At some point last week I clocked up my 100th straight razor shave and I wanted to share some of my findings.
Firstly, I really like this form of shaving. Of everything that I’ve tried, the SR gives me the most comfortable shave. For me comfort is the single most important factor. It also happens to give me closest shave which is a very nice bonus.
It took around thirty shaves to get the hang of it and from there it has just kept getting better and better. I’ve developed a proper routine now. Every morning each stroke is virtually the same like some kind of weird, well rehearsed, shaving ritual or ceremony. It’s a great way to start the day and I don’t hit the snooze bar anywhere near as much as I used to. I am still getting improvements but the major breakthroughs are behind me. It’s all minor tweaks now to squeeze the last little bit out of the razor.
I put off learning the SR for a long time for two reasons. Fear of injury and fear of maintenance. When I started out I was fully expecting there to be blood involved but it never really happened. A few tiny nicks that closed up with cold water is all that I ever got. I’ve had much worse nicks learning to use the DE. Of course you need to be careful but if you use common sense and go slow you are unlikely to hurt yourself in any major way.
Maintenance has been a lot easier than I initially thought too. After a lot of reading I decided to become a Method man to start. This was a great decision. By following the instructions it was pretty easy to get a sharp edge right away. This made the shaves a lot more comfortable. I have only used my set of films once and since then just used my 0.1u balsa and strop for maintenance. I shave in the mornings and in the evening I prepare the blade for the next day. 10 laps on linen, 30 on leather, 50 on balsa, 20 on leather. It takes a few minutes and the blade is always super sharp each shave. I’ve thought about buying natural stones but this method is so easy, clean, fast, cheap and effective that I just can’t justify the expense. I think I will just stick with what I’m doing. It works.
My advise to anyone who’s on the fence about trying SR shaving is to give it a try. Start with a shave ready razor, either new or from a trusted source on BST. Get yourself a decent horsehide strop and a full method set up of films, acrylic plates, balsa and diamond paste right from the start. Don’t skip the diamond paste like I did in the beginning. If you have the full setup and you can fix any problems that you might run into along the way. Have a crack at doing your own honing. It’s not that hard and it’s a great skill to have. Always use a low angle, light pressure, stretch the skin and move the blade perpendicular to the edge while shaving. Easy, you will be golden. I would also recommend using both hands right from the start. It gives you a lot more options and your muscle memory picks it up pretty quickly even if your off hand protests at first.
After 100 shaves I don’t have a single nick in my strop. I must be the only one to have ever managed this. I started with a decent razor, honed it myself and it’s still my only one. I didn’t break it and it’s still going strong and in great condition.
I’m so glad I gave straight razors a try. I fairly confident that I am a lifelong convert now. I won’t deny that there was a big learning curve at the start but overall it was easier than I thought. I’d recommend that everyone give it a try if you can. Many thanks to everyone here that helped to get me to this point! Your help and advise has been extremely valuable.
Firstly, I really like this form of shaving. Of everything that I’ve tried, the SR gives me the most comfortable shave. For me comfort is the single most important factor. It also happens to give me closest shave which is a very nice bonus.
It took around thirty shaves to get the hang of it and from there it has just kept getting better and better. I’ve developed a proper routine now. Every morning each stroke is virtually the same like some kind of weird, well rehearsed, shaving ritual or ceremony. It’s a great way to start the day and I don’t hit the snooze bar anywhere near as much as I used to. I am still getting improvements but the major breakthroughs are behind me. It’s all minor tweaks now to squeeze the last little bit out of the razor.
I put off learning the SR for a long time for two reasons. Fear of injury and fear of maintenance. When I started out I was fully expecting there to be blood involved but it never really happened. A few tiny nicks that closed up with cold water is all that I ever got. I’ve had much worse nicks learning to use the DE. Of course you need to be careful but if you use common sense and go slow you are unlikely to hurt yourself in any major way.
Maintenance has been a lot easier than I initially thought too. After a lot of reading I decided to become a Method man to start. This was a great decision. By following the instructions it was pretty easy to get a sharp edge right away. This made the shaves a lot more comfortable. I have only used my set of films once and since then just used my 0.1u balsa and strop for maintenance. I shave in the mornings and in the evening I prepare the blade for the next day. 10 laps on linen, 30 on leather, 50 on balsa, 20 on leather. It takes a few minutes and the blade is always super sharp each shave. I’ve thought about buying natural stones but this method is so easy, clean, fast, cheap and effective that I just can’t justify the expense. I think I will just stick with what I’m doing. It works.
My advise to anyone who’s on the fence about trying SR shaving is to give it a try. Start with a shave ready razor, either new or from a trusted source on BST. Get yourself a decent horsehide strop and a full method set up of films, acrylic plates, balsa and diamond paste right from the start. Don’t skip the diamond paste like I did in the beginning. If you have the full setup and you can fix any problems that you might run into along the way. Have a crack at doing your own honing. It’s not that hard and it’s a great skill to have. Always use a low angle, light pressure, stretch the skin and move the blade perpendicular to the edge while shaving. Easy, you will be golden. I would also recommend using both hands right from the start. It gives you a lot more options and your muscle memory picks it up pretty quickly even if your off hand protests at first.
After 100 shaves I don’t have a single nick in my strop. I must be the only one to have ever managed this. I started with a decent razor, honed it myself and it’s still my only one. I didn’t break it and it’s still going strong and in great condition.
I’m so glad I gave straight razors a try. I fairly confident that I am a lifelong convert now. I won’t deny that there was a big learning curve at the start but overall it was easier than I thought. I’d recommend that everyone give it a try if you can. Many thanks to everyone here that helped to get me to this point! Your help and advise has been extremely valuable.
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