Where I'm at.

[Monsieur Blaireau]

Tonight I had my second full shave with just the straight. I shaved a few times - four? - starting in August and into the Fall, using my grandfather's straight razor. This was after years with the DE. I didn't yet have a strop, so my efforts were fitful; just toes in the water, shaving my cheeks, backing off the neck.

Then, as part of Movember, I decided to commit to the Straight, along with the 'stache. I don't shave every day, so tonight's shave was the fifth this month, and the second ever where I shaved my whole entire face with the straight: no second pass or touch ups with the DE.

Judging from what I've read of other people's shave journals, my experience seems to be tracking along the normal route. I get tugging, I am convinced it's because the blade's gone dull or I've rounded the edge with poor stropping technique, but then I'll hit a better angle and things just glide along. Until they don't. Tonight I got some redness, and the alum block gave me a pretty good tickling, but I inflict fewer weepers than with the DE and no nicks, and any irritation seems to be gone by morning. I hear from Krodor, who has been a helpful guide through the learning process, honing the razor for me - twice! - that it'll be 20 or 30 shaves before things start to click, so I'm trying to sit with that and enjoy the ride. From my experience so far, I'm convinced it's possible to get a more irritation free, comfortable shave from the straight than from anything else. Sometimes the learning curve seems like it'll wear out my patience before I get there, though. One thing's for sure: it's interesting.

 

[Monsieur Blaireau]

I've shaved three times since that last entry: once with a DE, cause I was away, and then Saturday and again today with the straight. Saturday went okay, though it wasn't super smooth. I got a couple unserious weepers, some mild burning from the alum block, but again, basically no visible irritation. It seems like the more familiar you get holding the blade, the easier and more natural it seems to put it to your face. That doesn't keep me from sometimes wondering "what the $%*& am I doing?" midway through a shave. But it's another two shaves - that many more toward the threshold first hundred! - I've done without the "training wheels" of a finishing pass with the DE.

SWMBO declared today's shave the smoothest yet, but I'm a little more critical of my results. Still a lot of stubble around the neck. Better that than blood. I copped a piece of advice from someone else's shave journal, to hold the blade more toward parallel to the skin. Today that seemed to really help cut the hair rather than the skin, at least for those portions of the shave where I was able to apply it. I got a weeper right over my chin but the alum block took care of it.

Now what I need to figure out is: how long can I go with just the leather strop using this one blade before I need to put it to a high grit hone for a little maintenance? And what sort of hone - I realize I'll get as many opinions as people I ask - should it be? I strop on the leather both before and after the shave. After the shave, I strop on a piece of denim before I hit the leather strop.

 

[sychodelix]

If your stropping is good, it could be a very long time before you need a rehone. Unless you do something horrible to mess up your edge like I did. Usually a balsa strop with pastes should be enough to make the edge a little keener.

The funny thing is, I started straight shaving at almost the same time as you did, also for MOvember, and haven't touched a DE or SE since. And both of us seem to be managing pretty well!

 

[Monsieur Blaireau]

Always helps to know we're among fellow travelers!

 

[ch2700]

I have also been shaving all Movember with straight. Only one difference is that i shave everyday. I am so exited about this that i make plans durring the night in order to orginize my time and get 40 minutes free for my shave. Its my 40 minutes of concetration and probbably the only 40 minutes durring the day that my mind is free of thoughts. I strop the razor always before shaving. I am using a paddle strop and i go about 80 to 90 times. I found great difference when i was doing 60. I also strop a couple of times after in order to make sure that the razor is completly dry. They say that you need arround 100 shaves in order to achieve a very good shave. I tend to beleive that. I am sorry to say that but my DE will not be used anymore. I do not think i am going back.