Thread: 5 Rookie Mistakes I've Made (and you probably will too)

As a rookie, we are bound to make some mistakes. It's just the nature of this art. Don't be embarrassed, don't be intimidated, just accept that you will make some mistakes. Here are the ones I learned the most from.

1. Pre-shave beard prep or lack thereof. Don't run fools errands, trying to shave without prep is only going to hurt and cause you some frustration. Make sure your beard gets that extra minute of hot towel, pre lather or whatever. It will take all the less to shave those hairs off.

2. Expecting that lather on the other side of your face to still be good 45 minutes later when you finally get to it. Just lather up, shave, don't be afraid to rinse off and apply new lather if it dries out.

3. Trying to shave only using your new shiny friend. Use your blade to the best of your honest ability. Don't worry about not being able to get certain areas right away, just use your DE or cartridge.

4. Blade angle too open. The best way I can explain this is that when the blade is flat on your skin, it's not going to move much, from there open it up just a little and that's your working angle.

5. Loose skin... No one likes loose skin including razors. Keep that skin pulled tight helps the razor cut efficiently, safely and smoothly.

6. Failure to follow others' advice. Everyone here started the same way. One stroke at a time. I have a bit of a motto of perfect practice makes perfect. Focus on doing the RIGHT things RIGHT, no matter how small area you are comfortable shaving. Learning to walk before you run will save you many "ouch" moments.

So in short for a newbie, prep, lather, shave, rinse, lather, shave, rinse, lather, etc. I'm sure there are many more mistakes to make but these seem to be the ones I found troublesome. I hope this helps someone learn a little easier. The road to success is rarely quick and never easy.

Realize that the art you are learning takes time. Time to get to really know the contours of your face and time to learn the intricacies of using this very fine tool we call a straight.