To senior members: Is this the side effect of str8 shaving?!

[BladeRunner001]

My first BBS shave with a str8. Wowww...what a feeling (no recalls here like Toyota )!! if that's all you read from this post, then that sums up my feelings for this shave.

As for the details:
After 5-6 shaves and some nicks and cuts which made some of my colleagues, friends and family think of my "real" intentions, things finally came together (albeit loosely) to get me out of frustration and open a narrow window through which I got a glimpse of what a close BBS shave would be like .

So, my left hand (non-dominant one) got the confidence to "grab the bull by the horns" so to speak. Although it took me 3 passes (1x WTG + 2x XTG), I got a best BBS to date with no nicks at all...well, the one below the chin doesn't count since I was distracted and had nothing to do with technique.

There is a lot more to learn (looking forward to it), but one thing I did different from the other shaves is to strop right before (webbed linen + leather), during (at least 3 times with leather after cleaning razor) and after (webbed linen) the shaves.

After each passage, I cleaned my face, padded it dry and re-lathered fresh (with hot/warm water).

My razor was the Respecto 5/8" (purchased from Trey Dampier), which I am learning some honing and stropping on before moving onto the more $4 blades which I recently got. Also, the Respecto will be the one I will stick to for the next month or so until I can get the technique down (I don't want to change mid-stream to eliminate any variability(ies) associated with different razors)

No one (in this or any other forum I could find for that matter) told me this, but I found that this str8 shaving thingy has ONE major side effect associated with it (CAUTION):

It's meditating. Even though it took me 40 minutes to get there from start to finish...it was worth every minute. In fact, come to think of it, it was actually productive period of time for me as I planned my workday out (plus focus on shaving). Don't ask: I can do both tasks well.


What a feeling...so this is what a BBS shaves is supposed to feel like . I hope this is not an outlier and teaser (once in a lifetime feeling when planets align, etc...), but if my technique is improving (with a lot more room for improvement), then I think this will be the beginning of a beautiful relationship .

Now, I have to convince my wife that she is still the only woman in my life and that I am not having fling on the side .

More later,
-Robert

 

[mikromicke]

Really good to hear

Have you found any good place where a good XTG technique is shown? I feel I'd like to add that to my straight shave but apart for some easy spots I'm not sure how to go about it!

 

[BladeRunner001]

Really good to hear

Have you found any good place where a good XTG technique is shown? I feel I'd like to add that to my straight shave but apart for some easy spots I'm not sure how to go about it!

Thanks Mikromicke
I don't remember the threads/posts specifically, but some great videos on YouTube and some from members here. Give those a try. If I run across them, I will post it for you.

I found some spots to be real hard to deal with, regardless of whether it's WTG, XTG or ATG. For me, that's on the chin (very thick beard..razor hops in those spots). The angle of the blade helps but is still skipping and hopping. I am sure, with time, this will be another notch under the belt .

That's one of the reasons why I purchased several kinds of blades (wedge or near wedge, 1/4 and full hollow ground, etc...), just to see how they would glide across those areas. I found that with my 5/8 Respecto (being a light weight), the blade skips and hops a lot...maybe when my technique improves with time and no longer becomes the major variable in the shaves (at least minimized), I will give the wedge and others a try to see how the razor weigh and hollowness performs across a lawn of heavy beard.

Best,
-Robert

 

[mikromicke]

Thanks for the info! Yeah, the chin is a pain but I'm starting to find around by super stretching (my skin is very stretchy I realized) and doing some kind of side scything motion. Still not good enough but decent enough so it doesn't look like I'm growing a beard

Please update on how you find the wedge once you've tried it. I haven't been able to shave ATG with my very hollow 5/8. It seems impossible as it just catches the beard and stops all the time.

 

[BladeRunner001]

Thanks for the info! Yeah, the chin is a pain but I'm starting to find around by super stretching (my skin is very stretchy I realized) and doing some kind of side scything motion. Still not good enough but decent enough so it doesn't look like I'm growing a beard

Please update on how you find the wedge once you've tried it. I haven't been able to shave ATG with my very hollow 5/8. It seems impossible as it just catches the beard and stops all the time.

Love the 6/8 wedge...I tried it once (with my 2nd or 3rd shave...can't remember which). It's a heavier blade that the 1/2 or full hollow...well, at least it seems to be more stable as far as skipping and hoping.

For now, I am sticking with my Respecto 5/8 (which looks like a 3/4 or full hollow blade) for now to work on technique. Once that part is down, I will experiment with my different razors, including the wedge again . Can't wait.

As far as ATG, I am there with you man...I don't dare do it yet...once my technique is down, I may venture into that unknown.

Happy shaving
-Robert