Another DE user takes the plunge

[Scissors]

Thanks to Leighton, I'm now the proud and happy owner of a Reliance straight, with a mirror-finish blade and bone scales. But I didn't just get the thing to look at it; I got to shave, and today I did a WTG pass with it.

I didn't cut myself, but I didn't take off too many whiskers. But I'm definitely addicted. I just finished a (probably unnecessary) touch up on the most intractable parts of my face—and I used the Reliance. Still no cuts on my face (I gave a finger a paper-like cut wiping the lather onto a towel, ouch!), and I took off a few more whiskers this time. Oh yeah, I think I gave myself one hell of a case of razor burn. So I've got a LOT to learn..

This is a skill I've wanted to learn since I was a teenager. I'm incredibly happy and lucky that I have the tools and access to guidance to be able to learn to do it right. Thanks again to Leighton, and to everyone in this wonderful community. This really is a special place on the internets.

The one downside: SWMBO is completely freaked out by the razor, and doesn't want to see me using it. Somehow, though, I think as I improve, she won't be able to argue with the end results anymore.

 

[mdunn]

congrats mate.

its a bit tricky at first, but once youve got the hang of it youll be getting fantastic shaves

 

[cooltide]

congrats, welcome
now your RAD has just doubled

 

[mankini]

You are on your way, welcome to the B&B

 

[Scissors]

I'm insane. More touch-ups, more razor burn, but my angle is getting a little better, as is my grip.

Also a realization: if your technique is good enough, you can get a closer shave with one WTG pass with a straight than a three or four WTG/XTG/ATG pass shave with a DE. Is this so, or am I just enamored of my new shiny sharp toy?

 

[The Badger Rider]

yeah I feel the same. I just started straight shaving about 2 weeks ago and its the closest shave ever. The neck area is, of course the hardest, and the razor burn crazy. Now aftershave balm is absolutely essential.

As far as my fascination with my "new sharp toy", I'll tell you I do the sharp test with a hair after every shave and strop.

 

[leighton]

I'm insane. More touch-ups, more razor burn, but my angle is getting a little better, as is my grip.

Also a realization: if your technique is good enough, you can get a closer shave with one WTG pass with a straight than a three or four WTG/XTG/ATG pass shave with a DE. Is this so, or am I just enamored of my new shiny sharp toy?

I think so. If I really wanted to I could just do one WTG pass and leave the house looking better than most anyone who uses a cartridge or electric. One pass WTG DFS is the attainable pie in the sky.

 

[JPM]

The one downside: SWMBO is completely freaked out by the razor, and doesn't want to see me using it. Somehow, though, I think as I improve, she won't be able to argue with the end results anymore.

Congrats! And look at it this way, now you can get the bathroom to yourself whenever you want it.

 

[Tom Ford]

Congratulations, and good luck. I'm just getting started as well, first shave in and I'm addicted.

 

[Luc]

Congrats on the shave!

 

[Scissors]

Further OCD and madness about shaving with the straight:

• I strop before and after the shave. Today, I used the real Tony Miller linen and latigo strops after the shave: 50 laps on the linen, 100 laps on the latigo. This is up from 35 and 70 on the rough and smooth sides of the practice strop before the shave (and after the previous one)
• I did three passes today: WTG, XTG, and—OMG! —ATG. No cuts or weepers! OTOH, still not as close as my old DE shaves, so I began going over certain areas—chin on either side of my mouth, neck beneath my ears. And over them. And over them. Finally, I beat the parts of my chin into a smooth submission that I've never been able to get with the DE, although the extreme sides of my neck are still bristly to the touch.
• I did NOT do a clean up pass with a DE today. Although it's still kinda ragged compared to my DE shaves, I think this one is good enough to stand on its own.

Faults:

• I have to stop trying to push on through when there's resistance. Oddly enough, I found I could overcome resistance by lightening the force behind the blade sometimes. Maybe it also changed the angle slightly? Who can say?
• There are at least two more I can't think of right now. Oh well.

Finally, my other ADs have gone into remission. Soaps, creams, brushes—I don't care; I want to become a good straight shaver biq. But then I know I will want more and more straights.

Ah, this madness. When will it end?

 

[Scissors]

More straight shaving today. I had a shave, and later in the day, feeling my face, found reasons to go and touch up a bit

Discoveries and speculations:

• Selection of soaps and creams is more critical than with a DE. If a soap or cream is not lubricating, you'll be able to tell right now.
• Since you take smaller strokes and the straight gives more feedback, you discover all the peculiarities of the grain of your whiskers.
  For example, for the trouble spots on my chin below the tips of my lips, the usual WTG (descending) and ATG (ascending) are actually XTG passes. Furthermore, the real XTG for one is chin-to-ear while the other is ear-to-chin.
  Armed with this knowledge and my straight, I've finally been able to render these areas smooth no matter which direction I pass my hand across them.
• A straight is extremely exfoliating. Maybe this is one reason the end result looks so different: the straight shaver has mechanically removed a lot of dead skin along with whisker stubble, and your skin has a bit of a glow.
• This has implications for doing ATG passes: as you go against the grain, you're pulling your whiskers slightly above the skin—but at the same time, you're also lowering the level of the skin by removing the surface dead cells. So you're getting the below-the-skin closeness the cartridge makers bruit about—but with less risk of ingrown hairs.

I applied Haslinger honeysuckle soap with a Kent brush for the shave proper, which was three passes: WTG, XTG chin-to-ears, and ATG. I actually find the XTG pass the hardest. For my neck, I find myself doing more of a diagonal slant WTG than a an actual XTG—and that's only on the left side of my neck (I am left handed). For the RHS of my neck, I can only make a few strokes and am them flummoxed as to how to reach that area. Changing hands doesn't help, either. So what I did today (which is the same thing I've since I started doing multiple passes) is to shave that area South-North, i.e., ATG.

I didn't really need to shave today, and perhaps I should have waited until Friday. I looked fine. Yet I could feel whiskers wherever I passed my hand, so after I stropped my Reliance (50 strokes on the linen, 100 on the latigo—and you don't have to go particularly fast for so many laps to be over quickly) I decided to shave.

Twice later in the day, I was running my hand over my face, and decided I wanted to eliminate or at least reduce the whiskers in a particular spot. In fact, I just got done rendering the aforementioned spots on my chin smooth before sitting down to write this post.

I'm have lots of fun while keeping my face in a constant state of mild razor burn. Oddly enough, even the razor burn with a straight feels different that the razor burn from a DE: it's not as sharp a pain, so I can stand it. Although I hope with the passage of time and more shaves to my credit, I will have improved so that I won't get it anymore.

 

[r0ckrat]

• This has implications for doing ATG passes: as you go against the grain, you're pulling your whiskers slightly above the skin—but at the same time, you're also lowering the level of the skin by removing the surface dead cells. So you're getting the below-the-skin closeness the cartridge makers bruit about—but with less risk of ingrown hairs.

I think you are right about this, and also of note is that you are cutting the hair in such a way that the end of the hair is squared off, rather than pointed (like with a multi-blade cartridge) which I believe helps with the ingrown hair problem even more.

 

[Luc]

You're doing great at the moment!

The burning sensation that you described will go away with experience!

 

[Sticky]

...
Ah, this madness. When will it end?

Never. You are obviously deep into the clutches of the straight razor madness. Too late for you now!

...
Twice later in the day, I was running my hand over my face, and decided I wanted to eliminate or at least reduce the whiskers in a particular spot. In fact, I just got done rendering the aforementioned spots on my chin smooth before sitting down to write this post.

I'm have lots of fun while keeping my face in a constant state of mild razor burn. Oddly enough, even the razor burn with a straight feels different that the razor burn from a DE: it's not as sharp a pain, so I can stand it. Although I hope with the passage of time and more shaves to my credit, I will have improved so that I won't get it anymore.

The razor burn might just need a very small technique adjustment. Or maybe your skin is still getting used to the straight. Shaving 3 times a day doesn't help! (Yah, many of your fellow sufferers have done that, too) Welcome to RAD.

 

[Scissors]

Never. You are obviously deep into the clutches of the straight razor madness. Too late for you now!

Oh no! I'm done for!!

Shaving 3 times a day doesn't help! (Yah, many of your fellow sufferers have done that, too) Welcome to RAD.

Now, that surprises me. I thought I might be the only person foolish enough to keep finding reasons for "just one more little touch-up..."

I think you are right about this, and also of note is that you are cutting the hair in such a way that the end of the hair is squared off, rather than pointed (like with a multi-blade cartridge) which I believe helps with the ingrown hair problem even more.

That's an interesting observation. Makes me wonder if there wasn't a management/engineering argument when the multi-blade cartridges were developed (I mean, the engineering/product-development folks at the big manufacturers are paid to think about and research stuff we just speculate about here) and "management judgment" prevailed.

After today's shave, I noticed something that supports this: if I run my hand along my chin north-south—WTG—it's smooth. But if I stretch out my skin there, and run my hand WTG over the chin again, I feel stubble. I'm curious to know if other straight users find the same thing.

(* * *)

Today's shave: after saying that I've started face lathering since I started with the straight, I bowl lathered with some T&H Grafton cream. I did this because I'd face lathered with the Grafton cream and found it too thick. I wanted to give it another chance, and figured I would have better control if I bowl lathered. Long story short, I got a decent lather, but found it dried to fluff pretty quickly—I mean, I'm still shaving slower than I do with a DE razor, but I thought I was going at a decent pace. So maybe the Grafton gets PIF'd—I'm not sure, as I like the fragrance and mebbe I could superlather with something like Kent/MWF. Anyway...

I did three passes, WTG, XTG chin-to-ear, and ATG, and then some minimal touch up on my chronic tough spots. I meant to time myself but didn't. I think I did pretty well time-wise, but then got bogged down in my "minimal" touch ups. I was able to exercise some self-control and not make pass after pass over the problem spots on my chin and neck. They're not absolutely smooth to an ATG touch when the skin is stretched, but then again, do they need to be? They're smooth when I pass my hand over them WTG. While I'd like my face to be absolutely smooth, I figure what I achieved was good enough.

One technical advance: I managed a razor hold with my dominant left hand to cover my right throat for the XTG chin-to-ear pass.

All in all, a pretty good shave—maybe even a DFS. .