12 Steps to Successful Straight Shaving
(Everyone and their kid brother has written HowTo advice. Here’s my swing at it….)
Good Luck.
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PS.... I wrote this is a guide for Newbies. I make no attempt at an absolute declaration for all straight shavers.
(Everyone and their kid brother has written HowTo advice. Here’s my swing at it….)
- Stop and check your expectations. Be realistic. Learning to straight shave will be frustrating. You will cut yourself. Your wife/girlfriend/SO will likely think you’re nuts. It’s a slow process, and it’s even slower to learn. Expect to spend 45 minutes at the sink for those first few shaves. It might take a month to get under 30 minutes. Be patient with the process. Be even more patient with your progress. Find a happy place. Zen into it. Relax. Like swimming, or riding a bike, straight shaving is all skill and technique. You can read for days, but until you get time at the sink, you won’t get far.
- Camp out in the B&B straight forums. Read the journals, and start one yourself. Even if you don’t have a kit yet. Soak up the wisdom, and be prepared to poop-can 70% of it. Not everything here is for everyone, but the consensus opinions will keep you out of too much trouble.
- Get a razor, or two. If you’ve got deep pockets, feel free to cash out for that $300 Dovo, or vintage Puma. It really won’t matter. Until you get some skill, any razor will do. There are subtitles to the different sizes, shapes, steels and grinds. Don’t sweat it too much. Just get something that’s honed by a reputable shaver. Avoid 4/8 and smaller. They’re more difficult to strop. If you can score a 6/8 hollow you’re in great shape. Leave the 7/8 and up for the collectors. Personally, I think 5/8 is where the bargains are. They’re solid shavers, and cheap enough to experiment with. I’ve scored Henckels, Dubl Ducks, TIs and Gencos in this size for <$40. They aren’t museum pieces, but the steel is good. That’s what matters.
- If it came “shave ready,” don’t’ screw with it. Just lather up and give it a try. Yes, it’s sharp enough.
- Get a strop. Learn to use it. Absolutely don’t spend big dollars here. You *will* wreck your first strop. You think you won’t. You’re a careful guy. You have dexterity. You can shuffle cards with one hand, while playing Xbox, and carving a holiday turkey. You have confidence. … But you’ve not straight shaved. Trust me. You can upgrade later and sell that lightly used strop on BST, …if it survives.
- Learn to hone. That was the hard part for me. Not so much the honing process, but the fact that I had to learn honing and shaving at the same time. It’s a vicious codependency. The alternate is to get a second razor and build a relationship with a honemeister. Shave with one, while the other is shipping to/from the meister’s bench. If you have the funds, I’d recommend this route. It’ll eliminate some frustrations.
- If possible, find a nearby honing mentor. A fellow B&B’er kindly spent an afternoon with me, and helped me bring one razor through the entire process, from bevel setting to stropping. One afternoon saved me countless hours of surfing and stumbling along. Offer to trade some shave soap, a restorable find, or some beer. He’ll likely take you up on it. He might even send you home with some loaners. Back in the day, folks learned honing from a dad, grandpa, uncle, or friend. Regardless of your internet connection, this is still the preferred method.
- There are more honing philosophies than shaving soaps on Jermyn Street. I went for films, because I’m a cheapskate. Rocks, films, synthetics, they all work. Choose one approach and commit to it for now. Save explorations in honing until you achieve a reliable DFS. Otherwise you’re mixing too many variables at one time. Simplify these early months. The learning curve is steep enough with confusing things.
- Rethink your prep. All that time you spent with a DE is very valuable, but don’t treat those lessons as gospel. The perfect DE lather is not necessary the perfect straight lather. Be prepared to re-explore the ranges of wet/dry, cushion and slickness. It matters, possibly more than you think.
- Rust never sleeps. Twice now I’ve opened the shave cabinet to find the red cancer. Protect your gear. Don’t store a damp brush beside your razor. If you’re in a dry climate, you’re lucky, but not rust-proof. Take the precautions. Moisture is your enemy. *Any* moisture.
- Keep updating your journal. Post what you can, when you can. Share your successes and failures. We’ll all laugh with you, and you’ll get plenty of well-intentioned suggestions (remember the 70% rule above). Write details when you get a chance, even the mundane things. You’d be surprised where the most helpful discussions start.
- PIF something. It’ll help your mojo. And don’t forget to repay that favor you got in step #7. When you’re wielding a surgical instrument against body parts that won’t grow back without considerable reconstructive surgery, a little mojo helps.
Good Luck.
edit:
PS.... I wrote this is a guide for Newbies. I make no attempt at an absolute declaration for all straight shavers.
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