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  1. #1
    Scutarius Fbones24's Avatar
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    Default First Shave: Good, Bad and Questions?

    First, I have learned so much from reading the forum the last week or so. Great people and great advice. Okay, so I just shaved with a SR for the first time. I only did the right side of my face up to my chin including my neck area as well.

    The Good: I did not nick myself at all which was good. The razor felt relatively comfortable in my hand. It did get more comfortable from the beginning of the shave to the end. Excited for more.

    The Bad: The razor felt like it was pulling the hair a little bit. I got a Dovo "Best" from Vintage Blades honed by Lynn so I'm sure it is sharp. I'm thinking it could be because I had a beard prior to shaving tonight for the first time in 6 months.

    I also could not get a good lather on my soap. Not sure if I was not using enough water or my technique was wrong. I will watch the videos again to see what I did wrong.

    The Questions: Do you think the pulling was caused by my technique or bad lather or both? Could it be the blade?

    Since I only shaved one side of my face, do I have to strop before my next shave?

    Does the blade have to be oiled after every use or is that only for long term storage?

    Thanks for any advice/help/answers in advance.

  2. #2
    Wee Whisker Whacker BingoBango's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fbones24 View Post
    First, I have learned so much from reading the forum the last week or so. Great people and great advice. Okay, so I just shaved with a SR for the first time. I only did the right side of my face up to my chin including my neck area as well.

    The Good: I did not nick myself at all which was good. The razor felt relatively comfortable in my hand. It did get more comfortable from the beginning of the shave to the end. Excited for more.
    Good job.

    Quote Originally Posted by Fbones24 View Post
    The Bad: The razor felt like it was pulling the hair a little bit. I got a Dovo "Best" from Vintage Blades honed by Lynn so I'm sure it is sharp. I'm thinking it could be because I had a beard prior to shaving tonight for the first time in 6 months.

    I also could not get a good lather on my soap. Not sure if I was not using enough water or my technique was wrong. I will watch the videos again to see what I did wrong.
    Smart idea getting a shave ready razor. The rest will come with time.

    Quote Originally Posted by Fbones24 View Post
    The Questions: Do you think the pulling was caused by my technique or bad lather or both? Could it be the blade?
    I doubt it's the blade. For your first shave, I'd say it's technique and that'll improve with time. Even absolutely terrible lather will do something for you. For me, if the lather is a little extra watery it's better than being a little dry.

    Quote Originally Posted by Fbones24 View Post
    Since I only shaved one side of my face, do I have to strop before my next shave?
    Strop before every shave. (Are you walking around with half of your face in a 6 month beard? )

    Quote Originally Posted by Fbones24 View Post
    Does the blade have to be oiled after every use or is that only for long term storage?
    Long term, but a little oil after every shave won't do anything to it. You will have the extra step before and after every shave though.

    Quote Originally Posted by Fbones24 View Post
    Thanks for any advice/help/answers in advance.
    You're welcome. Invoice is in the mail.

  3. #3
    Senior Member paco's Avatar
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    Looks as if the prior post got it, no more to add. Good luck and as they said int the 70's ,I think that's it. Keep on Truck'in.
    Consider where you will spend ETERNITY !!!!!!
    Growing Old is a necessity; Growing Up is Not !

  4. #4
    Scutarius Fbones24's Avatar
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    You're welcome. Invoice is in the mail.
    I'm sorry but I'm broke from ordering shaving equipment!!!

  5. #5
    Scutarius Fbones24's Avatar
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    Not sure if it had anything to do with the "pulling" I was getting, but I just went and practiced making lather after posting my first post. Boy was I off with the amount of water I added the first time. My lather was practically dry. I just practiced and added about a tablespoon of water to my lather bowl and I got a rich, creamy lather.

    I guess I should not be afraid to add water! Now I'm truly looking forward to my next shave.

  6. #6
    Senior Member blabbermouth niftyshaving's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fbones24 View Post
    ......snip....
    I also could not get a good lather on my soap. Not sure if I was not using enough water or my technique was wrong. I will watch the videos again to see what I did wrong.
    .....snip....
    This is the easy one to fix.

    All it takes is practice.
    Find a puck of William or van der hagen shave soap
    and practice. These soaps only cost about two bucks
    but do not let the price deter you they are decent
    shave soaps. They are available in many discount
    and even grocery stores.

    Take an afternoon or an hour a day for part of
    a week and just make a lather. Use too much
    soap, too much water, too little soap, too little
    water, wet brush almost dry brush, add water in
    a gush or drip by drip.

    Lather in a cup, on your hand, on your face, in a small soup
    bowl -- just tinker and practice.

    If you do not use all the soap while practicing let it
    dry a bit and save it in a plastic bag. It will come in handy
    for a lot of things, including more practice in
    a month or two.
    Last edited by niftyshaving; 05-07-2010 at 02:57 AM.

  7. #7
    Member anjp's Avatar
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    I've been straight razor shaving for about a month now and am just starting to get rid of that "pulling the whiskers" feeling. The first few times shaving, the pulling was so bad that I asked the forum what I was doing wrong. The answer: patience, your technique will improve.

    And it has/is.

    I found that it was a combination of a slightly increased angle, slightly more pressure, shorter and quicker strokes, and more moisture! I can't emphasize enough the need for a very moist lather. I ensure that my face is dripping wet before applying lather (I use Proraso).

  8. #8
    Senior Member dward's Avatar
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    Lots of questions come to mind.

    1. You don't mention stropping. Did you?
    2. Best to watch the videos on creating a good lather. It should be the consistency of whipped cream, not meringue.
    3. What was your face prep?
    4. If all the above were correct it sounds like your angle is too steep. This causes tugging, not cutting. The best angle for WTG is about 30 degrees, or approximately twice the width of the blade shoulder.

  9. #9
    Scutarius Fbones24's Avatar
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    Well, I had my third shave last night. I did not strop before my first shave as the "instructions" stated that it was not necessary.

    Shave three was much more comfortable than shaves one and two. I did strop before shaves two and three. 40 passes on the canvas and 50 passes on the leather. I have gotten better at making lather now....I was not using nearly enough water the first two times.

    While shave three was much more comfortable, the shave was not as close. I had to go back for a second WTG pass and it still did not seem as close as the left side of my face which I did with my Gilette Fusion. I will keep at it and not get discouraged.

    Also, I cannot for the life of me figure out how to hold the blade in my left hand????? I feel stupid, but can anyone tell me an easy way to grip the razor in my opposite hand??

  10. #10
    Member anjp's Avatar
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    Glad to hear the good progress!

    How do you hold the razor when using your right hand? Are you using one of the standard grips (http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...raight_razor)? I suggest using the exact same grip with your left hand (the mirror image). It may seem odd at first but you will improve with time. I've never tried it myself, but a good amount of men on here suggest practising your left hand technique with a butterknife (while watching tv or whatnot).

    I've a relatively new straight razor shaver myself, and still have days where the left side of my face isn't as well shaven as the right. However, I find a WTG pass followed by an XTG pass does the trick more often than not.
    Last edited by anjp; 05-10-2010 at 02:00 PM. Reason: typo

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