Thread: first shave...no good

I swear by my Proraso but I find it can be dry too. The solution for me was to only lather portions of my face as well as to have my face dripping wet before I lather each time. Stick with it youll get there.

Originally Posted by MadButcher

I swear by my Proraso but I find it can be dry too. The solution for me was to only lather portions of my face as well as to have my face dripping wet before I lather each time. Stick with it youll get there.

I concur /w/ MadButcher!

Although new myself to str8's I agree that angle is crucial as well - depending on where you're at on "your mug" (mug=face). Take your time too! I didn't with an improperly sharpened razor (not your problem in this case though) and suffered for it by slicing myself. I also did NOT pick up the razor after the stroke. Two (2) BAD DECISIONS!

Always make your pass over a selected area then lift the razor off your face immediately after that pass and proceed to your next "section" (after rinsing and drying the blade of course) and continue.
As time goes by you WILL develop "expertise" in using it/them. That's at least my experience - and I'd hazard to guess everyone else' experience as well.

Good luck! No retreat - no surrender! Keep at it!!

Originally Posted by anjp

Hi all,

A big thank you to everyone who replied to this thread and offered advice. Today was my 2nd shave and it did feel better. I tried playing with the blade angle and increasing it a bit did help. I found that closing my eyes for a few seconds and adjusting the angle to what "felt" right was often better than looking in the mirror. Also, as per your suggestions I found that shorter strokes helped quite a bit... I was trying long, smooth strokes because that's what I saw Lynn doing in one of his videos.

I think that with practice it will get better, and I'll keep at it!

BUT, it still feels very dry at times. I think that this dry-ness may contribute to the feeling of scraping rather than gliding. My lather feels GREAT when I run my fingers over the cheek and when I switch back to my safety razor it glides effortlessly over the face. But with the straight everything feels very dry. Is this normal?

I have the same problem you have with the "dryness" of the lather after the razor pass.

In the past month I've changed two things in my routine. The first is adding glycerin to non-glycerin based creams. I used Proraso the other day and found that adding two parts of glycerin to one part of Proraso did the trick for me. Proraso has glycerin in it, sixth on the ingredient list, but for ME I needed extra. Now I wouldn't trade my Proraso for a cream three times the price.

The second part of my routine that I had to change was to add pre-shave oil to the neck and jawbone for the XTG and ATG pass. The irritation for me is almost completely gone.

Something to remember about the disposables like the Mach 3.......the blades have a "ride suspension" type system. Where both ends of the blade are mounted to the cartridge, that part of the design gives some "flex" to the blades as it travels over the skin. The second part of the design is the fact that the razor itself is so thin that this also provides flex. What this accomplishes is giving an even shaving experience with light to medium pressure. With a straight razor, you control the entire experience so it is skill that gives the shave.

The straight razor makes better contact with the skin and will remove more moisture on the pass because of the amount of pressure you provide and lack of a suspension. Think of a windshield wiper as it passes over a windshield during a rain storm......that's a type of suspension system in and of itself. If you lift a wiper arm up you will feel a lot of pressure. The disposable with the suspension doesn't make the same type of contact as a straight because the blade lifts a little when it touches the skin and therefore does not give the same shave as a straight (can't wait to hear the arguments about how wrong someone will tell me I am! ). So, whenever I do have to torture myself with a disposable shave, my face feels a little slicker after a pass, there's a little more moisture but the shave itself is not nearly as close.

Your pre-shave preparation may have to change a little. Maybe try adding a little water to your mix or adding a couple of swabs of shaving soap and a little glycerin. Straight shaves are a discovery process. Always start slow.

You've only had two shaves. My first two straight shaves weren't anything to rave about, but they were ok. After over a year.......can't be beat! You will get better, I promise. Straight shaving has become one of my favorite hobbies. You will refine the process and find what works best for you. Remember, everyone's skin is different so what works for me might not work for you. But you will find your Zen.......and you will find this site is one of the best resources IN THE WORLD. BAR NONE!

Good luck and welcome to SRP! Never be afraid to ask questions. There are so many here that will help and give GREAT advice.

I feel the same way that the blade doesn't cut like butter. I attribute that to my beard hair as being tougher than normal. I find more hair growth harder to shave, ie shaving every day is easier than every 3-4 days.

Like others said 30 degrees is the proper angle. You can also try washing your facial hair longer in the shower to soften it more.

yea it is also much easier for me to shave every day than skip a few days and then try to shave what was once 15-20 min of relaxation turns into 45 min of PITA

Thanks again to all who are offering advice. I'll keep making small adjustments each day until I have the winning formula. I'll keep you all in the know...

Also, I want to clarify what I said in my 1st post in this thread.... I mentioned that this razor was purchased from hi_bud_gl. It sort of sounded like I was blaming the razor and was unhappy with the purchase. On the contrary, I am completely satisfied with this blade and the fact that it comes shave-ready from hi_bud_gl only serves to reinforce that it must be my technique which needs improving (and not the razor). Please accept this clarification as I don't want to unintentionally soil his name. He's the tops :-)

Treat this as a hobby mate.

Just play around with different prep techniques, and different razor angles, skin stretching and shave directions untill your consistently getting a result you want and are enjoying it.

it took me a couple of weeks to get some where near, and i`m still learning,
but keep it up and play around, have fun with it.

Basically there are four elements of a great shave:

- A shave ready razor (If its come from Sham it will be!)
- Good stropping
- Good lather and face prep
- Good shaving technique

You need to get all of these elements to have a good shave. So if your lather wasnt quite up to snuff, you'll have a bad shave. If you hadnt softened the beard hairs with a shower or hot towel, you may get a bad shave. If you rolled your edge when you were stropping, the razor wont shave.

Concentrate on getting all of these elements right and you'll get the shave of your dreams..! And dont be surprised if it takes you a little time to get it right. Like all new skills, it takes a little time to get right.

Good luck and keep us posted.

I'm not sure about the dryness. You could try making a slightly
moister lather and see how that feels.

My first shave was exciting, but the result certainly wasn't a
great shave. One of the best parts about straight razor shaving
is the process of incremental improvements as you practice
and learn. It's extremely rewarding, so just be patient and
enjoy



- Scott

hi all,

An update... today was my 3rd time using the straight razor and I have good news and bad news.

The good news is that there is no more pulling or dryness. I've made my lather just a bit more "watery" and re applied when I felt it drying and the result has been good. I've also played with my angles a bit more and this seems to have helped the feeling of pulled hair (it's lessening).

The bad news is that, with the above going so well, I decided to be a bit more adventurous and moved to my upper lip, chin, and neck. Upper lip was OK, but the sides of the lip, chin, and especially neck proved very difficult. I now have a bleeding ear and numerous small cuts around my chin and jawline lol. Ah well..

After my shave was done I felt a pretty good burning sensation all over. I'm thinking it could have been caused by 3 things:
1 - numerous cuts and nicks all over (I've never nicked myself this badly before with a safety)
2 - improper stropping (i.e. blade could be a bit dull and is burning skin)
3 - too much pressure on blade (this burning skin).

I suppose any one of (or a combination of) these could cause the burn. Any comments?