Hey guys. I have been shaving with a straight for 2 years now and I wanted to share some advice to all the newbies or lurkers who want to take the plunge into straight razor shaving. Here it goes: 1. Purchase a brush and high quality soap or cream. Learn how to lather and use the brush to ensure ultimate saturation of your face. (trust me, its well work it) 2. Move your way from cart to DE. DE imo is the next step. You learn how to stretch skin which is crutial to straight razor shaving. 3. Purchase a strop and learn how to use it. Please do not buy the most expensive strop. You will probably nick it. A poor man's strop or a travel strop is a great way to start. Even a vintage online that is in decent shape would be ok. In my experiences, strops do not affect the shave. Buy the strop first. If your straight comes in the mail first chances are you will want to go right away. (Watch as many Youtube videos as you can) 4. Purchase a shave ready straight. Please make sure it is shave ready. I made the mistake and my first shaves were horrible. I thought I was a honemeister when I started and all it left me was alot of frustration. Learn to use it. (Youtube). Again, don't kill your self with a crazy priced razor at first. As long as its shave ready your ok. Remember this is a hobby that you can incorporate into your everyday life. You don't have to buy all the stuff that everyone is talking about because they say its required. A barber's hone, a strop and a razor can keep you shaving for a long time, and there alot of members that are more than willing to help. I made the mistake of buying all the stuff and while I don't regret it, I think that I probably could have skipped alot of it.
Very good advise JoeB. You can maintain a razor a long time with just a strop and barber hone. I might add when you get your strop practice using a butter knife; it will help your technique, establish muscle memory and save your strop. This may sound silly but practice shaving with the butter knife too; helps establish blade angle along with muscle memory. This butter knife thing might sound silly but it works. When I started 5 years ago that's what I practiced with and it has really saved me many nicks to face and strop which relates to less blood spilled and less money spent.
JoeB, you are so right. I got addicted to buying every new or old thing that was talked about on forums. You can get by on one or two straights, a strop, a brush( expensive one not necessary),chromium oxide, barber hone, and lapping film, if so inclined.
My advice is lock the bathroom door. Like most men I shave right after I shower. Like most men I don't shower with my clothes on, and like a lot of men I don't take time to get dressed before shaving. One day my wife walks into the bathroom, makes a commit about my butt and then smacks my butt. I now I have a nice scar on my chin. My advice is lock the bathroom door.
ajhracing, If I understand you correctly, you basically do your straight razor shaving in the nude. I know you are very experienced, and probably not clumsy, but ummmm, errrrrrrr isn't that just slightly "dangerous" for the "family equipment," so to speak? Sleepytime
Ouch! Sage advice. Also, don't have any candy in your mouth while shaving. I was sucking on a piece of cinnamon disc candy while shaving with a straight. I glided the blade over the little bump in my cheek and viola, instant cut. Not a nick, a cut. I have a nice wee little scar from my mistake. I always swear it was from a hockey game that I got the scar when asked lol.
