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Straight n00b looking for tips (razor not cutting, dry lather, stroke length)

Hello fellow B&B'ers and straight shavers,

First of all, thanks to all of you for your infinite patience with those of us who are just starting out! I tried my first straight shave yesterday, but it wasn't going too well, so I abandoned the idea. I will try again this weekend when I have a little more time to dedicate to it. I am not really discouraged, or intimidated; really I feel a little better knowing what my (first) issues are.

So, first, I had a problem with my lather drying out well before I was able to complete a pass. Is this a common problem? I don't think my face was wet enough to begin with (overthinking the shave and not paying attention to the obvious), and I was using MWF which I am not that familiar with and I know can be a little unruly. I will use good ol' Proraso next time, but I am still worried about it drying out before I finish. Any tips other than just relathering as necessary?

The second issue was that I was having a hard time getting the razor to cut anything. It is a new razor that was ordered as shave ready, so I am thinking it is all down to technique rather than the blade itself. I have done lots of "presearch" here and don't think my blade angles were off by that much. Again, any tips, especially for a first-time straight shaver?

Finally, I've had a few professional straight shaves in the past, and it has always felt like the barbers used short, fast strokes. Most of the videos I see here seem to use really long strokes. Is that possibly just a difference between shaving yourself and shaving someone else? What is the recommended stroke length, or doesn't it matter that much.

Any help appreciated...I will try again tomorrow. I am trying to have realistic expectations, but I really hope to be good at this someday.

Thanks,

GS
 
I too am not that experienced with using the straight, however I do know about the MWF drying out if you have it on too long. My solution was to divide my face and neck into quarters and only lather one quarter at a time. I leave the rest of my face wet while shaving the lathered spot spot. After I got better, smoother, slightly faster, I could do my whole neck then to my whole face in two instead of quarters.

It's a bit unnerving when you feel that razor barely start to catch when the lather is too dry.

Razor not cutting? if you have had that razor honed by a reputable name then it could be your angle. However, it very well could not truly be shave ready. Send it out and spend the money to have somebody like Lynn hone it up. OTOH could be your stropping technique too. That will roll an edge pretty fast.
 
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Hi GS,

Getting your face moist and wet is essential to having a good shave. Spend at least 30 seconds rubbing or soaking your face in hot (but not boiling) water and make sure you cover all parts of your face that you wish to shave. This should prevent the lather drying out. Are you using enough water to create your lather? If not, that can also be problematic.

Unless they're honed and stropped by a professional, independent razor-restorer, common acceptance is, that no razor is shave-ready right out of the box. You'll need to hone and strop the razor thoroughly before shaving with it. This is not as difficult as it might seem. You require a 4,000/8,000 grit waterstone and a leather strop (or a smooth leather belt). Instructions on how to use these two pieces of equipment may be found online. It's relatively easy to do and you'll soon get the hang of it.

However, if you're *certain* that the razor is 100% shave-ready, then I would put it down to technique. Having prepared and lathered your face, open the razor and start somewhere smooth and flat. I suggest areas such as the cheeks or under the jawbone. Give yourself a decent angle and then pull the razor forward. Make sure you stretch your skin as you do this, to get the hair to stand up properly so that the razor can cut it off as cleanly and as easily as possible. If what you're doing doesn't work, try different approaches or angles until you find a combination that works.

I never know the difference between short or long strokes, personally and I don't see or know of any difference that they would make, apart from how long your shave's going to take. I personally don't think it matters, so long as you're comfortable with what you're doing.

You will get better at it. It took me almost a month before I was getting good shaves. And even now I'm still learning a few things!
 
My lather dries out too.I just put a little warm water on the end of the brush and relather the area that dried out.Works great.


Paul
 
My lather used to dry out before I'd finish a pass too because I was going much slower than I realized in the beginning. This isn't an issue now. Sometimes when going ATG I take longer and it might start to dry out in places, but I just do the "dip brush in water and swirl it around on face" trick...

Not cutting. Are you certain it was shave ready? We're talking has been to the hones after the factory, like the guy selling it to you took it out of the box and had it honed before shipping. If not, if it was "shave ready from factory" then it isn't shave ready. Either that or you borked the edge stropping, which is also common when starting out.
 
I was having a hard time getting the razor to cut anything.

Do you mean it wasn't cutting anything, or was leaving a lot behind? Big difference. Check in the lather to see if it's full of whiskers. (May be necessary to wipe off the blade on a cloth or palm of your hand so you can see the "flip side" of the lather.)

If it is literally cutting nothing, I think it's a blunt blade. If it's cutting, but not close to the skin, it could be technique or a slightly dull blade.
 
Thanks for the tips, guys. The razor is a Dovo Special that was purchased as shave ready (i.e. honed further after coming from the factory) from a well-respected vendor on here. I really have not done much with the blade since I received it...a little "noodling" on my face out of morbid curiosity. I have stropped it a bit now, but hadn't before I tried to use it. Anyway, I did just do the hanging hair test on it, and it didn't cut it. So, it could be that the razor isn't sharp enough. If that's the case, I am disappointed, because it was supposed to be good-to-go. I live in Germany, so I don't know if there is anyone around here that I can send it to (there is a nice little shaving shop in town though, so maybe I will take it to them and see if they will hone it for me).

Thanks,

Gary
 
Gary, the hanging hair test doesn't stand for squat in a bucket. You're SHAVING, not giving yourself a haircut. The only real way to know if a razor is sharp is to shave with it.
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
Hello fellow B&B'ers and straight shavers,

First of all, thanks to all of you for your infinite patience with those of us who are just starting out! I tried my first straight shave yesterday, but it wasn't going too well, so I abandoned the idea. I will try again this weekend when I have a little more time to dedicate to it. I am not really discouraged, or intimidated; really I feel a little better knowing what my (first) issues are.

So, first, I had a problem with my lather drying out well before I was able to complete a pass. Is this a common problem? I don't think my face was wet enough to begin with (overthinking the shave and not paying attention to the obvious), and I was using MWF which I am not that familiar with and I know can be a little unruly. I will use good ol' Proraso next time, but I am still worried about it drying out before I finish. Any tips other than just relathering as necessary?

The second issue was that I was having a hard time getting the razor to cut anything. It is a new razor that was ordered as shave ready, so I am thinking it is all down to technique rather than the blade itself. I have done lots of "presearch" here and don't think my blade angles were off by that much. Again, any tips, especially for a first-time straight shaver?

Finally, I've had a few professional straight shaves in the past, and it has always felt like the barbers used short, fast strokes. Most of the videos I see here seem to use really long strokes. Is that possibly just a difference between shaving yourself and shaving someone else? What is the recommended stroke length, or doesn't it matter that much.

Any help appreciated...I will try again tomorrow. I am trying to have realistic expectations, but I really hope to be good at this someday.

Thanks,

GS

First, your lather must be very good, maybe a bit more wet than usual. I would suggest re-visiting the tutorials: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Lathers

Second, sounds like blade angle, make sure the razor is almost flat against your skin. When bought shave ready, it wasn't the shave ready sticker from the factory?

Last, try short strokes for now. It was easier to do 1" long strokes with the blade than 2"-3" long strokes. Make sure the skin is flat while shaving.

Don't give up, it takes a while to get good shaves.
 
My $.02 I think learning to straight shave presents enough challenges (I love'em all) so if you can eliminate some by using products that you know you get good result with stick with those and then once you've got the shaving down move on to test other products.

Also skin stretching is an essential part of straight shaving try rubbing your fingers on an alum block for more grip.
 
Hi guys,

Once again, thanks for the tips. I gave it a go again today, and...

The good: Lather wasn't really a problem, no nicks or cuts.

The bad: Ugh. "No cuts" refers to most of my whiskers, as well.

This is hard! I knew to expect that, but the whole process just felt very, very awkward. Accessing skin with my other arm in the way trying to pull it tight, blade angles, the size of the razor, etc. etc. etc.

Nothing you haven't heard before, but NOW I'm discouraged. I ended up giving up about 3/4 of the way through a failed pass and did a single-pass shave with a Sensor so that it didn't look like my shaving patterns were influenced by a random number generator. I will still check into having the razor honed just-in-case, and will try to give it another go soon. But sadly now I'm starting to get the feeling that this isn't something I will be able to pick up.

GS
 

rockviper

I got moves like Jagger
Hang in there! It took about a week before I was able to use both hands for WTG and there was lots of stubble left behind. Holding the razor for ATG feels more natural than XTG, but I'm only at this a month so I'm not surprised at the clumsy feeling I still get. I'm now starting to go XTGs and once again I feel awkward. I try ATGs now and then when I'm feeling adventurous.

Do you rinse the lather off the blade in the sink, or wipe it on a facecloth/towel/sponge? Doing the latter will easily show you if you are cutting hair. My face is often still very rough if I run my hand ATG after shaving, but there's lots of hair being cut, so I know I'm making progress.
 
Okay, took the razor to the local shave shop, and the guy said it was definitely too dull. So, they are sending it off to be honed. I am out a whopping €11 and will have to wait three weeks before I can try again. But, it could be much worse...at least I am able to have the blade honed locally, and maybe this won't be as difficult as it seems after all.

I was using a sponge and was definitely able to see stubble in the cream, but the amount varied widely and I didn't feel like I got aclise shave anywhere. Oh well...chill for now, try again later. Good chance to try some of the other razors I picked up when I was home for Christmas but haven't used yet.

And now for something completely different: this is what I love about Europe! I live in Bonn, Germany...not a very big city by any means, but there is a pretty nice dedicated shave/knife shop here. I was able to have the blade looked at by someone who knew what he was doing AND arrange to have the blade honed. That's hard to find in the U.S. unless you are very lucky. If youlive in a big city, there may be an A.o.S., but good luck finding someone in there who knows what they're doing!

Thanks,

GS
 
Sounds like you need a barber hone/finisher shoot since your in Germany a coticule would probably be a good option. Just doing my part to help kick start another AD :thumbup:
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
Don't worry, you will get there. Not cutting yourself is good. It will get closer.
 
Gary, I've gathered that your little stropping session might have dulled the blade. Lay the strop on a flat surface and make sure the spine and edge are both in constant contact. Don't apply any more pressure than what is necessary.

The biggest problem I had in the beginning was rolling my edge. Later on, I had an issue with stropping too lightly. By laying my strop on a flat surface and really trying to make sure the edge is in contact, I've now achieved the stropping results I've always wanted.

Do this and you'll be able to keep your blade shave ready once you get it back:thumbup1:
 
I agree, it sounds like perhaps your stropping did you no good and perhaps some harm. I would try to verify the razor is shave ready before going at it again. When I started, not all that long ago, I had the same trouble with the soap drying out but when to a scuttle and that solved that problem, using less soap and more water to whip up some nice lather onto a prepped face. Then I started with just shaving the sides of my face where I could see well and its easy to pull tight. Once I got the feel of how it was supposed to cut then I slowly added areas and modified my technique until I got the job done. Still learning new things, is part of the fun. Don't toss in the towel yet give yourself a bit of a time and cut yourself some slack for not getting it in the first couple tries.
 
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