Straight shaving advice

[seattleshaver]

I've been shaving with a straight razor infrequently for several years. I mainly use a DE. Occasionally I'll use a straight just for fun. I've had a few shaves where I didn't have to follow up with a DE but those were rare and they were ones where my face was a little sore by the time I did all the touch ups of the spots that weren't perfect.

I've been shaving with a straight a little more lately since I just bought two more straights, honed them and have just been testing them out. As mentioned, I usually end with a DE pass. That does annoy me though that I either have to do a DE pass or I have a sore face from all the touch ups I have to do.

Today I decided to just do it, more or less, the same way I would with a DE. I did 2 passes, felt my face and there was a little roughness at the corners of my nose, the chin was a little rough and there was one rough patch on the left side of my neck.

The blade I'm using is a round tip so I stretched the skin at the corners of my nose and slowly used the tip of the razor and easily cleaned out those rough patches. I did the same on my neck just by locating the problem area and being more careful there.

With the chin I spent more time using the tip and going left to right on the flat area of the lower half of my chin and then I re-lathered and went against the grain on the chin as I would with a DE. There was more of a scraping motion on parts of the chin where the skin wrinkles up when you try to flatten the chin but the same thing happens with a DE.

Lastly, since my upper lip was pretty smooth, I went ATG for the first time with a straight on my upper lip. I just held the blade with two hands and moved the head slowly. When there was resistance I slowed down and adjusted the angle.

By the end of the shave, my face was as smooth as with a DE and I didn't have to make too many passes or do anything all that different than what I do every day with a DE, so I know this will be easily repeatable for me.

I'm not sure if any of this helps anyone else because it's all a matter of degree. It's not like I learned some big secret that I didn't know before today but some of the finer points came together so that I didn't need the DE.

I'll still shave with a DE much of the time because it is a good shave and it's a little faster/easier but I'll use a straight more and I won't have to do the dance of shame with the DE follow-up.

In thinking about what the big differences are it's mainly that I always could feel the rough corners of my nose with my hand. When I can do that, I'm not satisfied with that shave.

The hair on the chin is courser and even though I could cut that, it never felt as smooth as with a DE. By using several different techniques I was able to get that smooth as well.

 

[njtnjt]

Congratulations. Good going!

 

[ajduplessis]

Well done. If your DE shaves feel smoother/easier then your SR edges need a bit more love on the hones IMO.

 

[rbscebu]

seattleshaver, it sounds like your SR edge needs a bit move loving. Consider using pasted balsa strops (0.5u, 0.25u & 0.1u) for finishing the edge and maintaining it between shave. It's not complicated or expensive to do.

Once your edge is finished on pasted balsa strops, you will never need to hone that razor again (other than because of physical damage) provided you give it about 50 laps on a hanging balsa strop with 0.1u paste after each shave. This only takes a couple of minutes and the edge just keeps on improving!

Even with a not so perfect edge, you shouldn't be getting skin irritation from SR shaving, unless your blade angle on your face is a bit to high. Try shaving with a shallower angle (spine closer to the skin). I shave with the spine of my SR about 3mm above my skin. Remember, don't shave to remove the whiskers, just shave to remove the lather. With a properly refined edge, the whiskers will just come off with the lather.

 

[seattleshaver]

My problem was technique and not blade sharpness. It wasn't that my checks weren't smooth. It was that my chin is pointy and jutty and/or I wasn't getting to the corners of the nose, etc.

The razor is plenty sharp. I also do have pastes and use those sometimes. It was all technique.

 

[camoloc]

I've been shaving with a straight razor infrequently for several years. I mainly use a DE. Occasionally I'll use a straight just for fun. I've had a few shaves where I didn't have to follow up with a DE but those were rare and they were ones where my face was a little sore by the time I did all the touch ups of the spots that weren't perfect.

I've been shaving with a straight a little more lately since I just bought two more straights, honed them and have just been testing them out. As mentioned, I usually end with a DE pass. That does annoy me though that I either have to do a DE pass or I have a sore face from all the touch ups I have to do.

Today I decided to just do it, more or less, the same way I would with a DE. I did 2 passes, felt my face and there was a little roughness at the corners of my nose, the chin was a little rough and there was one rough patch on the left side of my neck.

The blade I'm using is a round tip so I stretched the skin at the corners of my nose and slowly used the tip of the razor and easily cleaned out those rough patches. I did the same on my neck just by locating the problem area and being more careful there.

With the chin I spent more time using the tip and going left to right on the flat area of the lower half of my chin and then I re-lathered and went against the grain on the chin as I would with a DE. There was more of a scraping motion on parts of the chin where the skin wrinkles up when you try to flatten the chin but the same thing happens with a DE.

Lastly, since my upper lip was pretty smooth, I went ATG for the first time with a straight on my upper lip. I just held the blade with two hands and moved the head slowly. When there was resistance I slowed down and adjusted the angle.

By the end of the shave, my face was as smooth as with a DE and I didn't have to make too many passes or do anything all that different than what I do every day with a DE, so I know this will be easily repeatable for me.

I'm not sure if any of this helps anyone else because it's all a matter of degree. It's not like I learned some big secret that I didn't know before today but some of the finer points came together so that I didn't need the DE.

I'll still shave with a DE much of the time because it is a good shave and it's a little faster/easier but I'll use a straight more and I won't have to do the dance of shame with the DE follow-up.

In thinking about what the big differences are it's mainly that I always could feel the rough corners of my nose with my hand. When I can do that, I'm not satisfied with that shave.

The hair on the chin is courser and even though I could cut that, it never felt as smooth as with a DE. By using several different techniques I was able to get that smooth as well.

here's what I did, accompanied with the mindset......use both left and right hand.

shave with the razor like it's the only one you own.......and have no choice but to use it.

I didnt even have an SE in the same room on my first shave.......still dont and won't. now the thought doesnt even cross my mind.

it gets better.

camo

 

[rbscebu]

here's what I did, accompanied with the mindset......use both left and right hand.

shave with the razor like it's the only one you own.......and have no choice but to use it.

I didnt even have an SE in the same room on my first shave.......still dont and won't. now the thought doesnt even cross my mind.

it gets better.

camo

I totally agree. SR only or DE/SE only. Never mix is the way to get there.

 

[Steve56]

It’s just like riding a bicycle or driving a car. No one can tell you how to do it, it’s just developing muscle memory.

 

[njtnjt]

My problem was technique and not blade sharpness. It wasn't that my checks weren't smooth. It was that my chin is pointy and jutty and/or I wasn't getting to the corners of the nose, etc.

The razor is plenty sharp. I also do have pastes and use those sometimes. It was all technique.

I had the same issue as you - sharp features, especially the chin. I conquered the area by first mapping the direction the whiskers grew in, then carefully mapping what kind of technique I needed to use in each area. I broke the chin down into a number of planes and thought about how to hold my razor and reach all those areas without cutting myself. It was slow going for months but slowly I was able to think my way through it. As my technique improved I was able to go a bit faster and more efficiently.
My advice; map the direction of hair growth in the problem areas, then use a butter knife to test how you might hold the razor to reach all the curves and points. Be patient with yourself and good luck. Try to enjoy the journey.