Which tutorials on straight shaving do you recommend?

[Jason smooth]

There are so many tutorials out there and many shave differently. Which videos do you recommend?

As I practice with a butter knife I have a question. It seems hard to have the entire blade angled straight against your face. It seems you can get half of it with the right angle and you can just focus on that area and not shave the back area of the blade at the same time. Is this the wrong way to do it?

 

[Justgent]

Watching tutorial videos is great for getting an idea of how it's done, but none are as good as practice. I myself never shave with the whole blade all at one time, the curves of my face won't allow it. The best thing to do is practice and find what works for you. Everyone's face and techniques are different. Don't worry about one area for to long or you will irritate the skin, if some hair is missed just catch it on the second pass.

 

[dmatcuk]

I think that the only video I ever watched was from a member doing his birthday shave with a fantastic Thiers Issard 7 day set. Those razors are beautiful! That being said, you won't always, if ever, have the entire blade on your face. Depending on the shape of your face and the area that you are shaving, you will more than likely just be using a portion of the blade. There is nothing wrong with doing that. The only thing I have ever seen mentioned is that if you constantly overuse one portion of the blade, it will dull faster than the rest. So when you do actually put the entire blade to your face, part of it won't shave as well as the rest of the blade. I can't say that I have ever noticed it though in my experience.

 

[gvillepa]

I have probably watched just about every youtube video on DE and straight razor shaving, honing, stropping, and lathering that is available. I must say, i learned a lot from it but at some point you just have to take the plunge!

Also, when watching these youtube videos, factor in the total views, likes vs dislikes ratio, and read the comments. Just because there is a video posted, doesnt mean its a good educational video done with good technique. Critics are harsh, so i found the comments and like/dislike ratio to be a very good guide.

Good luck

 

[Lmarkow]

Watch them all. But understand we all do this differently. Your razor will let you know if you're doing something "wrong" . . . .

 

[Blamo]

Geofatboy and Lynn (the honemiester) have some pretty good videos. Heck, I even like the Boker video of the guy in the silent movie old timey theme shaving. And no, don't worry about using the whole blade while shaving. My favorite razor has a smile and I generally use the front portion behind the toe for most of my shave. Starting at the sideburns and moving towards my nose I start using more of the heel to get right up close to a goatee.

 

[adrian jordan]

I second the Lyn Abrams and Geofatboy videos. Both have great "Straight razor for beginner" videos. Those really helped me to get my technique down and recognizing where my faults were, also helping me see techniques for tricky areas. I do have to say that I got at least as much out of reading up on threads and getting pointers from the shavers right here, though.

One thing that I'd really buckle down on is feeling your face and noticing how the hair grows in. WTG is almost always down, but for some they're diagonal or towards the middle or even up, and learning where this happens will really improve your shave. Some poor, poor bastids have cow-licks. Mapping this can assure that you are getting in the needed WTG pass first, which will make the rest of the shave more comfortable. I almost always had a red, irritated and nicked area about three inches long and an inch wide along the bottom of me neck on the left side. It took me a while to figure out that that areas growth grew up, and I was going ATG in that area every time since I did not adjust my angle on the first pass.

 

[Justgent]

No need to be nervous. Just take your time and use a light hand. I have been doing this for a few years now and I can honestly say I have only cut myself once.

 

[ObsceneJester]

I think that the only video I ever watched was from a member doing his birthday shave with a fantastic Thiers Issard 7 day set. Those razors are beautiful! That being said, you won't always, if ever, have the entire blade on your face. Depending on the shape of your face and the area that you are shaving, you will more than likely just be using a portion of the blade. There is nothing wrong with doing that. The only thing I have ever seen mentioned is that if you constantly overuse one portion of the blade, it will dull faster than the rest. So when you do actually put the entire blade to your face, part of it won't shave as well as the rest of the blade. I can't say that I have ever noticed it though in my experience.

Are you talking about Chimensch's Shaving Video? If so, I remember watching that video 20-30 times. I love how he shaves ATG, very fluid.

 

[Doc226]

Are you talking about Chimensch's Shaving Video? If so, I remember watching that video 20-30 times. I love how he shaves ATG, very fluid.

This is the best

 

[dmatcuk]

Yep this is the video I am talking about. After watching it a couple of times, it helped my technique out a good bit. Plus I do really like those razors!

Are you talking about Chimensch's Shaving Video? If so, I remember watching that video 20-30 times. I love how he shaves ATG, very fluid.

 

[Extrawurst]

Willipeter99

 

[lastcoyote]

Are you talking about Chimensch's Shaving Video? If so, I remember watching that video 20-30 times. I love how he shaves ATG, very fluid.

I've just had the guts to have my first shave with my Thiers Issard straight and found it much harder than I thought it would be.
You gotta start somewhere though right.

Watching this video now makes me in awe of how good his technique is.
I found it difficult to find the right angle. I read beforehand about having the spine away from your face about the same width of the spine but I found it stuttering on my skin doing this and found myself using a steeper angle and the blade seemed to then move smoother across the skin. Is this wrong though? In the video he seems to do a mixture of a shallow angle and then quite steep.

I've got much to learn. Will try again once my face heals