LROSE Straight Razor Journal

Well..Here it goes... Wish Me Luck !!!

I receive my Passaround Box of straight razors yesterday. I will get some pictures up of the units today.
They all looked very nice and were packed well.
After looking them over (I will go into detail later on the units), I chose the Solace blade as my beginning point. My reason for picking this one was that it felt the best in my hand. Balance seemed right and just fit my hand. After watch a few videos on You Tube about beginner shaving with straights, I lathered up and decided to give it a try.
SLOWLY and I mean SLOWLY I began on my cheeks. I have never had to stretch my face to shave so that was something new as well. The sound of the blade cutting the hair is definitely more audible and was causing me some nerves. Who am I kidding... I was scared to death !!! I was able to get both cheeks shaved with the straight and switching hands as well on each side with the blade. I stopped at that point....Not wanting to venture any further with the neck area for fear of cutting myself all to pieces. I finished my shave with my DE Razor.
Afterwards, the cheeks felt BBS...And I mean BBS !!! I could not believe it. 1 pass with the SE and it was nice and smooth.
I will try again in a couple days (my facial hair does not grow too fast). I had initially decide to give up on the SE and ship the package on BUT since I have come this far, I should see it through and try a couple more shaves to see if I can get better and it (technique and nerves).

Stay tunes for more entries into this journal....

It sounds like you had a great start!

Yessss! You have accomplished much! First you overcame your fear and pushed your envelope of shaving. Just by that you should feel the testosterone starting to jack up even more than before. This will help your beard to grow faster so you can shave more! Second, you got through your first shave without shedding precious bodily fluids! I can sense over the interwebs that your confidence is growing for your next try. Continue to go slowly and carefully until your muscles get used to this new routine. Especially around your chin and lip areas. I looked it up and there have been no known deaths by accidental razor cuts in recorded history except but from infection. Don't be afraid to only shave part of your face and finish with your regular razor until you get more comfortable. We all did that at first. Well, except perhaps Chuck Norris, who frightened his razor so much on it's first use it needed counselling.

Take your time there is no rush! And you are doing well. I know you followed up with a DE. Once you get another shave or two in, don't finish up with a DE. It is an interesting progression to see how much you learn and adjust while you have the box. You can monitor the progress and see what you did that was better or worse. Besides SAS, CCS, DFS, BBS, no one but you truly knows how close you are getting.

Good luck with everything and don't forget to ask questions.

Lastly, take your time. NEVER ever rush or you will nick yourself.

Good job! Even if all you end up doing are your cheeks, stick with it a few more times before giving up on it. Straight razor shaving is a lot like driving a car, you have to be doing and watching several things at once. When you start to get the hang of it, it just gets easier. ...and if you do end up cutting yourself you may be surprised by how little is hurts.

Great job on the first SR shave! Looking forward to seeing your progress.

majorrich said:

you got through your first shave without shedding precious bodily fluids!

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That reminded me of one of my favorite movies Rich.

Absolutely!

Thanks everyone for the replies and encouragement.

doc47 said:

Les, you are off to a great start. Go slow and you'll be fine. Stay with the cheeks until you are very comfortable and then move on. We are here to help!

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This! I shaved my cheeks and part of my neck for a couple of weeks before even thinking about my throat, chin, or upper lip. It gets slightly easier and you add a bit here and there, and the next thing you know you are solely using your SR. And looking for more...

You are doing fine Les, go slow and only attempt what you are comfortable with. There is something to be said for not cleaning up with a DE just as soon as you can make yourself presentable with the straight razor. Each day you will be evaluating the shave, and devising approaches to make it better the next day. I found that this excelerated my learning.

You did it! Go chop down a tree and drink a beer, boy-o! Congratulations!

Photos, please 😁.