Thread: first shave

first shave with wapi on sideburns and cheeks, went well but by no were near as close as my shavette and some small nicks and razor burn , tryed no pressure and that just made the blade catch in my stubble (which is a bit thick) would slowwing down , making the angle smaller and not shaving when i have about 3 days of growth on would help! the razor is shave ready as it came from some one on here.

bit disapointed really but a few days rest then ill have a go on sunday

No need to be disappointed. Not many of us were born with the skill set to shave perfectly the first time with a straight razor. At least I wasn't. And I know I had bigger expectations doimng my first shave than reality would advise. However, they do get better, a lot better!! Stay with that area of your face until you have discovered your angles and are comfortable manuevering the blade in your hand and against your face. As your comfort level and confidence increase you can move to other other areas of your face. What I found was that I would move to a new area of my face over a weekend and stay there until the next wekend where I added a new place or technique. Doing it over the weekend allowed me the time to work on a new thing without the stress of tmie and thoughts of work...

Just remember its your first shave. My first shave I did my whole face and it was uncomfortable. Hell the first few shaves were but now I get a comfortable and close shave with no irritation. It is like learning to ride a bike, so don't give up on it. As far as slower strokes I don't know if that will help or not. I found when I try to go real slow the blade sticks and I cut myself, but thats just me. The irritation is normal just getting used to the new equipment and angles you need to get a close shave. Getting the angles right helps a lot. Just stick with it you will get it.

I've been using a straight since about July or August of last year. Only in the past month or so have I been getting fantastic consistent shaves. I am by no means saying that you'll take that long (I think I was just a slow learner ), but don't get discouraged if you're not getting the kind of shave that you want by the first shave.

Trust me when I say this: if you stick with it, it will only get better from here, and you will love it when you get to that happy shaving place. And you WILL get there.

Originally Posted by sbrouwers

Just remember its your first shave. My first shave I did my whole face and it was uncomfortable. Hell the first few shaves were but now I get a comfortable and close shave with no irritation. It is like learning to ride a bike, so don't give up on it. As far as slower strokes I don't know if that will help or not. I found when I try to go real slow the blade sticks and I cut myself, but thats just me. The irritation is normal just getting used to the new equipment and angles you need to get a close shave. Getting the angles right helps a lot. Just stick with it you will get it.

Yeah, a little "momentum", and I use that term loosely, does help - However, what the beginner is looking to do is develop the skill and confidence to make strokes how and where they want to, without being tentative. That just takes time and practice.

I think you reach a point where if you want to make a slow stroke you can, or a fast one or whatever. That's a skill that just needs to grow over time.

Jordan

Couple of observations:

• If you think you are not using pressure, you are.
• Dull razors will give you good razor burn. The razor may have been shave ready before you stropped. Maybe it is not anymore now.
• Aim for short, confident strokes. Confidence comes with experience, which comes with time.
• The learning curve for straight razor shaving is measured in months, not days.

All of the above is based on personal experience, and may therefore be unrelated to your problem. Although I doubt it. Just hang in there, progress will come if you are patient, and do not mind blood in your bathroom.

One thing to remember is bear preparation. You may want to make sure that you prepare your bear for the shave.A hot shower, pre shave oils and hot towels all help this process. Also the angle used for shaving depends on a number of factors, including: the region of the face that you are shaving, the type and size of blade, the pass (with, across or against the grain), etc... This link from the wiki may be helpful:

Category:Straight Razor Shaving - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Also, you may want to take a look at your stropping technique. I think you asked about the stropping earlier but not about the technique itself. Incorrect tropping is the cause of many of the problems reported by new users. I think you can find some useful info in this thread and the threads mentioned within:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/newbi...tml#post330701

Good luck and do not heistate to ask again if you still have questions.

Al raz.

Originally Posted by Alraz

One thing to remember is bear preparation. You may want to make sure that you prepare your bear for the shave.

Ahahaha. I can just see it now. A big grizzly being shaved with a straight razor.

This one might get me another ban, but I found it interesting. From a purely linguistic perspective.

Don't fret. I just started shaving with a straight razor 6 days ago and I see a huge difference between my first day's shave and my sixth's days shaving. Just keep up with it. You will see a difference.
Concerning the razor burn I experienced the same problem. I found that my lather was too watery. I would review lather techniques in the wiki.