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I lost my status as a person who has not shaved with a straight razor.

Obsessed

Obsessed

So I gave it a shot a little while ago.

I gotta be honest with you, boys, it was not a great experience. I generally am able to avoid situations in my adult life that remind me how uncoordinated I am, but it sure cam home to roost today. A couple of nice juicy cuts, a ****-poor shave, and irritation not relieved by several layers of alum, SCS lavender ASM, Proraso pre/post, and jojoba oil. This is certainly not something I can envision myself doing every morning before work.

I'm certainly glad I tried it, if for no other reason than not being a wuss, but I seriously doubt this is the way to go for me. :frown: Well, c'est la vie.
 
SavantStrike

SavantStrike

Wait you're throwing in the towel after your first try? It's like riding a bicycle. Everybody wipes out the first couple of times.

It's going to take 5-10 tries before you'll even know if you can do it. Trust us, it gets better, it's just rough for a few weeks to a month (or more if you don't do it daily). After that it's gravy on a train!
 
curtis909

curtis909

Obsessed said:
So I gave it a shot a little while ago.

I gotta be honest with you, boys, it was not a great experience. I generally am able to avoid situations in my adult life that remind me how uncoordinated I am, but it sure cam home to roost today. A couple of nice juicy cuts, a ****-poor shave, and irritation not relieved by several layers of alum, SCS lavender ASM, Proraso pre/post, and jojoba oil. This is certainly not something I can envision myself doing every morning before work.
I'm certainly glad I tried it, if for no other reason than not
being a wuss, but I seriously doubt this is the way to go for me. :frown: Well, c'est la vie.
Click to expand...

Man hang in there i think i lost more blood than the the red cross collects when i got started and razor burn dont even mention...
:biggrin:

But if you keep at it i bet you turn the tide in your favor soon.
 
Obsessed

Obsessed

Oh, did I mention that I already have this irrational fear that I've somehow ruined the edge on the razor? :out:
 
A

ambrose

Hey bud hang in there let your face heal up and try again. Watch some videos to get a good visual of how to. After a few weeks you will have the greatest shaves. :smile:
 
tg16

tg16

I cut myself so bad the first few times that not only was there a cut, it was bruised and this was nothing compared to the pain and bruises from my knees knocking together.

Seriously, it falls together and really pays off. If its a matter of a sharp razor, I'll pay for it to be honed at a very good honemeister's and send you an adress, you only need to pay postage to get it there.
 
Obsessed

Obsessed

To be fair to myself, I may also have just chosen a bad day to start, as I've got a cold and am pretty tired.
 
Obsessed

Obsessed

Also, I do think it's sharp, b/c the cuts didn't really hurt when they happened, if you know what I mean. Only later! :eek::laugh:
 
SavantStrike

SavantStrike

Obsessed said:
Oh, did I mention that I already have this irrational fear that I've somehow ruined the edge on the razor? :out:
Click to expand...

I think that fear is normal.

The internal dialogue goes something like this: "oh crap, I bet I dulled the edge with my poor stropping," or "I'm sure that edge is dull now after dried the razor off on that hand towel," or "I'm sure aliens will break into my bathroom and perform hideous experiments on my shave ready straight tonight, thus rendering it useless."

Don't worry, chromium oxide, diamond pastes, and lapping films will fix the problem. If they don't you can always just send the blade to a honemeister.
 
leighton

leighton

Sounds irrational to me. :D But if you want, I'll take a look at it to assuage the inner demons. :p

On another note, don't give up! Plus I highly recommend not shaving in the morning for your first shave. Shave at night when your fully awake, aware of what your doing, after you've showered and soaked your beard for a bit. Trying to rush things on the way to work is bad. I suppose weekends work too. Whichever time you choose, make sure you set aside a whole hour and give it another go.

I wish I had words of encouragement saying I cut up my face really bad, but I have no scars, but....I can tell you that I have cut myself a lot using the razor and I'm alive to tell the tale and have no scars and will never ever use anything else to shave my face.
 
Obsessed

Obsessed

tg16 said:
If its a matter of a sharp razor, I'll pay for it to be honed at a very good honemeister's and send you an adress, you only need to pay postage to get it there.
Click to expand...

leighton said:
Sounds irrational to me. :D But if you want, I'll take a look at it to assuage the inner demons.
Click to expand...

Thank you both very much for your generous offers but I actually have complete faith that Ambrose honed it very well. Intellectually I know I didn't screw up the edge the first time out; I think the experience today was just a bit of an emotional letdown. I'm sure I'll get over it.
 
professorchaos

professorchaos

Obsessed said:
So I gave it a shot a little while ago.

I gotta be honest with you, boys, it was not a great experience. I generally am able to avoid situations in my adult life that remind me how uncoordinated I am, but it sure cam home to roost today. A couple of nice juicy cuts, a ****-poor shave, and irritation not relieved by several layers of alum, SCS lavender ASM, Proraso pre/post, and jojoba oil. This is certainly not something I can envision myself doing every morning before work.

I'm certainly glad I tried it, if for no other reason than not being a wuss, but I seriously doubt this is the way to go for me. :frown: Well, c'est la vie.
Click to expand...

The first shave isn't supposed to be easy! Like many other worthwhile pastimes, shaving with a straight is a skill one has to learn. In this case, delayed gratification is good. If it were easy, it would be the way we all shave.
 
Sullybob

Sullybob

Lots of good advice already been given. You need to try it a few more times. Set your self up for success, shave at night or on the weekend, but certainly not when you are tired or sick. Watch some videos and think about the process. You will get great shaves with a straight razor it just takes some work.
 
AFDavis11

AFDavis11

You tried it! Now all you have to do is try again . . . no hurry. Find a nice day to just do a little pass or two. Don't even bother trying to "shave" your entire face.

Add your DE and do a few nice passes. Take your sweet time.

By the time you need to buy new DE blades you won't need to buy new DE blades . . .

if you choose.
 
adonnellyr

adonnellyr

It might also help you to try using it only on easy places to shave first (your cheeks perhaps). Once you get used to handling the blade, the transition to other more troublesome areas should be a bit smoother. Of course, if it just isn't for you I completely understand. I just think that since you invested in the set-up, you may as well give it a bit more of a shot. Best of luck!
 
SavantStrike

SavantStrike

adonnellyr said:
It might also help you to try using it only on easy places to shave first (your cheeks perhaps). Once you get used to handling the blade, the transition to other more troublesome areas should be a bit smoother. Of course, if it just isn't for you I completely understand. I just think that since you invested in the set-up, you may as well give it a bit more of a shot. Best of luck!
Click to expand...

Meh, I would say he might just want to do it on weekends and try for the whole face. Sure, he'll look like the unibomber, but eventually it will get better and he can just clean up during the week with a DE.
 
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