First straight shave this morning

[Easttexasman]

Well I should first attempt.My goal was to shave both cheeks one WTG pass and I did accomplish my goal.I did not cut myself nor did I get any weepers.What I found difficult was the stretching of the skin and getting the razor into position to shave right below the sideburns,I took forever and all I could think was,man those guys in the videos make this look easy,but it was not easy for me.
I have to admit I was very nervous and my hand was shaking until I figured out I was not going to slice my face open.
I am going to continue just shaving the cheeks until I get technique down.

Paul

 

[Brownbear]

One down, they get easier every time. The sideburn trim still requires extra effort for me because my hands tend to block the view, especially on my left side. But if I line it up just before rotating the blade flatter I can get it started before I lose sight of it. Periodically I'll use a DE or SE to true up the sideburns just for neatness.

Hard as it seems to believe, your skills will rapidly increase and what seems virtually impossible to you now will become routine, then you can concentrate on the problem areas, which I believe we all have in one way or another. It is a long slow process of perfecting the nuances after the initial steep learning phase.

Well done.

 

[superbleu]

Congratulations Paul, sounds like you have made a fine first attempt.
It will only get better once you overcome the fear/nervousness, and gain confidence in your stroke and technique.

Keep us posted and ask questions if you come up with anything.

 

[Wid]

Congrats on your first time. I can't speak for anyone else but my first time with a str8 I was shaking like heck. You will over come the initial fear in no time.

 

[ouch]

None of the knuckleheads you see on videos are any smarter or better than you are, they just have developed sufficient muscle memory by dint of repetition to shave efficiently. Keep at it, and it will all become natural.

Right now, you'll struggle along slowly as you learn the proper angles and pressures required. It will become intuitive.

 

[raccoonandbrush]

Congrats! I found skin stretching to be a little difficult too. I just try to have my finger dry so it will catch the skin. My sideburns are close cut, so it's easy for me to shave directly under them. I don't know what I would do if I let my sideburns grow out more.

 

[Luc]

Good work on the first shave! The first one is always most difficult!

 

[Zephyr]

Congratulations, sounds like you did well!

I rub my fingertips on an alumblock to get more friction when stretching.

 

[rajagra]

Sounds like you did OK, and most of us felt that way during our first straight shave I bet.

Did you do the "arm over the head" manoeuvre to stretch the sideburn area? It's not something I would ever have worked out if I hadn't seen others do it, but once you try it it's easy and the only way to start there.

View attachment 137587

 

[MaritimeFanatic]

Congrats on the first one of many!

 

[DavyRay]

I do not stretch skin at the sideburns until after I have trimmed them to length. For some reason, that first inch or so just works without stretching. Also use the razor in my left hand for that left sideburn. Even if I use the dominant hand for almost the rest, that sideburn trim is done with the correct hand.

Ouch is right. This is all about practice.

 

[Easttexasman]

Sounds like you did OK, and most of us felt that way during our first straight shave I bet.

Did you do the "arm over the head" manoeuvre to stretch the sideburn area? It's not something I would ever have worked out if I hadn't seen others do it, but once you try it it's easy and the only way to start there.

View attachment 137587

Yes,I was using the "arm over the head" method.Looking at the picture it should be easy.

Paul

 

[Gustav]

Congratulations on your first shave, well done. I hope you enjoyed it!

 

[johnmrson]

Well done. I'm a pretty lazy straight shaver. I don't really stretch the skin much at all.

 

[rockviper]

Xmas eve for a first straight shave is pretty courageous, especially if the family likes to take a lot of pics over the holidays Well done. SWMBO made me stop my learning 2 weeks ago. I was allowed to resume last night

 

[Wid]

One thing I do for stretching the skin is to use a small piece of tissue paper between my face and fingers, works great for me.

 

[Easttexasman]

On my second shave I got a little braver and did my neck one time WTG.Still no cuts or weepers but I am not getting a good shave and I am actually missing spots.I finish up with a DE so it is not a big deal but I will keep at at it.

Paul

 

[johnmrson]

On my second shave I got a little braver and did my neck one time WTG.Still no cuts or weepers but I am not getting a good shave and I am actually missing spots.I finish up with a DE so it is not a big deal but I will keep at at it.

Paul

That's sounds like a pretty good start. It'll take you a little while to figure out which part of the blade is cutting and how much it cuts and things like that. Nothing wrong with needing a DE to tidy up for a little while. Have a play around with the angle of the blade. It's amazing how much better the blade cuts at the right angle.

 

[Gustav]

Another thing you can do to get good grip is to moisten your fingers and grap your alum block. Some of the alum gets caught on your fingers and they then stick like glue on your face. Watch Chimensch's video in the stickies to get a better idea of how this is done.

 

[Easttexasman]

Another thing you can do to get good grip is to moisten your fingers and grap your alum block. Some of the alum gets caught on your fingers and they then stick like glue on your face. Watch Chimensch's video in the stickies to get a better idea of how this is done.

Thanks for the advice.I love your city,Munich.I spent 4 days there in the summer of 95 back when I was in the military.
I wish to go back to Germany on day and visit the places that I remember,especially Mainz.

Paul