally Posted by edhewitt

hi seth,
I am on my second shave and sustained more, though less serious cuts than my first shave, not to mention reopening some from my first shave, I think it was a combination of lack of awareness of where my razors toe was on the first day and poor angle and too much pressure today. I recon I can only improve (or kill myself)

Blood can cause rust on edges. Save your face & your razor by allowing healing time & avoid shaving over blood.

I've been SR shaving now for just over 4 months, and have only within the last month gotten to the point where a) I can, if I need to, reliably shave (2 passes) in under 10 minutes without cutting myself and b) can reasonably tell the condition of my edges from how they shave. I have NOT yet shaved ATG or been able to confidently shave my chin (it takes up the majority of the shave time and if I do nick myselft, that's where it is). I bring this up only to point out both how quickly you will develop the muscle memory for a smooth shave but, at the same time, the amount of experience I suspect is needed to "master" the art. The three things I would go back and tell my self-from-February are these:

1) Respect the edge, but don't fear it. I cut myself less from improper motion and more from trying to shave too quickly and not paying attention to the angle the blade connected with my face. The blades are sharp enough to cut just from direct pressure, so if you try to go edge-on against your cheek, your cheek will lose.
2) The blades do weigh something. You don't need a death-grip on the blade and you don't need to press the blade into your face. Hold the blade like you'd hold your mom's/wife's/grandma's heirloom china set: firm enough to make sure you have control but oh so gently. Throw up your pinky if you need to.
3) You do NOT need to relocate your bathroom wall via your strop. I don't know what I was thinking when I was starting out, but apparently I was under the impression that if I pulled hard enough on the strop, I could get some more square footage in my bedroom. If your shoulders and arms hurt after stropping....you're wrong. If the hand holding your blade is cramping after stropping...you're wrong. I must not have believed that a strip of leather could do anything to a chunk of carbon steel without significant pressure, but in the end, all I ended up doing was dulling my blade and damaging a strop.

At any rate, thanks for sharing; and the cuts should clear up soon enough. Don't give up hope.

Originally Posted by Cangooner

And don't forget to stretch your skin. On my face at least there are lots of rough bits near the corner of my mouth that can easily get caught, and cut. Do what you can to stretch it out. That should help. And of course, time and practice will make the whole thing better.

But hang in there! I think almost all of us have done our fair share of slicing and dicing along the way.

I have found that using my tongue to push the corner of my mouth out makes it easier.