Thread: Can one's beard be NOT suited for a straight shave?

The DE is beneficial because it makes you learn proper beard prep.

If over the counter pre shave oils irritate your skin, try olive oil. just a few drops will do.

What soap are you using? if your soap is sub-standard your shaves will be too.

Allow the lather to sit for more than a minute, put it on, and find another task to work on for a couple of minutes, then relather and do your WTG pass.

Try doing several WTG passes for now, and forego the ATG until you can get a nice clean shave doing only WTG. (You can get very close to BBS just going WTG with enough practise)

Pay close attention to your angles, they can make a world of difference.


I get pulling when I go ATG on my upper lip, I always have, with a Mach 3 a straight even a feather. I have to work up to going ATG by doing several passes, and removing 99% of the hair before I do my ATG there.
I have a spot on my chin that is similar.
This is not unheard of, you just need to build your skills and work up to a skill level where you are ready to go against the grain. Some people are fortunate enough to do this quickly, others take longer, there is nothing to be ashamed about.

DE'a are a great quick fix close shave, and are very comfortable, but there is little skill or self satisfaction involved in using one.

I am also learning to use a str8. One week in and my shaves are exceeding all my expectations at this point. They are not as quick to complete as with a DE and not quite as close. I would reckon my worst areas are about as good as I get with an electric.

At the moment I see every shave as a challenge and take pride in improving in the areas I have identified as weeknesses.

I have read many posts that say allow yourself many months to get a good shave and this is why I don't worry if my shave is not yet perfect.

I think the journey would not be half as much fun if one was able to master a str8 within one or two weeks.

As has been said, 'Enjoy the journey', Good luck!

From the information you provided, I should say that your razor is shaveready, and your beard preparation is good enough. That only leaves one possibility open: your technique.

Here's my advice:

1. For now, don't worry too much about ATG and XTG. Just do your normal WTG-pass first, (I assume that you're fairly comfortable doing that). Then, rinse your face with hot water, and lather up again. I always use a very thin, watery lather for my second pass. It helps to see really well what's going on.

Then perform an upward, South to North pass. Don't worry about grain direction. You can start bringing that in account after you figured out the upward pass, and search for all the particular shaving directions your face needs for the perfect shave.

2. Start the South to North pass low at your neck, if you're right handed, start at the left side. Place the razor flat at your skin, lift the spine up, about one or two times the spine's thickness, which approximates a safe (low!) and good shaving angle.

3. Place your other hand a bit lower on your neck, beneath the razor and push down a bit, while at the same time sticking your chin up. This gesture should stretch the skin of your neck very nice and taut.

4. Now, with minimal pressure, take a small stroke, about half an inch, and watch how the stubble disappears. Take your time to enjoy.
Make similar small overlapping strokes, all the way up to the jaw bone. Then start below at your neck again and shave the adjacent lane, till you complete the right half and the middle part of your neck.

5. Then continue with your right cheek. Push back on the skin under the jawbone in combination with facial gestures to maximize stretching.

6. Change hands, or change grip, depending on personal preference, to shave the left side of your face.

7. If you get this far, you'll be able to figure out how to do the chin, that generally takes a bit more practice to be shaved without a few minor nicks. Don't worry too much about those. (Just use your styptic pencil, and you'll be fine)

8. STOP! At this point, its time to do the cold water rinse, and be pleased with yourself. You'll have smooth spots, and spots with some stubble left. That's normal. Within a few weeks experience, the smooth area will enlarge with your growing expertise. Don't be tempted to scrape over those rough parts over and over again. Your face won't like you, and you'll only end up with more frustration. (Believe me, we've all been there)

9. Stick with doing this for a couple of weeks and you'll find the spots of your beard that need other shaving directions and/or angles. By the time you do, you'll have enough basic shaving skills developed to figure out, through trial and error, the exact shaving map for your own unique facial hair growth.

Good luck & keep us posted,

Bart.

I haven't time to read through all posts to see if this has been mentioned before but....

I would advise trying some Pre-shave Oil. It made a world of a difference to my shaves.

- Start by wetting the face with warm water and then applying the oil. I use Kings of shaves oil which is readily available.
- Whilst I let the oil work in, I begin to make my lather.
- When the lather is done, I apply it to my face and massage the lather into my beard with my hands after I have applied it with the badger brush.
- After working it in wiith my hands, I then re-apply with the badger brush and am now ready to shave.

Try this and see if it helps.

Good morning gentlemen,

Many, many thanks for all of your idea's! You really make me want to go on with it! Your posts, and the fact that my BBS already lasts me about 17 hours, in the neckarea some spots are feeling a bit stubly now, but my moustace is still BBS and 99 % of the cheeks. LOL

Oh and i've tried olive oil too (wasn't happy with it LOL) and the soap i was using was the Proraso, but i also have De Vergulde Hand, Honeybee Spa and such in rotation.

I don't know if olive oil will be indicative of the effectiveness of a pre-shave oil, but I've never used either so who knows.

I'll cast my vote in the take it slow and work up to XTG and ATG passes. It took a long time before I was comfortable doing ATG passes.

Also, are you keeping the lather moist as you go? It may be drying out a little.

Originally Posted by gentleman

Oh and i've tried olive oil too (wasn't happy with it LOL) and the soap i was using was the Proraso, but i also have De Vergulde Hand, Honeybee Spa and such in rotation.

Just make sure it is 100% extra virgin! For me it works: reduces irritation and razor burn to a minimum after the shave.

Originally Posted by Russel Baldridge

Also, are you keeping the lather moist as you go? It may be drying out a little.

When you lather, the water should be warm but not very hot ... the hotter the water the faster it evaporates and the faster the lather dries out.

I've been shaving with a straight every days for a little more than a month now, and I still only do two WTG passes (I still have too much feedback when I'm trying to pass ATG)... I'm working slowly on my cheeks to practice the XTG. My advice (not much but who knows, maybe it will help) is to do only two passes WTG until you are confident and - most important - confortable with it. Then go on with the XTG as second pass, and when confortable with it, with an ATG as third pass (if your beard is not too strong, you can maybe try an ATG as second shave).
And as a DE user myself, I use it as a third ATG pass after my two passes WTG with the straight if I need a really close shave.

That's what is working for me...

Hope it helps.

Not sure if it's been mentioned but stropping is important too. Took me more than eight shaves to really get the idea (and lots of reading up on it on this site and others). As others have said, you're still very early on on the learning curve, which is long but steep.