Thread: Better: Right or Left Hand?

I'm right handed. Which techique is best, using the right hand for both sides of the face or switching off to the left hand for the left side of the face?

I'm sure some more experienced members could give you some more technical advice, but here's my 2 cents. I would try to learn using your right hand on the right side and your left on the left side. Then as you get comfortable doing that and progress into doing multiple passes you can experiment and find out what works for you. I for one switch it up. My WTG pass is done as earlier stated. My XTG pass is also for the most part, but I do use my right hand on the left side of my chin and vice versa. The same goes for my neck on the ATG pass (which I rarely do), I use the opposite hand because it feels more natural. Basically you are putting a very sharp object next to your face, by all means do what feels natural!

Actually now that I think about it I use the opposite hand for pretty much my whole ATG pass. For what it's worth.

You can do very well using one hand, a lot of guys do it that way exclusively. However, I think you will be better off and will get better results if you learn to shave with both hands. Certain areas of the face are better reached if you can use either hand to control the razor.

You can limit your left hand shaving to the easier areas of your face until it becomes more comfortable and natural feeling. I think you will find that it's a lot easier than you think.

I like using both hands, mainly because you can replicate the strokes in a symmetrical method. It did not take long for my non-dominant hand to learn.

But I've seen lots of posts from folks that do shave with only one hand, so either way can work.

-Chief

I may be a poor reference, being ambidexterous, but I don't find an issue shaving with either hand. The first few strokes with my left hand were on the cautious side, being as it was only my 2nd time with a straight razor, but it went well. Hell, the first time was on the cautious side with my right hand too.

The only issue with using one hand and reaching across is blocking your view.

I used my right hand exclusively for the first six months, then for some reason, I switched to using my left hand for the left side of my neck. Some find it more difficult, but strangely, I get better shaves using my left hand on some parts...I suppose it because the right hand is more closely oriented to my brain and it becomes the whole 'no brain' martial arts thing.

For me:

WTG or going downward
=> right hand / right side of face, left hand / left side of face

ATG or going upward
=> right hand / left side of face, left hand / right side of face

You can experiment with other variations of course - whatever works for you! Changing hands can allow better visibility and easier access. (Of course, you can still do it all with one hand only).

If you choose to use both hands at the start, you'll find you get used to it pretty quickly - both hands are getting used to the whole experience.

I'm finding some things easier with my 'off' hand - it just takes practice and experimenting.

All the best,
Michael.

I always thought I was semi ambidextrous. I bat left & right handed. I can swing golf clubs left & right handed. I can throw left & right handed. I have 5 kids. Mom & Dad were both righty's. 2 of 5 kids were lefty's. 7 grand kids are all righty's. I type........well, we won't go there. So, I go to the lefty kids and try to get some pointers. That didn't go well, because Dad is a putz. I got some putz for you right here..!!
So, I finally worked up to trying lefty with the straight. My co-workers called me Zorro for a week, due to the marks in my left cheek. Nothing serious mind you, but it was obvious the razor snagged and I applied a bit too much pressure.
I wear tri-focals which ended up being a major stumbling point for trying to use the right hand all the time. Your forearm or your hand is blocking your sight, while your moving your head up and down trying to find the right magnification to complete the task at hand.
I head out to Walgreen's or CVS trying to find that level of magnification that puts you at arms length from the mirror, so I don't end up carving my initials in my neck or cheek.
I found what I needed and it was okay, but realistically I need to become a bit more deft using my left hand. I can get a good shave right handed with the straight, but not a great shave. In other words, the right side is better than the left.
Note to self: Start out using both hands and don't be too aggressive trying to find that perfect shave. It will happen when it happens. Don't try to force it.

I think the main thing I use as a determining factor is "Push/Pull." I don't like to use a pushing motion with the razor as I find it tends to skip. When I say pushing I mean shaving ATG on the right side with the right hand for instance. You have to push the razor up your cheek as opposed to reaching across and pulling it up your cheek.

I started out just using my right for everything(I'm a righty), but then I slowly incorperated my left into the mix. It's funny ,now some areas are difficult to shave with my right.