Hey all - so I had my first self administered (non barbershop) straight shave yesterday. That video really tipped me over the edge & made me take the plunge (thx Joel) - I went directly from a DE to the straight.
I whipped up some face lather with MWF on one half of my face so the other side wouldn't dry out (thx Luc!), & then armed myself with one of the fine examples of a vintage ivory scaled Sheffield I was sent up - the result of several patiently answered questions - (thx Gugi), I gave it a go. This one came shave ready & stropped, so I didn't have to take advantage of the free honing offer (thx Mainaman).
I played with angles just below the sideburn area & gradually increased it until I had the minimum neccessary angle to cut hair easily (thx DEShaver). Then I tried to continue those same angles throughout the shave. I found the upper & lower lip was actually very easy (thx Chimensch!)
No nicks, no cuts, and although the shaving videos were useful to watch last week, the only thing that seemed to matter while actually shaving was the blade angle on my face and light strokes. All the speculation in my head about different points & grinds vanished when I actually started cutting (thx Floppyshoes!)
When shaving some of the tougher beard just under my chin (I didn’t shave for 3 days before the straight) it felt like it didn’t want to start cutting so I had to push a little bit hard. I relathered there & tried again - a bit easier but not much different, so I manouevered around it with the heel of the blade several times in different directions & managed to get it all.
I can see how the blade could slip & cut skin while pushing against stubborn stubble but I guess I got lucky. While shaving this first time, I completely trusted the blade would only cut what I wanted to. Sorry if that sounds corny but I think it helped!
Then I lathered the left side of my face & found that switching hands was easier for that side of the face, but switched back to my right hand for the jawline & neck area there.
The blade was cutting smoothly again unlike the under chin area, so it's probably extra tough stubble there, or wrong technique on my part more likely. I kept forgetting to stretch before cutting - how the heck does one stretch the chin area anyway?
Rinsed the blade, wiped it dry, aired it for a few & put it away in a nice handmade case (thx Neil). Once done, slapped some toner on my face, and was pleasantly surprised by the lack of sting.
I was surprised by how smooth the whole thing went and I did the entire shave without using a DE afterwards to clean up - that was the best part for me. My previous encounters with straights a few years back was not particularly satisfying, so I ended up going to a barbershop once in a while with a tub of Kiehl's (surprisingly good for straight shaving) to get my fix.
All I can say to folks considering using straights - do it sooner than later, it's relaxing, rewarding & provides results when done correctly.
Forget EBay unless it's someone known here; get a shave ready razor from the B/S/T, focus on beard prep & use low pressure + moderate angles to make your first shave easy!
Ask anyone here for help and it comes in spades.
They made this first shave go so smooth that it's easy to get cocky within a few shaves & get bitten by the blade
I appreciate all the pointers & help I've gotten from the members here, both directly & by reading the posts - THX much!
I whipped up some face lather with MWF on one half of my face so the other side wouldn't dry out (thx Luc!), & then armed myself with one of the fine examples of a vintage ivory scaled Sheffield I was sent up - the result of several patiently answered questions - (thx Gugi), I gave it a go. This one came shave ready & stropped, so I didn't have to take advantage of the free honing offer (thx Mainaman).
I played with angles just below the sideburn area & gradually increased it until I had the minimum neccessary angle to cut hair easily (thx DEShaver). Then I tried to continue those same angles throughout the shave. I found the upper & lower lip was actually very easy (thx Chimensch!)
No nicks, no cuts, and although the shaving videos were useful to watch last week, the only thing that seemed to matter while actually shaving was the blade angle on my face and light strokes. All the speculation in my head about different points & grinds vanished when I actually started cutting (thx Floppyshoes!)
When shaving some of the tougher beard just under my chin (I didn’t shave for 3 days before the straight) it felt like it didn’t want to start cutting so I had to push a little bit hard. I relathered there & tried again - a bit easier but not much different, so I manouevered around it with the heel of the blade several times in different directions & managed to get it all.
I can see how the blade could slip & cut skin while pushing against stubborn stubble but I guess I got lucky. While shaving this first time, I completely trusted the blade would only cut what I wanted to. Sorry if that sounds corny but I think it helped!
Then I lathered the left side of my face & found that switching hands was easier for that side of the face, but switched back to my right hand for the jawline & neck area there.
The blade was cutting smoothly again unlike the under chin area, so it's probably extra tough stubble there, or wrong technique on my part more likely. I kept forgetting to stretch before cutting - how the heck does one stretch the chin area anyway?
Rinsed the blade, wiped it dry, aired it for a few & put it away in a nice handmade case (thx Neil). Once done, slapped some toner on my face, and was pleasantly surprised by the lack of sting.
I was surprised by how smooth the whole thing went and I did the entire shave without using a DE afterwards to clean up - that was the best part for me. My previous encounters with straights a few years back was not particularly satisfying, so I ended up going to a barbershop once in a while with a tub of Kiehl's (surprisingly good for straight shaving) to get my fix.
All I can say to folks considering using straights - do it sooner than later, it's relaxing, rewarding & provides results when done correctly.
Forget EBay unless it's someone known here; get a shave ready razor from the B/S/T, focus on beard prep & use low pressure + moderate angles to make your first shave easy!
Ask anyone here for help and it comes in spades.
They made this first shave go so smooth that it's easy to get cocky within a few shaves & get bitten by the blade
I appreciate all the pointers & help I've gotten from the members here, both directly & by reading the posts - THX much!
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Ah well, it is only money and I'm enjoying myself.
