Thread: first shave nightmare

Lot of great advice given. Please hang in there it is worth it.
BTW nice username.

-G

I feel you pain brother. I bought a razor that was supposed to be shave ready,and like you did everything,hot shower etc.Then i just rinsed off the oil on the blade,and the shave was like yours. NOT WHAT YOU EXPECTED! I have been straight shaving for over a year now,so i have an idea what sharp and smooth is!! So that being said dont give up!! Try sending that razor to another honester for like a second opinion. If i was a noobie and shaved with that shave ready razor i got,i would have gone back to the Mach 100000000 with 80 blades in it and saved myself a BOAT LOAD of cash. DONT ABORT MISSION

First off I haven't seen anything about where you purchased the first razor, the one you have tried already. I hope I didn't just miss it but this would be helpful to determine if it was really shave ready. If it was from a sponser of this site and marked as professionally honed it probably was, same deal if it came off the classifieds here. Even with a perfectly shave ready razor it is almost unheard of for someone new to have success their first time, I know I didn't and with over 3 months in I still struggle often. The only tips I can give is that it is probably the angle or the amount of pressure your using. The angle requires lots of trial and error and is something that only practice will prefect. I will say the magical 20 degrees is alot shallower then I thought and this caused alot of my irritation. As for pressure many will tell you to use no more than the weight of the blade, with almost no pressure whatsoever. I have not reached this point, but every time I do shave I do find myself using less and less pressure.

I get the same thing if I just shower, lather up then put the razor to my face. When first starting out if you have a tough beard try soaking with a bar towel, if you have one, with hot water and put on your face about 3 minutes and see if that helps. It is hard to say what is going on until you get the SRD razor because it will be "shave ready" when you get it and that will be the true test.

I bought thick bar towels and soak one and put it in a microwave for about 1.75 minutes, even today. I can not shave just jumping out of the shower, it would ruin me.


Take Care,
Richard

As the others have said, it is more likely technique as opposed to razor sharpness. Also, as was noted, the skin takes time to get used to shaving WTG (with the grain) as opposed to ATG as disposables recommend. Lastly there is the issue of stretching the skin taut. Did you mention whether or not you did this?

That said, it took me near a month to get comfortable using a str8 and a week or two for my skin to get used to str8 razor shaving WTG.

Anyways, good to see that you are willing to perservere. Theres nothing like confidently weilding a str8 as opposed to the plastic disposable stuff sold in big box stores.

Originally Posted by Dllandry

Have you watched the videos on shaving with a straight in the wiki section. 99.999% of the time it is the person new to shaving with a straight not the equipment. If the razor came from SRD I would bet it is shave ready. Watch the videos and follow the advice of only shaving your side burn area until you have mastered that do not move on.

Yes sir, I've watched almost every video I could find on YouTube and read through the Wiki which references YouTube videos. I really thought I had an idea what to do, but I guess I have a lot of practical experience to learn.

I am very glad that I posted this question because, as I learned, a n00b's first inclination is to blame the blade. Almost all of the responses were "it is probably your technique" and "keep at it".

I will wait for the Dovo sharpened by Lynn and try again. If I still have that nasty pull and tug and horrible experience I will know for sure it is just me and my bad technique.

As a n00b, it's hard to judge what a 15-20-30 degree angle is while holding your blade, trying to settle your handle down as a n00b, etc.

Thank you for your reply,

Bodach

Originally Posted by MickR

I can almost guarantee you that it is your technique, no matter how right you think you're getting it. It takes time and practice. Start slow. Do one cheek only for a little while and move on to two when it starts to feel and look right on the first. Move on from there. My first cutthroat shave was just bloody awful, and I didn't have anyone to show me, guide me, nothing. This forum wasn't invented at that time and I didn't have a computer or any of the associated helpful things like YouTube etc. I just battled on knowing that it was supposed to be possible, getting by on sheer bloody pig-headed-ness. So if I can work my way from that to having great shaves with a cutthroat without assistance, there is no reason why you, with all the youtube videos, this forum, and the great advice from the more experienced members here, should ever fail. Search for a thread titled 'So here am I', that's my personal story.


Mick

Thanks for the support, I am not going to quit, it was just a bitter pill to bite.

Originally Posted by Bodach

As a n00b, it's hard to judge what a 15-20-30 degree angle is while holding your blade, trying to settle your handle down as a n00b

Try a spine width away.

Originally Posted by Obie

Hello, Bodach:

So a good round of studying will help you out. Beyond that, post any questions you have. Whatever you do, don't give up. When you hone your skills, you will be rewarded.

Regards,
Obie

Oh, I am not giving up at all, I will not let this little setback hold me down, but it was a "oh wow, I really am a n00b".

Originally Posted by MaritimeFanatic

Don't give up, the first shave is downright unpleasant. I honestly was expecting to get my kit in the mail and shave like a pro from the get-go. This did not happen. It takes a lot of time, effort and razor burn to get where you want to be.

I naively thought that the blade would be so sharp that it would almost melt my beard away. It "seems" to in all the vids. I do not have a heavy beard at all so I figured I was set. As you said, and many others have replied, it's technique/angle, etc. I was dissapointed in the blade, but now I'm dissapointed in myself, but I will continue and master this. It's just shaving right? *grin*