Bob's Shave Diary

I've only be straight shaving for a couple of weeks. I got the Sight Unseen kit from Larry @ Whipped Dog and I also got another straight and honing films from rossvtaylor to start things out.

I bought a 220 sanding block yesterday to buff the slight nicks on my poor man's strop since I'd already put a few marks on it.

I have to say that straight shaving is following the same pattern in some ways as DE/SE/Injectors. I seem to do really well on the left side of my face, even though I'm shaving with my left hand which I've never done before, and I'm getting irritation and a couple of small cuts on the right side of my face.

Anyway, today felt like a bit of a breakthrough so that's why I decided to do a diary. I shaved with the straight I got from Ross, Maca Root Cream, Thater 4125/1 brush, alum, and The Body Shop Arber ASB. I only attempted two WTG pass over my entire face. I didn't come close to BBS or even DFS but I didn't get any nicks or irritation and I felt really comfortable holding the razor and doing all the skin stretching needed to do a shave. It just felt good.

Oh, and I also stropped 30 times each side before I started and that goes with the 30 times each side I did yesterday after fixing my strop.

Great start. All the best. The sight-unseen is how I started out with straights as well. No better way to do it IMHO.

Grips said:

Great start. All the best. The sight-unseen is how I started out with straights as well. No better way to do it IMHO.

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Thanks!

The right side continues to be a problem but I know it is a matter of taking my time and focusing on what I'm doing. The key for me right now seems to be focusing on WTG passes.

Great shave today. I used "The Wonder" razor that I received in the Great PIF #5 that I honed myself on films and then stropped around 40-50 times each side, Maca Root cream, Thater 4125/1 brush, alum, QED Tobacco ASB, and Odori EdT to finish up my routine.

I did a couple of WTG passes on each side and got a decent shave, still feel some stubble but can't really see it, without any nicks or cuts. I enjoyed my shave and not having to leave my den with a piece of toilet paper stuck to my face!

I skipped shaving with a straight on Easter Sunday and used my Schick Hydromagic that has had the same blade for a while. It was an easy shave because of the amount of stubble I had and BBS for most of the day, it was that good.

Anyway, back to the straights today. I did two WTG passes and some XTG and even ATG on my left side since it seems to go better for me over there even with me using my left hand. I had another really good shave with some BBS in spots. I think the BBS is improved technique and also because I had such a close shave yesterday.

I have a kangaroo strop now that is wide enough to do the whole blade at once and I've had great luck stropping without nicking my new strop at all.

I have a Kamisori from paco664 on the way, of his own creation, and I'm really looking forward to giving that one a go too!

The Mama Bear's Rose Ice soap is very near graveyard status, and I'll be buying a new one and that goes for the Speick ASL too. I really enjoy the Tom Ford Tuscan Leather and find myself reaching for it frequently. And that boar brush is definitely a favorite in my rotation. I can't begin to describe how soft and cushiony that feels on my face but how it just tears up any and all soaps that get in the way, amazing!

Great stuff. You are progressing fast.

Grips said:

Great stuff. You are progressing fast.

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Thanks! My notes aren't near as comprehensive as yours though!

bbarton713 said:

Thanks! My notes aren't near as comprehensive as yours though!

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A journal, as I see it, is for the writer's purposes first. If how you are keeping your journal is fulfilling your needs from it, then it is being written exactly how it should be.

Still lots of kinks to work out. I am ok with WTG passes but when I try to switch things up and go ATG or XTG or any other direction other than up and down I get slices on my face. I think part of it is that I need to stretch my skin better so that the razor glides over the surface. My little slices tend to happen when the razor sticks on the skin and I think that is stretch and angle of attack.

Saturday is my day of rest from shaving at all and Sunday I'll use my trusty Schick Hydro before starting in again with straights on Monday. One thing that's happened as a result of my move to straights is that I'm using my lotions and balms that I used to use all the time for razor burn but haven't touched in months. At this rate I'll have several entries in the Graveyard forum.

I'm not discouraged. I like the results and I know it is a matter of practice and patience.

Forgot to mention that today's shave was with a newly honed straight razor and all my troubles were on the right side of my face/neck.

After a while I looked and realized that I had noticeable growth on my left neck. I grabbed my Kamisori and decided to clean it up. At first I thought I was going to have the same sticking problem when I realized if I stretched my skin and laid the blade nearly flat against my face it worked effortlessly.

Good lesson learned with minimal bloodshed.

This is what it looks like when you are learning how to shave with a straight and you hit the wrong side of the learning curve.

So...I abandoned my plan to use my Schick today and instead stropped my Kamisori. I used Mama Bear's Lilac Ice, 2010 B&B Custom Boar, Alum, and MB Lilac Ice ASM.

I took my time and made multiple WTG passes since I hadn't shave on Saturday. I kept the skin tight, really watched angle and pressure, and had an awesome shave. I had BBS in spots, DFS overall, and ended up with no nicks, cuts, burn, or anything unpleasant when I was done.

I stropped the blade around 60 on each side between the last time I used it and the use this morning. I've stropped it around 80 each side and the blade is gleaming and looks like it is ready to go. I can hardly wait for tomorrow's shave.

Another great shave today with the same setup as yesterday. Taking my time, watching the angles, and stretching my skin seem to be the keys at this point. I can feel stubble but no nicks, cuts, burns or anything unpleasant so success!

This was another great shave today for me with BBS/DFS in most spots and only a couple of areas where I can feel stubble. Not cuts, nicks, or irritation and my mistakes from last week have almost cleared up.

I used all the same software but used the Sheffield 5/8 "The 1000" that came in the mail yesterday for the razor. I really enjoyed using it but will be back to the Kamisori tomorrow to see if I can extend my streak to four days of good shaves!

I'm two weeks in and getting some really good shaves. I have a slight cut that stopped bleeding after the alum and a little irritation on my neck where I'm trying to get those tough-to-get spots but overall a BBS shave that easily rivals what I got in my early days of DE shaving. I used my Sheffield "The 1000" again today and had an excellent shave.

Congratulations. You seem to be making really good progress. I catch myself not stretching enough, WAY too often. If it wasn't a challenge, it wouldn't be worth learning.

thaekor said:

Congratulations. You seem to be making really good progress. I catch myself not stretching enough, WAY too often. If it wasn't a challenge, it wouldn't be worth learning.

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Stretching has made a huge difference for me.

Shaved today with my Paco Custom and had another good shave without any bad things to note. It wasn't as close as the previous shaves with my Taylor's but I still feel like I'm making steady progress. I'm getting better at stretching my skin and attacking my beard from the correct angles without damaging my skin.