Questions from a potential newbie

[Nation]

So i've been toying with the idea of getting a straight razor but haven't taken the plunge yet. One of the reasons I began considering straights os because someone told me you can get a more irritation free shave from them. My issue with mach 4's is that I get irritation on my neck... typically the day after I shave. I have used a few different after shave balms with no success. Does anyone have any insight as to whether or not straights may help with this issue?

The reason I've been hesitant in buying a razor so far is because I'm not 100% sure about what I need to take care of it. From what I can tellI need a razor and a strop. But when I started looking into it there are strop pastes and hones that also come into play. are these necessary to begin shaving and caring for a razor? from what i can tell if you buy a pre sharpened razor you don't need a hone (at least immediately) but you still need a strop. are strop pastes necessary to begin?

thanks for the help!

 

[azmark]

Well we're glad you've joined this rascally bunch.

To answer your question with another question; likely not but it will depend on what you're using for cream? Are you wet shaving yet or still using cans

Short answer to your second is yes you can get away with no hones if you have a properly honed razor. A strop isn't essential (you can use a newspaper quite honestly) but it is something I would recommend. To begin, any $20 strop will do just fine to start off with. With proper stropping technique you can get away without sharpening for quite a few weeks(give or take depending on quality of steel).

I would add that a good barbers hone can keep your edge fresh and shave ready for many many months if not many years if you have proper stropping technique.

Personally I would stay away from pastes IMO.

 

[rickboone1]

Strop is really all you need. Don't worry about the pastes and all that. Dependent upon your tools and you, you can go quite a while before a touch up is needed.

 

[Luc]

This should help you: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Straight_Razor_FAQs

You pretty much need a shave ready straight and a strop.

If you want more, a shaving brush, shaving soap or shaving cream, good aftershave, are always recommended.

Will it solve all your problems? Maybe... Straights take dedication and keep in mind, there's a learning curve. You won't get the best shave of your life right away, it takes practice...

 

[Legion]

A straight shave can reduce your irritation, although you should be warned, there is a learning period where your shaves will probably get worse before they get better. Having said that, the sooner you jump in the sooner you will be swimming.

You need a strop to start and probably something to refresh your edge when it starts to pull. You can buy that or make it yourself, and we can help you with either of those choices. You don't need hones because you can send your blade off to be sharpened professionally. You might want to get yourself two razors so you have a backup while the 1st one is with the honemiester.

 

[TMH478]

Welcome!

 

[Nation]

Thanks for all your input so far!

@Azmark
I picked up "the art of shaving" sampler kit that had a badger hair brush and small portions of pre shave oil, shaving cream and after shave balm. I'm not sold on the pre or after shave but i like shaving cream itself.

@Legion
I know it will take time to get a good shave, but thats part of why i'm interested. as far as making/buying something to refresh the blade what are my options here? and do you need to send your blades away to be sharpened often?

thanks for the help!

 

[azmark]

Thanks for all your input so far!

@Azmark
I picked up "the art of shaving" sampler kit that had a badger hair brush and small portions of pre shave oil, shaving cream and after shave balm. I'm not sold on the pre or after shave but i like shaving cream itself.
!

Ah then it is likely your cartridge because AoS is some pretty spectacular stuff. You may need an actual aftershave splash to cool some of that razor burn though.

As Luc said a straight has a learning curve, not bad but it takes patience. If you're up for a few nicks here and there first follow the rabbit hole even deeper and check out the link Luc sent you.

 

[mbrossar]

A straight shave can reduce your irritation, although you should be warned, there is a learning period where your shaves will probably get worse before they get better.

If you're solely looking to reduce irritation, I would suggest trying a safety razor. If you want to achieve the best shave you've ever had, be ultra cool, get in touch with history, etc., you're going to have to work at it. While some take to straights pretty quickly, most take 1-3 months to get consistently decent shaves. You'll start perfecting them from there. If you're like me, you'll swear your giving them up a few times before you really catch on. I don't mean to dissuade you, but you should know what you're getting yourself into.

If you decide to take the plunge, stick with it. Read. Watch videos. Ask questions. It will likely get frustrating. You will likely cut yourself. But you will also heal, and you will likely achieve the best shaves you've ever had.

Best of luck to you.

 

[mbrando]

Hi,

Welcome to b&b. I've been using my straight since Jan/Feb this year. It took me about a month to go full straight shave. I used to touch up after with my mach. You don't have go fancy. Just get your stuff from a good vendor so when they say shave ready it comes shave ready. Really a sharp blade makes huge difference in shave comfort.

- Mike

 

[Gustav]

I have been straight shaving for 6 months and I would recommend you to get a good strop. It need not be expensive and it will give better results than a seemless belt or newspaper (I know, I have tried both). For blade maintenance, I have an old paddle strop which I have covered with Thiers Issard paste (5€ a tube and still plenty left) which works just fine: 15 laps on the paste and the blade is good for another 10 shaves. I have heard that a nice piece of flat balsa wood is also good to spread paste on and come to think of it legion might know how to get hold of such a device. As for irritation free shaves you must be aware that it may take a while and your razor burn issues may get worse before they get better. That being said, if you want to try straights, go for it. It is immensely enjoyable!

 

[Legion]

Thanks for all your input so far!


@Legion
I know it will take time to get a good shave, but thats part of why i'm interested. as far as making/buying something to refresh the blade what are my options here? and do you need to send your blades away to be sharpened often?

thanks for the help!

How often you need to send your blade away for honing is going to depend on the razor, your beard, your stropping technique and how you go about touching up the edge yourself.

Your options there are

1. Pasting a regular or bench strop.
2. A barber hone or a fine polishing hone such as a Chinese 12k

Personally I make and use a balsa bench strop. It is about the size of a large hone but it is easier to use (IMO) because you use it like a strop, with the edge trailing rather than leading as with a hone. The chances of you getting this wrong and wiping out your edge is greatly reduced. The ones I make are balsa on hardwood and have .5 micron CrO on them, although you can also use diamond paste and a couple of other things. Some people prefer a leather surface to the balsa but I like the way the CrO impregnates into the balsa grain, and the edge I get off it. YMMV.

A barber hone is the other common option. It is a small palm sized hone that is fast cutting and quite a fine grit. You can find them vintage on ebay or BST. New, a Spyderco ultra fine would be a modern equivalent. As a newbie you might find the honing, especially with the smaller sized hone a bit more difficult, but lots of people swear by them.

If you use these options to "touch up" the edge when it starts to pull (usually anywhere from 10-30 shaves for most people) and you have good technique, you can put off a proper hone job for months and months.

 

[Luc]

Thanks for all your input so far!

@Azmark
I picked up "the art of shaving" sampler kit that had a badger hair brush and small portions of pre shave oil, shaving cream and after shave balm. I'm not sold on the pre or after shave but i like shaving cream itself.

@Legion
I know it will take time to get a good shave, but thats part of why i'm interested. as far as making/buying something to refresh the blade what are my options here? and do you need to send your blades away to be sharpened often?

thanks for the help!

You got 2 choices to re-sharpen your straight.
1-Do it yourself
2-Have a honemeister do it for you.

I would suggest starting with a honemeister so you know what shave ready means. If you don't like shaving with a straight (it's possible), then, you won't spend too much. When you're sure that you like shaving with a straight, then, start with a stone such as barber hone or finishing stone. Then, that's another learning curve by itself.

How often? Depends on your stropping, technique and the straight. Some straights are made of softer metals and other harder. It can go anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.

Here's a honemeister list: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Honemeister

 

[mbrando]

Hi,

Have you ever tried an alum block? You rub it on your skin after your shave. It will with nicks and razor burn. Here is a post about it:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3965

- Mike

 

[Nation]

Great advice all around!
I think i'm going to take the plunge and pick up a razor/strop/alum from classic shaving. after reading about the alum block I don't know why I haven't heard of it before. nothing i've tried has ever prevented the razor burn adequately, just tried to sooth it once its there. hopefully this helps!

 

[mbrando]

Great advice all around!
I think i'm going to take the plunge and pick up a razor/strop/alum from classic shaving. after reading about the alum block I don't know why I haven't heard of it before. nothing i've tried has ever prevented the razor burn adequately, just tried to sooth it once its there. hopefully this helps!

Hi,

Great! after you get your alum block try it with your current shaving gear. Let us know how it works for you.

Mike

 

[Brownbear]

I started a couple months ago. I suggest you buy a shave ready vintage razor from Larry at Whipped Dog, and the poor man's strop kit. You will get a good razor that is ready for shaving and a leather strop and balsa strop to maintain the blade long enough to get enough experience to know if you want to invest in higher end gear. Larry is great to work with and the initial investment is modest. You can swap razors for the price (low price) of honing to try different widths and grinds. One of the razors I got from Larry is still my favorite out of a half dozen or so I have now. In fact, if you avoid RAD and SAD and HAD (there must be someone here that has) the starter kit from Larry is all you may ever need, although a more elaborate and larger hanging strop is a nice addition.

You will destroy your first leather strop so don't over invest at first.

It may take a while for irritation to not be a problem.

What I found is the learning curve is steep at first, then flattens out. By that I mean you gain skills rapidly at first and the challenge is high, but progress is quick. Then things level out and it is a long slow (maybe lifetime?) process of improvement and fine tuning. Like most sports as your skills increase your ability to play off the nuances of the gear will also, but at first it doesn't matter what you have as long as it is sharp.

It's fun, its challenging and you can get a good shave out of it, what more motivation does a guy need?

 

[gull]

I would add that a good barbers hone can keep your edge fresh and shave ready for many many months if not many years if you have proper stropping technique.

I was under the impression that a barber's hone would keep the edge fresh forever...

 

[Legion]

I was under the impression that a barber's hone would keep the edge fresh forever...

If your technique was good enough I guess it could. Personally I find it difficult to keep my blade angle as good on a small barbers hone as I do on a full sized one. Over time this could be detrimental to my bevel alignment. I'm sure there are guys out there who could keep a blade going indefinitely with a barbers hone, though.

 

[Shangas]

The reason I've been hesitant in buying a razor so far is because I'm not 100% sure about what I need to take care of it. From what I can tellI need a razor and a strop. But when I started looking into it there are strop pastes and hones that also come into play. are these necessary to begin shaving and caring for a razor? from what i can tell if you buy a pre sharpened razor you don't need a hone (at least immediately) but you still need a strop. are strop pastes necessary to begin?

To straight shave, you will need...

Razor.
Strop.
High-grit double-sided sharpening stone (4,000/8,000 grit is recommended).

Pastes and whatnot aren't really necessary, although some people like them, to give their razors that little extra *edge*. You can get by quite easily with those three things I listed up there. For actual shaving, you'll also need a badger-hair brush, shaving soap and a bowl, mug or scuttle to make your lather in.