How many passes should it take?

How many passes does it typically take to get a good straight razor shave?

I've been shaving with a straight for about 4 months now, and I can get a decent shave in two passes.
From all that I've seen and read -- Lynn's dvd, Joel's demo shave (on the video that Mantic posted on YouTube), Dr. Moss's book, and Joel's writeup in the Interactive Guide - I thought two or three passes would do the job.

But getting bbs or close to it takes 4 or 5 passes. Getting the mustache and goatee areas bbs, as I do with a DE, takes another 3 or 4 passes. (Yep, that's about 8 passes all told to get the upper lip smooth as glass.)

Should I be able to do this in fewer passes?

I'll try to answer some obvious questions in advance:

* Yes, my blades are sharp. I've had them honed, by Lynn and by others. And I have a 4-sided pasted paddle that I've used when I thought it was needed.

* I do stretch my skin.

* For prep, I use Kyle's method. I rub the lather in, then use a hot towel or two. I spend between 5 and 10 minutes on my prep, and it seems to be adequate.


Two passes would be enough for me if I wanted to settle for a "decent" shave, but "decent" isn't enough for me anymore. I've become addicted to smooth skin, and I'm willing to spend the time it takes to get it. My technique has definitely improved over time but I wonder if I'm unusual in taking so many passes.

Probably more a function of technique. As you know, the angle is constantly adjusting endless variables. For myself, with a straight, I usually feel smoother after walking away from the sink and checking the shave after about 5-10 minutes.

I suspect its mostly down to technique. I can get a shave that looks great in 1 pass, and a BBS shave in 2 passes, but it wasn't always like this. In the early days I'd often do 3/4/5 passes, which IMO is too much unless you have a very light touch.

It's all technique from here. I've been at it with the straight about 9 months now and 2 passes gets me darn near bbs. Also - the shave will feel much closer after you do a cold water rinse and hit your face with some aftershave to tighten everything back up.

Sometimes you need more than one pass but in a different direction - with the grain, across the grain and against the graint. Whiskers tend to grow in all the directions you can imagine.

Also - the shave will feel much closer after you do a cold water rinse and hit your face with some aftershave to tighten everything back up.

Click to expand...

Never tried the cold water rinse but it makes sense!

Rich

“You ought never to take anything that don’t belong to you - if you can not carry it off” – Mark Twain