Shaving your face with a straight razor needn't be uncomfortable and infuriating, it could be amonglife's small pleasures. After you've become proficient using the straight blade, you can start experiencing the closest and most comfortable shaves of your life. You can also start enjoying the Zen aspect of straight razor shaving. Instead of hurrying through your daily ritual and trying to chop down hair on your face and skin, you can look ahead to shaving and the joy it provides you on an every day basis.
Learning to shave using a straight razor is a huge accomplishment. I'm not going to lie to you and say it isn't difficult. Yet it's not terribly difficult either. While some persons think it is an "art," this was the exact same shaving approach used by our great grandfathers and perchance our grandfathers. If they could do it right, you can too.
That said, you ought not just go and jump in head first. Just like all good and worthwhile things in life, learning traditional wet shaving will take time and perseverance to learn it right and avoid errors. After all, you just didn't run before walking, and before you walked, you needed to learn to stand. It's the exact same thing with a cut throat razor. You cannot just dive in similar to a modern cartridge based razor, nor is it as easy as a DE razor. Admittedly that is why straight razor shaving has died out as a mainstream method of shaving.
Here are some tips to help you get started.
Practice Makes Perfect
I know you've been told this over and over again throughout your whole life, but it is true. Without muscle memory, we are basically just stumbling around doing things haphazardly. While a straight razor is much more elegant than a knife, in the larger scheme of things, shaving with a straight razor is one small step away from shaving with a knife. Don't believe me, check out this video.
http://youtu.be/yWd17wm7beI
So, if you don't want to regret ever attempting to use a straight razor, You should follow my recommendations.
Get to Know Your Razor
Feel how it balances in your hand. Make an effort to try a variety of grips with it. Slice the air, wave it about (securely), or shave your arms and legs. Whatever you decide to do, just get used to the way it functions. 90% of straight razor shaving is managing the angle. If you cannot control the razor, you simply will not get a better shave.
One of the best ways I've found to learn proper angle & holding technique was to shave the back of my hand. Undertaking that once every day for a few days taught me how the razor worked, what angle was required to achieve a cutting action, and more importantly it familiarized me with the razor. Another good technique is to practice the razor strokes in the air. Yet, another technique suggested to barber school students is to shave a balloon or tomato. If you work with a balloon, you ought to think about lathering with water only as it could burst.
Now, it is a good idea to shave with both your hands. Yet it's not essential. However, if you are able to master the non-dominant hand, you'll find it to be vastly superior, helping you to shave tough spots easier.
Each razor balances differently. It is impacted by things like blade girth, handle material, handledesign, blade shape, hollowness, etcetera. Keep trying different grips on the razor to discover the one that works the best for you. Keep in mind, it's your razor, not mine. You can shave with it however you want. Or, you could utilize a cleaver similar to the guy previously mentioned. I should note at this stage that you will have a different grip for shaving ATG. So learn at least two grips for your razor.
Learning to shave using a straight razor is a huge accomplishment. I'm not going to lie to you and say it isn't difficult. Yet it's not terribly difficult either. While some persons think it is an "art," this was the exact same shaving approach used by our great grandfathers and perchance our grandfathers. If they could do it right, you can too.
That said, you ought not just go and jump in head first. Just like all good and worthwhile things in life, learning traditional wet shaving will take time and perseverance to learn it right and avoid errors. After all, you just didn't run before walking, and before you walked, you needed to learn to stand. It's the exact same thing with a cut throat razor. You cannot just dive in similar to a modern cartridge based razor, nor is it as easy as a DE razor. Admittedly that is why straight razor shaving has died out as a mainstream method of shaving.
Here are some tips to help you get started.
Practice Makes Perfect
I know you've been told this over and over again throughout your whole life, but it is true. Without muscle memory, we are basically just stumbling around doing things haphazardly. While a straight razor is much more elegant than a knife, in the larger scheme of things, shaving with a straight razor is one small step away from shaving with a knife. Don't believe me, check out this video.
http://youtu.be/yWd17wm7beI
So, if you don't want to regret ever attempting to use a straight razor, You should follow my recommendations.
Get to Know Your Razor
Feel how it balances in your hand. Make an effort to try a variety of grips with it. Slice the air, wave it about (securely), or shave your arms and legs. Whatever you decide to do, just get used to the way it functions. 90% of straight razor shaving is managing the angle. If you cannot control the razor, you simply will not get a better shave.
One of the best ways I've found to learn proper angle & holding technique was to shave the back of my hand. Undertaking that once every day for a few days taught me how the razor worked, what angle was required to achieve a cutting action, and more importantly it familiarized me with the razor. Another good technique is to practice the razor strokes in the air. Yet, another technique suggested to barber school students is to shave a balloon or tomato. If you work with a balloon, you ought to think about lathering with water only as it could burst.
Now, it is a good idea to shave with both your hands. Yet it's not essential. However, if you are able to master the non-dominant hand, you'll find it to be vastly superior, helping you to shave tough spots easier.
Each razor balances differently. It is impacted by things like blade girth, handle material, handledesign, blade shape, hollowness, etcetera. Keep trying different grips on the razor to discover the one that works the best for you. Keep in mind, it's your razor, not mine. You can shave with it however you want. Or, you could utilize a cleaver similar to the guy previously mentioned. I should note at this stage that you will have a different grip for shaving ATG. So learn at least two grips for your razor.
When you purchase your first razor, make sure it was sharpened by a professional straight razor sharpening service. If you buy a vintage razor off of ebay or an antique shop, make sure it has no chips in the blade or any rust. Rust is bad. Then, send the razor off to ASharperRazor.com for a restoration and straight razor sharpening service. For more articles about straight razor sharpening, visit ASharperRazor.com.
