Where it went wrong ?

[monkeyboyo]

hello all,
new to straight edge, and just had 3rd shave, with about 9 days growth. Poor, so finished with 3-4 blade Gillette, which completed job in seconds. Where did it go wrong ?
Hot towel prep, Nanny's soap, a shave ready razor stropped by me; 30 degrees, short movements. Took it slow.

Hoping for closer shave (therefore less frequent), and kindness to skin longterm, but at present quite the opposite.
Can't work out what to do differently, nor how to know whether blade sharp enough.

I'd be greatful for your advice and thoughts ! Thank you

 

[monkeyboyo]

Anyone able to offer advice?. Thank you

 

[The Mackem Shaver]

Anyone able to offer advice?. Thank you

Why was it a poor shave? Did you have any problems with your previous go with a straight?

9 days growth is quite a lot you would have to get the angle just right so that the blade doesn't slide over the top of you whiskers.

 

[UKRob]

Quite simply you should not expect to get good results after just three shaves - the general opinion is that it takes a minimum 50 shaves to become proficient and, even then, you will still keep improving.

I don't consider that 9 days growth is beyond the capabilities of a straight - after all, your are cutting hair at face level and the razor doesn't care if what it's cutting is long or short.

I assume that it is a straight you're using and not an SE razor i.e. single edge blade?

 

[monkeyboyo]

Anyone able to offer advice?. Thank you

Why was it a poor shave? Did you have any problems with your previous go with a straight?

9 days growth is quite a lot you would have to get the angle just right so that the blade doesn't slide over the top of you whiskers.

Thanks for your input.
Poor shave as nowhere near as close as modern Gillette 3 blade thing.
Skin 'burn' in couple of places, probably from going over 2-3 times.
Previous shaves better, but had lesser growth. Will aim to shave every 3 days from now on, to see if that improves. Also, maybe hot towel longer, strop better !.

---

Quite simply you should not expect to get good results after just three shaves - the general opinion is that it takes a minimum 50 shaves to become proficient and, even then, you will still keep improving.

I don't consider that 9 days growth is beyond the capabilities ofa straight - after all, your are cutting hair at face level and the razor doesn't care if whet it's cutting is long or short.

I assume that it is a straight you're using and not an SE razor i.e. single edge blade?

Thanks Rob. Yes it is a straight. Not expecting good results so early, but knowing what is possible early on, and later after much practice is difficult to gauge.
For me, the hope with a straight is to shave closer, less frequently, thus kinder to skin, and less ingrowing hairs. Presuming that this is possible?. Or are there more prominent reasons for using straight edge?

 

[The Mackem Shaver]

Quite simply you should not expect to get good results after just three shaves - the general opinion is that it takes a minimum 50 shaves to become proficient and, even then, you will still keep improving.

I don't consider that 9 days growth is beyond the capabilities of a straight - after all, your are cutting hair at face level and the razor doesn't care if what it's cutting is long or short.

I assume that it is a straight you're using and not an SE razor i.e. single edge blade?

I wouldn't think it's beyond the capabalities of a straight at all but probably makes it more difficult for a newbie to keep the right angle and zero pressure. My technique with straights still needs a fair bit of work.

Monkeyboyo, if you just work on your technique for now. Just use the straight for one pass WTG then finish off with the Mach 3 and you should notice better results with the straight each shave.

 

[monkeyboyo]

if you just work on your technique for now. Just use the straight for one pass WTG then finish off with the Mach 3 and you should notice better results with the straight each shave.
[/quote]
Thanks very much. Sounds like good advice. And shaving every 3 days as i plan to do, will increase opportunities to practice one pass only.
Mind if i ask what you like about straight shaving?. Pleasure in the whole process itself, or better results than Mach3 type things ?

 

[IanM]

Men don't shave with a straight razors because it's easier than a cartridge or a DE.

Cartridge shaves are easy and give a good result.

DE Razors take a little more effort than a cartridge and give a good result.

Straight razors require a lot of practice and work on technique, maintenance, and after 50-100 shaves you'll get a good result.

That's what I've found, anyway.


Ian

 

[UKRob]

Thanks Rob. Yes it is a straight. Not expecting good results so early, but knowing what is possible early on, and later after much practice is difficult to gauge.
For me, the hope with a straight is to shave closer, less frequently, thus kinder to skin, and less ingrowing hairs. Presuming that this is possible?. Or are there more prominent reasons for using straight edge?

I don't think using a straight necessarily gets any closer and reduces the need to shave very often - using myself as an example I get very close shaves with a straight but still need to shave every day, and I would not class myself as anything more than a moderate beard.

I think you will find that good preparation and technique should result in less razor bumps and ingrown hairs - that again was my experience. Initially when I started using a straight I suffered from razor bumps (which I'd never had with a cartridge) but these disappeared as my technique improved. So if you tend to suffer from them at the moment you maybe need to look at your pre and post shave regime.

Mackem - you're right about the technique - I was referring to the fact that you can take off a full grown beard with a single pass od a straight which is not something that's possible with either an SE or DE blade.

 

[The Mackem Shaver]

Thanks Rob. Yes it is a straight. Not expecting good results so early, but knowing what is possible early on, and later after much practice is difficult to gauge.
For me, the hope with a straight is to shave closer, less frequently, thus kinder to skin, and less ingrowing hairs. Presuming that this is possible?. Or are there more prominent reasons for using straight edge?

I don't think using a straight necessarily gets any closer and reduces the need to shave very often - using myself as an example I get very close shaves with a straight but still need to shave every day, and I would not class myself as anything more than a moderate beard.

I think you will find that good preparation and technique should result in less razor bumps and ingrown hairs - that again was my experience. Initially when I started using a straight I suffered from razor bumps (which I'd never had with a cartridge) but these disappeared as my technique improved. So if you tend to suffer from them at the moment you maybe need to look at your pre and post shave regime.

Mackem - you're right about the technique - I was referring to the fact that you can take off a full grown beard with a single pass od a straight which is not something that's possible with either an SE or DE blade.

Yeah that makes sense though I don't think I've ever gone more than 3 or 4 days without shaving so I've never tried shaving off that much growth.

The main reason I use straights is that I had a couple of family heirlooms restored and I like them. I mainly use them on a weekend when I've got a bit more time. I can get a decent shave with three passes but still struggle to get a close shave under my chin.

Edit: also I find straights to cause less irritation than DE's.

 

[joe mcclaine]

Men don't shave with a straight razors because it's easier than a cartridge or a DE.

Cartridge shaves are easy and give a good result.

DE Razors take a little more effort than a cartridge and give a good result.

Straight razors require a lot of practice and work on technique, maintenance, and after 50-100 shaves you'll get a good result.

That's what I've found, anyway.

Ian

This, word for word.

 

[Johnus]

My humble experience showed that when 1st starting with a St8 that the less beard the better.
To start you might ever try using the St8 for the 2nd pass after your DE or cartridge .
There's no shaving law that says you have to use the same razor for your total shave.
Use the St8 on passes that you feel comfortable and your current razor on the rest.