Thread: First Shave

Hey all!

I just had my first straight razor shave this morning. My lather was pitiful, but luckily I was only shaving my right side-burn and didn't have to worry too much about that. The razor was tugging at the hairs at first, but I'm pretty sure that's because I was shaving at 45 degrees. Once I flattened out the razor a bit, things went more smoothly.

Overall, I think it went pretty well. I didn't get any cuts, so I've got that going for me! Now, I'm just looking forward to tomorrow so that I can try my hand at this again! Any advice is welcome!

A little at a time,,,,, enjoy the "prep" before you put the blade to your face,,,,, shave a section,,, finish with the razor you are familiar with,,, enjoy a post shave treatment,,,,,,,,,,,,,then the next shave, take the blade a little further. It was a few weeks if not a month before I got a complete acceptable straight razor shave.

It's a journey to be enjoyed, not rushed.

A good shave is one YOU are happy to tell about.

Just remember, as the expertise grows, never, ever take your eyes off that blade.

Congrats on a first shave. They will only get better.

Dave

Well, today was my second SR. shave! I took my time, lathered frequently and probably went a little farther than is recommended. Got a couple little nicks, but I can do that with any razor. Over all I enjoyed it. I feel like I have a new face!
I want to mention that I read up and visualized a good shave while waiting for my razor to arrive. This is a great place to learn!

It is great isnt it? I love the way my skin feels after, and i enjoy learning an art that most men don't have the stones to perform. Im still pretty new myself, so my only advice is to work slowly and take your time .

Originally Posted by Hirlau

A little at a time,,,,, enjoy the "prep" before you put the blade to your face,,,,, shave a section,,, finish with the razor you are familiar with,,, enjoy a post shave treatment,,,,,,,,,,,,,then the next shave, take the blade a little further. It was a few weeks if not a month before I got a complete acceptable straight razor shave.

It's a journey to be enjoyed, not rushed.

Excellent advice. I'm two months in and I am still learning new things each and every shave. The most important thing is to enjoy each step; prep, shave, post treatment. Hard to believe that I look forward to waking up earlier to shave. Have fun and enjoy!

You're doing it right. Take it easy and enjoy, as others have said. Half the pleasure is in the prep.

Keep it up! It just keeps on giving!

Shave two complete! This time, I managed to get most of my right cheek and right side-burn!

I was able to get a hell of a lot more lather by taking the advice provided in the library and letting the top of the soap soak in a little warm water first. Though, the lather might have been too thin... I'll have to keep experimenting with my lather making. Occasionally, the razor felt like it was tugging on the hair even though I was holding the razor at 30 degrees or maybe slightly less. The razor should be sharp as I bought it from SRD and I stropped it before my shave this morning. Any advice on the razor tugging?

Thanks for the encouraging words, everyone!

I would suggest watching and maybe re watching Lynn's stropping video. I'm new to SR shaving also and I know I totally messed up my razor with poor stropping. Take your time emphasize the motion, be sure to have the razor moving before the edge touches down and lift the edge before you stop at the end of the motion. If you have a canvas strop find som chromium oxide and you can really liven your blade back up with proper stropping technique.