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A noob giving tips to other noobs

I'm not really a noob per se. I have been using a shavette for about a year but just picked up straight razor shaving over the last month and I have a few points of advice for those wanting (and more likely needing some)

1) Take your time. This is in all aspects of the shave. The stropping, the lather, the shave. All of it. If you rush, you are going to hurt yourself, the razor, and more importantly, you will not have an enjoyable shave. (Notice I went with the shave being the most important :001_tt2:) If any part of the routine feels like it takes too long, then you are either not doing it right or you need to go back to using a multiblade and foam. I take my time with it and even though the routine does take a good amount of time (30 mins or so), I end up with a much better shave than I would if I tried to speed everything up.

2) Go easy/ Don't overdo it This may just be a tip for us weaklings (my barber calls us p#ssies) but if you can't go ATG, XTG, 3 passes or whatever, the guess what....... DON'T! I can't go S-N at all, and I don't even try. I make do. Do what feels comfortable. If BBS isn't for you, don't go hacking in multiple directions to see if you can get closer. All you will end up doing is hurting yourself and more than likely, not enjoying the experience and not wanting to go back to it in the future. Also along these lines is the amount of time between shaves. If your face feels like you got 3rd degree burns on it, you probably ignored the first part of this point, but you will definately ignore the latter, if you try to go again. Or at the very least, do WTG passes to minimize the destruction to the face.

3) Use a slick lather. I have a tendency to be lazy and not make the best lathers, and for the most part, with a DE (and even with the shavette) I have no issues. The straight razor is a different monster however. A half-hearted lather will still tug and pull as if you are using a week old blade in your normal razor, and your face will look as red as a sunburnt lifeguard. If it doesn't feel slick on your face, it won't be during the shave. Add water, soap, cream or whatever you have to, to make a better lather. Take it from me, lesson learned.

4) Pre Shave and Post shave are key. A good pre shave will get the whiskers nice and cutable without much damage and a good post shave will get rid of any collateral damage (or at least minimize it). Don't be afraid to put moisturizers on your face after your aftershave balm. You wanna get noticed, a clean non strop looking face will do better than the old "Wild West" look. It isn't going to help with the ladies. Trust me, my wife has told me. And the things she tells me are right..... she told me that too. :wink2:


I've been fairly happy with my experience with my straight and can't wait to try it out again tomorrow. As long as the wife is gone/ doesn't need to use the sink/ or I forget to turn on the alarm. Take care and good luck!
 
Excellent advice. Beard prep is your friend and hydrating your lather would take your shaves to another level. I would say, start with a single pass and definitely, do not overdo it.

Al raz.
 
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