This might be better placed in the newbie forum, but since it relates directly to straight shaving, I plopped it here. Mods, feel free to move if you feel it necessary.
So I got my straights and strop in the mail, get up the nerve, and figured I'd give a few practice strokes a try, and finish up with my DE. I took a long shower and prepped, built a beautiful lather and applied it to my face, held the razor in my dominant hand (right) reached up and over with my left hand to stretch the skin up - all exactly like you see in the guides Joel put up, or at other forums. I then ran into the snag: I couldn't see anything I was doing, because a hand and razor were in my way!
I tried tilting my head, angling my arm - all resulting in the fact that I could almost sort of see, but out of the corner of my eye, and I wear glasses, so that's a place the glasses don't cover, so I wasn't much better off. So there I am, face full of lather, running around the house (I just moved so many things are still in boxes) to find the box of bathroom stuff, to get my contact lenses, and try to put them in without getting lather or soap on my fingers or in my eyes. Good thing no one was home, or it might have been a contender for one of those home video shows. By that time the lather had started to dry out on my face, so I relathered and managed a few strokes, and even mirrored the same thing on my non dominant side using my left hand. But even with the contacts, I felt like there were a few spots I was flying blind - not something I want to do with a big old piece of razor sharp steel in my hand, right next to my face.
I realize that in the video/tutorial, Joel has long sideburns, so he really isn't starting his stroke till well below his ear. By the time I get to that lower point, I can see just fine. But how do you folks that don't have long sideburns see to shave up there? I'm thinking of going and getting one of those expandable shaving mirrors, just so I can work some sort of reflected mirror to mirror image to be able to handle that. But perhaps there's an easier way I'm just missing?
So I got my straights and strop in the mail, get up the nerve, and figured I'd give a few practice strokes a try, and finish up with my DE. I took a long shower and prepped, built a beautiful lather and applied it to my face, held the razor in my dominant hand (right) reached up and over with my left hand to stretch the skin up - all exactly like you see in the guides Joel put up, or at other forums. I then ran into the snag: I couldn't see anything I was doing, because a hand and razor were in my way!
I tried tilting my head, angling my arm - all resulting in the fact that I could almost sort of see, but out of the corner of my eye, and I wear glasses, so that's a place the glasses don't cover, so I wasn't much better off. So there I am, face full of lather, running around the house (I just moved so many things are still in boxes) to find the box of bathroom stuff, to get my contact lenses, and try to put them in without getting lather or soap on my fingers or in my eyes. Good thing no one was home, or it might have been a contender for one of those home video shows. By that time the lather had started to dry out on my face, so I relathered and managed a few strokes, and even mirrored the same thing on my non dominant side using my left hand. But even with the contacts, I felt like there were a few spots I was flying blind - not something I want to do with a big old piece of razor sharp steel in my hand, right next to my face.
I realize that in the video/tutorial, Joel has long sideburns, so he really isn't starting his stroke till well below his ear. By the time I get to that lower point, I can see just fine. But how do you folks that don't have long sideburns see to shave up there? I'm thinking of going and getting one of those expandable shaving mirrors, just so I can work some sort of reflected mirror to mirror image to be able to handle that. But perhaps there's an easier way I'm just missing?
