Thread: My very first straight razor shave

Well, it was horrible. No, I didn't kill myself, but it wasn't great by a long shot. I shaved with my newly restored great grandfather's Morley Clover straight razor (Newly restored great grandfather's Morley Clover). I think I was going too slow and the shaving cream in the areas I hadn't gotten to yet dried up and became impossible to shave! The areas I did get to went pretty smoothly! I did need to get used to hearing the razor cutting through the hair so efficiently! That was a bit weird at first. I did nick myself about 5 or 6 times (something I haven't done in years) but it wasn't bad at all and it all stopped bleeding on its own! I chose to finish up with my regular Schick razor as my face was very, very, very irritated from the new shaving cream, using the brush, and/or using the straight razor. Over time, I think learning to shave faster so that the cream doesn't dry will help a great deal! I'm not down and out yet! It was a fun experience.

If the lather dries on your face, just add some more lather (if you make lather in a bowl), or some more water (if you face-lather).

Use as much lather as you need, as often as you need it.

If you're nicking yourself with Glenn's edge, it's likely that you're using too much pressure. Or you could be moving the blade laterally ("slicing"), instead of moving it at right angles to the edge.

You'll work out the kinks . . .

Charles

Try re-lathering areas of your face that get dry as you go. If you're going to wait for that kind of speed it may be a while, depending on how fast you pick this up. I'm about 3 months into it now. I have some very good shave days and still some days that make me scratch my head and think that someone must have swapped my familiar razor (I've only shaved with one so far) for a rusty beer can or something. My speed has improved on my first WTG pass quite a bit now. However, my ATG and XTG passes still take lots more care and time. My consistency has improved, especially on that first pass. The other passes can be hit or miss still and there's no way I can shave fast enough that the lather won't dry before I get to my whole face. It takes some patience but I can see that I will eventually get to a point where all the passes go smooth and easy, as it is with my WTG pass.

I lather my face in sections as I go along after my initial full face lather to be sure it's well prepped for the blade.

agibby5,
Did you read the forum's Wiki on straight razor shaving before you started?

The Wiki for beginners was written to help new SR shavers ease into SR shaving and to help at least reduce the problems you described above.

Congrats on your first shave! I'm still under 10 shaves myself. I'll leave much of the advice to the pros around here, but I will say that I had the same problem as you with the lather drying before I had gotten to it. This problem persisted for several shaves before I finally discovered I wasn't including enough water in my lather... maybe this will work for you?

I also agree 100% with what's been said here about re-lathering your face. I find it helpful to divide me shave into two sections- the face and the throat. I lather up everything before I start, then shave my face. Before I start my throat I refresh it with another helping of lather. Since I've started doing this its already reduced the number of nicks I get by half, at least.

As as fellow new shaver, wishing you the best!

Good man, don't give up.


Mick

+1 on the previous advice--especially about rehydrating dry lather.

As for learning how to shave faster. Relax. That will come in time. But it should never take precedence over shaving closely, comfortably and above all safely.

Keep in mind too that the cause of lather drying out is not always because of the speed with which you shave. It can also be caused by low humidity in your house, especially during winter.

Originally Posted by pmburk

agibby5,
Did you read the forum's Wiki on straight razor shaving before you started?

The Wiki for beginners was written to help new SR shavers ease into SR shaving and to help at least reduce the problems you described above.

Yes, I read that and I also looked at Lynn's DVD tutorial... among many other Youtube videos. I think I had information overload and I was trying not to slit my throat at the same time. I'm sure I'll pick up the nuances as I go. I don't expect to get fast over night, I was just thinking out what the solution might be. One of the issues might be that my lather wasn't that great, and relathering didn't really seem to do anything... I have a lot to learn but just wanted to share what I went through.

Originally Posted by agibby5

Yes, I read that and I also looked at Lynn's DVD tutorial... among many other Youtube videos. I think I had information overload and I was trying not to slit my throat at the same time. I'm sure I'll pick up the nuances as I go. I don't expect to get fast over night, I was just thinking out what the solution might be. One of the issues might be that my lather wasn't that great, and relathering didn't really seem to do anything... I have a lot to learn but just wanted to share what I went through.

Just remember, take it slow and try not to take on too much too soon. Also, remember, what works for some people may not work for others. So it'll take time for you to get your own niche. As you say, you have a lot to learn and it's not going to happen overnight.

Also if another experienced member lives nearby you might ask him if you can watch him shave and give you advice while you shave, helped me a lot.