Learning Curve

Hello Gents!

Thank you for the advice you have given me so far! It has really helped!

I am a new straight shaver, with only about 10 shaves under my belt. So I know that I'm at the very beginning of my learning curve.

It does help me though to know if what I am experiencing is normal. So, if any of you can give me some feed back, I would appreciate it.

I started off, just doing the sides of my face only. And with each consecutive shave, I am adding more. This morning I shaved the sides, neck, some of my chin and upper lip. Still only WTG.

It's probably my technique, but it feels like my razor isn't sharp enough. After one vertical pass, there are still plenty of whiskers remaining. I can hear the scaping sound of the blade connecting with the whiskers, but it doesn't cut them all. Does this usually improve as one gains experience?

Also, sometimes the blade feels like it's skipping across my skin. Could I have the wrong angle? Could my cream need more moisture?

I appreciate any advice.

Thank you!

Bob

I had the same issue when I first started with my straights. Go more aggressive! It is amazing what the difference between a 15 and 30 degree angle will do for your face. It will fix (1) the sharpness problem, (2) the skipping problem. Also make sure that your strokes are short.

Let us know what you discover next time!

I'd say flatten the angle, lighten the pressure. There will still be whiskers remaining but less and less as you get better. Aldo, as you are learning, your edge may dull more quickly than it will once your skill has developed. Do you have more than one straight to compare to? If not, consider getting one. Don't use it except to compare your current edge to. Also, when your current razor needs honing, you can use the second while you send the first one out.

Maintain a strategy of beard reduction. You're unlikely to be completely clean in one pass. Plan on 3 passes.

Skipping could be a dull blade or a lather issue or bad angle or... etc... What angle are you using? What soap? Is your soap wet enough? Is it all over your face that it skips or just at transition points (jawline?)

SpikedLemon said:

Maintain a strategy of beard reduction. You're unlikely to be completely clean in one pass. Plan on 3 passes.

Skipping could be a dull blade or a lather issue or bad angle or... etc... What angle are you using? What soap? Is your soap wet enough? Is it all over your face that it skips or just at transition points (jawline?)

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This is good advice...^

Thanks for the great advice!
I'm using a pretty flat angle... almost vertical.
I like the Taylor of Old Bond Street and Proraso tube creams.
I also use Floid Pre-Shave Oil.
I like a nice, thick lather on my face.
When it skips, it seems to do it when I first put the blade to my face. Once it's in motion, it's smoother.
bob

Time and practice will get you there. A one pass shave won't leave you perfect. A one pass shave would let me look shaved enough for work, but if I want very smooth then multiple passes are in order. If I am going for a full on impress the wife it's our anniversary I want some luvin shave I do four passes. WTG (with the grain) XTG (cross grain) ATG (against the grain) then a final WTG. Shaved in this manner I can not find one whisker anywhere on my face that is detectable. Furthermore I remain BBS (baby butt smooth) for 24 hours. Most of the time I knock out two passes and call it good and that leaves me very well shaved, but if I rub the back of my hand against the grain I can still feel a little stubble. You are doing a great job and will improve more with time. Experiment with lather consistency. Most seem to prefer a slightly wetter lather with a straight as compared to DE razors. Soon you will have your likes zeroed in on.

Thank you!!!
I forgot to mention; my razor passed the "hanging hair" test. Sliced it cleanly in two on the first swipe of the hair against the blade!

Sounds like an angle issue to me. Run a little more aggressive. You should have the blade at 20-30 degrees! Most people are afraid when they first use their straight

Good luck

Try a less-flat angle for a pass and see how that feels. Try the higher angle on your second pass and see how it works for you. Be mindful w pressure as the angles change: you can get some good razor burn (or worse)

What they all said, but also, with a straight, go for a wetter lather vs thick and creamy. Wetter equals more slick glide, which is what a straight needs a lot more vs "cushion". I personally never understood the cushion part, and have adapted to always using wet slick instead of thick and creamy at this point.

Shave_Rat said:

I personally never understood the cushion part

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+1

I also think slickness is the most important.

Shave_Rat said:

What they all said, but also, with a straight, go for a wetter lather vs thick and creamy. Wetter equals more slick glide, which is what a straight needs a lot more vs "cushion". I personally never understood the cushion part, and have adapted to always using wet slick instead of thick and creamy at this point.

Click to expand...

+1 I actually think cushion is problematic and is to be avoided with straights. Too much cushion requires more pressure . Pressure deflects the skin and increases the effective angle at the contact point .

+ 3 (tallying up the +'s so far) - wetter is better for straight shaving. Really, like you think "this is going to be too wet" is the best.

Shave_Rat said:

What they all said, but also, with a straight, go for a wetter lather vs thick and creamy. Wetter equals more slick glide, which is what a straight needs a lot more vs "cushion". I personally never understood the cushion part, and have adapted to always using wet slick instead of thick and creamy at this point.

Click to expand...

Not to side rail too far... I'll agree a wetter lather but, based on nearly a month of using Williams Mug Soap, I would argue that cushion is a property of the soap (that Williams doesn't have) but I appreciate when using a straight razor. Williams may be slick but cushion it doesn't have a lot of - and I did not like it with a straight.

Trying different soaps may also help the OP understand his own lather.

While it only takes about a month to completely figure out a de razor and get perfect shaves, with a straight it generally takes much longer. Figure about 100 shaves in order to start getting really good at it.

Thanks Guys!

All great advice!

Bob

Are you stretching your skin tight when you are shaving? That could also cause some issues if you aren't.

ncfyrfyter said:

Are you stretching your skin tight when you are shaving? That could also cause some issues if you aren't.

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Good advice, I was wondering why nobody had mentioned this one before.
For someone coming from DE razors, the importance of stretching the skin cannot be overstated as a DE is far more tolerant in this respect.

Telling an experienced DE shaver to be more "aggressive" during his conversion to straights would certainly not be my advice, as muscle memory and instinctive knowledge what you can and what you cannot get away with, needs to be built first.
If you ignore that lesson, neighbors and colleagues may start wondering why you are trying to strangle your cat. 😼

Compared to the DE razor the stubble removal process with a straight is more gradual, and after the first DE WTG pass the removal progress will be more noticeable than after the first straight razor WTG pass.
For me the picture therefore doesn't fall into place until after the third (ATG) pass and then I still need to touch up the tricky jawbone area (using some contortions, as this area does not lend itself to an easy ATG pass with a straight).

In this respect I have to concede that a DE razor is more maneuverable and using a straight requires more thinking and ingenuity.


The journey may be longer than with a DE razor, you may have to filter which advice works for you and which doesn't, but eventually you will find your path and may come to the conclusion that a straight shave is just more enjoyable and satisfying.

"Per aspera ad astra...."


I wish you the best of luck on this journey.



b.