What inspired you to shave with a straight razor?

[Rusty Blade]

For me there is nothing more old school cool than shaving with a straight razor. Watching my grandfather shave with a SR was my first exposure and even as a kid I thought it was pretty cool. I enjoy DE and SE shaving as well, but there is nothing more relaxing than going through my SR shaving ritual. In my opinion straight razors are works of art and engineering marvels and beautiful to view. I also like that it requires a different set of skills.

What inspired you to shave with a straight razor?

 

[camoloc]

I'm a young grandpa........so I thought it was mandatory.

actually wanted to learn due the history behind it.....and let's be honest.......its 100% Bad ****.

more than anything though......acquiring a skillset that not many would bother to learn.

camo

 

[Samon]

Im an all or nothing kind of person, so it was either grow my hair out long or go for a skin head. I shaved my head daily for years with cheap disposable razors and was getting fed up with the boring constant joyless routine. I considered buying an electric razor for the ease of no shaving foam but was too cheap to spend for a decent one and I wasnt happy with just using clippers on grade 0 to cut my hair as it was itchy and I had to shower after anyway.

So I took the 'lets find a way to enjoy it' approach.

This was important because although the smoothshaved head was a way for me to feel 'cleansed' of my stressful and complicated life the method getting to that point was not enjoyable.

I had never been taught to shave but had seen barbers in the city going to town on customers which looked exciting and relaxing at the same time so naturally wanted to get a cut throat razor to have a go myself..and I'm a knife collector so it seemed a logical step.

I did some research on which razor would be an affordable start and also checked out some videos on techniques etc. I settled on a shave ready gold dollar and some cheap accessories. I had no issues with the learning curve and found it a great way to enjoy the process of shaving my head and use it as means of concentration and relaxation. I moved on from the gold dollar quickly and bought a bunch of clean antique razors which I honed up nicely and became interested in all aspects of the process i.e hones, strops, brushes etc. Shaving my head was easier without a mirror too, using my finger tips to feel through the lather and going by audio feedback and vibrations of the razor I had great close shaves and a means of zoning out the insufferable world both in my head and outside. I also collected a bunch of de razors over the years and enjoyed them but not as much as a straight but this was due to them being mild and causing irritation, I used only gillette silver blue blades which are crap in my techs!

Ive been growing out my hair and beard for a few years now and only occasionally used a straight razor to tidy up my neck. A few months back I got sick of my beard and shaved it off. It was then that I dug out my collection of de razors and got back to it to relieve the stress of this pandemic. I kept my hair but have gone for a full face shave and decided to stock up on better blades and soaps to get the most out of the de razors which has worked brilliantly. With my straight shaving I only used a boar brush and palm olive sticks, I kept it simple. But this time round I have so much time and a bit more money to really try out the de scene.

I'll dust off the straight razors some time but I gotta play with my new stuff first lol!

 

[macintoshBR]

The pleasure of mastering the straight razor and the zen routine are what drive me.

Sometimes, shaving is the best thing that is going to happen in your day, and it certainly gives you a lot of confidence to go through work with a baby-smooth face after a relaxing SR shave

 

[Polarbeard]

The required presence that leads to relaxation and a calm focused mind when meeting the new day, or as stated above: a Zen moment.

 

[rbscebu]

I just thought that it would be good to learn a new skill. That was the start. From there I started experienced all the other benefits of SR shaving.

Now the question for me is, why didn't I start this decades earlier?

 

[ChiefHA]

I used to watch my grandfather shave with a straight as a small boy and then when I turned 18 I was gifted a steamer trunk that belonged to my great grandfather that was killed in an auto accident in 1935. They had placed his belonging it and sealed it until I got it in 1983. It had 9 straight razors in it that I am getting ready to use and like camo I like acquiring skillsets that not many would bother to learn.

 

[iamsms]

watched some youtube videos. the sound - that is what intrigued me most to be honest. a hollow ground razor slicing through whiskers - that is music to my ears.

 

[Seg85]

I think the first thing that directed my attention to SRs was the prospect of being free from Gilette dependency and potentially save up money. After some quick research I understood that I'd be submitting to an even more addictive and expensive master, but by then I was too caught up with the sheer badassness SRs have.
After doing some further forum delving, now I have discovered many reasons why I prefer SRs, but my initial approach was mostly coincidental I'd say.

 

[Lightcs1776]

I love old tools, whether for woodworking or shaving. There is something cool about the history behind it.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[allyourbasearebelongtous]

i got inspired by the movie Desperado. where Antonio Banderas goes into the bathroom with a small dirty mirror pulls out a straight razor and shaves.

 

[quijas23]

for me it happened at Costco.
We were doing our purchases and i needed a pack of the Mach 3's or what ever the current top of the line gillet razor cartridges were.
So, my wife looks at the pricing, looks at me and says: " Is there anything else we can do instead of buying these? "
from there i started to research and the slippery slope started. I was already hand sharpening plane blades, chisels etc. for work (I am a finish carpenter by trade) and so it was a short jump to figuring out what needed to happen for straights.
Don't think I have saved any money truthfully but I do enjoy the cool factor of shaving with a straight and I do enjoy it now whereas before I hated shaving. My wife does enjoy it now as she says my three day stubble I typically carried around before was like touching steel wool.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Needed to shave since I was ten. Had a full beard since I was 12. Disposables clog if I have more than a days growth, electrics rip my hair out with fresh heads. Used a trimmer on the lowest setting or kept a beard most of my young life.

In my 20's had a roommate suggest we start wetshaving. No clue where he got the idea, but I looked into it and that took me to reading about straight razors. Turns out he meant DE's and he went that way, I went straight.

Within a few months I was getting better shaves than I had ever had with electrics or disposables. Wasn't asking why. Got into the hobby; first by becoming obsessed with finding "the best" of everything. This led me to a huge collection of finishing stones, a decent (though comparatively humble) strop collection, and trying every soap I could get my hands on, even spending a few years learning how to and then making my own soap... over time collecting razors, strops, and finally vintage brushes, soaps and stones.

Along the way got curious why I had such a bad time with most shaving methods. Did some research. Learned I have pili multigemini. Semi-rare condition... basically random hairs of mine are ropes instead of threads. I have beard hairs scattered throughout my face that are 3, 5, or more hairs growing from the same follicle and woven together. Big, nasty looking things. Some 1-2mm+ diameter (human hair is 20-120microns typically). Guess what cuts through rope just as well as string? A blade. Guess what doesn't? A rotary head of an electric razor or a stack of 1,2,3,5, or whatever the latest fad razor has wafer thin foil sheets with a bunch of lube smeared on them. Mystery solved.

 

[Tanuki]

Like white water kayaking and skiing, SR shaving requires calm and constant focus. There is tremendous opportunity to learn, both in mastering skills and in gaining deeper understanding of the tools.

So, just for kicks, really. And you don’t have to drive anywhere.

 

[seattleshaver]

I did it just for the challenge. It was something else to learn and it's a zen thing as others have stated.

 

[Badgerstate36]

For me it was just the next natural step in honing my skills. Anyone can shave with a DE but it takes some skill to achieve a BBS shave with a straight.

 

[alex1921]

Honing videos. I wanted to learn how to hone one and only way to know if I did a good job was to shave with one.

 

[steveclarkus]

1. Sheer hatred of the DE after many years of use.
2. Cost of Trac III Carts
3. Hadn’t used a straight razor since 1982 so I went back to the SR. Had no idea how good it would become with continued use and knowing how to hone.

 

[ajduplessis]

Crappy results with multi-blade cartridge and electric systems inspired me to try other options. More importantly I had a shave at a barber and my skin was in agreement with the results. It was the moment the penny dropped for me.

 

[Clays Guy]

This site and its forums inspired me to start. I found this site because I love Arkansas stones and I was directed to the Hones and Honing forum many times when I was Googling for stones. I kept visiting and reading about the SR shaving until I couldn't stand it anymore. I have not posted a lot but I sure do read everyday. I will have to say that the guys on this site are very helpful, unselfish, and they sure do whip up the interest in a hurry to try something new. I have certainly discovered that SR shaving is for me...thanks guys.

Chris