First shave

[jjb1989]

Hi guys,

Im new to straight shaving and hoping I can improve with every session. I just had my first shave with a straight razor last night.

Pros: I'm alive and no major blood loss.

Cons: Quite a few nics and very little to show for it in terms of clean shave. Still quite rugged across moustache and chin/neck area. Poorer results than the mainstream three blade shave.

Bulk of the nicks occurred on the chin and neck area, which I imagine must be the most difficult areas to start off with.

I stropped my new razor before shaving, put my usual shaving foam, and proceeded on. Tried to focus as much as possible on the 30 degree angle rule.

Am I still very rugged because my razor isn't sharp enough, or is it just technique?

I appreciate there's little detail here to go by, but any advice on how to get that clean shave all across with as little injury as possible welcome.

Thanks!

 

[Eric_75]

Hello and welcome to B & B!

 

[jjb1989]

Hi guys,

Im new to straight shaving and hoping I can improve with every session. I just had my first shave with a straight razor last night.

Pros: I'm alive and no major blood loss.

Cons: Quite a few nics and very little to show for it in terms of clean shave. Still quite rugged across moustache and chin/neck area. Poorer results than the mainstream three blade shave.

Bulk of the nicks occurred on the chin and neck area, which I imagine must be the most difficult areas to start off with.

I stropped my new razor before shaving, put my usual shaving foam, and proceeded on. Tried to focus as much as possible on the 30 degree angle rule.

Am I still very rugged because my razor isn't sharp enough, or is it just technique?

I appreciate there's little detail here to go by, but any advice on how to get that clean shave all across with as little injury as possible welcome.

Thanks!

 

[blethenstrom]

Sorry I cannot help you with advice on your straight razor shave since I only use DEs, but I do want to welcome you to B&B. We are so happy that you decided to join use. I am sure there are plenty of people here that can help you with advice.

 

[BigJ]

Welcome aboard! Two suggestions:
1. Check in with the guys on the straight razor forums.
2. Assure that your razor is well honed (many sold as ‘shave ready’ are not).

 

[Lightcs1776]

Welcome. It took me a few shaves with a straight razor to get the right angle. Keep it up and you will see an improvement.

 

[Dave himself]

Hi and welcome to B&B.

 

[Manye]

Welcome. My advice is to stick with it. It took me a month of daily shaving to develop my technique. I worked on improving one area of the face at a time. Still battling to shave the chin satisfactorily and not yet competent or confident to push the steel ATG. The best advice I got here (can’t remember who said it, though - apologies to whoever did) was “Do not fear the blade”.

 

[Phoenixkh]

Welcome to the B&B community.

I'm also zero help with straight razors. But as has been mentioned, there are a dedicated group of straight razor shavers here. They are a fount of great information and advice.

 

[Ravenonrock]

Congratulation and welcome! You survived! To be honest I found my whole face a difficult area to shave in the beginning with some cuts here and there, sometimes for no particular reason. Trying to keep the angle at a spines width from my face was helpful for me. The chin and neck areas can be particularly challenging, keep at it, you could always take a break and just do the cheeks for practice. Enjoy the ride!

 

[Manye]

The best advice I got here (can’t remember who said it, though - apologies to whoever did) was “Do not fear the blade”.

I remembered - @bluesparkuk. Thank you to the aforementioned member. Fabulous advice for a beginner.

 

[bluesparkuk]

I remembered - @bluesparkuk. Thank you to the aforementioned member. Fabulous advice for a beginner.

Cheers bro,i remember when i started my straight shaving journey,it was fear of the blade that caused me to be over cautious,actually resulting in more cuts/nicks

 

[bluesparkuk]

Hi guys,

Im new to straight shaving and hoping I can improve with every session. I just had my first shave with a straight razor last night.

Pros: I'm alive and no major blood loss.

Cons: Quite a few nics and very little to show for it in terms of clean shave. Still quite rugged across moustache and chin/neck area. Poorer results than the mainstream three blade shave.

Bulk of the nicks occurred on the chin and neck area, which I imagine must be the most difficult areas to start off with.

I stropped my new razor before shaving, put my usual shaving foam, and proceeded on. Tried to focus as much as possible on the 30 degree angle rule.

Am I still very rugged because my razor isn't sharp enough, or is it just technique?

I appreciate there's little detail here to go by, but any advice on how to get that clean shave all across with as little injury as possible welcome.

Thanks!

Welcome to the club...enjoy

 

[cryhavoc]

Welcome to B&B! You may want to check out the Straight razor guys Straight Razor Shave Clinic - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/forums/straight-razor-shave-clinic.79/

 

[gpjoe]

Hi guys,

Im new to straight shaving and hoping I can improve with every session. I just had my first shave with a straight razor last night.

Pros: I'm alive and no major blood loss.

Cons: Quite a few nics and very little to show for it in terms of clean shave. Still quite rugged across moustache and chin/neck area. Poorer results than the mainstream three blade shave.

Bulk of the nicks occurred on the chin and neck area, which I imagine must be the most difficult areas to start off with.

I stropped my new razor before shaving, put my usual shaving foam, and proceeded on. Tried to focus as much as possible on the 30 degree angle rule.

Am I still very rugged because my razor isn't sharp enough, or is it just technique?

I appreciate there's little detail here to go by, but any advice on how to get that clean shave all across with as little injury as possible welcome.

Thanks!

Chin and neck are the trickiest for me, regardless of the razor. Those areas are especially challenging for a new shaver using a shavette or striaght razor (SR).

I've "dabbled" with SR shaving and found that it is very difficult for me to get the results that I can achieve with a DE or shavette.

A couple bits of advice I can offer from my limited experience:

I don't know the source of your SR, or who honed it, but it is crucially important that you learn with a truly shave-ready razor. If you are not sure of the condition of the edge, or if you don't know how to properly do it yourself, send your razor to someone that does.

I cannot stress enough how important a good edge is, and anything less than shave-ready will only lead to terrible results and frustration...and having a shave-ready razor eliminates one VERY important variable.

Second, you should not expect perfect shaves after a few attempts. Some here believe that it "takes 100 shaves" to become proficient with a SR. I don't necessarily believe that, but there is certainly a steep learning curve, and your first shaves will likely be sub-par compared to ANY other razor which you have used.

My suggestion(s):

- Use a shave-ready razor.
- Just shave the flat surfaces of your face (cheeks/neck) one pass, with the grain, and stop. If the shave is horrible (it probably will be) there is no shame in using a DE or cartridge razor to clean up while you learn.
- Visit and read the SR forums here at B&B...there is a ton of info on shaving technique, razor honing/stropping, and maintenance.

Good luck, and welcome to the show.

 

[dmshaver]

Welcome to B & B, enjoy!

 

[Old Hippie]

Hi guys,

Im new to straight shaving and hoping I can improve with every session. I just had my first shave with a straight razor last night.

I'll say this for you: you don't start in a small way, do you? Good on ya! Welcome to B&B. We're glad you're here.

Am I still very rugged because my razor isn't sharp enough, or is it just technique?

Around here, it seems like it's always technique. But we're talkin' straights, so it might also be the edge. I must admit that although I am capable of obsession, putting the perfect atom-splitting edge on a straight razor is not one of mine. But you'll find a whole crew of genial edge-obsessives in the straight razor forums.

Interim, perhaps use the straight first for WTG on the easy parts, then after a while WTG on the less easy parts. Finish with your usual razor. Carry on adding a little once in a while, building up to that full shave. And most important, enjoy it! Have fun with it. Keep us posted.

O.H.