Thread: Help with Anxiety

If Lynn honed you r blade...don't strop it at all the first time. Any slight benefit you might get is outweighed by the cahnce of messing up the edge.

You neailed it already...ONE pass, only on areas you feel really comfortable with. With good, slick lather (practice making it before hand it you'd like), and NO pressure and a good angle (two spine widths max), you're pretty safe...jsut keep the balde moving whenever it is touching your face!

You can, eventually get it to that point of "not thinking about it." But, here's the cool part....you won't WANT to. It is so much fun (and admittedly, paying attention is always a good idea when you have a razor-sharp...uh, razor, on your face) that paying attention and really working on that fun and close shave....you'll enjoy paying attention to it! ReallY!

It's easier to learn than you think....but there is a learning curve....like that, uh, other thing you mentioned. I mean, you can get by well enough to not hurt yourself...then you can get good enough to feel proficient, then good enough to be damned proud of (not that you might not still get a nick now and then), but it might take a long time to be a MASTER.
I get the best shaves of my life with a straight....and I love the fact that I KNOW I will keep getting better for a while.

Hello and welcome, Since it's been honed by Lynn do not strop at all before first shave, it's already been done. Read the WIKIs on shaving, watch the videos provided on this site, do a good prep, which is also described in the wiki, then have at it . Start slow with only sideburns and cheeks as advised by Lynn and many others. If comfortable with that continue, if not stop and finish the way you usually do, then start again with next shave. It will become more and more comfortable and enjoyable.

Dude relax!
this ain't rock science and it ain't going to go out of its way to bite you.
just go slowly while stropping until you get the rhythm down. You can't ruin your razor from stropping but you might ruin the edge. Try shaving the first go round with out stropping and see what happens, just be sure to strop before each shave after that.
Don't use any pressure on your face let the razor do the cutting.
Keep your angle fairly flat to much angle leads to weepers and razor burn.
Start small just shave the flats of your cheeks for a little while then slowly start to add other parts of you face. Keep your hands dry to better control the razor and have fun. Don't be afarid of the razor and just take your time.

Originally Posted by warpigs421

1.) How nervous should I be about stropping? My SR8 is a brand-new Dovo honed by none other than Mr. Abrams himself. Should I just give it 20 strokes before my 1st? More? Less?
(Fear: If strop wrong, I'll hose my blade beyond repair.)

I'd say don't strop before your first shave. Although stropping can make a significant difference, the chances are you aren't going to improve on what you have right now - a shave-ready razor.

2.) I'm going to take this REALLY SLOW. I'm only going to do one pass on the right side of my ugly-mug. What can I do to avoid getting nicked up?
Is there a similar, everyday type of thing that can give me an indicator of how much pressure to use? Something like slicing through mashed potatoes?
(Fear: I'm a manual labor kind of guy, and I won't have the right pressue, which will absolutely bludgeon myself the first time out.)

Don't use pressure at all. Lightly stroke your cheek with the blade. Keep the blade at a 30 degree angle away from the skin, or even flatter.

3.) How difficult is straight razor shaving to get to a point where I can do it like driving? Meaning, I don't think as conciously about driving anymore, since I can just do it.

You shouldn't aim to shave that way with a straight. You need to pay attention to what you are doing. It's OK to be relaxed, but stay focused. Having said that, you develop motor skills within a few shaves, that may be more what you are thinking of.

On second thoughts maybe you're right, there are similarities with driving a car, you need to allow your motor skills to handle the small movements while you keep an eye on the overall control of where to go.

+1 to all the above. Its not that scary. If lynn honed it it is gooooood to go the first time. Take eveything slow...you will know right away if you press to hard. Just let the razor slide over you skin...start just with cheeks and progress slowly...thats the way to go...have fun half the fun of straights is learning...im only about 20 shaves in but its going better every time...

one tip i have is to spend enough time on prep. good hot shower or a few hot towels lather and rub it in real good then relather and shave...

You will be fine once you get started. Here is a post by Lynn with instructions for the first few shaves. Follow those pointers and you will be fine. Read my sig line below to help avoid cuts and nicks. What the previous posters said is all great advice. In a month or two you'll be shaving like a pro.

....or you can just write my address on the package. i promise i'm not going to be anxious at all and will keep it safely in case you change your mind

People make way too big of a deal about how dangerous it is or whatever. There is no reason at all to be nervous.

Treat it with the respect that the sharp blade that it is deserves, and there is no reason to be afraid at all.

To answer your specific questions.. I agree with above, don't strop before shaving the first time. You'll probably nick yourself no matter how hard you try, but the amount of pressure should be maybe like the amount you would use writing with a magic marker. Don't worry about the nicks... they will be like paper cuts basically. Go to the local drugstore and get a styptic pencil or styptic nick relief. This will sting for a second, but stop the bleeding, no big deal. I think it took me 4-6 weeks of shaving every day before I could reliably never nick myself and get a comfortably close shave. Now a couple months later I'm still nailing down the intricacies and I'm sure I will be for several months (years?) to come. I don't know how long it takes to get to where it's like driving a car or walking. I sort of hope it never does... I enjoy it too much for it to become mundane.