Thread: Teaching a boy to use a straight?

I've begun thinking about teaching my sons to shave. I learned on a merkur safety razor. However, I'm thinking about teaching them to use a straight. After all, they like my razors. Anyone teach a new shaver to use a straight and skip the safety razor phase? Common sense is to learn with a safety razor. Would hate to let my sons scar up their faces.

My son is quite shaving age, but he is close. I asked him if would like to learn on a straigh or DE. So far, he wants to start on a straight. If he has an interest, I say go ahead.

My almost 18-year old started shaving with str8s a couple of Christmases ago, along with me. Other than a couple of experiments with an electric, it was how he learned to shave, and still does. We both got bitten by the str8 bug at the same time, so as I recall, we might have had a couple of quick sessions in front of the large mirror in our hall bath in which we talked about technique. But the biggest help for both of us was this forum, and the many helpful videos out on the subject. Kids nowadays really learn a lot using YouTube and other on-line helps (heck, even at 46, I do too!).

So if you trust them around sharp objects, and they are the inquisitive types who can learn a lot on-line, you might just be surprised at how little you have to do other than get them the gear. Let us know how it goes.

Thats great, I have shaved my son a couple times and he wants to use a straight himself but has not done it yet. I have showed his friend how to shave and he has started to shave on his own with a straight now. Its alot of fun, good luck

There was another thread a couple years ago along the same lines, but questioning at what age a kid should be given a knife. IIRC the general consensus was that it depends on the kid, and I would think the same applies here. If a teen has good fine motor skills, has the willingness to learn and, most importantly, actually has growth worthy of shaving I don't see why you could start him off with a SR. Generations of men learned this way, so why not?

On the other hand, a lot can be said for learning the basics first before diving into straight shaving. There's no one-size-fits-all answer.

You could always give him one with a dull edge to practice technique before he actually shaves with a sharp one. That way he can get used to a light touch, and figure out the best way to attack each part of his face.

I wish if my dad teached me to shave with a straight. It would have been so much easier now

I just this week showed my (newly turned) 17yo how to shave with a cut-throat.
We haven't seen each other for a couple of years (don't get me started) and he has always used an electric.
Even with the few pimples that he has he did extremely well and got a smooth shave, with no blood, on his cheeks and jawline.
I hope this will be the start of something we can share over the distance between us.
If he wants I will do one up for him, however at this stage, he'll have to put up with the electric he has at home.
I miss him.

All 3 of my sons learned to use the straight razor before the DE in their teen years. It actually was a lot of fun teaching them.

To teach a son to use a straight would be great! Go for it but remember that if you start to young and they have problems it might turn them off of it.


Richard