nobody said a stiptic pencil would sting (1st strait shave)

That was fun. (cept for the bleedin) Just got finished. Need some help,not sure what i did wrong. razor was supposed to be shave ready but it pulled so i stroped it & that seemed to help a little but i had to strop agaion about 1/2 way thru. Results kinda blew bubbles. I had a beard. took hair clippers to it & got it to about 1/8". Would that make the razor work to hard? Or do I just need more practice?

hey..no one told me rubbing alum block on my face would burn like like fire and leave red marks...hehe...sounds like your razor needs a rehone..

Welcome to this side of shaving.

Was the razor really shave ready? That would be my number one question.

Second, everyone suffers from dull razor syndrome at the beginning even with truly shave ready razors. There is a learning curve involved.

I would recommend doing a first pass WTG with a DE or cart followed by WTG pass with the straight-then call it a day.

Keep it up, it does get better

Doc226 said:

Second, everyone suffers from dull razor syndrome at the beginning even with truly shave ready razors. There is a learning curve involved.

Click to expand...

While my blade has been honed by a reliable source, the way I am using it makes it feel a little too dull. What part of my technique might be the culprit.

I do the same prep that I do with a DE so am I correct in assuming that it is blade angle.

i don't recommend shaving long wiskers with a straight until you develop the technique... use a DE to reduce the beard, or lay the straight razor against your face w spine against skin and use it to cut the whickers NOT against the skin but a mm or 2 above it and then do another pass.


again, could be a honing issue but likely you were going to slow (most do their first shave our of fear or concern) and the long whickers were 'catching' you. was it skipping and pulling like a ****?

Docs advice about only going WTG for a while is very sound to boot.



good luck on next shave!! keep us posted!!

and yes, styptic pens and alum can burn a wee bit lol get some witch hazel and use that post shave too (won't stop the bleeding but will calm the irritation)

Shaving thick stubble is tough in the beginning. I find if my beard is thick, I need to make sure I am stretching the skin taught, the blade angle is correct, and the pressure is light. I will also usually need to do 2 WTG passes if I haven't shaved in a few days.