First Shave - Jumping Right In

[skiajl6297]

Just acquired my first straight from a member on my kitchen knife forum, and after a month of reading, video watching, shopping, practicing lathering for my sweet mach 3, I got my razor yesterday. Thanks Chris! I fully admit (and you will probably cringe) that my first razor is probably too nice for a starter, but the purchase came with a promise to approach this with a great deal of respect, and to not wreck it as I tried out straight shaving to see if it is right for me. I plan to have it professionally honed and in the meantime will purchase another razor (down the rabbit hole) so I can continue to shave while it is away. I am the proud new owner of a NOS Filarmonica Doble Temple #13 in excellent shape. Photos to come.

I got the razor yesterday, took it home from work, and after putting the kiddo to bed, I decided to go for it. I have been lurking here for a few months, and have already purchased the following: Omega Badger Brush, DR Harris Arlington shave soap, TOBS Sandalwood shave cream, Osma alum, barbacide, and a shaving bowl I found in storage from my grandpa - old Norwegian pottery.

I washed my face and prepped the beard with hot water and a hot washcloth. I face lathered with the Arlington and took my sweet time. I started WTG shaving on my right side (dominant hand). I aimed to keep the angle as acute as I could and jumped right in. I took my time, went slow, listened to the advice I have read, i.e. let the razor do the work, watched angle, used alum to stretch the skin, short strokes, etc. I just went for it, and ended up doing a full shave of my right side. I switched hands and went to it on my left. Awkward at first, but I quickly noticed how much easier the angles are when attacking with left hand on left side of face. I powered through and did a halfway decent job lefty!

Scariest moments were upper lip (right vs left hand awkwardness) the chin (shocker) and then making the transition down to my neck. After making passes all the way down my neck on both sides without killing myself, I stopped, took a look in the mirror and decided to try to make another ATG pass. I lathered up again, and again, took it slow. The ATG pass went better than the first pass - mostly because of my survival of one pass and the relative lack of loads of hair to cut. The neck was a pain in the arse - and I clearly need to continue to focus on my angles there.

I was done! I didn't butcher myself! I have some small weepers, but none that werent stopped by cold water splash at end of shave! Face wasn't razor burned to hell either. Holy crap! I did it! Was it a perfect BBS shave? Good god no! I missed spots, skipped spots, didn't get the angle right in spots, was too aggressive in spots, etc. But it didn't kill me, and I am willing to do this many many more times until I get closer to right! I can see myself doing this for a long time. And the razor performed like a charm!

Now my concerns:
Can I do it again? Did I strop it well after use? Can I duplicate the experience with my other soap? How much do all of these JNats cost? Will I ever use a Mach 3 again?

Awesome first experience - I am excited to shave again! I am likely to be a weeknight warrior every other day and weekends. But I am legitimately excited to have tried, and am glad I just went for it. Thanks for the inspiration - I hope to become more active here as I continue to learn, and go down the rabbit hole. I thought my kitchen knife habit was adequate to satisfy my hunger for sharp things. Apparently I am willing to take this love of sharpness to my face!

 

[ANeat]

Excellent; really echos the feelings I think most if not all have gone thru. Each shave will get better

The Jnat thing, just went down that road myself, not too bad if you shop around.

 

[SIG9]

Welcome aboard! It sounds like you've been bitten by the bug. Your first shave went well and proficiency will come with practice. I'm around 50 shaves in and it does get easier with each subsequent shave.

As you've already noticed the rabbit hole is deep. You'll find yourself wanting to buy more razors, strops, soaps, after shaves, and eventually you'll want to get into honing. I'd focus on your shaving technique for the moment and have your razor(s) honed by some of the honemeisters on this board. Give it a few months before you go down the honing path as that presents yet another steep learning curve.

The other thing I'd suggest is to take your time. I too shave at night since I have more time and it feels less rushed. Every other day is good to get a little growth for the blade to cut. I'd also suggest starting a shave journal. It will help you as you try new hardware and software and learn new ways of doing things. It's sometimes hard to remember all the variables and what worked vs what didn't work.

You're at the beginning of a fun journey. Enjoy it!

 

[smalltank]

Now my concerns:
Can I do it again? Did I strop it well after use? Can I duplicate the experience with my other soap? How much do all of these JNats cost? Will I ever use a Mach 3 again?

using only the weight of the blade while stropping is the best way to maintain your edge before and after use....jnats aernt cheap..then again..coticules aernt either (honing/polishing stone)..Yes...you CAN use your Mach3 when you are in a rush or dont trust certain directions with your blade while you are just beginning...Gillette Guard is a much cheaper alternative to Mach3...;-)

 

[skiajl6297]

Just shaved for the second time after my first go around with stropping. A bit more blood this time, but nothing major. I am not planning to shave every night, but was actually excited to get to it tonight after yesterday's relative success.

Used TOBS Sandalwood and found this shave to be a bit more tuggy. I wonder if due to poor stropping technique? Probably a lot of little reasons adding up, e.g. Technique, inconsistent angles, learning to strop, etc.

Also the TOBS is a bit more perfumey and seems to be bugging my skin a bit. Probably doesn't help that I went back to back nights for my first two shaves either.

I still enjoyed it very much but wasn't quite as relaxed tonight. Need to stick with the calm, cool, slow approach.

Going to give it a few days and keep on chugging! Thanks for the encouragement. I do plan eventually to get into hones, but want to first learn to give myself a halfway decent shave first!

 

[smalltank]

try using just the "weight" of the razor while stropping...pull strop tight but not too tight..little give on the strop is needed

 

[global_dev]

Awesome starter razor!!!!

 

[skiajl6297]

Just checking back in - I am about a dozen shaves in now, and still loving this process! I have bled for my mistakes, but fortunately nothing more than some nicks and an occasional slice. Still have my ears and nose and lips, so mostly just poor control on chin area and poor prep technique.

I think the single biggest breakthrough came the other night when I learned that you can thin the beard on WTG passes in very thick areas of beard growth. On my chin and just southeast of my lips, I have been constantly causing weepers due to a combination of super thick growth, poor prep, and multiple passes. I realized that my first WTG passes weren't leaving me at a point where an ATG pass was a smart move. Each time, I would ATG shave, it would bounce and nick and cause burn. I read about thinning out thick areas and approaching the first WTG pass more than one time, with a lessened angle to reduce the hair, and voila - multiple passes on my most difficult area without a single weeper or nick! Each time I do this I learn a teensy bit more about what works and what doesn't. This is fun!

Also, interestingly, I do not tolerate TOBS sandalwood. I am sticking with my DR Harris Arlington since it works perfectly when I take my time and build a good lather. No matter how many times I tried TOBS, I ended up with irritation. I have some Mikes coming in the mail, so hopefully that will also work well for my skin.

I strongly encourage everyone thinking of trying the hobby to give it a go! This forum has been absolutely awesome in providing great reading and advice, and also setting up realistic expectations for a newbie. I accept the blood, and am taking pride in the incremental improvements with each shave. I don't think I will ever go back! Eventually I need to buy another razor for whenever I need to have my Filly honed! Clearly I need another one rather than just waiting for one to come back. Decisions decisions.

 

[jpcwon]

That's awesome, sounds like you're on the right track!! You'll notice that you'll keep having those little "breakthroughs" from time to time, and before too long you'll be shaving with less & less bloodletting...

Get good at shaving with a straight before you decide to jump into honing. I tried to teach myself how to hone before I even knew how to shave ATG, and it was waay too much to try and learn at once. Take it easy and you'll succeed - slow & steady wins the race!!

 

[Slash McCoy]

Well you are certainly starting off with a nice razor. My first was a Dovo "Best" and it was a couple of years before I discovered now much better a good vintage blade was than a mediocre new one.

You are doing pretty good. A little blood is normal, starting out. Try two WTG passes for a couple of weeks, and concentrate on that, without trying any fancy ATG or XTG stuff. You will soon be getting a pretty good and very comfortable shave from just the 2WTG shave. When you have truly mastered the WTG then you will find the ATG and XTG will come easier. Plus there will be less for the ATG to get.

You will be wanting a second razor pretty soon. Be sure it is shave-ready. Maybe a third one. I will now make my usual plug for Larry at www.whippeddog.com, a great source for inexpensive shave-ready vintage straights.

Before your razor gets dull, get yourself a piece of balsa 3" x 12" and 3/4" thick. Alternately get two thin pieces and glue them to a piece of heavy glass cut to size. Apply diamond paste (www.tedpella.com) to the balsa. .1u to one side, .5u to the other. Strop about 50 laps on the fine side after each shave. If the razor gets a little dull, bring it back on the .5u side, as many laps as it takes to get it scary sharp again, then hit the .1u side. This pasted balsa strop will possibly keep your edge sharp forever. You may well never need to learn to hone. But if you just want to, after you are comfortable with the whole shaving thing, check out http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/283576-Lapping-film-try-it?highlight=lapping+film+try+it. I wouldn't get started just yet, but something to think about once you have a nice rotation of razors and the first one has gotten very dull. Meanwhile the thread is a great read.

 

[California Cajun]

It was a long time before I was able to achieve what you did on your first effort, Adam. Eventually you will just stand before the mirror while your hands do all the work.

You also gave yourself some top notch equipment to work with which is very important, and smart. Get yourself a quality 3" strop so you can go back and forth and not have to learn the more difficult X pattern. If you want a "Cadillac" get one from Tony Miller (thewellshavedgentleman.com) or comparable vendor.

To sustain your blade you will want some honing equipment. I can't say enough good things about Shapton synthetic stones, but there are a wide range of opinions about what is needed and what is the best. Read what experienced shavers post about honing and decide for yourself what you'd like to try. All of this stuff will pay for itself in the long run compared to the typical drug store or department store fare.

Welcome to the world of straight razor shaving!

 

[skiajl6297]

Thanks for the support everyone! Since my last checkin I have had my best and worst shaves! My worst came from a combination of poor prep, using too much weight on the blade, and again, my general lack of having mastered things. I didn't do a pre-shave shower, simply wet my face after a day of work rather than washing it first, used a warm wet towel for a few minutes, and then lathered. My lather clearly wasn't up to snuff, and I kept at it anyway. Caused exceptional razor burn on my right cheek down where the stubble really thickens. I tried to do two WTG passes, and was just pushing it too hard, and irritated the heck out of my skin. No slices or big bleeders, just major irritation. A good reminder to me about the importance of good prep routine, and another reminder that I need to focus on my lathering. I think I ended up with too dry of a lather and had some blade skipping, etc. Also using too much force to make up for the bad conditions.

The best shave followed this one about four days of growth later. I started moisturizing each day, not just immediately following a shave. I took a nice hot shower. I took my time lathering, tested lather on my hand, and dialed in a nice slick, thick, moist lather, and let it sit while I stropped. I didn't use too much pressure and tried to focus on just using the weight of the blade. I did two WTG passes for a nice decent passable shave. I didn't re-irritate my already delicate cheek area. In fact, I didn't irritate, nick, or otherwise hurt myself in any way! When I was done, nice cold splashes of water to rinse off, and it was just an amazing feeling of what this can and should feel like. Shaved again since then and had a similarly decent experience, although I skipped the shower, and just took much more time soaking and hot toweling. It wasn't QUITE as good, but again, much better than my butchery from a few days prior. I really appreciate the advice to just keep it simple, master the basics of a WTG shave, and then move on once the fundamentals are there.

I can see why people start this and then quit. This is an art, and doesn't come without effort. But I am enjoying every minute of it, and find it very much worth the effort. I find myself looking forward to carving out 30 minutes after work, after putting kiddos to bed, where I can shave. And that is kind of bizarre to me, but I also kind of love it. I'm sure many here can relate!

More shaves coming - Mikes Natural coming in the mail in coming week, so trying some new tallow to complement my DRH Arlington.