Thread: Video: First Straight Shave

Well, I gave it a shot and wound up with a very close shave. Once I got over the initial fear and gained a bit of confidence, all went well.

As this is my first post, I do have a few questions.

1. My Dovo blade has some black discoloration on the front of the blade after one use. What could cause this and can they be removed? I dried the blade immediately after use but did not use a sponge while shaving. (I will next time) My starter blade is a Dovo (tortois)

2. I shave ATG. Is this OK with a straight? I found ATG buffing to work well and was able to get BBS going ATG.

Here are some videos of my first try: I was so excited about the blade, I didnt put much effort into my lather.

Straight Razor Newbie - YouTube

Straight ATG - YouTube

Wow, hard to beleive that you are that new, Your first shave was much better than mine! I wish I could answer your questions but I cannot. I am on my 8th shave and I am getting much better but your first shave looked as good as my 3rd shave, You will get better, I was more scared than you were when I had my first shave and I also experienced a lot of tugging but I now realise that I was using incorrect angles. Good luck and thanks for the videos.

Great Start, it's working for you.

No problem with ATG, it gets nice and close.

I haven't experienced any discoloration problems with my razors. I generally rinse and dry them, then apply a little baby oil to the blade. If I'm not going to use a particular razor for a longer period than a day, then I use Camellia Oil.

Cool video! You did well! Your angle looks a little shallow to me. To me, it looked like you were in danger of shaving areas with no soap, and/or going over them too many times. I would have had a bit of razor burn if I'd have done that on my first shave. If you puff out your cheeks you'll get that hollow bit in the cheek. I wish I'd posted a 'first' video. The advice here should prove to be really helpful if everyone evaluates your shave. Cleary posting a 'first shave' video should be mandatory; so we can all critique the process. :-) I can relate to this very well; the excitement and BUZZ...I remember a few months ago I was just as excited!

PS, you said "doing the straight razor thing 'almost' all of the time", where's the COMMITMENT, it's all in or not at all! :-)

Hehe, I have a similar razor (but in 5/8) also from Lynn.
What to say? You did great, I had to finish my first shave with a cartridge otherwise I would've looked like a bum
I'm not really up for any advice, since I'm also a newb, but you can try to wipe the blade with a bit of alcohol to get rid of that discoloration. And welcome to SRP

Regards,
Adrian

sweet dude ! watched the vid, I had the same reaction ! I couldn't believe it worked that well. Congrats on the first shave.

You did a great job considering it was your first shave with a straight. You are on the right path!

Outstanding. I can't believe you did so well on a first shave. I did everything wrong on my first shave. I had done very little research and watched no videos. I took a Red Imp 132 wedge that was beyond dull but with a wicked spike. I shaved no hair but did manage to leave a two-inch slash just in front of each ear with a lot of blood involved. THEN I GOT SMART; ordered a Dovo, honed by Lynn, read the wikis on shaving, started all over, and met with success. I could have saved myself a lot of grief.

Now I am in my 8th month of using a straight and have collected 34 razors. I love it.

Congratulations on a job well done. Keep up the good work.

Happy Shaving!

ATG does help one get a close shave, but that closeness comes with risks like weepers, cuts and razor burn. I save ATG passes for when I really need closeness. Usually I don't need to get the shave that close. On weekends when I have more time to shave. I pull out all the stops.

Great first shave...I wish I had videoed my first shaves for critique; I think that was an excellent idea. I might have to video one of my shaves to get a critique myself, I can always use improvement too. You did great, especially for a first shave, keep up the good work and keep us posted...welcome to SRP!