I have made the jump and...

it's not nearly as hard as I was expecting. Got my dovo best 6/8 for Xmas and gave it a test drive as soon as I opened it up and I was surprised that I didn't even have one drop of blood on my face post shave, as was my friend sitting toilet side hoping for a bloodbath. I guess information is the key to doing anything right and I thank this site and all the people who post videos of themselves shaving for my success in switching from cartridge and goo to a straight and brush. The only thing I am having a bit of trouble with is my jawline and upper lip but it seems like its just an angle thing.

I've only shaved three times with my new setup but I can see myself enjoying this for years to come.

Great! Sounds like a very successful first shave!

Jawline can be difficult. One approach is to not shave the jawline. Pull the skin of the jawline up onto the cheek area, or down to the neck area. Manipulate that skin and shave it when you have it in a good position and with proper tension.

Upper lip has a technique I call "piggy nose". Push your nose up, as if intentionally showing off your nostrils. That clears the way for the blade to go WTG on the septum. Bend the nose to the right to get under the left side of the nose, and vice versa. When going ATG, I stretch my upper lip down over my teeth and guide the tip of the razor with my off hand, and sort of nod my head forward so I am moving the upper lip area down on the blade. Try it and I think you will find it works great.

I'll try both of those out next time I shave, hopefully tomorrow. Also it seems everyone thinks I'm crazy for wanting to put a large razor sharp piece of steel to my face and neck, is this a normal reaction?

c_dook said:

I'll try both of those out next time I shave, hopefully tomorrow. Also it seems everyone thinks I'm crazy for wanting to put a large razor sharp piece of steel to my face and neck, is this a normal reaction?

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YES! We opened Christmas presents at my sister's home. LOML got me a new Boker and strop...my sister's reaction was just that...you must be crazy!

Your right that the difficulty in shaving with a straight is overblown in my opinion. You'll be shaved closer and more comfortable than ever before in no time. I don't get everyone thinking that this is dangerous, as it's the most gentle shave you can get.

Congrats!

Congratulations on the great start! It's a big YMMV as some people really need to work at getting good shaves, while some catch on really quickly.

To be honest, the joy for me now in straight shaving is the maintaining and honing of the implements...a really good shave is just the fruits of my honing labors.

That's a pretty good start. Since you have had a comfortable shave, you are ok with pressure, this is what most people struggle with. Just experiment to find the optimal blade angle to cut with. The biggest issue I have is getting the correct grip to orient the razor properly.

One thing I will suggest is that you should focus on mastering how to strop. It will make a big difference in how long your edge holds up and avoid limiting progress.

closer said:

That's a pretty good start. Since you have had a comfortable shave, you are ok with pressure, this is what most people struggle with. Just experiment to find the optimal blade angle to cut with. The biggest issue I have is getting the correct grip to orient the razor properly.

One thing I will suggest is that you should focus on mastering how to strop. It will make a big difference in how long your edge holds up and avoid limiting progress.

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I have been playing around with different grips, and while I'm fairly ambidextrous I don't like the feeling of it in my left hand so I have just been using my right to shave my whole far. The only real cut I've had was from trying to get a good angle on my upper lip and bumping my cheek while making the approach. Also the piggy nose and moving the skin off the jawline both helped.

Stropping is something I need to work on, if I had more time off I would get a butter knife after the thing, but as it stands right now the only time I strop is when it is time to shave.

I've only missed one day sense xmas eve shaving and they just keep getting closer and faster. I did cheat myself a little one day because I was running a little late for work so I just did a WTG pass just to get a little blade on face time.

c_dook said:

I have been playing around with different grips, and while I'm fairly ambidextrous I don't like the feeling of it in my left hand so I have just been using my right to shave my whole far. The only real cut I've had was from trying to get a good angle on my upper lip and bumping my cheek while making the approach. Also the piggy nose and moving the skin off the jawline both helped.

Stropping is something I need to work on, if I had more time off I would get a butter knife after the thing, but as it stands right now the only time I strop is when it is time to shave.

I've only missed one day sense xmas eve shaving and they just keep getting closer and faster. I did cheat myself a little one day because I was running a little late for work so I just did a WTG pass just to get a little blade on face time.

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You don't need to practice with a butter knife now. You are doing it for real and for keeps on a daily basis. Just take the opportunity, since you must strop anyway, to totally concentrate on your stropping technique. Tautness of the strop, lightness of the pressure, keeping the shoulder off the strop, full coverage of the blade if your strop is not as wide as your edge is long, proper flipping of the blade, starting the stroke just before the edge touches the strop, etc etc. Pay attention to the details. This will improve your technique a lot more than the butter knife drill at this point in your shave journey, and that will make your edges last longer and your shaves nicer and make your strop last longer.

Nothing wrong with a single WTG pass if you are good to go after such a shave. A very very sharp blade and good, consistent technique will make a single pass go a lot further. That is my everyday shave. Shaving with an edge that is just about ready to hit the paste or the lapping film will often have me going for a second WTG pass, possibly with just a bit of blade buffing here or there and ever so slightly increased pressure. I only do the full enchilada shave when it is important to feel extremely smooth or if I might not be able to shave the next day.

There really seems to be nothing in your description that time, practice, and more practice won't get you through. Once your hands learn how the blade moves on your face, what was once a problem will become second nature. The left hand thing may seem awkward now, but in another month, it will be second nature.

I'm always amazed when folks succeed with straight-shaving right off the bat. As for the ambidextrous thing, give up the right-hand dominance immediately! It's part of the learning curve and best "nicked" from the start! Occasionally, when I cut myself, and speaking as a right-handed person, it tends to come from my right hand.

Alum of Potash said:

I'm always amazed when folks succeed with straight-shaving right off the bat. As for the ambidextrous thing, give up the right-hand dominance immediately! It's part of the learning curve and best "nicked" from the start! Occasionally, when I cut myself, and speaking as a right-handed person, it tends to come from my right hand.

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Well, before the DE was invented, everybody had to succeed with straight shaving right off the bat. If you dare to think of it as a perfectly normal thing to do, it becomes a perfectly normal thing to do.

Alum of Potash said:

I'm always amazed when folks succeed with straight-shaving right off the bat. As for the ambidextrous thing, give up the right-hand dominance immediately! It's part of the learning curve and best "nicked" from the start! Occasionally, when I cut myself, and speaking as a right-handed person, it tends to come from my right hand.

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I really don't see the need to use my left hand to shave with, I'm just going with what feels right and not worrying about what people say is right. Not trying to hate on your advise or anything it just doesn't make sense to me to change something that is working and is comfortable to something that feels awkward.

and now its time for my last shave of the year

c_dook said:

I really don't see the need to use my left hand to shave with, I'm just going with what feels right and not worrying about what people say is right. Not trying to hate on your advise or anything it just doesn't make sense to me to change something that is working and is comfortable to something that feels awkward.

and now its time for my last shave of the year

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That's fine then. Whatever works for you. Congrats on your success and please excuse the imperative tone of my previous remarks. Good luck with your last shave for 2011.

c_dook said:

I really don't see the need to use my left hand to shave with, I'm just going with what feels right and not worrying about what people say is right. Not trying to hate on your advise or anything it just doesn't make sense to me to change something that is working and is comfortable to something that feels awkward.

and now its time for my last shave of the year

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It is true that there is no ONE way to shave, but to be able to use both hands will makes some passes a little easier, especially when you start scything ATG. That being said there are a lot of one handed shavers out there so more power to you!

the shaves keep improving and I'm already experiencing the best shaves I've ever had. My stropping has gotten a lot better and I'm no longer nicking the strop, I'm sure I will every once and a while but for the most part it is good. I've pretty much gotten the upper lip down and my jawline is becoming a breeze.

I love shaving with this straight razor!

Be careful, those things breed like rabbits!

c_dook said:

I really don't see the need to use my left hand to shave with, I'm just going with what feels right and not worrying about what people say is right. Not trying to hate on your advise or anything it just doesn't make sense to me to change something that is working and is comfortable to something that feels awkward.

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That's what I've told myself as well, and I think you will be able to achieve excellent results either way. I use both my hands for the WTG pass, but stick to my dominant (right) hand for XTG and ATG. While this has worked very well so far, I do find that there are areas where I don't get a BBS until I shave in a particular direction, and that direction is very difficult to achieve (on both sides) with my dominant hand. For example, areas on the edge of the jawline close to the neck, where i need to go up and outward towards the ear to get the last layer on ATG. Its only on those occasions that I wish that I had learned to use my left hand more.

Good luck, though, and glad to see you're enjoying the journey.