SOD 14/02/2019
Well I picked up a lovely Gong Solinger 6/8th extra hollow from Fergiebilly earlier this week from BST as my first straight razor.
Had a couple of goals going into my first straight razor shave today.
1. If possible, no nicks or cuts.
2. Try to experience the proper angle at least once and try to remember the angle/feel.
In terms of set up/prep, today I went with:
Exfoliating face wash with hot water.
Vitos Pre-Shave
Wickhams 1912 Cashmere
Gong SR
Ikon Tech loaded with a Feather on its 5th save as back up/to finish off the shave.
Vitos aftershave
Wickhams 1912 aftershave balm unscented.
Went with a slow, one pass WTG shave.
Luckily, I managed to achieve both my goals.
I didn't go for the full shave with the straight, just did my easy areas of the side burns, cheeks and the fair side of my neck. Struggled to find the proper cutting angle at first, but when I did hit the proper angle occasionally, it gave me an incredibly close and smooth shave. In the areas that I did manage to find the angle, the Ikon Tech with the Feather failed to get any additional hair off.
When I did get the right angle with the straight, I found it was actually smoother than the Ikon Tech which I find to be very smooth and is my go to razor.
I can tell that its going to be a while before I can get a 'proper' shave out of the straight razor for the whole of my face and neck. However, I can also tell that the time/practice is going to be worth it.