How many shave without switching hands with the razor?

I find if I use only my right hand to shave, on one side of your face, your hand has your palm facing your face. When you shave the other side of your face, the back of your hand is facing your face with the blade pointing towards your ear. There also seems to be more pressure on my wrist when the blade is aiming towards my ear. I know you need to be comfortable with the way you shave and you have to have control. Some people are comfortable switching hands and others are not. How do most of you shave? For me, this video seems to make the most sense for when I shave by switching hands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIM0Coix6Gg

I'm very strongly right-handed and am very clumsy with my left, except for batting in baseball for some weird reason, and thus I shave only with my right hand. However, the back of my hand never aims at my face; it sounds to me like you're switching to a backhand stroke when you switch sides, which may be why you're having trouble controlling the razor. To switch which razor edge you use, turn the razor in your hand, not your whole hand.

When I shave the left side of my face top to bottom, my thumb is closer to my nose, whereas when I shave the right side top to bottom, my thumb is closer to my ear than my nose. My palm is always oriented towards my face, no matter which side I'm shaving and I just spin the razor around when I need to switch edges. Try it out with an unloaded razor and I think you'll see what I mean; hopefully that made sense.

I took the advice of many here and used both hands right from the start. I quickly developed hand-eye coordination and never looked back. That being said, whatever works for you is what matters most.


~Royce

I've never tried to shave with my left hand. Never even thought about it. I imagine I would feel unsteady.

DougK said:

I'm very strongly right-handed and am very clumsy with my left, except for batting in baseball for some weird reason, and thus I shave only with my right hand. However, the back of my hand never aims at my face; it sounds to me like you're switching to a backhand stroke when you switch sides, which may be why you're having trouble controlling the razor. To switch which razor edge you use, turn the razor in your hand, not your whole hand.

When I shave the left side of my face top to bottom, my thumb is closer to my nose, whereas when I shave the right side top to bottom, my thumb is closer to my ear than my nose. My palm is always oriented towards my face, no matter which side I'm shaving and I just spin the razor around when I need to switch edges. Try it out with an unloaded razor and I think you'll see what I mean; hopefully that made sense.

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+1. This is exactly what my response was going to be. (except for the baseball part)

Justgent said:

+1. This is exactly what my response was going to be. (except for the baseball part)

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Isn't you're hand then right in front of your face making it more difficult to watch yourself shave in the mirror? In the video, his hand is always away from the center of his face so you can see easier.

DudeAbides said:

I took the advice of many here and used both hands right from the start. I quickly developed hand-eye coordination and never looked back. That being said, whatever works for you is what matters most.


~Royce

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Same here, but agreed, whatever works best for you.

I use both hands for N/S, but just my right hand for S/N.

This guy has the blade towards his ear. This may be a safer way not to accidentally nick your ear compared to the other video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDq-2ZRVYXA

This guy who is also popular on youtube does it the same way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDR_1hg-xNs

I like it with the blade towards your ear for safety reasons to not nick your ear, but it does block your vision to some degree when your shaving.

All 3 of these guys switch hands when shaving.

DougK said:

I'm very strongly right-handed and am very clumsy with my left, except for batting in baseball for some weird reason, and thus I shave only with my right hand. However, the back of my hand never aims at my face; it sounds to me like you're switching to a backhand stroke when you switch sides, which may be why you're having trouble controlling the razor. To switch which razor edge you use, turn the razor in your hand, not your whole hand.

When I shave the left side of my face top to bottom, my thumb is closer to my nose, whereas when I shave the right side top to bottom, my thumb is closer to my ear than my nose. My palm is always oriented towards my face, no matter which side I'm shaving and I just spin the razor around when I need to switch edges. Try it out with an unloaded razor and I think you'll see what I mean; hopefully that made sense.

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O man… I wish you could have seen what your post just did to me! I thought this thread was about straights, so I went and grabbed one to try and figure out how on earth you hold a straight in your right hand on the left side of your face with palm toward face and thumb toward nose! You had me doing some crazy maneuvers there… Now that that’s settled, I use both hands exactly as you describe with DEs and for exactly the reasons you describe. I am however, a devout dominant-handed straight razor user; just can’t get the coordination to do it with my left (non-dominant) hand but for one spot on my neck. And I suck at hitting baseballs with either hand…  I just can never tell when I’m supposed to hit them!

Zach said:

O man… I wish you could have seen what your post just did to me! I thought this thread was about straights, so I went and grabbed one to try and figure out how on earth you hold a straight in your right hand on the left side of your face with palm toward face and thumb toward nose! You had me doing some crazy maneuvers there… Now that that’s settled, I use both hands exactly as you describe with DEs and for exactly the reasons you describe. I am however, a devout dominant-handed straight razor user; just can’t get the coordination to do it with my left (non-dominant) hand but for one spot on my neck. And I suck at hitting baseballs with either hand…  I just can never tell when I’m supposed to hit them!

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Sorry about that. I should have specified.

DudeAbides said:

I took the advice of many here and used both hands right from the start. I quickly developed hand-eye coordination and never looked back. That being said, whatever works for you is what matters most.


~Royce

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+1

Skickat från min Nexus 10 via Tapatalk

Right hand only. I have no self-destructive tendencies.

I use both hands. I thought it would be harder than it is as I'm not very good with my left hand in general but I tried using both hands and it wasn't hard at all to me. I think people think the other guy must be more ambidextrous than they are but in my case that's not the case.

It's just like everyone thinks their beard is the coarsest and their skin is super sensitive when in fact everyone can't be above or below average.

DudeAbides said:

I took the advice of many here and used both hands right from the start. I quickly developed hand-eye coordination and never looked back. That being said, whatever works for you is what matters most.


~Royce

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This! It was tough at the beginning, but it gets easier with practice.

Right hand only.

I tried left but just couldn't make it happen.

Jason smooth said:

I find if I use only my right hand to shave, on one side of your face, your hand has your palm facing your face. When you shave the other side of your face, the back of your hand is facing your face with the blade pointing towards your ear. There also seems to be more pressure on my wrist when the blade is aiming towards my ear. I know you need to be comfortable with the way you shave and you have to have control. Some people are comfortable switching hands and others are not. How do most of you shave? For me, this video seems to make the most sense for when I shave by switching hands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIM0Coix6Gg

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i guess I am confused...the video that you attach shows a gentleman, who obviously knows his business ( check out the "fools pass" under his nose), switching hands for his shave. He just does it opposite from what is usually taught: he uses his right hand to shave his left side and vice Versa on his first pass WTG. It makes sense seeing as the heel of the razor, not the dangerous toe, is closest to the ear. However, he does switch hands with the exception of the third pass ATG. So, I guess to back up other posts, do it however is comfortable to you and gives the best shave. (The part where he grabs the blade with both hands, like an ear of corn, and runs it up his lip under his nose gave me the hebbie jebbies.)

On on a side note, I like how he lathers in a separate bowl and then transfers the whipped up lather to the scuttle. I usually drop the soap puck in the scuttle and lather in the scuttle. It obviously stays warmer his way. Also, I like that circular sponge dealy he uses to wipe off the razor. Good stuff.

With a straight or shavette, I definitely change hands. I didn't realize I was in the straight forum when I posted my original reply; I was referring to DE shaving.

DougK said:

With a straight or shavette, I definitely change hands. I didn't realize I was in the straight forum when I posted my original reply; I was referring to DE shaving.

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Yeah, it's funny, when I straight razor shave I switch hands. When I shave with a DE razor I am right handed the whole time. Strange how I rely on a non dominant, less dextrose, hand to hold and manipulate the more dangerous instrument.

According to some tests I took once, I'm supposed to be ambidextrous, but I can barely do anything equally well with both hands. For whatever reason though, certain things feel natural to do one way and some feel natural the other way.

I write and throw with my right hand, but I bat, play hockey, and golf left-handed. And then for some reason if I'm holding the steering wheel or handlebars with just one hand, it feels incredibly awkward if it's my right hand as opposed to my left. Although I've gotten somewhat used to steering right handed now that our car has no ashtray in it, so I have to smoke and ash out the window with my left hand, but I'm still definitely not as precise with my steering that way.

I've never tried shaving with my left hand, but maybe I should give it a try. I do definitely notice the left side of my neck doesn't get as smooth without some extra effort. When I shave the left side of my face, sometimes I do a backhand stroke, sometimes I don't. It depends on what specific part of my face I'm shaving and what seems to work best for me. Now that I think about it, almost my entire ATG pass is a backhand stroke, even on the right side.

EDIT:

I really need to pay more attention to what forum section these posts are posted in. I don't use straights at all, so I'm talking about DEs.