First straight shave!

[Shavely Manden]

One WTG and one XTG pass, finished up with a DE ATG pass (I know, I cheated...gotta go to work tomorrow). Still look scraggly, but it worked! More or less! And I only had one nick I'd describe as a "slice"! (Actually, all the other nicks probably came from the DE.)

One question, though -- how the heck do y'all see what you're doing? I seemed to end up with a blade, tang, and two hands in my face area, and couldn't really see to, say, adjust my blade angle. Also, how do you reach hard spots (say, under the jaw doing a E-W pass, which unfortunately is WTG for most of my face)? Just stretch it up or down till it's somewhere more convenient?

 

[Luc]

Good work on the shave!!

I use both hands but not always the left on the left side. I try never placing my hands in front of my eyes so I can always see what I'm doing. If you pull on your cheek, your first try would probably to push the skin up and have your hand in front of your eyes. Instead, use your left and and go around your head and pull the skin up.

 

[Shangas]

Hi Shavely,

I find straight-razor shaving to be a very TACTILE experience. You don't so much look at what you're doing as you do FEEL what you're doing. Knowing the right angle, where to shave and where you've missed bits that you need to shave again, where and how much to stretch your skin, is all a matter of feeling.

Unless your beard is particularly thick or something, you won't know what's going on underneath the lather unless you use both hands to guide your razor along. Also, a mirror helps, but I daresay I could probably shave excellently without one, because relying on your eyes isn't nearly as good as relying on your hands.

 

[kg4ghn]

One thing that helps me to be able to see is I will turn my body 45 degrees so the side of my face that I am shaving is facing the mirror instead of my nose facing the mirror.

There is a lot of little things like this that you will figure out the more you do it. I also contort my face to stretch the skin, and look up and to the side, and all kinds of crazy things to get a good flat area to shave.

 

[Gustav]

One thing that helps me to be able to see is I will turn my body 45 degrees so the side of my face that I am shaving is facing the mirror instead of my nose facing the mirror.

There is a lot of little things like this that you will figure out the more you do it. I also contort my face to stretch the skin, and look up and to the side, and all kinds of crazy things to get a good flat area to shave.

+1 and another way is to take a step back and lean forward allowing you to stretch particularly the neck whilst still maintaining good eye contact with the mirror.

 

[grump]

Congrats on getting number 1 in.

Turning your head and looking out of the corner of your eye are 2 things you will learn to see what you are doing. And after a bit, you will develop feel and maybe using both hands.

 

[haagiboy]

+1 for both hands!

I have 7 shaves under my belt now, and my left hand is getting increasingly better! Give it a try, but be carefull, the left hand can "wobble" abit in the begining since it isn't accustomed to doing anything usefull when shaving ^^

 

[Wid]

I too use both hands, also I turn at an angle and look out of the corner of my eyes to see what I'm doing. There are a couple of spots I just go by the feel of the razor but this has taken a while to learn.

 

[Brownbear]

Well done!

I still haven't figured out a position that allows me to see the contact point with my cheek right at my sideburns. I've seen videos where guys were holding the heel at their ear end and the head pointing toward their chin, which would give a good view, but I cannot get that to work for me.

Regarding using both hands. I found it, to my great surprise, easier than I thought. In fact, I was shaving with an SE and my SOs house, her bathroom not being set up for straight shaving, and without thinking moved the razor to my left hand to do the left side of my face. Realized with a start what I had done half way through, I would have considered that crazy dangerous a year ago.

 

[Defend Tacoma]

Awesome! Glad to hear you are getting onboard with straights. I do all manner of twisting and contorting to be able to see. I am finally getting to the point where I don't look like a dork the whole time. Straight shaving is so cool, might as well look cool doing it!

 

[ouch]

Congrats on the first effort- it's quite an accomplishment. It will take quite some time to master the intricacies.

It may never become as easy as using a DE and you may never get as close a shave, but it will provide a level of satisfaction unattainable by any other method.

 

[Gustav]

Awesome! Glad to hear you are getting onboard with straights. I do all manner of twisting and contorting to be able to see. I am finally getting to the point where I don't look like a dork the whole time. Straight shaving is so cool, might as well look cool doing it!

Glad to hear you are still shaving with a straight, time to bump up your diary and tell us how you are getting on. I look like a dork most of the time when I am straight shaving but I do not mind because no one can see me anyway.

 

[natchez]

One WTG and one XTG pass, finished up with a DE ATG pass (I know, I cheated...gotta go to work tomorrow). Still look scraggly, but it worked! More or less! And I only had one nick I'd describe as a "slice"! (Actually, all the other nicks probably came from the DE.)

One question, though -- how the heck do y'all see what you're doing? I seemed to end up with a blade, tang, and two hands in my face area, and couldn't really see to, say, adjust my blade angle. Also, how do you reach hard spots (say, under the jaw doing a E-W pass, which unfortunately is WTG for most of my face)? Just stretch it up or down till it's somewhere more convenient?

It will come in a few weeks. For a BBS shave, under the jawline can be troublesome as is often the chin area. Just go slowly, relax, remember to stretch and use the lightest touch possible while keeping the razor on course. IMHO settle for a DFS as you start out and over time it will improve.

 

[Defend Tacoma]

Glad to hear you are still shaving with a straight, time to bump up your diary and tell us how you are getting on. I look like a dork most of the time when I am straight shaving but I do not mind because no one can see me anyway.

That sounds like a fine plan. I took a break from B&B for a while to tend to some things in my personal life that needed attention. When I returned here I never really picked back up with my journal. I'll resurrect the thread and update you fellers on my exploits! I've been straight shaving in the meantime though, and have only dusted off my DE's a couple of times when I'm in a big rush!

 

[global_dev]

One question, though -- how the heck do y'all see what you're doing?

similar to what luc said

i tend to use 1 hand (right) for the whole face and found i do this:
for the shaving the right side of my face
1. left hand straight up.
2. bend/twist neck 30 degrees to left (left ear downward) like using a neti pot
3. bend arm (behind head) so left hand palms over ear and stretch accordingly

as i get to lower right neck-left hand goes crosses in front of mouth same head tilt twist.

left side of head
i use my thumb and/or extended index finger like i was pointing across my face at my nose.

i switch hands once ina while, especially on my neck. i don't find switching hands too difficult, but i prefer the one handed approach.