Just had the worst shave of my life!

**stellarfly** · 11-09-2010, 05:23 PM

Hey guys I have been DE shaving for a year and a half now. My technique is as good as it gets for this style of shaving. I use a merkur 34HD with Feather blades, T&H preshave oil and a variety of soaps and creams. Now that i have my technique down I want to learn straight razor shaving. So I decided to go to a local barbershop so I could experience this (or somewhat a close resemblence of it) at first it was great the beard prep was great - hot towel and all- but then he whipped out a shavette with Astra blades and started to go to town against the grain all in one swoop! It was PAINFUL! Tugging was intense and I only had three days growth! (by the way i can get pain free BBS shave with my Merkur!) So anyhoo, half way through the shave he gave up and had to get the boss to finish the job cause he had never experienced such tough beard! The boss was a little bit better but not much! Then to make matters worst they splashed Clubman on my poor face and it felt like sandpaper (no joke) and tears ran down my face from the burning pain. Worst experience ever, my neck is irritated and it still burns two hours later!

Seriously, I want my own straight razor gear, cause I have no faith in people no more!
Sincerely,

Frustrated

**stellarfly** · 11-09-2010, 05:26 PM

Also, the shave was alright but I could of done better job on a busy monday morning! My cheeks were BBS but my neck was not even DFS.

**jbake37** · 11-09-2010, 05:36 PM

I'm sorry, that's sounds horrible. I've always wanted to get a straight razor shave from a "professional" barber but I've read some posts recently that have changed my mind. I think I would rather stick to my ways. If you want something done right, you may be better off doing it yourself. I hope your face feels better tomorrow, take a few days off!!!

**W_B_K** · 11-09-2010, 05:45 PM

Geez, another bad barber story! My first straight shave was at a barber (using an actual straight) a few years ago and it was awesome... unfortunately the guy retired 2 weeks later so I never got another one there.

Typically a shave you give yourself is better than what someone else gives you. I love it

**noahpictures** · 11-09-2010, 05:51 PM

Same thing happened to me. I wanted the professional, luxury shave experience, instead I got a shaving nightmare.

Midway through the shave, the barber switched to a DE and still managed to cut face into ribbons. Absolutely the worst shave of my life. I couldn't shave for a week because that's how long it took for my face to completely heal.

Lesson learned. I know my face the best and no one can shave it as well as I. And especially now that I know a thing or two, thanks to B&B!

**Luc** · 11-09-2010, 05:54 PM

It's stories like that stopping me from having a shave from a barber. I would go on a recommendation only.

**stellarfly** · 11-09-2010, 05:57 PM

My thoughts exactly! Im sure there are lots of great barbers out there (kind of like on Mantic59 vid) but for now Im gonna learn on my own cause thanks to B&B I have the skill to shave my face BBS amd with ZERO irritation!

Once again, B&B trumps everyone else! Thanks guys for your direction!

See you later!

**Seraphim** · 11-09-2010, 06:15 PM

99% of shave at the barber stories sound just like you described.

Get yourself a real straight and gave at it. Going ATG on the first pass is a sure sign that these guys didn't know what they're doing.

**Legion** · 11-10-2010, 03:47 PM

Since 99% of barbers these days probably shave just like the general population, with cartridge or electric, walking in to a shop and asking for a straight shave is asking for trouble. Unless the barber is specifically advertising themselves as giving straight shaves as a regular service there is now way I would let them shave me.

Funnily enough, some of the best straight shave stories I have heard have been from people traveling to India and areas like that. Those guys are doing shaves all day, every day, just like western barbers a hundred years ago. They have their technique down.

**luvmysuper** · 11-10-2010, 04:04 PM

Do It Yourself

You'll get much better results even with your first shave.
Worse case scenario - if it's painful, you won't have any trouble getting the guy shaving you to stop.

**heirkb** · 11-10-2010, 04:11 PM

Sounds like a drag. I've been hesitant to get a barber straight shave, because they don't know my beard and the little details that determine wether or not I get a good shave.

Make sure to get a really sharp edge from someone who knows how to hone and straights will feel nothing like the barber shop experience. You may get crappy shaves at first, but they won't tug like that if the blade is as sharp as it should be.

**BladeRunner001** · 11-10-2010, 04:30 PM

Like Phil said: If you want it done right, you gotta do it yourself

Besides there are IMO, two main reasons barbers' shaves are not as good as they used to be (in the old days...not that I experienced it, but from what I have been told by dad and granddad)

1. Use of disposable blades - the old days, barbers used full straights, not disposables. This is a sanitary and regulation mandated, I believe.

2. Barber experience - as much as barbers receive a good amount of training (2 yrs or so), that's not enough to know your customers' beard type. Now, after 2 yrs of training, they are called Master Barbers. TO me, a Master Barber is someone who has been doing this for 30+ years and remembers World War II

.

3. Bio-Feedback - There's no substitute for rel-time feel in this. In shaving, there are two different factors coming into play, synchronously (in microseconds); (1) you, and (2) blade. What I mean by this is that when you shave, your hands/brain adjust continuously to achieve the best comfortable feel for the face. For example, if you use too much pressure, your skin will feel it and your brain will immediately adjust to compensate. This is something you don't consciously think about as you shave, but your brain/hand/face do. Now, when someone else shaves you, you remove this continuous adjustment factor (i.e., the "You") from the equation. All the barber can go with is experience. If he uses a slightly off angle or pressure, there is not enough time or real time feedback to know how much adjustment needs to be made.

I think with these 3 factors (probably others as well), the best person that can shave you is YOU...and that is priceless

Food for thought: Every time you go to the barber, you spend between $30-$50 for a shave...Assuming you shave 5 days a week, that translates to $7,200-$12,000 annually towards your shaving budget. You save that much per year, doing it yourself + it's more rewarding and more luxurious.

**mdunn** · 11-10-2010, 04:33 PM

Originally Posted by luvmysuper

Do It Yourself

You'll get much better results even with your first shave.
Worse case scenario - if it's painful, you won't have any trouble getting the guy shaving you to stop.

this!

**michiganlover** · 11-11-2010, 03:43 AM

Originally Posted by BladeRunner001

1. Use of disposable blades - the old days, barbers used full straights, not disposables. This is a sanitary and regulation mandated, I believe.[/b]

Yes, it is supposedly mandated for sanitation reasons, but it is a silly law at best.

They took a blade that is easily cleaned (a straight), and instead traded it for a device that is filled with hard to reach, nooks, and crannies. While the blade itself might be changed with every customer, the blade holder is free to continually build to an increasing level of ickiness.

The law came about in the 1970's. It was a kneejerk reaction to the AIDS epidemic.

Funny thing, is they would have been much more effective in just mandating that the straight be dipped in Barbercide after every usage.

Barbercide kills nearly everything!!