Thread: Three or four partial shaves, then whoops

@ UWPete, this WILL get better. My first two weeks or so, my face looked like a rare standing rib roast. It was not pretty. I've been at it about three months now, and only occasionally cause significant damage. Usually, just a minor nick here and there, which the alum block will handle. The learning curve is great, but so is the satisfaction

i have been using a shavette for awhile till i get my s.r. honing and stropping down. i use a regular s.r. when i go to the barber. ive been giong to him sinc before short pants and i talked him into a little help and to let me do it myself. i get small cuts now and then, but they dont bother me much.im 41 and if a small facial scar is my worst worry i think im doin pretty good. as i get older i find many things on my person have changed. and it seems since i quit worring about getting cut,i get cut far less. i guess its because im more relaxed. i just know i like the idea of a s.r. compared to the others. and my shaves are better on a bad s.r. day then on alot of cartridge good days. and after ive used it for awhile now i can shave pretty quick with a shavettee when im in a hurry. so mabey if you try not to worry so much about the whoops it wont happen as much.,,,willy

Hello there. I'm glad to hear that your cut healed up so neatly. May i ask what you used on the cut for/during the healing process?

I literally just popped my cherry with my first straight razor cut. Same length an place. 1 inch on my chin and as stated with yourself, the pencil literally stopped the bleeding after being religiously applied. The cut itself does not need stitches, but is deep enough to have all the potential to scar. I immediately cleaned the area and applied triple antibiotic with a butterfly band-aid. I have no scars on my face and would hope this will not be my first, especially in such an obvious spot. Like the way you felt, i have lost a little bit of faith in my straight razor. Although i will admit with this first profound cut i have a new respect for my SR blade. I will never underestimate it again seeing as tonight i may have gotten a little ****y with my chin area. (i am still all too new also, i come from the DE world myself)

With this minor setback i will not give up on my SR. I will only continue to educate myself. In the mean time though, any recommendations on the best way to prevent a scar?

Thanks gentlemen and best of luck to you!

Yeah, it's certainly not a good feeling after cutting yourself. It should make you feel better to note that I did nothing other than the styptic pencil. I mean, I washed my whole face of the remaining cream and thus cleaned the wound, but the styptic pencil worked so well, I didn't even put a bandage on. I was amazed. If I had had some steri-strips, I would certainly have used them.

I think the real issue ultimately with the healing was that that cut was so clean. I think if it was any other blade, or edge, I would have gone in for a stitch or two.

I have some dry flaking on the wound right now, so I have still not dared to shave around the area. I am wishing I had taken pictures of the before and after, but the verdict is not out on whether I am completely scar free, so far it looks very good if not unnoticeable.

I hope you fare the same.

Like the way you felt, i have lost a little bit of faith in my straight razor.

The _razor_ is working perfectly. It's the _hand_ that's at fault.<g>

Charles

PS -- if the razor is dull, and you put pressure on it to force it to cut hairs, _those_ cuts are brutal. So far, I haven't cut myself badly enough to need a butterfly, but "butterfly" seems to be the standard fixup.

While I'm pretty luck and get pretty good shaves off the bat, I do tend to get tiny nicks on the point of my chin and around the jaw line. And a half inch long cut just under each of my sideburns. Keep your chin up and keep trying.

_________________________

Devilpup

Thank you everyone for your good words of encouragement. I got back on the horse today and everything went smoothly. I was less aggressive with the territory I tried to cover, but I still got a lot done with the SR relative to my initial cheeks only runs.

Most encouraging is that the quality of the shave, at least in the areas I get two with the grain passes at (the cheeks) is improving dramatically.

There is hope for this process yet, though I have to admit, I was close to being done with the whole thing after that cut.

well when i do get a cut i just usually use gillette gel aftershave. that usually does the trick. if it does continue to bleed i just use a cold washcloth on it with a bit of pressure and it always seems to stop it then a little more gel aftershave on it and thats about it.

Oh and don't worry if you get a scar, chicks dig scars. Trust me I've got a nice bold half inch one on upper, quarter inch just below my lower lip, and to many to count on the jaw line of my chin.

Keep trying. I first got a Dovo 5/8 on a whim about ten years ago because I hated the way the Mach 3's clog as soon as you start shaving. I knew nothing about straight razors or sharpening at the time. I tried shaving with my factory sharpened Dovo razor with very disappointing results. I went back to cartridges but kept the Dovo, vowing to give it a shot in the future. After getting serious about woodworking and learning to sharpen chisels, I figured I would try to sharpen my old Dovo on my Norton stones and try straight shaving again. A couple of weeks ago, I finally got it to work. But the shaves were still pretty uncomfortable. I found this site online and found a lot of good advice. Today was my fifth shave, and it was great. Much better that my Mach 3, and still just shaving with the grain.
I think what has helped me progress so quickly was my experience with sharpening other types of blades, and I was able to carry that experience over to my razor. Sharpening and stropping really does take a lot of practice, as they explain on this site, so keep practicing. If you've never successfully sharpened anything before you might want to get a cheapo razor to practice on, as they suggest.
Also, pay careful attention to the advice on this site. I think my greatest improvements this week came from using a good strop (I just got my 3" strop from SRD, and already I can tell a big difference in how sharp my razor is), proper stropping technique (watch the videos and diagrams carefully), and it is very important to get a really good soap/cream. I tried a few that dried instantly on my face (Herban Cowboy is horrible. I cut my face and got bad razor burn using that stuff, but it's what's available in my supermarket). Last, make sure you pay attention to the direction that the hair grows. Shave with the grain first, and make sure you pull the skin tight (before you lay the blade to the skin!).
You might also want to try different blades. After my second shave with a 5/8 I got a Dovo Bismark 6/8, that I find very easy to handle. I was afraid that it's wider blade would be more difficult to maneuver, but the opposite is the case. It has a shorter, shoulderless blade, which I find makes it more easy to use.
Now I'm hooked. Keep working with it, invest in good products, and you will have good results.

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