i picked up my DE and finished the shave

[Toothpick]

i feel completely defeated. My first attempt with the SR was unsuccessful to say the least. I was very excited about using it but i quickly found out I was not shave ready.

for the last few days while waiting for the GD to arrive i've been watching straight razor shaving videos and reading through the wiki here. trying to practice stretching and what not. and trying to really learn and soak in all the info for a newbie to straight razor shaving.
I prepped my face and lathered up like i normally would, had the razor in my hand and holding it exactly like the pictures showed, my left arm over my head pulling up on my sideburns on my right side and my right hand holding the razor. This position felt very un-natural to me and with my face turned and the razor and hand made it difficult to see exactly where the razors edge was in the mirror. I took the first stroke on my right sideburn and it felt awkward to me. I held the razor in my fingers still and just stared at myself in the mirror thinking "it's not supposed to be this hard, you can do it" so i thought ok lets just try under my chin, a place i can get a clear view of in the mirror, so i stretched my neck up, pulled down my skin with my free hand and took one stroke down under my chin. and again i had the same feeling, like i was doing something wrong and it didnt feel comfortable to me. I know it's not the razor because neither stroke caused any nicks or weepers and i felt it taking off the hair and my skin was smooth after the stroke, but for what ever reason i just felt.....nervous i guess.

so i stopped completely, folded the razor up, washed the lather off my face, and went straight to my to B&B. found the shave clinic, looked at all the pictures, watched the couple videos again, let myself relax. I then lathered up again and was ready to give it another try. but yet again i felt the same awkwardness i felt the first time, the same, "am i doing this right? no room for mistakes here. is this what he did in the video? what if i come at it like this? should i try it this way?" so i took a deep breath and said to myself "self, you better just put the SR down and not try this right now" so thats what i did.

GD:1 DEshave:0

As i said i feel defeated. my first DE shave was nowhere near this difficult for me. and i was so confident and excited about my first straight razor shave! i mean i was ready to go! woo hoo its here gonna go shave!!! i watched the vids read the wiki i can do this!!!..... then i hit that wall... the "whoa this is kind of intimidating" wall. It might have to do with my nerves being rattled anyway because i'm moving out of state, so i've been packing, and calling utility companies and planning and renting the truck, then today unexpectedly changed plans from leaving next saturday to leaving monday, as in 2 days from now so its been crazy around here anyway.

I'm not giving up completely though. i'm going to read more, a lot more, study, watch the vids, then try again, just might be a few days down the road. If i can learn to shave all over again with a DE i can learn a straight!

 

[Legion]

First of all, GD? I sure hope you were not trying to shave with that thing straight from the factory.

Secondly, stick with it. It does have a steep learning curve. I doubt many of us got much of a shave for the first few weeks. Nothing wrong with finishing the shave with a DE in the beginning. Small steps.

 

[DFSDAILY]

Of course it's going to feel unnatural because you've never had to hold any other razor that way before. Muscle memory will build quite quickly if you stick with it. and since you've watched the videos and read the wikis you know it's going to take some time to get good shaves. Keep at it and it'll get better, and my advice would be to put the DE away and not use it as a crutch.

 

[Toothpick]

First of all, GD? I sure hope you were not trying to shave with that thing straight from the factory.

Secondly, stick with it. It does have a steep learning curve. I doubt many of us got much of a shave for the first few weeks. Nothing wrong with finishing the shave with a DE in the beginning. Small steps.

sorry i should mention i was PIFed the GD by a fellow member and i know he spent some time getting it shave ready. The razor is very much shave ready, i on the other hand was not.

 

[Krodor]

The guy was so enthused, I PIFed him a deshouldered , shave ready, shave tested GD the other day under the table. The edge was a sweet coti edge from my new 'Grise. I liked it when I sent it.

DEShave: glad it arrived, and pumped you tried it!

 

[Toothpick]

The guy was so enthused, I PIFed him a deshouldered , shave ready, shave tested GD the other day under the table. The edge was a sweet coti edge from my new 'Grise. I liked it when I sent it.

DEShave: glad it arrived, and pumped you tried it!

i'm still very enthused, and greatly appreciate it. maybe to enthused. i'm not sure. i picked up the crutch exactly like everyone says not to and exactly like what i've read not to do. silly DE!

 

[mycarver]

Hey,, don't beat yourself up. You started and that's the best part. It'll take time. Just do it again. Be positive.

 

[Seraphim]

Keep the razor almost FLAT against your face. Don't try for the oft mentioned and totally BS "30 degree" angle, it will be way too steep and result in scraping your face instead if shaving it.

Get back on that horse, soldier!

 

[hokahay]

Keep at it. Switch to a DE when you've had enough for the day. And keep at it next time. It's not a race.

 

[Dirk-Lerxst-Pratt]

No shame in doing a pass with the straight and then finishing with the DE, until you get your sea legs. I think Seraphim summed it up nicely.

 

[shaverjoe]

Keep at it. It'll click.

 

[HLS]

Most beginners shave JUST a portion of the cheek on the side of their dominant hand when starting out. I think you did well. Try again.

 

[Legion]

FWIW, the "DE finishing is a crutch" is BS in my book. Sure, you may learn faster without it, but not everyone can turn up to their workplace looking like they have gone ten rounds with a Tasmanian devil for a few weeks until they start to get it right. It's not a race. For the first couple of days just shave your cheeks, WTG. Right hand right side, left hand left side. Then finish the shave with a DE. When you get that down add your moustache and chin. Then do your neck. After you are comfortable doing your whole face WTG start adding XTG passes into the mix. It may take longer to learn that way, but your face will thank you, and you will still be presentable at work.

 

[stoutreader]

As a relatively new convert (less than 6 months shaving mainly with straights) I understand the trepidation. I started slowly, cut myself pretty decently a couple of times, took a break, and started back up again a year or so ago. Just on weekends and a single pass, working up to a two pass, daily straight shave slowly as my comfort level increased. I still have tons to learn and perfect but I prefer shaving with a straight now. I do still shave with a DE when I am late or just for a giggle.

Putting an extremely sharp open blade to your face feels odd at first just as everything does as you just start to learn to do it but eventually it seems like you have been doing it all of your life. Learning to shave using both hands was very odd but eventually it became second nature. I actually get a better shave using my non-dominate hand now. Keep at it, take it slow, learn at your own pace, and enjoy the experience. You're only doing it wrong if your not enjoying it.

 

[Doc226]

The hardest thing IMO is making a deliberate stroke with a sharp instrument on your face, but this is needed with a straight.

 

[BigSlick]

Most beginners shave JUST a portion of the cheek on the side of their dominant hand when starting out. I think you did well. Try again.

What he said.

 

[drfong]

I am a DE shaver going to straights. My suggestions to you on your first few shaves.

With a DE .. you stroke the razor.
With a Straight.. you scrape the hair off. Slow, short, scrapes.

With a Straight, pull the skin, stretch it, pull it upwards, pull it downwards, find the right stretch for you.

Took me about 5 shaves before I was able to maneuver it across my face without hesitation.

Slow and steady to begin with, push through the frustration.

 

[Shave Ready]

Keep the razor almost FLAT against your face. Don't try for the oft mentioned and totally BS "30 degree" angle, it will be way too steep and result in scraping your face instead if shaving it.

I'm just starting out myself, but the above rings true for me. The first time I tried a SR, I tried to dial in at 30 and ended up irritating my face and neck. This last time, I followed the wiki instructions and started out nearly flat and gradually increased the angle until I could feel the cutting action (the wiki mentions hearing the cutting action, but I'm almost 70% deaf, so auditory feedback is not very useful to me. If only my lights would flash when all variables were perfectly tuned...). That approach made a big difference.

I also think you made a wise move putting it down - just make sure to try again!

 

[sychodelix]

Yep, keep at it, you'll get it. Keep the lather wet enough, and the razor has to be moving to touch your face. Don't shave too slow.

Keeping the razor moving was the biggest hangup for me. It WILL catch and pull if you don't.

 

[Chico]

Just remember, you didn't learn to drive a car in half hour either! It takes time to pratice and before you know you don't even think about needing to shift, you just do it.