Straight Virgin no more!

[MickeyFinn]

So this morning I finally decided to make my inaugural straight shave. I bought a Drew Dick 7/8" quarter hollow last week. I have some Nivea shaving cream and after shave balm in my cabinet and went to work.

My hands were very shaky but I do think I'll get better. I'll pick up a strop this week at minimum...

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[Lightcs1776]

Well done. Each shave will improve from here.

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[sanch]

CONGRATS!!! And for what it's worth good job! The chin is generally a tough area to get around without getting bitten! You need to tell us how you prepped, how many passes, etc etc! Also you should consider a different soap!

 

[bluesman 7]

Congrats. Hurry up and order that strop. Daily stropping is an important part of successful straight shaving.

 

[Polarbeard]

Congratulations, that's a very fine looking razor, please be careful not to drop it.

 

[MickeyFinn]

Thanks all. My prep was just coming out of a hot shower, massaging in the shaving cream with my fingers, and giving it a whirl. I'm migrating in slowly, I'll do another next weekend - by then I'll have a strop at the very least, maybe more.


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[sanch]

Thanks all. My prep was just coming out of a hot shower, massaging in the shaving cream with my fingers, and giving it a whirl. I'm migrating in slowly, I'll do another next weekend - by then I'll have a strop at the very least, maybe more.


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VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE HELP!!! get a strop you can learn on LEARN TO STROP!! Move slowly stropping till you get it! Above all else ENJOY IT !!!

 

[MurderousCrow]

Congratulations for making the leap! As @Lightcs1776 says, the shaves will improve. For me the learning curve was was not linear (nor was it smooth for that matter), but I learned new things at a rapid rate. Enjoy the process!

 

[rs_776]

@MickeyFinn

First ever SR shave with that razor?!? You're a brave man!! I have the same blade, and I couldn't imagine starting with that.

You did a terrific job!! If those minor nicks on your chin were the only carnage, you're doing quite well. Don't be ashamed to use a safety razor on difficult areas as you gradually build your skills.

Re: Strops
I find the Drew Dick razors a bit awkward to strop due to the shape of the tang/tail and contour of the scales. The blade length is also longer than most SR's, so you will need to stop in an "X" pattern, even if you have a 3" wide strop.

If you've never stropped a blade before, I guess any blade will feel awkward at first. Just letting you know.

 

[MickeyFinn]

Shave #2: added a West coast latigo and linen strop, proraso green pre-shave, tabac, West coast silvertip brush, and Captain's copper lather bowl

So let's give it another go.
Before:

After:

I don't know that my technique is getting any better.
Some notes: I don't know how to build a good lather yet. I'll work on that this week. I really enjoyed the pre shave. For all I heard about tabac, I wasn't overly impressed. But that may be do too my poor technique.



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[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Congratulations.

Learn to build, especially for SR shaving, a very very well hydrated lather.

The first goal with the straight is keeping your blood within your skin. This is not trivial.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Erchy]

Id recommend using a stiptic pen and some alum before posting pictures [emoji6]


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[Slash McCoy]

Bon courage!

Try a good shave soap or cream. The Nivea balm is a good product, though. Learn to make a good lather. It will outperform canned goo. STRETCH the skin well, keep your shave angle low, with a gap between spine and skin of NO MORE THAN 1-1/2x the spine thickness. If it won't shave, it isn't sharp enough. Don't force it to cut by using a high angle. That is scraping, not shaving, and unfortunately when misused, a dull razor will still cut skin. Remember, STRETCH that skin. Loose flappy skin invites cuts, and tight, flat skin resists them. A little, anyway. Low shave angle and light pressure will do the rest. Another trick is to place the razor in motion before touching the skin. Let it swoop down and scoop up some lather, sort of like a touch and go landing. When you place the blade on the skin and then start the stroke, you are more likely to get cuts and skips. Don't worry about getting close. Just survive the shave. Closeness will come, in time, with experience.

It would be a good idea to stop now, and shave again when you have a strop. Also, try one of the standard sharpness tests. I suspect your razor is not very sharp. Here are threads to the two most commonly used sharpness tests for shave ready or supposedly shave ready razors.

Is My Razor Sharp? The Treetopping Test

Newbies often struggle with the question of whether the razor they are trying to shave with is sharp enough, or not. Well, it shaves arm hair! Who cares? Razors are not for shaving arms. They are for shaving faces. Arm hair and whiskers are whole different critters. Many shavers use what is...

www.badgerandblade.com

coticule.be

This domain may be for sale!

www.coticule.be

Of the two, my preference is the first one but HHT has plenty of fans, too. A good sharp razor used with a gap of one spine thickness, light pressure, good wet and slick lather, and tightly stretched skin, will give you fewer cuts and still give you a decent shave. If your razor does not treetop very well at 1/4" or give you HHT4+, there is still hope. You just need to have it honed. Once you are used to having a SHARP edge on your face, and understand what shave ready actually is, you might want to get a second razor, and spend some time learning to hone on the first one. See the "Newbie Honing Compendium" sticky in the honing forum.

If you are on a really tight budget, look for a strop made by "The X Bay", who sells on his own site, on Amazon, and also on Ebay. Get the large one. It is still less than $10 shipped. Definitely not a quality strop but it will work for now, and at that price it is expendable so if you destroy it while learning, no big loss. Upgrade when you are more sure of yourself, to a better strop.

 

[MickeyFinn]

On to SR #3. I didn't take a before shot. So here's my after.

Some notes:
As usual I started straight out of the hot shower letting my west coast silvertip soak while I was bathing. I strop the razor after each use so it was ready to go. I pre-lathered with proraso, which left my face with a nice menthol feel this morning. I received a 45th parallel sample of shaving soap from Captain's Choice I used. I realize the reason I did not get a good lather in previous attempts was from adding too much water. I was careful to squeeze out most of the water from my brush before bowl lathering. Much better lather this time.
I will say my right hand has started to get a "feel" for it, while my left still needs training. I realize that in some areas, like at my chin line, going against the grain works better. And yes, I need to find ways to stretch the skin! Getting a lot better around the chin, haven't figured out under the nose yet. All in all this was the first shave where I felt more at ease and was getting better. Even if the war scars don't paint the same picture. Cleaned up with some witch hazel for a couple minutes and then nivea balm.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Once again you look like you spent the morning sorting your wildcat collection. Under the nose, you can pull your upper lip down with facial muscles and pull your nose up with your off hand, and then pull your lip tight sideways with facial muscles and pull the nose to the opposite side with your hand, to stretch out that critical area. It can be a struggle in that area as it is hard to get the shave angle low since the nose keeps the spine elevated. A washcloth over a finger gives you good traction for stretching other parts of your face. Some guys rub their fingertips on an alum block but I find a washcloth works better.

Shave downward and outward, above the upper lip. Are you going ATG there? That requires VERY good stretching and a very sharp razor, as well as an initial pass or two WTG to reduce the stubble.

Two WTG passes works fairly well and makes for a good newbie shave. I would leave the ATG for later. And be sure to test your razor's sharpness. A dull blade will torture you, and since it does cut skin, it will still seem sharp to you unless you use a standardized sharpness test.

The point of the chin is the one area where WTG doesn't work very well for most of us. The top and bottom of the chin are pretty easy, but at the point of the chin, the turning radius is very small in the downward direction, so you will find that an E-W or a W-E swipe or two at the point will get those wild whiskers that are hard to get in WTG, and you will be unlikely to cut your chin.

Your perseverence is commendable and you will get it if you keep trying. You are definitely earning your chops. Hang in there. Get medieval on the stretching, and don't force a dull razor with a high shave angle.

 

[MickeyFinn]

SR #5
OK I'm definately getting better. Just a little razor burn on the chin line.

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[BrooklynSalt]

Well done. It’s all muscle memory from here and it’s a learning process.

 

[Slash McCoy]

That's more like it. Hang in there. It gets better and better.

 

[MickeyFinn]

OK so I've probably done some ten plus shaves and this is what I've learned that I didn't get from YouTube videos.
#1 You do get a feel for it after a half dozen or so shaves! I can now use my left and right hand and they know what to do. They know the angle that works and the appropriate touch.
#2 Proper lather: When using a shave stick and a shaving bowl, I use a pocket knife to whittle a few slivers of soap into the bowl (the thinner the better). I press them into the ridges of the bowl with my index finger. I soak my brush in hot water while I shower. I squeeze as much water out of the brush with my hand as I can before building a lather. It's easy to add a couple drops of water later if needed. This builds a beautiful lather very quickly.
#3 as a noob, just shave with the grain (WTG). Before going against the grain (ATG) I need to build my skills.
#4 For me it works best just to start at the neck and work up my face. This way I can keep the skin taut with my free hand where there is no lather. Much easier to grip the skin this way.
#5 (my current biggest failing) I have a natural tendency to keep leaning closer and closer to the mirror while I shave, to inspect my progress. This invariably leads to the scales hitting the mirror and the blade slicing me. My "before" picture shows a chin cut from three days prior where this occurred.
#6 stropping is another skill where speed comes after a half dozen or so times.
#7 After finishing shaving, I rinse my face and splash on witch hazel. I Let that dry while cleaning the brush and bowl. Finally I smooth out my face with the Nivea balm.

I have to admit, I still use my safety razor to hit the philtrum under my nose. My skills aren't good enough for that spot yet.



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[BrooklynSalt]

OK so I've probably done some ten plus shaves and this is what I've learned that I didn't get from YouTube videos.
#1 You do get a feel for it after a half dozen or so shaves! I can now use my left and right hand and they know what to do. They know the angle that works and the appropriate touch.
#2 Proper lather: When using a shave stick and a shaving bowl, I use a pocket knife to whittle a few slivers of soap into the bowl (the thinner the better). I press them into the ridges of the bowl with my index finger. I soak my brush in hot water while I shower. I squeeze as much water out of the brush with my hand as I can before building a lather. It's easy to add a couple drops of water later if needed. This builds a beautiful lather very quickly.
#3 as a noob, just shave with the grain (WTG). Before going against the grain (ATG) I need to build my skills.
#4 For me it works best just to start at the neck and work up my face. This way I can keep the skin taut with my free hand where there is no lather. Much easier to grip the skin this way.
#5 (my current biggest failing) I have a natural tendency to keep leaning closer and closer to the mirror while I shave, to inspect my progress. This invariably leads to the scales hitting the mirror and the blade slicing me. My "before" picture shows a chin cut from three days prior where this occurred.
#6 stropping is another skill where speed comes after a half dozen or so times.
#7 After finishing shaving, I rinse my face and splash on witch hazel. I Let that dry while cleaning the brush and bowl. Finally I smooth out my face with the Nivea balm.

I have to admit, I still use my safety razor to hit the philtrum under my nose. My skills aren't good enough for that spot yet.



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Great work. Keep it up. It took me a mere 7 months (not exclusively) to become proficient at getting a really nice shave with no nicks or razor burn with a straight.

figure out what works for you, which you are doing.