OK. Tell me I can do it. I am not afraid to go back. But I am a little gun shy. I have been wet shaving now for 2+ weeks DE only. Today I tried my first straight razor shave. A newly acquired vintage razor, professionally honed and in shave ready condition. I went through my ritual; shower, pre-shave oil, wonderful lather via a razorock, plissoft brush, and it happened. After stretching the face, on the 3rd down stroke... DAMN! MOTHER F.... ! The corner of the razor caught my cheek. Now, I know it was my fault. I ended that 3rd fateful pass not going straight down, but forward just a smidge. It is a small nick with not too much bleeding. However, it pinched, then hurt then bled then scared me! I finished off the shave with my trusty Vikings Blade Chieftain with no further incidents. I'll go back to trying the straight razor, but maybe in another week. Any tips?
I approached str8 shaving with this attitude - if my forefathers could do, and that's all they had, I can do it. Nicks and cuts are gonna happen during the learning curve. Just gotta stick with it. Hang in there! You'll get it!! We're pullin' for ya!!!
Measure twice, cut once. Watch your angle. Pay attention! Don't get overconfident and lose focus. That's usually when I unleash blood. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
I had the same experience a few times when I was starting out. It's been a long time since I've had more than a weeper. With practice it gets much better. Have fun!
Och Aye the Noo..Nicks are All Part of the Journey..I Hate Getting a Nick as they Sting like Hell for the Rest of the Day & Ruin a Good Shave.. Billy..
I just cut myself a couple of weeks ago while shaving with a straight. Yup it will leave a mark. I am not the least concerned about that. It was a reminder not to shave when very tired. It was my first cut in five years. It will heal. I will take the occasional cut over the crazy rash I used to get from other shaving methods.
One trick I've learned to minimize potential gouges from the tip: keep your razor-holding hand close to your jaw/chin throughout the shave. Entirely different from DE shaving, by keeping your approach shallow, you lower the risk of catching the tip. Another tip: use a round-point razor when learning to SR shave. It will still slice you, but less likely than with a square-pointed razors.
I agree. But, nothing like a scary sharp square point to accelerate your learning curve. One or two "Gotchas" with that tip, and your focus will be laser like, from then on. Once you master Straight Razor Shaving, DE shaving is a no brainer. I now feel I could probably shave myself with my Gillette Fat Boy razor, while jumping on a trampoline. (No I'm not going to try it).
I'm new to SR and had a nice nick (cut) a week ago Saturday. I was much more methodical in my approach the next time. Keep the angle shallow and watch out for any side to side motion. I do find not having to worry about a pointy tip takes a sharp variable out of the equation. Other than that, when I stop nicking myself I'll lend some more advice.
Very good advice, which I didn't take seriously enough Because I didn't heed the first bit of advice. Blood is a very good teacher I began with a spike tip and stayed with it for a solid 30 days, blood and all.
Square point with a keenly-sharp tip. Most square points are slightly muted or rounded off. The names are often used interchangeably, but when one refers to a 'spike point' it usually is referring to a non-muted square point.