My first straight razor shave... A miracle in the making (aka what not to do)

[blinkybill]

So consensus would be that the bleeding spots are caused by shaving technique? Reading through the beginner's guide I gather it's likely me using too much pressure and not stretching the skin enough (or at all.)

Am I better off waiting for these to heal properly? Or just keep shaving over the top of em? They aren't cuts, they just look like little points of blood coming out of my pores.

Just to throw a cat amongst the pigeons, I thought it was worth showing off my stropping setup. Took a lot of time and effort to design and craft, I'm sure I'll be inundated with requests for custom orders and the relentless demand will eventually drive me from the forums, but it's a burden I'll have to bear as I couldn't be so selfish to keep this technological marvel to myself.

https://imgur.com/hIl9tZ4

 

[Butch Waxx]

@blinkybill, congratulations on your first traditional straight razor shave, even if you didn't keep all the blood in.

Pointy sharp Spanish points are also good for shaving inside of nostrils and ear canals . Don't try that until about your 3rd or 4th SR shave when you are an expert in the gentlemanly art.

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If you get careless with a toe like that you will indeed get bit!

 

[rbscebu]

e....

https://imgur.com/hIl9tZ4

Do you have these available in 2½" wide?

 

[Flanders]

The great thing about straight razor, if you have the touch down, is you can shave with the edge just above the skin. You can hear the and feel the hairs being grabbed and severed. I find not shaving too irritating to worry about a little bit of blood loss so on the tender spots, I make a lot of passes with the above mentioned technique until I don't hear anything being chopped. But still, stretch and stretch and keep it stretched! Move your head around to see if you can stretch with just muscles.

 

[rbscebu]

So consensus would be that the bleeding spots are caused by shaving technique? Reading through the beginner's guide I gather it's likely me using too much pressure and not stretching the skin enough (or at all.)

Am I better off waiting for these to heal properly? Or just keep shaving over the top of em? They aren't cuts, they just look like little points of blood coming out of my pores. ....

When I was a SR n00bie, I just kept on shaving over those every day. After a few days, they stopped appearing.

If I got a decent nick or a cut, I would just avoid it in my next daily shave. They normally healed enough after a couple of days to start shaving over them again.

It's all about control and technique.

 

[Legion]

Yeah, gotta stretch the skin to smooth it, and lift the hair up.

Read this book, it shows the techniques about as well as anything.

Shaving Made Easy—A Project Gutenberg eBook

If you can, skip a days shave, and those little weepers will have healed, and you will have a nice two day beard for round two.

 

[blinkybill]

Do you have these available in 2½" wide?

And so it begins...... One size only sorry. You don't mess with perfection.


All of the comments above absolutely confirm I'm using wayyy too much pressure, my face has been exceedingly tight after as well, which I assume is another side effect. At least it's an easy fix.

 

[Flanders]

It's the direction of pressure or possibly torsional pressure. The razor needs only as much pressure against your skin as it takes to avoid it moving in your hand causing a slicing cut. Which is basically the surface tension between the lather and the bevel.

 

[JanVanDerVoort]

Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Who's the Dumbest of them All?

And so here we are, as you might've guessed the rest of the shave was much less exciting. But I really struggled with the right hand side of my face, whether it was an awkward angle or latent fear for my other lobe-attacher, I could not get a comfortable and smooth stroke going. Until I stopped looking in the mirror. I am not sure if this is a known phenomenon, but as soon as I just "felt" the shave it was immediately simpler and felt natural again.

Again the Spanish point was trying to cause problems, but even that felt like it was safer in a way. Instead of relying on the mirror, I spent more of my focus feeling where the different parts of the razor were and felt like I had more control. This might be something everyone knows, or it might just be a crutch of sorts because I'm new, but for anyone who hasn't tried turfing the mirror, I recommend it.

I had been reading plenty about straight razor shaving before I bought a Feather DX Kamisora. Plenty of tips, but never read anything about the mirror-issue.
Yesterday I had my first (unsuccessful/frustrating) shave with the Feather, a shave that I finished with my Fatip DE. Then - out of frustration? - I tried some touch-ups with the Feather at my desk (dry shave) without the mirror in the bathroom. And suddenly all the face areas I couldn't reach in the morning, seemed to have become accessible.

So yes, you're 100% right about the mirror. Maybe after a while our muscle-memory will allow to stand in front of a mirror and have a good shave, not like cowboys in the prairie looking at the horizon while shaving. (I already suggested my wife we should remove the mirror in the bathroom but for some unexplainable reason she refused. You would think a matter of life or death would change her mind, but no...)