Took the straight plunge

[g-flyer]

Well, I took an interest in straights and now I own 2 of them. They showed up Thursday, and I tried them both on Friday.

One is a whipped dog sight unseen and the other is Gebr. Korten that was shave ready. As recommended, I didn't strop the whipped dog before its first use and started in after a hot shower and good lather of Cella. I didn't cut myself, but I didn't really shave much, either. I think I was just going too slowly and cautiously. The razor did want to catch whiskers as I moved it, but it just didn't seem to be mowing them down, or wiping them away, effectively. The Gebr. Korten seemed a bit sharper, but I didn't seem to shave much with it, either, so I'm chalking that first shave up to (lack of) beginner's technique.

Since I didn't get that close in the morning, I tried again in the afternoon. I stropped the whipped dog 50 times and put a hot towel on my face. Lathered up the Cella and had better results by going a little faster with the whipped dog. I even used my left hand, which I swore I would never do. It didn't feel as foreign as I thought it would, so I'll probably continue dividing my face as such. Interestingly, I did manage to get a fantastically smooth shave on the side of my chin, where the growth is a bit coarser--just the right combination of angle and pressure I suppose.

So, I'm not discouraged, but the feel of the straight is definitely different than what I was expecting (not that I really knew what that was going to be). I'm still getting used to holding it and moving my arms around to accommodate the angles. I look forward to learning more and getting better. I'm sure the epiphanies will keep coming...

 

[Doc226]

Congrats and welcome.

It does take a deliberate stroke to cut the whiskers-that is hard to do for fear of slicing something off

 

[Kentos]

+1!

Once the knees stop knocking as you place edge to face it will all come together.

 

[g-flyer]

Well, just finished straight shave #3 and am feeling pretty proud and much more confident now. Equipment: whipped dog straight, Proraso green soap, Omega boar. 50 laps on the beginner's strop before heading to the rodeo.

DFS in some places, stubbly in others, but that's OK. Finally discovered the right stroke speed, but most importantly, I figured out HOW MUCH OF THE BLADE SHOULD BE SHAVING AT ANY ONE TIME. I had the blade situated in such a way that I was only using an inch or so against my face and it made the task MUCH easier. It makes perfect sense (but isn't necessarily intuitively obvious) that it is easier to push an inch of blade against the skin and whiskers than most of the blade edge. Also, the left hand is coming into its own as a viable shaving tool.

 

[g-flyer]

4th shave today and it took less time and is DFS in more places. Chin and neck are still tricky, but better shaved than yesterday's attempt. The blade gripping and positioning are getting more intuitive.

 

[Krodor]

Great progress! Yep, trying to get all 2 1/2 inches of the blade to cut whiskers will take more effort than a 1" DE. Over time you'll get used to it and be good to go.

 

[g-flyer]

Thanks, Krodor!

5th shave. Equipment: Whipped dog, ARKO, Semogue badger.

Decent shave; was able to shave the corners of my mouth safely and a good bit of my adams apple, so another positive step. Holding the blade is becoming much more natural, and I think my left hand shaves better than my right! (I'm pretty right handed, but do play piano, so...). Chin is still a bit stubbly.

Got 2 WTG passes done in 20 minutes, but I think the lather was a little dry since the blade wasn't quite as smooth as the previous efforts. I have better luck with Cella and old formula Proraso regarding slickness and cushion. I'll just stick with those until I can get more efficient and then maybe give the ARKO another shot, since it works so well with the DEs.

 

[Slash McCoy]

You are on a roll! Pretty good progress. No cuts or irritation? Sweet. Stick with the two WTG passes for a little longer and you will soon be the master of it.

 

[g-flyer]

Slash,

No cuts or irritation. I finish up with witch hazel, and then sometimes some C&E Sienna, but no stinging or burning here. It's a good thing.

 

[g-flyer]

Shave #7 today. #6 convinced me that the razor had lost its keen edge, so I stropped with the red and green CrOx on the balsa and stropped it on the leather about 100 times. Today's shave proved that that was the right prognosis and corrective action.

Equipment: Whipped Dog sight unseen, Cella, Semogue badger.

Took about 20 minutes to do 2 WTG passes all over, and 1 ATG on my neck. All I can say is WOW, what a fantastically smooth shave on my cheeks and upper chin! DFS+ and my neck isn't too shabby either. Still difficult to get to 1/2" x 1" patch directly under my chin and ye olde adams appley, but I'm starting to figure out which angles and directions work for most everywhere else. I even managed a little Gillette slide/scything in the easier spots. A touch of post-shave warmth around my my adams apple, but almost no burn with the witch hazel.

I think I'm kinda liking this straight razor shaving...

 

[joshua1970]

sounds like you are well on your way - remember to gently stretch the skin tought (but not tight) in those tough places... to flatten it out a bit and give the razor more surface area on your face/neck to do it's job. glad you like straight razor shaving, once it clicks you'll be amazed!

 

[Optometrist]

Seven days in, no cuts.....it sounds like you're a natural to straights. And what a great feeling when it all comes together. Congratulations!

 

[Nick_B]

You are making it very tough to avoid taking the plunge myself.

 

[MadMax001]

Well, just finished straight shave #3 and am feeling pretty proud and much more confident now. Equipment: whipped dog straight, Proraso green soap, Omega boar. 50 laps on the beginner's strop before heading to the rodeo.

DFS in some places, stubbly in others, but that's OK. Finally discovered the right stroke speed, but most importantly, I figured out HOW MUCH OF THE BLADE SHOULD BE SHAVING AT ANY ONE TIME. I had the blade situated in such a way that I was only using an inch or so against my face and it made the task MUCH easier. It makes perfect sense (but isn't necessarily intuitively obvious) that it is easier to push an inch of blade against the skin and whiskers than most of the blade edge. Also, the left hand is coming into its own as a viable shaving tool.

Same here !! That darn left hand as a mind of it's own !!! ( That..and the knee knocking, mentioned earlier by Kentos, makes us potential customers for Yoga courses ) LOL

Breath in...breath out !

Have a nice shave day !!!

 

[g-flyer]

@Joshua, @David, thank you for the kind words. I'm pretty conservative with blade speed and how I put the razor up to my face, since I read and watched that that was when you could really cut yourself. It's interesting to me how quickly it is becoming intuitive. I'm really starting to get the hang of which part of the blade I should use for certain areas, ie, the heel end of the blade works well for doing the mustache and chin area, etc...

@NickB, I don't think you can go wrong with the Whipped Dog sight unseen beginner's deal. The thing I wished I'd practiced on newspaper is slide the blade away, stop, then flip, then slide. Always in that order, lest you wind up with nicks in your strop. I HIGHLY recommend a consumable strop to learn on. I'd be heartbroken to cut up a nice wide English bridle.

@MadMax001, funny that you mention yoga. I do that, too, and it does help you focus on the task at hand. I've found that you can zone IN to straight shaving and really see and feel what the blade is cutting.

 

[Clovis Man]

It makes perfect sense (but isn't necessarily intuitively obvious) that it is easier to push an inch of blade against the skin and whiskers than most of the blade edge.

This one statement makes me think I should share this with you --

This quote has helped me more than almost anything else with wet shaving, be it with a DE or an SR --

"Remember the goal is to cut hair, not to scrape skin."

I swear, that put me in a completely different frame of thought. The result has been a huge improvement.

 

[California Cajun]

Well, I took an interest in straights and now I own 2 of them. They showed up Thursday, and I tried them both on Friday.

One is a whipped dog sight unseen and the other is Gebr. Korten that was shave ready. As recommended, I didn't strop the whipped dog before its first use and started in after a hot shower and good lather of Cella. I didn't cut myself, but I didn't really shave much, either. I think I was just going too slowly and cautiously. The razor did want to catch whiskers as I moved it, but it just didn't seem to be mowing them down, or wiping them away, effectively. The Gebr. Korten seemed a bit sharper, but I didn't seem to shave much with it, either, so I'm chalking that first shave up to (lack of) beginner's technique.

Since I didn't get that close in the morning, I tried again in the afternoon. I stropped the whipped dog 50 times and put a hot towel on my face. Lathered up the Cella and had better results by going a little faster with the whipped dog. I even used my left hand, which I swore I would never do. It didn't feel as foreign as I thought it would, so I'll probably continue dividing my face as such. Interestingly, I did manage to get a fantastically smooth shave on the side of my chin, where the growth is a bit coarser--just the right combination of angle and pressure I suppose.

So, I'm not discouraged, but the feel of the straight is definitely different than what I was expecting (not that I really knew what that was going to be). I'm still getting used to holding it and moving my arms around to accommodate the angles. I look forward to learning more and getting better. I'm sure the epiphanies will keep coming...

Sounds to me that you're off to an outstanding start. You are wise to have two razors, because you will always have one to compare to another to see if it is honed properly. Plus, real or imagined, I think I get better shaves when I switch off. Cella is a favorite soap of mine.

Using a straight razor is like playing football without a face bar on your helmet. You are responsible for the angle, the pressure, and the strokes you use. It took me two years to fully master it, including taking care of my blade. But I enjoy it so much.

You're going to find that with practice you will be able to reach places you're having trouble reaching now, and some of the movements that feel awkward will smooth out.

What's tough right now is that you're having to think too hard about what you should do next and it is a distraction. Over time, it will be like you're holding the razor and it will automatically do its thing.

What helped me most was to find a shaving video you like and keep watching it over and over again. I promise you that you can watch it 200 times and still occasionally notice something the shaver is doing that you didn't realize he was doing. Same for honing. I hesitate to impose my own suggestions on you because like everyone, you have to find your own way. But that's part of the fun.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[California Cajun]

sounds like you are well on your way - remember to gently stretch the skin tought (but not tight) in those tough places... to flatten it out a bit and give the razor more surface area on your face/neck to do it's job. glad you like straight razor shaving, once it clicks you'll be amazed!

+1 on the stretching skin. Very important.

 

[g-flyer]

@ClovisMan and @John, thanks for the advice!

#9 today with the Gebr. Korten. #8 with the Gebr. Korten wasn't especially close and was a bit draggy, so that convinced me that it needed the pasted balsa. I did that last night and stropped on the leather about 75 times before use. The shave today was good, but not quite as good as #7. Didn't quite click with this razor like I have with the sight unseen one. A slight scrape on my neck and a little slit on my cheek that I think the tip caused when I going over the mustache area with the heel.

I'm not discouraged, and i could tell that the edge was much sharper than the last time I tried to use it. I did get the point of my chin pretty smooth, so I did make some progress. I also learned that I have probably been stropping mostly the spine, since the Gebr. Korten was singing a little as I was making passes with the razor fully applied to the leather. Could just be different steel, I guess. Is it normal to hear the edge "speak" a little when it's being stropped or is that bad?

 

[g-flyer]

#10 -- DFS+ on my cheeks and mustache, good everywhere else.

Equipment: Whipped Dog sight unseen, VDH deluxe, Semogue badger.

Overall a good shave, and i learned some stretching for WTG on my neck that was effective. Chin and adams apple still not as good as the rest, but I'm still learning. One of these days I'll do some XTG passes on my cheeks, but I'm having a good time with 2x WTG.