Thread: First Real Shave with a Straight

So it finally happened, i have literally just completed my first shave with a legitimate str8.

The blade came shave-ready from a fellow SRP member, gugi (great guy, was a complete gent to do business with).

Disregarding the advice of EVERYONE, I don't think I paid my new tool enough respect. My touch was a little heavy and I tried to apply the techniques that have worked with my shavette over the past 3-4 months.

when you see the pics, you'll see that it didn't go "perfect" by any means, but on the whole I am happy with my first shave. Did I miss spots, yes. Did I bleed? Yes. 2 weepers, one from my WTG pass on the left cheek and one from the XTG pass on my right jawline/neck and several nicks.

As I write this the razor burn which is evident in the photos is sinking in.

with everything that went wrong, I still see the appeal and am hooked. Now shaving is a learning process.

I'm looking forward to getting some new soaps. I like the feel of proraso green, but it dries too quickly on me and casuse my hand to "jump" at times.

Anyway, here's the blood. Disregard the fact that the photos are labedl ATG, that was a typo - I'm not quite THAT dumb.

Ouch!!!
I guess theere's no way it won't get better

Yeah, pressure and blade angle are aspects to be concerned with but they would get better as your technique improves. I am not sure how you prepared your beard for the shave but this is another area to consider to improve the quality of the shave. The is one thing in your post that called my attention and that is that you mentioned that the lather dried on your face. This is perhaps indicative that some adjustments could be made to improve it (this is basically from another post). Perhaps these links would help:

Illustrated Guide to Making Basic Soap Lather - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Illustrated Guide to making Überlather - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Illustrated quide to making basic cream lather in three different ways - Straight Razor Place Wiki

How do you know if you have hard water

If your lather dry out in your face, it could be indicative that the lather is not ready yet, same if it dries in your bowl. The lather should be thick but it should be wet. The key is to keep rubbing the brush against the bowl (see my post in the last link ) until you start getting large bubbles as you rub. At that point, you know you are done lathering for that amount of soap. If you stop adding water before, you end up with a very thick lather that would have a tendency to dry out. A final tip to prevent lather from drying in your face is not to cover the whole face with it. I usually only apply the lather to the section of the face that I am going to shave. I do this not only to prevent the lather from drying but because I want to minimize exposure to the soap as my skin is VERY sensitive. Now, if the lather dries out in your bowl, I think you were far from getting the optimal lather; you may have had just suds.

HEY! I could do without the laughing man, there!

Thanks for the info Alraz, that;ll be valuable reading for sure.

Great start, and welcome. You have the right attitude. You'll get there. Just be patient and have fun with it all.

Jordan

2 WEEPERS, all I see is weepers. Don't worry if you learned to us a Shavette you will have no problem ith the straight. Just go a easier will ya! It get easier from here.


Take Care,
Richard

All I have to say is, "Thanks for the memories!" (Actually I thought rather enviously that you were in great shape for a first shave until I saw the neck.)

It does get better from here, though if you haven't started honing yet, maybe you can look forward to your first face-ripping overhoned edge. I've never forgotten mine: had to go to work with a face like an overripe tomato pared with a steak knife. And then that, too, got better! You've got a lot of very gratifying moments in your shaving future.

Greetings to a fellow Canuck, and sympathies as well That does look rather painful. You've got some good advice so far, so I'll try not to repeat. Blade came honed by Gugi, so no worries about shave readiness. And you have experience with a shavette, so your technique should be there. I'm thinking it could be a combination of stropping technique, beard prep and blade angle/pressure (a bit different than with a shavette). Let us know how it goes.

I think what you guys have said about beard prep is true. I don't really HAVE any prep. I soak a face cloth in hot water and then apply.

Main issue however seems to be my lathering, that you so much Alraz, for the lather links. I thought I had watched the mantis videos and knew how to lather - guess not.

So this is a progress report. Completed my second shave today. Did strictly WTG and some touchups (couldn't stop myself). Again no beard prep. But using the tip of putting water in my mug and lathering there (i had been lathering on the puck all these months) I THINK I generated cream, if not it was a "good enough" foam.

Slight razor burn setting in on the right side of my adam's apple, but no more than I would expect. And two nicks that aren't bleeding at all, more just scratches on my left cheek from the square point.

I left some stubble, as I felt aiming for perfection was beyond me, and am really happy with the progress made.

If you're interested in more on making lather, go to youtube and search for "mantic59". His channel has some fantastic(fantastic) videos on building and making a traditional lather, both from soaps and creams. His entire channel is a great wetshaving resource, even if he does shave with a DE and we with straights, its worth checking out.