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Shaving with one hand or both?

I'm just trying to get everything sorted out before my first shave.

Don't attempt the impossible. There is only so much you can prep and research you can do. There are so many "right" ways to do things, it is a matter of trying them to see what's "right for you". Don't worry. Jump in. You will not regret it.

I have around 125 SR shaves under my belt and consider myself a competent SR shaver. But I'm still tweaking the process, trying different things. I fully expect that to continue until the day of my last shave. The most important thing in all of this, just do it.
 
Forgot to mention that my 125 SR shaves are all using both hands. Started with both from shave 1 and it took little to get the hang of it. Just feels natural now.
 
Either way you go, I hope you have great shaves! I myself am an ambidextrous Straight Razor shaver but a righty when it comes to shaving with a DE. You’re gonna do great!


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Both hands is the way to go. I actually think i shave better with my non-dominant hand.

If you are coming from cartridge razors I would highly advise going slowly into the process.

For example, for the first week or so, just do the flat part of your cheeks WTG (usually pretty much north-to-south). For the first few days you might even consider doing one light pass with your cartridge razor first and then doing a WTG pass on the cheeks only with the straight. Dry it and put it away.

Then move to two WTG passes on the cheeks only. Finish all the rest of the shave with your cartridge razor. Keep doing the two WTG passes on the cheeks only (right hand for right cheek, left hand for left cheek) until you are comfortable doing this and are getting decent reduction without irritation.

Thereafter begin to expand the parts of the face you are attempting with the straight razor. At any point if it gets uncomfortable or you get too frustrated, put it down and finish with your cartridge.

It takes extreme patience to be able to learn how to shave with a straight. It's actually a great lesson in patience. It gets better very slowly day after day. You have to take the long view and not expect too much too soon if you want to get maximum satisfaction and benefit from straight razor shaving.

Good luck and try to kick back and enjoy the journey. It took me 54 shaves before I did two passes of all surfaces including neck, mustache area, and chin. 54! But I was OK with that. Before I started I vowed to do at least 100 shaves before deciding if straight razor shaving was for me. So I tried really hard to keep that long view. (I chronicled my journey, including my frustrations, in a thread entitled "Why is the Straight Razor Subforum so slow?" at the Shave Nook, if you are interested.)
It's funny that you mentioned going over the other areas with a cartridge or DE and from what I've been reading, it seems that's how most people have been learning. Just do the cheeks and finish up with something you're familiar with... However in "Straight Razor/The Do's and Don'ts", there's this:
Don't - Use another type of razor (DE, Electric, Cartridge) to touch up areas you might not have done too well in. This is counter-productive to you learning how to properly tackle all areas of your face.

I understand both schools of thought. One is to avoid injury and slowly work up to the more difficult areas as you gain confidence and control. The other is more all-in, which may result in a few more nicks, but probably speeds up the learning process by forcing you to work the intimidating areas instead of avoiding them in the beginning.

Or maybe I'm interpreting it wrong.
 
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I disagree wholeheartedly with the "do's and dont's." Sure, using your regular razor will slow down your progress with a straight razor. Of course.

But who cares? It's not a sprint. Learning to shave with a straight razor isn't something that needs to be done entirely by the end of the week, or even the end of the month.

It makes a lot more sense to me to take a long view, and to gain skills incrementally. This way you can enjoy the journey everyday while still getting good shaves. Everything falls into place. It's not like using a different razor rather than all straight razor right from the start is going to make it so that you can never properly use a straight.

To each his own, but I think if you start slow you'll be happier in the long run, unless of course everything just comes really easy for you.
 
My left hand is practically useless. I just use it to drive and type...
I started Straight shaving with both from the get go (after using my right hand only for 30 years with a "traditional" blade razor). I admit that I nicked myself LESS with my left hand because I am more cautious.
I do shave my mustache and chin with my right hand - although still struggling with the neck line, but that is a whole issue for another day.
So I guess I am 2/3 right hand and 1/3 left hand.
 
I started with cheeks-only with the SR and DE for the rest, but quickly (5 - 10 shaves) progressed to a complete SR shave. When I got to that point the DE went into the drawer.

Did using a DE while learning SR, slow me down? Possibly, but only minimally if at all.
 
I disagree wholeheartedly with the "do's and dont's." Sure, using your regular razor will slow down your progress with a straight razor. Of course.

But who cares? It's not a sprint. Learning to shave with a straight razor isn't something that needs to be done entirely by the end of the week, or even the end of the month.

It makes a lot more sense to me to take a long view, and to gain skills incrementally. This way you can enjoy the journey everyday while still getting good shaves. Everything falls into place. It's not like using a different razor rather than all straight razor right from the start is going to make it so that you can never properly use a straight.

To each his own, but I think if you start slow you'll be happier in the long run, unless of course everything just comes really easy for you.

I started with cheeks-only with the SR and DE for the rest, but quickly (5 - 10 shaves) progressed to a complete SR shave. When I got to that point the DE went into the drawer.

Did using a DE while learning SR, slow me down? Possibly, but only minimally if at all.
Plenty of things come pretty easily to me, but I'd rather ere on the side of caution than just assume I'll be a natural (if there is such a thing) at straight razor shaving. I was actually really surprised when I read the "Do's and Don'ts" because EVERY single thread I've read about somebody getting started says they only did the cheeks until they felt comfortable enough to tackle the trickier areas.

I completely agree that it's not a sprint, which is honestly one of the reasons I want to learn it. It's not something that a lot of people do because, they don't want to take the time to learn. I doubt that using a DE or cartridge along with the straight would make a significant difference in the time it takes to learn. I just thought I'd mention that there seems to be 2 approaches, yet most people seem to learn in conjunction with another razor.
 
Depending on your social presentation needs a variation of these "Do's and Dont's" is to alternate between shaving methods. For example if one usually shaves daily but can get away with every other day, then flip back and forth between straight and safety razor shaving. That way you are working out your technique and developing fine motor skills but without any need to push things. As the DE will do clean up duty the next day on your chin and other trouble spots that were not shaved as closely. As your skill improves maybe every third shave is with a safety razor. When you reach the point of only needing a "clean up" once a week you are there.

I found myself doing this with my Feather AC after deciding to use it "exclusively". It took the stress of using it out of the picture. I could commit myself to using it but not push it so hard and instead work on not getting any nicks or weepers. But in a pinch due to time constraints or an important social occasion fall back to the DE. In the beginning there were a lot of fall back DE shaves.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
Plenty of things come pretty easily to me, but I'd rather ere on the side of caution than just assume I'll be a natural (if there is such a thing) at straight razor shaving. I was actually really surprised when I read the "Do's and Don'ts" because EVERY single thread I've read about somebody getting started says they only did the cheeks until they felt comfortable enough to tackle the trickier areas.

I completely agree that it's not a sprint, which is honestly one of the reasons I want to learn it. It's not something that a lot of people do because, they don't want to take the time to learn. I doubt that using a DE or cartridge along with the straight would make a significant difference in the time it takes to learn. I just thought I'd mention that there seems to be 2 approaches, yet most people seem to learn in conjunction with another razor.
I believe the main benefit of beginning just shaving your cheeks is to get past the intimidation of having a sharp blade against your face. Once you realize it isn't such a danger, it is easier to venture into the more complicated parts. When I started using a straight, I stopped using a DE and haven't used one since. I do have an advantage over most because I'm retired and can take as long as necessary in the morning. I do believe daily shaving at least part of your face speeds up the learning time. Shave what you can with the straight and finish with a DE, decreasing the DE usage as you go. Just over three months in, I may take five to ten minutes longer than a DE and can easily get a DFS with one pass now, but prefer to keep going for one more pass for BBS. What a great way to shave!
 
Either way you go, I hope you have great shaves! I myself am an ambidextrous Straight Razor shaver but a righty when it comes to shaving with a DE. You’re gonna do great!
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Hey! I've never thought about this. I too straight shave with both hands and stay with the right hand with a DE.
 
I chose ambidexterity for straight razor shaving, while I use just my right for a cartridge (don't own a DE).
 
A do a few spots with my left hand using DE. I have been doing more because I plan on doing SR in the near future. I'm what I refer to as weird handed. I write right handed, and throw left handed. In the past, after breaking an arm, I picked up writing left handed quickly, so I expect the transition to come fairly quickly. Not so sure about the actual shaving part though.
 
Mr Lynn Abraham has a very informative video on YouTube about shaving with a straight razor and his advice is to only shave with the grain and only on the cheek and finish with the razor your used to. For about a week, I think and learn the process and then advance. I watched alot of his videos a few years ago on honing, shaving, and stropping. I've had some nicks and you will to it's just part of learning. I would suggest both hands because it's a challenge you can meet with time but if you feel more comfortable with one hand enjoy it. I think you will find you are more careful with your off hand and actually can shave with it. Take your time and have fun.

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steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
I believe it is good to start WTG on the cheeks only. The important thing you learn doing that is to not be intimidated by the razor. Once you are comfortable with it you can experiment with other parts of your face. No one can really teach you to shave YOUR face because there aren't any others exactly like it so it is pretty much up to you to learn to shave it and you can't try different approaches peculiar to your face if you aren't comfortable with the razor itself. It is true that the learning curve is steep but it picks up speed as you climb it. In fact, it will likely surprise you. The trick is to do it daily and you can be pretty competent in a month or so. Unfortunately, the dreaded straight shave addiction kicks in and you will fret over your beard not growing fast enough to shave twice a day. But thems the breaks.
 
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