Jersey's straight shaving journal

Jersey · Jul 14, 2011

About a week ago I decided it was time to take the plunge and buy a straight after lurking here on B&B for a while. The good ole (well not good at all actually) cartridge razors just irritated my face and never gave me a good, comfortable shave so I decided I'd give straight razors a try. I got it in the mail yesterday shave-ready and stropped and all. Naturally I couldn't wait to start and lather up later on in the evening.

I'd say it was a successful shave. There was no irritation and only 3 or 4 tiny nicks. I'd rather have a few nicks with minimal bleeding than annoying razor burn. I was comfortable using my right hand but my left felt very awkward and unnatural. I only shaved most of my left cheek with my left hand. I figure it would be best to do this rather until I'm more comfortable with it.

I found the chin and neck to be very tricky. I have a cleft chin so that doesn't help and I couldn't find a comfortable way to hold the blade when shaving my neck, especially the left side. I'm hoping these will be easier with some more practice.

The shave was about as close as my cartridge razor shaves so I am already more than pleased (for the record, that's not very close. They only irritated my skin more than actually shaved). Also the bigger accomplishments I found were that I fell in love with this new form of shaving and I'm determined to one day get to having daily, close, BBS shaves. Also I finally truly ENJOYED my shaving experience for once. I can't wait to give it another try tonight. I have a feeling I will be prone to some serious AD's.

Mahoney · Jul 14, 2011

Awesome! I just bought my first straight too. Hopefully I get a similar experience. Luckily I have an Abe lincoln + goatee action going on, so less chances to get cut. I like my odds. Glad to hear you are and will be enjoying your shaves for now on, congrats!

Woodash · Jul 14, 2011

Jersey said:
About a week ago I decided it was time to take the plunge and buy a straight after lurking here on B&B for a while. The good ole (well not good at all actually) cartridge razors just irritated my face and never gave me a good, comfortable shave so I decided I'd give straight razors a try. I got it in the mail yesterday shave-ready and stropped and all. Naturally I couldn't wait to start and lather up later on in the evening.

I'd say it was a successful shave. There was no irritation and only 3 or 4 tiny nicks. I'd rather have a few nicks with minimal bleeding than annoying razor burn. I was comfortable using my right hand but my left felt very awkward and unnatural. I only shaved most of my left cheek with my left hand. I figure it would be best to do this rather until I'm more comfortable with it.

I found the chin and neck to be very tricky. I have a cleft chin so that doesn't help and I couldn't find a comfortable way to hold the blade when shaving my neck, especially the left side. I'm hoping these will be easier with some more practice.

The shave was about as close as my cartridge razor shaves so I am already more than pleased (for the record, that's not very close. They only irritated my skin more than actually shaved). Also the bigger accomplishments I found were that I fell in love with this new form of shaving and I'm determined to one day get to having daily, close, BBS shaves. Also I finally truly ENJOYED my shaving experience for once. I can't wait to give it another try tonight. I have a feeling I will be prone to some serious AD's.

Sounds like you're way ahead of the game. Congrats!

Gustav · Jul 14, 2011

Welcome to B&B and congratulations on completing your first shave! In the beginning, sticking to the bits that you feel comfortable shaving is absolutely the best way to do. If you force yourself to shave all of the face at once you are heading for multiple nicks and ultimately frustration. The awkwardness of shaving with your left hand will pass and soon it will become second nature. I have actually found that I have gained so much dexterity with my left hand that I can do other things like chopping vegetables or even drawing with my left hand which I would never have contemplated doing this way before. I can relate to your trouble with the neck which is more challenging than the face. For me shaving WTG on my neck is more or less a waste of time as it does not seem to remove much stubble. On the other hand if I hold the razor upside down in my right hand, tilt my head back and to the right, I can shave the left side of the neck going in between XTG and ATG from chest to chin. Good luck!

Jersey · Jul 15, 2011

Thanks guys. And I might have to try that neck trick next time!

Shave #2
Last night I shaved again. I felt a little more comfortable with my left hand. Still only did my cheek though, just to be safe. I got another nick or two but nothing bad. I also got a tiny bit of irritation but again not too bad. The shave felt a little bit closer this time but I did try 2 WTG passes instead of 1 WTG pass like I did the first time. I feel a lot better overall just from getting a closer shave and knowing that I basically created it all by myself. I definitely enjoy this new hobby!

Jersey · Jul 17, 2011

Shave #3

I tried the XTG/ATG trick for the left side of my neck without much success. It felt really awkward. I did 2 passes this time. One WTG and one XTG. Not too bad. Again, more nicks unfortunately. Still not much irritation tough! I may try just WTG for a little longer until im more comfortable with the blade though. I found the chin and upper lip to be really trick with XTG.

Shave #4

I shaved last night right before I went to the Astros game with a few buddies. Only had time for 1 WTG pass but it was still pretty good. I feel a lot more comfortable with the left hand. I may try a bit of my neck lefty tonight. And finally....no nicks!!! I was really happy with this shave. Hopefully i can stay cut free.

Blix · Jul 17, 2011

You will not stay cut free, I can tell you that. Neosporin for scar healing is your friend! :001_smile

I had my 34th straight shave today and it's starts to feel pretty natural. Now that my shaves are getting pretty good, I find there's much less irritation than when using DE's for me. Pretty amazing.

Jersey · Jul 17, 2011

Oh I definitely know I won't stay cut free. But a guy can hope! And I hope I get to that level soon!

TstebinsB · Jul 17, 2011

Are you a Jersey transplant in Texas?

Kentos · Jul 17, 2011

Welcome to the fold! It only gets better and better. :thumbup1:

Jersey · Jul 18, 2011

TstebinsB, yeah you could say that. I'm originally from north jersey and when I moved down here jersey became my nickname.

And thanks, Kentos! I can't wait.

Jersey · Jul 20, 2011

Shave #6

This shave was going really well and I planned on doing at least one WTG and one XTG pass. Until I got to the chin....

I sliced a layer of skin or two off I believe since I bled a good amount but the cut didnt seem too deep. Thank goodness for my styptic pencil! I only finished off the one pass and called it a night. I was feeling good too and was excited to try another XTG pass. Oh well, this will teach me to be more careful as I could tell I was a little more laid back and felt too confident or comfortable than the first 5 shaves (Rookie mistake since I know I cannot shave well yet).

However, I was wondering what ecaxtly gets a closer shave? Is it mostly blade angle and skin taughtness, with a little help from a sharp blade? At least logically I feel like that would be the reason. I might give my face a night off tonight even though it is hard to resist some time alone and to feel more manly and accomplished at the end!

Brent · Jul 21, 2011

I think closeness can't be nailed down to one thing but is a combo of a bunch of things that as you do each one right consistently adds up to really close shave. Quality of lather, beard prep, technique, angle, sharp/well stropped blade, how well you're using the grain of your beard and the list probably goes on.

Jersey · Jul 21, 2011

Oh okay. Thanks for clarifying. I was unsure and it seemed like you could pinpoint it to one or two elements scientifically or like the physics of it.

Shave #7

I decided not to give my face a day off. I just couldn't resist (the addiction has begun!). However tonight I will actually give it a break.

The shave went well with no cuts and minimal irritation. There's only a small patch under my chin. I did two passes, one WTG and one XTG. It was a little awkward doing the XTG at first but I found a comfortable way to hold the razor after a little and it was much easier.

Jersey · Jul 23, 2011

Shave #8

So yesterday I got off work early so decided to check out a shop that I heard had some shaving cream. I ended up getting GFT Limes and TOBS Sandalwood. Finally some nice shaving cream! I had been using williams before this since it was all I had access to at the time. I must say I love the scents of these creams. I didn't have much time so I only did 1 WTG pass. I realized that my shaves weren't getting much better from the previous 2 or 3 so I was a little discouraged.

Shave #9

This morning I got up earlier than normal so I decided to take my time and relax with a nice shave. As I was making my lather with the GFT Limes, something clicked. I finally made a good lather! I never realized how poor my lathers really were until today. I'm glad I figured out how to make a good lather. Now the challenge is to be able to replicate it consistantly.

Then I finally got started on the shave. It was, again, nothing special. I did 2 passes, 1 WTG and 1 XTG. I finished and rinsed my face and everything. All of a sudden I was feeling how close I got and realized one patch was really close, if not BBS! I feel a lot better today and this was the pick-me-up I needed after being discouraged the other day. Even this little patch of a good shave put me in a better mood overall. I can't wait to start getting good shaves everyday.

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