Thread: Honestly ... can an older looser face expect a good straight razor shave?

Originally Posted by WW243

I understand older and looser. I share my shaving experience with SWMBO.

Well I found the Thanks and LIke button. I could have swore they weren't there before. Oh well ... loss of blood I guess! lol ":-Dx jack

Originally Posted by jackdashack

Bob, if we could mass produce masks that looked like what you just described about our faces when shaving we'd be millionaires during the Halloween season! ";-Dx lol

See, a lot of people think the bolts on each side of the neck of Frankenstein's monster were electrodes. In reality, they were for adjusting his skin tension for optimal shaving.

Originally Posted by Utopian

See, a lot of people think the bolts on each side of the neck of Frankenstein's monster were electrodes. In reality, they were for adjusting his skin tension for optimal shaving.

Maybe that's how he got cut up into parts in the first place. A too cocky newbie being too aggressive and whopp .... body parts everywhere. ":-Dx

Originally Posted by jackdashack

Maybe that's how he got cut up into parts in the first place. A too cocky newbie being too aggressive and whopp .... body parts everywhere. ":-Dx

And it probably started with a finger.

Another old guy newbie here. (If that makes any sense at all) Just did my 6th SR shave and the 3rd with no blood. My scariest places are the jowly jaw areas where I have pretty saggy skin. The left side is especially bad. I just can't seem to find a right way to hold the razor to shave that area. But I'll keep working at it.

Braz

Have you been shaving with a safety razor? I've found that getting good with a safety razor first seriously raised the bar on what I should expect from a shave. You can get there with a straight razor too, but it will take a while. At first I had to lower my expectations a little. If I had a hot date that night, I would do touch-ups with a safety razor. (for the last few decades they have all been with the same girl, but she's still a hot date) So at first, manage your expectations a little - even if you can feel that it's not perfect, it still looks perfect. Second, every one talks about stretch, stretch, stretch. But at first, it doesn't seem as important, or as fun as fussing over the razor. Let me tell you, for guys like us, learning your face and how to stretch the skin in the right directions is that important. It might even be more important than the condition of the razor. Speaking of the condition of the razor, you have a great advantage that many of us didn't have - when I started I got a razor that was actually pretty sharp, but I wasn't sure whether it was sharp or not because I had nothing to compare it to. I was never sure if the problem was me, or the razor. (It ends up it was me all along) But if you got one from Utopian, I can assure you it was shave ready. That man knows his stuff........

And don't forget the trick with the rubber ball in your mouth. There's a joke in that somewhere I reckon.....

James.

I wonder if us younger guys with still relatively tight skin will have an advantage as we age. The sag will happen gradually, and I suspect our skill will increase such that we'll adjust over time without even really noticing.

You make a point about old timers looking unshaven, but that could also be a lack of interest just as easily as inability. I don't think one can draw any conclusions based on speculation alone.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

And don't forget the trick with the rubber ball in your mouth. There's a joke in that somewhere I reckon.....

James.

Bob

Originally Posted by jackdashack

I think this is my 3rd post here. The 1st since actually having a real razor in my hand the last hour. Since my first post 2 cheaps from China and eBay have arrived and since I didn't realize they were not shave ready or apparently good for maybe scraping paint I've only practiced with them. Today I received from a kind member here, Utopian, I would have to suspect extras of his to try out and see what a real razor is like. I'll get to the "older looser face in a moment." In the first 5 minutes I was awarded a real bleeder, deep .... in my index finger! haha! I flipped the razor too fast and it caught my index. It took about an hour to get that under control. So I got back on the horse, pressing tissue paper and razor firmly to stop the bleeding while I shaved. I've gotten to some hard places and only a couple small nicks.

But as I'm going about this I wonder if this might something more for those who have tight faces yet. I'm in my 60's and I have loose skin that rolls along in most places rather than pushes back. I got to thinking about the older men I remember growing up. Seems the faces were more grizzled and unshaven as they got older. Does having the wrinkles and loose skin make for more of an effort or for results not so good as could be.

It's a hard thing sometimes to admit the ravages of age. But I wonder if older loose faces ought to stick to safety razors? What's your thoughts. Think of my face like ahhh .... an English Bulldog.

I'm 60 and have been straight shaving since Age 54. My face has never felt better. If you stretch your skin the wrinkles/sagging doesn't come into play. Those multiblade/cartridge razors were really the pits and I'm so glad to be rid of those and that canned cream/gel.

Rolodave mentioned diagramming direction of the hair growth on your face. Here's a diagram that might not be exactly like yours, but it will get you started: