Thread: Newbie had my first full shave tonight - Shave ready?

Helllo,

I guess a little background before my questions. I have always been fascinated by straight razors but, only for the looks and nostalgia. I recently went on to ebay and purchased a Sweeney Todd razor (thank god it never made it to me) and that started the itch. while the Sweeney was sent to the wrong address (divine intervention I think ) I had time to research more on SRP and learned it was a crappy razor.

So I did some more reasearch and purchushed a Wade and butcher and griffen magneticxx60 to restore. While doing the research I gained an intrest in the actual shaving, so I bought a shave ready razor off the classifieds.

Here's where my question is, tonight I had my first "full" shave. I followed the suggestion of doing a little bit each night until comfortable. The problem is I can feel the razor "pulling" I guess is the best way to describe it. and I can't cut the whiskers close anywhere but especially above lip. Is there a chance the razor is not "shave ready" or is this purely a technique problem?

Here's my routine:

Strop razor
Take shower
With badger brush lather with High quality shaving soap
shave, rinsing with hot water

When shaving I try to keep the movments lateral and the razor at a 30 degree angle but its very uncomfortable.

Your thoughts?

Thank you

Tyler

There's always a chance that the razor is not shave ready, no offense intended to the seller. More than likey, it is your technique. There is a learning curve involved with a straight razor. Good prep goes without saying. When it comes to angle, many times, less is more. Adjust as needed. Take your time, and stick with it.
We do have a fair amount of members in Canada, Maybe someone in your area can check the razor out for you, just to rule that part out?

But as I said, 9 times out 10, it is technique.

Rest well. Everything is on schedule. It took me about two weeks before I felt like I was actually getting the razor to really cut my beard. Trust me, it is technique. Only after a 100 shaves did I feel like I was controlling the outcome of the shave. Just keep practicing and it will come together.

This is what I posted to another beginner:

My Journey With a Straight Razor (I was a slow learner.)

"I started out with 52 years of experience as a wet shaver with a double edge razor and thought it would be a walk in the park. NOT!
Shaves 1-14: Felt very unnatural, lots of nicks and cuts to my face and my strop, and very little hair cut.
Shaves 15-28: Razor seemed more natural in my hand. WTG actually started cutting some hair.
Shaves 29- 56: Gradual improvement with fewer nicks or cuts. XTG started feeling natural but ATG was a misery.
Shaves 57-100: At the end of my 100th shave, I began to feel like I was controlling the outcome of the shave. Consistently DFS using WTG & XTG. Careful use of ATG started to be effective.
Shaves 101-200: Shaving with a straight became second nature. Pre-shave preparation became standardized and effective, stropping finally became effective, and, if I concentrated, I controlled the shave, getting BBS or at least DFS every time.
AND I ENJOYED EVERY MOMENT OF THE JOURNEY!

It is akin to learning to ride a bicycle. First training wheels, then the wobbling and crashes as the learning wheels come off, lots of riding, and suddenly one day it is all second nature. And now, as an experienced master of the straight razor? It's just like riding a bicycle in traffic, "It will all seem second nature to you but you can never let down your guard."

Don't be discouraged. It will get easier before you know it and remember, "I was a very, slow learner!", you can probably do it in a quarter or half the time I did. And I think you will find that the rewards of straight shaving are worth every moment of the journey."

My suggestions for you are to:

1. Ensure that you do adequate shave preparation including washing the face with hot water and using a high quality shaving cream like Proraso, Speick, or Bigelow (inexpensive) or Truefitt & Hill, Art of Shaving, or Geo. F. Trumper (all more expensive but VERY NICE).
2. Ensure that the razor is sharp. If the razor did not come shave-ready, send it to a professional for honing.
3. Ensure that you are using a narrow angle. Start by placing the razor on your face and only lift it one or, at the most, two spine widths off face. Using too great an angle is a typical problem for beginners.
4. At first, only shave the sides of your face with a WTG (with the grain) pass. Do this for a week or two until it feels comfortable. Then move on to a XTG (cross the grain) pass. Save the ATG (against the grain) pass for a month or so.
5. Use as little pressure as possible with the razor. Remember, you want to reduce the beard by slicing the hair rather than scraping the hair. Anytime the razor starts pulling, try adding more shaving cream and reduce the angle of the razor.
6. After each shave, rinse the face with warm water and then rinse again with cold water. Pat the face dry and add a nice shaving balm such as Nivea (inexpensive) or Truefitt & Hill, Art of Shaving, or Geo. F. Trumper (all more expensive but VERY NICE).
7. Read all the stickies and Wiki information on straight razor shaving. SRP has a wealth of information that will send you in the right direction.

Take your time and enjoy the journey. From my experience, a good technique takes at least three months and a 100 shaves.

Good Luck and Happy Shaving!

Thanks for the reply's guys!! My razor doesn't pass the HHT test but I have heard this does not mean it is not shave ready. Is there any others tests I can do?

Thanks again


Tyler

Yes forget about the 30 degree angle. You must stretch your skin.
Make small strokes and find the best angle which your blades cuts. if none then there is sharpness problem.
Lastly contact the seller and ask him about the blade.
gl

Originally Posted by B33Sting

Thanks for the reply's guys!! My razor doesn't pass the HHT test but I have heard this does not mean it is not shave ready. Is there any others tests I can do?

Thanks again


Tyler

DLB - just a word of thanks for gracious and high quality help here for Bsting.

So you say you stropped a shave ready razor before shaving with it?
Did you practice with a butterknife or something else, first?
If not, you may have rolled the edge or otherwise slightly dulled it. It happens to most of us our first few times stropping but until you get a good bit of practice you can dull your edge stropping (roll the edge, pressure on the edge instead of spine/even, etc).

^ More than likely you rolled the edge stropping it.

Another test of sharpness:

. . . Hold the razor flat against your arm, where there's lots of hair growing.

. . . Lift the whole blade of the razor (spine and edge) about 1/8" above the skin;

. . . Move the razor up your arm, as though you were shaving off arm hair, with the razor _not_ touching the skin.

With _my_ razors and arm hair, I've found that a sharp razor will 'pop' off hairs -- I can shave with it. A dull razor will just glide over them. A _really_ sharp razor is supposed to cut the hair with minimal (or no) "pop" -- my edges aren't that good, yet.

_Your_ razors and arm hair may behave differently. But it's an easy test to use, and it won't cost you anything.

Charles

Here is a link to some SRP members living in Ottawa

http://straightrazorpalace.com/membe...rt=posts&pp=30