Interested in getting into Straights but.

I have gotten shave with a straight (shavette specifically) about 5 times and each time my face was BBS but also looked like a war zone. Each of these people supposedly were highly trained, but I would get the worst irritation I've ever had afterwards. Is it possible my skin just doesn't play well with Straights?

Some notes, the first four times were at traditional barber shops where I was prepped pretty classically, hot towels, a little oil, pinaud products and warm shave cream. The barbers took their time and although it was reasonably relaxing the aforementioned mutilation would occur in each scenario. The last time I "splurged" on the top of the line shave at an AoS store, and while the shave gave me the best overall results (smoothness) I had the same problems with razor irritation.

Everything I've read has said that done properly, a straight should be gentler on the skin and cause less irritation. Is it the shavette? Is it possible that I've had lousy barbers? Just curious because I feel like I'm ready to move on from DE's but this issue is holding me back.

Welcome to B&B. I'm sorry your initial expectations have not been met by the shaves you've received. I'm afraid you were shaved by people who don't know what they're doing. But the good news is, there's a solution: You can learn to do this well yourself!

Interesting story. I have never been shaved by anyone else. I know it took me a while to learn my face, so I can't imagine a barber having much of a chance. I reckon faces come in varying models from very easy to very difficult.

Did you express a desire for BBS such that you got too much of a working over, maybe?

At any rate, it can be pretty cheap to try straights, and you could get your money back if it didn't agree with you. Sometimes it seems people tend to look at straights like a similar expenditure as going to a see a bunch of movies, or an expensive restaurant, or a bunch of cartridges, and it is actually far from accurate. If you buy smart, you get all your money back, close to it, or even more.

Give it a shot. Plenty of information on this board.

The short answer is, if you get a close, comfy shave from a DE without the irritation you describe, there is no reason you can't get it from a shavette or a conventional straight razor. Seach the BST for a deal or just get a 'Whipped Dog' Starter razor and give it a go. There is some technique involved, but it's quite easy to master. No one will be more careful about your face than you. Go for it and don't look back.

Thanks for the feedback guys, perhaps I will try a whipped dog starter just until I'm certain I'll enjoy it. I fully expect the learning curve to be steep, but I'm looking forward to it.

It may vary well be the shavette. While you can get a very good shave with a shavette, it's probably one of the most demanding shaving tools there is bar none. Don't be too quick to poo poo your barber. He (or she) just may not possess the mad skills for the shavette.
Go ahead and get yourself a true straight razor, have it properly honed, and take the plunge! You won't be without support. There are plenty of YouTube videos to give you an idea as to what to do, and you have this place for advice, and a kind word when you need it. =)

jlindy said:

It may vary well be the shavette. While you can get a very good shave with a shavette, it's probably one of the most demanding shaving tools there is bar none. Don't be too quick to poo poo your barber. He (or she) just may not possess the mad skills for the shavette.
Go ahead and get yourself a true straight razor, have it properly honed, and take the plunge! You won't be without support. There are plenty of YouTube videos to give you an idea as to what to do, and you have this place for advice, and a kind word when you need it. =)

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+1000 on this, as I had a very similar path to straight, I was given, IMHO the wrong advice with trying a shavette 1st, and had much of the same experience, and had thought since I had been DE shaving for 20+ years that it would be an easy transition, but after asking some of the more veteran Straight shavers here I took the plunge, and never looked back, and with almost 300 Straight shave in in just this past year, you will not find, again in my opinion, a better way to enjoy shaving. Once technique is on par you can re-visit Shavette's and then truly know how to appreciate what they can do as well. The negative aspect is that you may find as I did, that your DE's may start collecting dust.

Good luck to you and the Whipped Dog path is probably the most economical way to "try before you buy". Also check out some of the shave journals to see other folks progress and if you look you will see a pattern of successes as well, It is definitely a journey.

Journals:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/forumdisplay.php/160-Journals-and-Diaries

Good Luck

99% of ALL barbershop shave stories here on B&B are horror stories.

Barbers no longer KNOW how to give straight shaves, so don't judgea straight shave by a barbershop experience.


The best guy to give you a straight shave is looking at you every morning in the mirror.

I am fortunate enough to have a good barbershop in my neighborhood run by a man from Uzbekistan. His staff members mainly speak Russian. The first couple of times I had a shave there -- with a shavette -- I had the same female barber, neither young nor old. She did a great job. The last time the proprietor himself did the job. I hate to say it because he's a terrific, jolly guy, but I suffered a fair bit of irritation.

If you can shave with a razor you can do it with a straight...it just takes time and patience. Give it a go and you'll find that there is an irritation free shave waiting for you. I can honestly say that straights shave so well once learnt that you won't shave with anything else!!

Oh end welcome to the fold

Second question, and I realize this has probably been talked about ad nauseum here, but should I go with the smaller expenditure of the sight unseen, or should I take that money (that I'll probably inevitably end up spending anyway) on a mid range razor?

crober51 said:

Second question, and I realize this has probably been talked about ad nauseum here, but should I go with the smaller expenditure of the sight unseen, or should I take that money (that I'll probably inevitably end up spending anyway) on a mid range razor?

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Either are viable, but I would go with the sight unseen. Or just do both as you will want to have more than one razor.

The razor itself doesn't matter as much as the job someone did honing it. Another excellent option is to get a cheap Chinese Gold Dollar or ZY430+ honed by an expert. A common recommendation is someone on this board, lifetooshort1971, who does this as a service and sells them for a reasonable price on ebay.

I can also personally vouch for the edges on razors sold and honed by The Superior Shave, who sell a wide range of mid to high end razors.

Knowing everything I know now, probably the path I would *actually* take is to buy a razor that Seraphim has customized from his site. PM Seraphim and ask him. This will be relatively inexpensive but not as cheap as a Whipped Dog or honed GD/ZY430+; however you'll have a one of a kind customized razor that will reportedly be very sharp. I keep meaning to buy one from him but always get distracted by shiny vintage razors

Superior Shave....$80-$90 for a brand new quality razor honed by one of the best coticule masters in the arena? Is there any question?.

crober51 said:

Second question, and I realize this has probably been talked about ad nauseum here, but should I go with the smaller expenditure of the sight unseen, or should I take that money (that I'll probably inevitably end up spending anyway) on a mid range razor?

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Up to you but whichever route you go make sure the blade is shave ready.

A vintage razor can usually be re-sold for what you paid for it. The depreciation has already happened. A new razor depreciates as soon as you take it out of the coffin. So there's that. I personally advise against Dovo "Best" razors or recent production Giesens & Forsthoff but YMMV. Dovo does make excellent higher quality razors, though, especially the Bismarck which Jarrod at TSS usually has in stock. Don't buy any Pakistani razors as a rule, and be careful about any other new, cheap razors though a GD or a ZY, properly set up by someone knowledgeable, is a great shaver.

A Whipped Dog is a good value. It will be ready to rock, and priced to please. Great first razor, as a rule.

Alrighty, sounds like my best option is to go with a whipped dog special or invest about 2 hundred into a better razor from an established mark. I was also impressed with the olivewood options at Superior Shave.

You don't need to spend nearly $200 on a razor starting out. New entry level razors from Solingen run about half that or less.

stoop said:

You don't need to spend nearly $200 on a razor starting out. New entry level razors from Solingen run about half that or less.

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That's true, but for shave-ready, options are narrowed a bit.

A razor from Whipped Dog is a great intro into the world of straight razor shaving. If you go that route and find that you like straight razor shaving you'll most likely want a second razor. Take your time and shop around. Given your $200 budget most of Revisor's http://www.revisor-solingen.de/index.php/en/ catalogue is well within reach. A lot of nice vintage blades can be had as well.

I bought a Boker Tree brand razor for around $150 from West Coast Shaving, it work well. I also have a Jerry Stark razor that is great too. I would definitely recommend buying two, it is nice to have a second one in case you need to send one out to get sharpened. Or dull it stropping. Or maybe ding the edge into a glass bottle while submerging the razor in alcohol. Ya know, stuff I've never done