Thread: First Shave: bit off a little more than I could chew

Thank y'all for your input.
I purchased my straight razor from the classifieds here. It is a Flaschner and the man it bought it from had it in shaving condition and had tested it himself. My shave soap came in and i tried again just my cheeks last night and it went a lot better. Does anyone have suggestions for a good strop. I know there are lots of reviews and some people will like one and others will dislike the same one so it's hard to know what a good strop is that won't cost an arm and a leg.

Straight Razor Designs has some nice strops; they are made of high quality Latigo leather. Whatever strop you decide on, I suggest you get a 3" wide because it covers most straight razors well when stropping.

Originally Posted by lethies91

Thank y'all for your input.
I purchased my straight razor from the classifieds here. It is a Flaschner and the man it bought it from had it in shaving condition and had tested it himself. My shave soap came in and i tried again just my cheeks last night and it went a lot better. Does anyone have suggestions for a good strop. I know there are lots of reviews and some people will like one and others will dislike the same one so it's hard to know what a good strop is that won't cost an arm and a leg.

Welcome and congrats on your first shaves. I myself dove in deep. I tried to do a three pass shave my first time, with a razor I had honed myself. It was barely sharp enough to remove hair. It was a disaster.

I have a 2.5 inch strop, and I wish it was bigger. The only down side to investing in a nice strop in the beginning is that you will nick it, but some contact cement will fix that. Good Luck!

I just finished my first month of shaves with a straight razor, and I still am getting some nicks and a scrape or two.

Here's what I think the biggest thing is: stretch your skin as much as you can before you start to move the razor. I shaved with a DE for 40 years (started on them, never changed, except when using cartridge types on trips), and the way the DE is made it does the stretching for you.

Another tough thing to get used to is stretching skin that's just been shaved. There's still a film of soap on your skin, so what I've started to do is use the corner of a damp washcloth to wipe the soap off my earlobes, cheekbones, etc. so I can get a better grip. Then really stretch you skin and hold it tight while you move the razor ever so slowly to your cheek and get the "range" as to where the two will meet. Then use a series of very small moves with the razor, all the while holding your skin.

Move your jaw down & hold your mouth open when you're doing your chin/moustache area. On the throat/neck, point your chin up to the ceiling and stretch your neck, plus pull down on your neck's skin with the other hand.

Once I started to do this, I had far fewer nicks and much closer shaves.

I wake up in the morning actually looking forward to shaving because it's a great challenge to learn this new skill. I like to learn new things. Plus, think of the elite fraternity you're now a member of: We all do something that would cause most men to reel back in horror. My wife says she can't even watch me shave because it makes her too scared. Oh, well...

[QUOTE=lethies91;928480].......... and didn't feel as if laying the blade flat gave the right tension so I elevated the angle.
[/QUOTE
And there lies the crux of your problem . If you lift the spine of the razor while you are stropping it , you will destroy the fine edge that was honed on it . IMHO you need to have it re-honed .

Originally Posted by dave5225

Originally Posted by lethies91

.......... and didn't feel as if laying the blade flat gave the right tension so I elevated the angle.

And there lies the crux of your problem . If you lift the spine of the razor while you are stropping it , you will destroy the fine edge that was honed on it . IMHO you need to have it re-honed .

Yup, BIG mistake right there.

Well said, sir, well said!

I enjoy my morning SR shaving ritual, the smell of the cream, the feel of my face after I'm finished, the feel of the cold water on my face for the post-shave rinse, the wipe down with Thayers, and the smell and feel of the aftershave!! MAN I LOVE THIS HOBBY!!

Originally Posted by Thirdman47

I just finished my first month of shaves with a straight razor, and I still am getting some nicks and a scrape or two.

Here's what I think the biggest thing is: stretch your skin as much as you can before you start to move the razor. I shaved with a DE for 40 years (started on them, never changed, except when using cartridge types on trips), and the way the DE is made it does the stretching for you.

Another tough thing to get used to is stretching skin that's just been shaved. There's still a film of soap on your skin, so what I've started to do is use the corner of a damp washcloth to wipe the soap off my earlobes, cheekbones, etc. so I can get a better grip. Then really stretch you skin and hold it tight while you move the razor ever so slowly to your cheek and get the "range" as to where the two will meet. Then use a series of very small moves with the razor, all the while holding your skin.

Move your jaw down & hold your mouth open when you're doing your chin/moustache area. On the throat/neck, point your chin up to the ceiling and stretch your neck, plus pull down on your neck's skin with the other hand.

Once I started to do this, I had far fewer nicks and much closer shaves.

I wake up in the morning actually looking forward to shaving because it's a great challenge to learn this new skill. I like to learn new things. Plus, think of the elite fraternity you're now a member of: We all do something that would cause most men to reel back in horror. My wife says she can't even watch me shave because it makes her too scared. Oh, well...