How long did your first shave take?

[BrianN]

Hi there. I just recently received a straight razor and setup. This weekend was my first shave with it. I have a beard that I keep short and shaped so the shave was of my cheeks, around my chin and my neck line. I'm proud to say I didn't get any nicks or cuts, didn't have excessive razor burn, and I was acceptably close for 1 pass. But...it took me nearly 30 mins and I had to re lather several times.

Just curious how long it took you guys for your first shave? I knew it would be longer than the 5 mins I need for my DE, but I didn't expect this long, especially with a decent bit of my face left out due to the beard.

Thanks for all the help too!

 

[Clay S]

30 minutes sounds about right. The time goes down quickly though.

 

[Twelvefret]

Yes, 30 sounds right with multiple passes and re-lathering although I’ve never timed a shave in my life.

Nothing wrong with a couple of SR passes and clean up with another razor. I think this is better than over scrapping and irritating the skin.

 

[PreachTheWord]

Does the time include the first aid I needed after that first shave?

 

[Clay S]

Does the time include the first aid I needed after that first shave?

I didn't need any after the first shave. That was after I did several and got cocky!

 

[BrianN]

I didn't need any after the first shave. That was after I did several and got cocky!

I'm concerned this will be my story in a few weeks too!

 

[Clay S]

I'm concerned this will be my story in a few weeks too!

It wasn't bad. Just keep a styptic pencil handy. Just don't try a tourniquet.

 

[6Cuda6]

The time is really not important IMO.....what is is weither you liked the experience because the next time it will be quicker when your not scared crapless

 

[steveclarkus]

My first SR shave probably took half hour or more and wasn’t a particularly good shave either. Now a two pass shave with a 4/8 blade takes about 10 minutes. A wider blade takes a bit longer.

 

[KW Driver]

Yep, sounds about right. And the more you do it, the faster you’ll get.

A 2 1/2 to 3 pass full face/neck shave, not counting stropping but everything else runs at or under 10 minutes these days.

 

[johnb65]

My first shave took me around two weeks to finish as I started just doing one cheek and then after a few days started bringing other areas into my routine. I just sort of merged straight razor shaving into my DE routine bit by bit.

 

[steveclarkus]

Just keep at it and you will get the hang of it. Once you do, you will find it’s no more difficult than a DE, just more fun.

 

[BrianN]

Thank you all for the encouragement! One week on I have two more shaves under my belt. I have whittled down the shave time to 15-20 mins now. I don't expect I'll get too much faster for quite some time though. I'm intentionally making sure I am methodical, because the consequence of failure is higher than with my DE.

I also made a hanging strop as when I tried to use my paddle strop I noticed how beat up it was. I was shocked at how my smoother the shave was. Well worth the $10 off cut of leather I got from a local boot maker.

 

[steveclarkus]

Don’t worry about time. Once you get good at it, you’ll wish it took longer. Sometimes a nice long shave is the best part of your day.

 

[Njguy1977]

My first shave was 30 min or so, now that I’m on my 13/14th shave it’s about 10 to 15 min. After you get the hang of what you need to do to get into those tight areas and how you hold your blade and what hands works best for what angle and where to arrest him your skin or what face to make to get the best shave, it becomes easier and more natural with time and experience. Wait til you try and do a 2 pass shave and then step up to a 3 pass shave. That really makes ya start thinking before ya begin the pass.

Larry

 

[ajduplessis]

I didn't need any after the first shave. That was after I did several and got cocky!

I survived a cocky incident and my shaving slowed down becomin a more relaxing passtime. The way it should be... I plan my shave better and allow for 40min me-time. My results significantly increased and skills evolve..

 

[Clay S]

I survived a cocky incident and my shaving slowed down becomin a more relaxing passtime. The way it should be... I plan my shave better and allow for 40min me-time. My results significantly increased and skills evolve..

Yeah. I try to recommend to people if you feel rushed, or not up to it on a day, don't. It will wait. Shave with something else or just skip a day.

 

[alabaster21]

First straight shave was probably about 30 min for 2 WTG passes on cheeks and neck. Then finished up mouth and chin area with DE. I probably lathered up about 5-6 times total. Halfway through I had to make new lather because I used it all.

One month later I’m still at 20-25 minutes but I’m doing my whole face. Still 2 WTG passes but I’m down to lathering up only at the start of a pass.

I started only lathering one area at a time while keeping the rest of my face wet until I was ready to move on. The lather kept better in the bowl than it did spread over my face


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[MurderousCrow]

As a fellow beginner who's a little further along than you, I'm having much the same experience as others. A full head and beard edge shave - including prep and a shower afterwards - took around an hour when I began. Now after about 25-30 shaves total it takes probably 45min, but I'm deliberately not timing myself. Just trying to enjoy the experience, cautiously try new methods, try and hit that sweet lather spot that allows a smooth and protected shave... Yeah, focus on enjoying it. I put some music on. As AJ says above, me-time.

Luke