Truly sorry for the hard to read. I forgot that many here are not anglophones as the first language.
Your point above is what I think is responsible for my experience this morning with the SR. See, you can teach old dogs new tricks
.New to straight razor shaving - need advice
- Thread starter HeavyD
- Start date
Truly sorry for the hard to read. I forgot that many here are not anglophones as the first language.
Your point above is what I think is responsible for my experience this morning with the SR. See, you can teach old dogs new tricks
.
Glad you found some encouragement and motivation. Reading others journals of their climb up the learning curve can often do that, as well as keeping one yourself and seeing the feedback others post. I feel like a broken record, but I'll drop the fast version again. I also put aside my straights after some rough patches around 25 or so shaves, and was planning on never going back, till about 5 or 6 months later I started watching a few journals of gents I'd encountered in other threads. Motivation and inspiration for sure, I picked mine back up and kept on them till I had them mastered. Somehow I even ended up with a purple badge watching over the straights forums. lol
Journaling is a good idea. In fact I have spent some time in there based on another suggestion that you have made in another post. Good idea though about participating. Journaling is a pretty good idea regarding many aspects of life, and I have only had good experiences when I have done it. It was always revealing. But, it is not something I do regularly. Not sure why, lazy I guess.
My neck is the only area I'm really getting razor burn. To make matters worse, I've been losing weight (If I keep that up I may have to change my screen name!) and have a hollow on either side of the trachea. I've tried every contortion and head position to try to flatten the hollow between the trachea and neck muscle to no avail. Any thoughts from the pros?
Dan,
Try placing your fingers near your trachea and your thumb low on your neck under your ear and stretching the skin while looking upwards...that should flatten that area out nicely and also help the whiskers stand proud.
- Thread starter
- #25
Thanks again to all who replied! The Journey keeps getting better. Razor burn is a thing of the past and I nick myself much less frequently. Yesterday was the first time I didn't have even one weeper! still not the greatest quality of shave, but I no longer have to use the cartridge razor to be presentable for work.
I promised I would share my learning with the other noobs. That may be more difficult than I thought it would be, but I will share what I can. I was trying to learn with an extra hollow ground Dovo. The shaves were harsh and full of burn. Then I read somewhere that noobs shouldn't use too hollow of a grind for that reason. It's not the razor's fault. It's just less forgiving of poor technique. I switched to a regular hollow grind and that's when I started making progress. I wish I could say what I changed in my technique, but it just kind of magically happened. Less burn each day, less nicks, and better shaves. On a whim I bought an old 1/2 or so grind 6/8 razor and brought it back from the dead. For less than $20, I really couldn't go wrong. That's a lot of fun by the way. It's not a sought after name (j. Wiss), but after a hone and stropping it shaves like a dream. It is the ugliest razor in my small collection, but it quickly became my favorite.
The key things I think helped me were persistence and the good advice here! To all noobs, stick with it. Give it at least a month. Razor burn sucks but if you're anything like me, it will just magically vanish somewhere around the end of week 2. Don't be afraid of little nicks or weepers. There is zero pain. It just costs you a few extra minutes after the shave to stop the bleeding. I've been using witch hazel as an after shave as well as an alum block on trouble spots.
Regarding the mystical improvement in the shave, I have a theory. I'm not positive but want to share it anyway. I suspect that as the number of shaves increases, one builds confidence in his handling of the razor. I was very timid (ok terrified) of the razor at first. As this mental condition diminished, so did the problems. It is a combination of the practice and confidence that allows you to focus on the shave instead of the terror. In my mind I don't think I'm doing anything drastically different, nor can I see a change in technique, but the difference is immense.
I'm about a month into my journey, but it just keeps getting better and more fun. I've also discovered an addiction that is easy to slip into as a SR shaver. Beware fellow noobs! Razors and strops have a way of magically appearing and growing in quantity.
I'm not joking about how enjoyable shaving has become. It went from something I hated to something I enjoy. I'm on a business trip right now and didn't bring my SR. I miss it and wish I went through the hassle of bringing it and checking my bag at the airport.
Cheers and thanks again!
I promised I would share my learning with the other noobs. That may be more difficult than I thought it would be, but I will share what I can. I was trying to learn with an extra hollow ground Dovo. The shaves were harsh and full of burn. Then I read somewhere that noobs shouldn't use too hollow of a grind for that reason. It's not the razor's fault. It's just less forgiving of poor technique. I switched to a regular hollow grind and that's when I started making progress. I wish I could say what I changed in my technique, but it just kind of magically happened. Less burn each day, less nicks, and better shaves. On a whim I bought an old 1/2 or so grind 6/8 razor and brought it back from the dead. For less than $20, I really couldn't go wrong. That's a lot of fun by the way. It's not a sought after name (j. Wiss), but after a hone and stropping it shaves like a dream. It is the ugliest razor in my small collection, but it quickly became my favorite.
The key things I think helped me were persistence and the good advice here! To all noobs, stick with it. Give it at least a month. Razor burn sucks but if you're anything like me, it will just magically vanish somewhere around the end of week 2. Don't be afraid of little nicks or weepers. There is zero pain. It just costs you a few extra minutes after the shave to stop the bleeding. I've been using witch hazel as an after shave as well as an alum block on trouble spots.
Regarding the mystical improvement in the shave, I have a theory. I'm not positive but want to share it anyway. I suspect that as the number of shaves increases, one builds confidence in his handling of the razor. I was very timid (ok terrified) of the razor at first. As this mental condition diminished, so did the problems. It is a combination of the practice and confidence that allows you to focus on the shave instead of the terror. In my mind I don't think I'm doing anything drastically different, nor can I see a change in technique, but the difference is immense.
I'm about a month into my journey, but it just keeps getting better and more fun. I've also discovered an addiction that is easy to slip into as a SR shaver. Beware fellow noobs! Razors and strops have a way of magically appearing and growing in quantity.
I'm not joking about how enjoyable shaving has become. It went from something I hated to something I enjoy. I'm on a business trip right now and didn't bring my SR. I miss it and wish I went through the hassle of bringing it and checking my bag at the airport.
Cheers and thanks again!
That is a valid theory. Since a great straight shave takes confident and firm strokes, those two things are difficult to get to happen while still in the afraid of the razor stage. Once you move past into the respecting the edge but handling it with confidence and practice, the results are like night and day. The second part is the practice helps you with some subtle things you wouldn't notice as easily, like a consistent angle, especially while you shave around and over the curves.
Glad to hear it's improving and getting that much better that fast for you!
Glad to hear it's improving and getting that much better that fast for you!
I'm sure confidence has helped. But so did the practice and knowing what did and didn't work.
I found that under my chin was my most challenging spot and after trying multiple techniques and using the same one over and over that, auto-magically, I started to get a good shave. I couldn't figure out what I had done different but the results were easy to see.
I found that under my chin was my most challenging spot and after trying multiple techniques and using the same one over and over that, auto-magically, I started to get a good shave. I couldn't figure out what I had done different but the results were easy to see.
- Thread starter
- #28
I'm still on my learning journey and experimenting with the additional xtg and atg passes. Still seem to have progressed out of the razor burn phase, so at least I've learned something. Still missing some patches here and there and having to touch up with the cartridge razor. Eventually I'm hoping to make that a thing of the past. Certain areas that seem like they'd be easy to get with the straight somehow elude me (a couple places on the neck and a nice flat area just rearward of the chin on either side). I'll give it 2-3 shots at different angles (lathering between each attempt), then give up and grab the cartridge. Someday I will unlock the secret!
I promised to share my learning with the other noobs and here's one that would seem self explanatory but I screwed it up anyway. If you have the shakes at a given moment, don't use the straight razor until later! Yeah, pretty obvious, but I tried anyway. Fortunately I only ended up with a few nicks using that hand. I'm no expert in medicine, but my shakes appear to be genetic in nature (no diabetes or drugs) and often will affect only one hand. In this case, it was my dominant hand. My grandmother had the shakes, my dad has the shakes, and so do I. Fortunately it is only an occasional thing. I just got impatient and wanted to "play" with my shaving toys when I should have done something else for 15 minutes or so and waited for the shakes to subside. Yeah, it's common sense, but my impatience overrode the common sense.
Regardless of the little bumps in the road, I'm continuing my learning and am eagerly anticipating getting some good shaves with the straight and one day getting the cartridge razor completely out of the morning ritual.
I promised to share my learning with the other noobs and here's one that would seem self explanatory but I screwed it up anyway. If you have the shakes at a given moment, don't use the straight razor until later! Yeah, pretty obvious, but I tried anyway. Fortunately I only ended up with a few nicks using that hand. I'm no expert in medicine, but my shakes appear to be genetic in nature (no diabetes or drugs) and often will affect only one hand. In this case, it was my dominant hand. My grandmother had the shakes, my dad has the shakes, and so do I. Fortunately it is only an occasional thing. I just got impatient and wanted to "play" with my shaving toys when I should have done something else for 15 minutes or so and waited for the shakes to subside. Yeah, it's common sense, but my impatience overrode the common sense.
Regardless of the little bumps in the road, I'm continuing my learning and am eagerly anticipating getting some good shaves with the straight and one day getting the cartridge razor completely out of the morning ritual.
Piece of advise I'd not thought of till recently, to help with angle. Lock your wrist at the angle you want the blade for the flatter parts of the shave, and just move/pull with your whole arm. That helps keep the angle consistent.
- Thread starter
- #30
Good evening all,
I just wanted to post another update. My progress continues. By no means do I consider myself proficient, but I am continuing to improve. I still get a small nick here and there and am sure that will improve with time. I'm getting my technique better and continue to try new things (direction of cut for different areas). The advice I got here is excellent and I appreciate everyone who took the time to share with me. I have to say that my courage level has increased which I believe is resulting in more confident strokes. By courage, I don't mean foolishly courageous, but rather a lack of the abject terror that I originally had every time I put the blade to my face.
One important note for my fellow noobs... I had been lamenting the poor quality of shaves I was getting with the straight razor. I was beginning to doubt whether I would ever get decent shaves. I recently went on a business trip and took my old cartridge razor. After a few days of travel, it dawned on me that I should check the quality of the shave I was getting with the old razor versus the straight razor. It turns out I was being excessively critical of my straight razor shaves. They were actually as good as or slightly better than the shaves I was getting with the old cartridge razor!
Thanks!
I just wanted to post another update. My progress continues. By no means do I consider myself proficient, but I am continuing to improve. I still get a small nick here and there and am sure that will improve with time. I'm getting my technique better and continue to try new things (direction of cut for different areas). The advice I got here is excellent and I appreciate everyone who took the time to share with me. I have to say that my courage level has increased which I believe is resulting in more confident strokes. By courage, I don't mean foolishly courageous, but rather a lack of the abject terror that I originally had every time I put the blade to my face.
One important note for my fellow noobs... I had been lamenting the poor quality of shaves I was getting with the straight razor. I was beginning to doubt whether I would ever get decent shaves. I recently went on a business trip and took my old cartridge razor. After a few days of travel, it dawned on me that I should check the quality of the shave I was getting with the old razor versus the straight razor. It turns out I was being excessively critical of my straight razor shaves. They were actually as good as or slightly better than the shaves I was getting with the old cartridge razor!
Thanks!
My wife said similar of my DE shaves. I went back to it for a couple days and she was the one who complained (the closeness of the DE she always felt was same or better than any shave I did prior - cart or electric)
