Thread: First full shave/NOT SO GOOD!!!

• Help!!! Today was my first full shave, and its was not what I expected!! I can still feel stuble and its nots so BBS. And to boot, got a nice cut on my left side of my face now. I had a better shave with a disposable bic!
• I followed the beginers instructions on this site and it was with good results 90% of the time. What could be the reasons? Could I be holding it wrong, not sharp enough, just not my day? Any pointers would be great!!!!

Originally Posted by jaybirdsdu

• Help!!! Today was my first full shave, and its was not what I expected!! I can still feel stuble and its nots so BBS. And to boot, got a nice cut on my left side of my face now. I had a better shave with a disposable bic!
• I followed the beginers instructions on this site and it was with good results 90% of the time. What could be the reasons? Could I be holding it wrong, not sharp enough, just not my day? Any pointers would be great!!!!

I'm only two days ahead of you, but I've found and highlighted the problem within your post. I think you are just expecting too much too quickly. I'm hoping to get to the same level as my DE after around 3 to 6 months.

Couple questions:

1) What razor are you using?
2) Where did you buy the razor?
3) Who honed it?
4) What type of prep are you using?
5) Are you using a soap/cream & brush to generate lather?
6) Did you try to do a multipass(WTG/XTG/ATG) shave on your first go?

Don't be too discouraged. You have to realize that there is a whole technique to shaving with a straight. It's not idiot proof so almost no one will be able to get great shaves immediately without any problems, no matter how careful they are. There is a significant learning curve. We have all experienced this when we started out. For a couple of weeks I thought geeze this isn't really that great. After about a month (probably around 15 full shaves) I started getting really good results. Everyone's learning time is different, and even after you/ve been doing it for a while it's so easy to let your attention slip and cut yourself or give yourself razor burn. Just keep working away at your angles and pressure, etc. and you will improve. Good luck.

The first few shaves are about survival, not success. My first three were horrendous both in terms of cuts and razor burn and in the amount of whiskers left behind.

During the first ten shaves, you will make all the mistakes that we have all made, and they will guide you to better shaves in the future if you keep going and learn from those mistakes. It took me twenty shaves before I was even approaching being competent at it. You just have to keep going and learn from this forum. There's a lot to learn, and it does take time.

Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

Couple questions:

1) What razor are you using?
2) Where did you buy the razor?
3) Who honed it?
4) What type of prep are you using?
5) Are you using a soap/cream & brush to generate lather?
6) Did you try to do a multipass(WTG/XTG/ATG) shave on your first go?

1) Its a 5/8 DOVO
2) I got it at "THE ART OF SHAVEING"
3) They told me it was shave ready!!
4) As far as my preps....A nice long hot shower, then a little baby oil.
5) I'm currently useing Williams Mug Shaveing Soap and a good brush
6) yes tried a multipass WTG then XTG that were it got me!

Originally Posted by 8BallAce

Don't be too discouraged. You have to realize that there is a whole technique to shaving with a straight. It's not idiot proof so almost no one will be able to get great shaves immediately without any problems, no matter how careful they are. There is a significant learning curve.

I'm trying to not be discouraged! Just thought it was going good!! I'm going to start from the beginng again and take it slow!!!!

I am guessing this is probably the problem. AOS does not do razor honing.

I have never owned a razor from them though, So I will wait for someone else to comment.

[QUOTE=jaybirdsdu;731357]1) Its a 5/8 DOVO

3) They told me it was shave ready!!
/QUOTE]

Mate been shaving over year haven't cut myself for a while and then last night tried to do something different and BAM cut above the lip. It takes practice and you will always try to find of ways to improve or alter your routine. How I shave now is different to how I shaved 2 months ago.

I dont know about everyone else but i usually do 3 passes during my shave WTG, XTG and ATG. If you are trying to do it all at once step back and do your cheeks with the SR and shave the rest the old way until you get it righ then move onto another part of your face and so on.

Good luck and may the force be with you

Yeah, as far as I know the razors from AoS come with the factory edge on them. Every now and then we have people come to this forum and say they've got the best shave of their life with a factory honed razors, but then there are the other 99.99% who don't share the same opinion about the quality of those edges.
So, I can offer you two pointers:

• get the razor honed by a person who knows how to do it (with the track record to prove it)
• try to follow the suggestions to beginners a bit closer - start by shaving only the easy area of your side burn to your chin WTG and expand that slowly as you get more comfortable with this type of shaving

And the best would be if you can find somebody local who can help you in person.