Veterans, advice wanted for newbies!

[GreekGuy]

Hey straight shaving veterans. We all started fresh with straights as a young lad, or even a not so young lad. If you were going to start all over again, what advice would you give someone who is thinking about taking the plunge, or has just stepped up to the challenge and is a bit overwhelmed with all the options for razors, hones, strops, etc?

Also, any discoveries you made along that way that were a bit of a "turning point" for you. My hope is this can help give advice to those that are new, and maybe the old timers will pick up a few tips as well.

I'll go first:

My advice to someone starting out would be just jump in with both feet. Don't worry about getting the "perfect" blade. Its most important to get something in decent condition thats shave ready. There will be plenty of time to buy razors you really like. Nothing is worse than spending $300 on a brand new TI you think looks cool, only to discover you enjoy the feel of wedges better a year into the hobby.

Also, I can't stress how important it is to have a well honed blade, and to maintain it with stropping. Stropping is a really important step that even the best of edges requires routinely.

I have plenty of other tips, but I want to hear from you guys. Thanks in advance!

 

[Mike H]

Great idea.

1- A sharp blade! I tried learning to shave and hone at the same time, terrible results on both counts. Finally sent them to get honed, made all the difference. Not only did the shave improve, I learned what a sharp razor should feel like, which helped my honing.

2- Just do it man, put the razor to your face and remove whiskers!

 

[jrp316]

1. The first razor you pick up should be shave ready. If it isn't sold with that tagline on it, it isn't.
2. Don't overspend. When you're a newbie, a shave from a $300 razor is probably going to be the same as a $30 razor. It may be that way anyway when you're an experienced shaver.
3. Don't overthink. Lather. Blade. Face. Shave. Enjoy. It's as much a feel thing as it is anything else. You'll get it down soon.
4. Eyeball your lather. It isn't an exact science. When it looks about right, it probably is. If it isn't, work on it a bit more.
5. You'll get a cut or nick every now and again. It happens even with the safest of safety razors, so don't fret too much. That's what the styptic is for, right?

 

[temjeito]

I posted this on my shave journal after my 20th straight shave...

1. Get a grip. I'd say improving my grip is probably the one thing that has had the most immediate impact on the quality of my shave. Having a firm grip is the only way to control the angle of the shave, and the better your grip the more consistently and precisely you can find the right angle (with practice, of course). I typically grip the razor with two fingers (pointer and middle) on the top of the tang, and my thumb underneath. I then rest my ring finger in the curve of the tail, and often use my pinkie on the other side of the tail to counterbalance. Having all five fingers in play gives me increased control and precision. Alum block on the fingers helps.


2. Move your head. One of the trickiest things I encountered when starting out was how to see what I was doing as I set up the angle of attack at my sideburns. What I eventually discovered was if I tilt my head all the way to the side (ear to shoulder), I can see what I'm doing for the first inch or two. then I straighten my head out, and resume with a more normal angle.


3. Move the scales. Sometimes the only way to get the right angle, especially on the neck, is to move the scales out of the way. I rarely shave ATG, so I usually have the scales at somewhere between a 75 and 105 degree angle to the spine. At some points on my neck, though, I have the scales straight out, so they don't get in the way.


4. Use the whole blade... You've got three inches of steel, and if you stretch your skin and twist your face just right, you can use the entire edge to mow down whiskers. Even a 4/8 can hold a pretty good amount of lather, so with practice you can do huge swaths of face in essentially one stroke--very efficient!


5. ...but not all at once. A lot of the cuts I gave myself were because I was focusing on one part of my face, and didn't notice that the blade was also coming into contact with another part of my face until it was too late. When I started paying more attention to where all parts of the blade were, I noticed that different parts of my face are easier to shave with different parts of the blade. For example, under my nose I use just the tip to make short strokes in a down-and-out direction (SE or SW). This lets me get very precise, and keeps the tip away from my eye and cheekbone. On the sides of my mouth, I find using a part of the edge closer to the center or even the heel works better, because I have a lot of skin there on which the tip could get caught.


6. "wetter lather, more soap loading". This advice came from global_dev, and vastly improved my shaves. As I focused more on building a good, thick lather with plenty of water, I found that my shaves got smoother and I didn't have to keep stopping to reapply lather (except for La Toja)


7. Stretch regularly. Stretching the skin will make the hairs stand up, and give you a nice flat surface for the blade. Don't be afraid to make funny faces, or twist your other hand around the top or back of your head to get the stretch right. Alum block on the fingers helps.


8. Switch hands. If you're having trouble finding the right angle, or getting the blade in the right position, try your other hand. There are no set rules--find what works best for you. For example, I do WTG on my cheeks with the same-side hand, but XTG with the opposite hand. On my neck and jaw, I switch around a lot more.


9. Stop. Look. Listen. Repeat. Read the shave journals on this site, watch the videos (like this one and this one), and take the advice of your fellow B&Bers. YMWV, and at the early stage, I've found that mileage varies substantially with each shave. Revisiting videos or advice after a few shaves you will find new insight, see different things, or better understand what was being said.


10. Don't drop the razor. ​Seriously.

 

[Doc226]

Try out different finishing edges from folks before comiting to a finisher your self. You will save lots of money that could be used to more razor purchases.

 

[jrp316]

A continuation of mine:

6. Don't rinse your razor off in the sink water. With the edge down, rinse it under the tap or alternatively, wipe it off on a wet sponge or towel. The first time you hear that tell tale ding/clang of your razor striking porcelain or metal, your heart will drop into your knees. It may happen the first time you rinse or it may take a while...but if and when it does happen, you'll get that pit in your stomach.
7. If you drop your razor, override your instinct to try to catch it. Guys have had serious injuries trying to catch a falling blade. A replacement straight (or rehoning/repair, if you're lucky) is cheaper than stitches or an ambulance ride. If you're lucky, you'll be standing near a bath towel that your wife threw on the floor and your razor will land on it (lucky me).
8. Learn to shave properly before you start learning to hone. It'll put you in a much better position to be able to grade your edges, since you'll know what a properly honed razor should feel like and how to use it. You'll also be able to tell what's lacking in your edges much easier.
9. If you can't be bothered to learn the ins and outs of honing, an edge can be maintained indefinitely with a barber's hone and a pasted strop.
10. If you do learn to hone, rescue at least one razor from the wild. Find one you like, clean it up, hone it, shave with it. That one may well end up being your favorite razor.

 

[TickTock]

You will save lots of money that could be used to more razor purchases.

HHAHAHA, the classic B&B enabler mentality. You do it not to save money, but to save money in order to spend it on other items.

/guilty as charged
/every dollar you save is a credit of at least two dollars to spend on shaving stuff

 

[Snuff-Belgium]

Only one tip here: Try to find a person who lives nearby that uses straights and get a few times together so you can see him strop, shave and maintain his razor. Then try it yourself while he can correct you and give advice. It will take months off the learning curve!

 

[kirisute]

Mine would be:

research the forums the only stupid questions are the ones you DON'T ask.
start with a shavette; cheap, teaches technique and not a high initial outlay.
take your time and learn what works for you.
you can do it all yourself: I've just bought a vintage razor, honed it, made a strop, stropped the razor and shaved with it! Within two days!
its not a mystical challenge! It's about learning, researching and enjoying yourself!
Straight shaving is a skill....and you'll be proud you took the time to learn it!

 

[professorchaos]

The first shave is the hardest. In it you learn that, although it is easy to cut yourself, it isn't nearly as easy at you thought.

You will not get good shaves for a while. This is expected. Don't clean up with another razor afterwards.

 

[GreekGuy]

These are a lot of very good tips . Hopefully some newer members find them helpful. Keep them coming!

 

[Gamma]

It's shaving, not rocket science.

Use common sense, go slow, pay attention and have fun.

 

[Bird_Flu]

I'll echo a few of the points made earlier.

Lather is so key, if it's too thick and not slick enough your blade will skip, make sure you have super slick lather. Also if the edge isn't sharp you will have a miserable shave, there are a lot of gentlemen on this forum that will hone for free if you pay shipping both ways so be sure to get either a shave ready razor or have someone on here hone it up for you. My last point is shave ready doesn't always mean shave ready. A shave ready razor sold here more than likely will be shave ready, one off of your favorite auction site might not be so take caution.

 

[Reevers]

Great thread!

 

[gash]

Try a kamisori.

 

[ridnovir]

Well I am by no means a veteran. But here are my 2c

1. Start with a shave ready well honed and stropped razor.
2. Burn all of the bridges and commit to straight razor shaving.

 

[cleanshaved]

as said already it must be a shave ready razor.
Get a cheap strop. The chances of you cutting it up are high. Practice with a butter knife for a few days. Focus on the flip and turn. Speed is not the goal, you are looking for good form here. I done a few shadow strops before acutally stropping. I beleive this approch was the reason I did not cut my first strop. YMMV
get to know your razor. Get comfortable with it in hand, hold it in different grips.
your first shave may be slow. If your lather dries out just apply some more.

the first week or so may not be stella but things will click and you be moving up the curve in no time.