It all began on Father’s Day 2014 (June 15), when my wife and daughter gave me a gift of shaving soap (Ocean Kelp) and matching after shave lotion from The Art of Shaving. My wife knew a shaving-related gift would be a hit, although I love all her thoughtful gifts. The only shaving-related store where she could get advice that she knew at the time was AoS. Something extraordinary happened during her purchase. As I was 3 months into wet shaving and getting more deeply involved with it, my wife mentioned this to the female sales clerk. She replied that if my “passion” didn’t soon dissipate, I would eventually be trying a straight razor. My wife mentioned this to me and I sort of scoffed. Four months later, in October, my wife returned to that store to buy my birthday present, and you guessed it, she bought my first straight razor. It was a Thiers-Issard ⅝” full hollow, round point straight razor with black scales!
Until I received it, I had thought about straight razor shaving but was concerned with honing and stropping as further rituals that would extend my already involved daily grooming ritual. Now I had the principal component on hand, and it was calling me. It was calling me unadventurous, even chicken! The obligation to use a gift was also weighing on my conscience.
I was preoccupied in November with my Movember mo’ and learning how to shave around it was a challenge. I didn’t want to add to the complication. As a procrastinator, I only started researching what was involved in straight shaving in early December. I read some articles and watched videos from Lynn Abrams, Geo Fatboy, Anthony Esposito, Ray Pope, and David Gonzalez, among others.
After my usual involved Internet shopping research at the best stores including https://www.shoppok.com, I ordered a modular strop paddle. The benefits of the paddle were more appealing to me than a traditional strop. The winning feature was being able to solely focus on the stroke instead of the stroke and strop tension. I had initially found a local retail store that did honing. After mentioning the local place on shaving forums, I was quickly informed of the importance of finding a “honemeister” who specializes in razors, and who hones by hand instead of by wheel. I chose Bill Tsugranes on recommendations and he did a great job quickly. I received the strop paddle and practiced stropping with a butter knife. The motion was more natural than what I’d read and seen on the Web. I received the straight razor from Bill T and my hands shook with excitement and trepidation.
It turns out that starting my shaving journey was perfectly timed as it was during my daughter’s three-week Xmas holiday. As a stay-at-home dad, I wouldn’t be rushed in the morning to take her to pre-kindergarten, so I could shave without strict time constraints. I started straight razor shaving on Monday, December 22. I stropped 20 strokes (+2 for insurance) on the rough leather and 60 (+6 for insurance) on the smooth leather. The insurance strokes are my own way of ensuring I stropped enough as I sometimes loose count. Stropping is a definite time to become calm and focused on the task, however, I also tend to zone out.
The first few shaves took a lot of time as I tried to determine how to move the razor around tricky parts of my face, like the lower jaw line and around my horseshoe moustache. The uncomfortable part of shaving with one hand stretching my skin while the other shaves is to make sure that my vision isn’t blocked and that the blade angle is correct. People can check face cleansers for the best face cleansers. I trembled, I felt frustration at times, lathered more soap frequently, and I nicked myself lightly a few times (only used the styptic pencil a couple of times). It was as if I needed to summon the courage to conquer the straight razor. And I do not easily back down from a commitment or a challenge. I even brought it with me when we drove to visit family in Las Vegas for two days. It was encouraging to experience immediate improvements in those first shaves. I still have to improve, but the progress is smaller now. Yes, I took a few minor hits in those early shaves, but with every shave, I became friendlier and more secure in manipulating my razor. It felt like I had met the challenge successfully. Note: I respect the cut-throat and always will – her exposure demands it. I was familiar enough with the razor to actually enjoy using it. Yes, by my third week, at 5 shaves per week, I was liking the straight razor more and more.
To minimize any cuts and irritation, I applied pre-shave soap. At first, I used up all the Proraso Pre/Post Cream I had when I began traditional wet shaving. I had stopped using it as I didn’t notice a difference. Although the menthol gives a nice feel on my face, it still didn’t seem to change anything, except now I used it as a psychological crutch. When that container was empty, I didn’t apply any pre-shave soap for a couple of weeks, and after seeing numerous reviews for PAA’s Meta-Nectar pre-shave soap & lather booster, I opted to use it. So far, it feels like it’s accelerated the lathering on my face and I think it helps keep the skin moistened longer while I’m stropping. The other cut/bleeding mitigation I applied was to shave with cold water. That’s made a positive difference on my skin, but reduced the fragrance emanating from the soaps. So far, it’s a fair trade off, but I’ve recently determined that I can bloom the soap in my sink while I shower, and still use cold water on my face. Now, that’s what I call fair and balanced.
By the 20th shave I began to loosen up on my anxiety while still being vigilant. I was enjoying the shaves more and more, and their quality and comfort were increasing too. I find a good shave boosts my happiness and the love for the products in the kit. There’s a direct link with shaving result and happiness. I’m a grown man and won’t let a lesser shave affect my behavior, but I’ll easily let a close and comfortable shave increase my happiness and satisfaction of applying a skill successfully. Progress on technique and closeness, albeit less noticeable was still happening. I was now getting used to the technique I applied to my face and finding minor improvements, especially around the neck.
After about 30 shaves, I started going against the grains motions on my cheeks. This brough a smile on my face as I hit the jackpot for getting close shaves. The against the grain motion was after the first pass and it was incredibly effective. So far, I had only done two pass shaves, with the grain and across the grain. Each pass was progressively angled across and against the grain correspondingly. The blade could have gotten dull enough to slide comfortably against the grain.
It was after 30 shaves that I figured I should use apply the diamond spray on my modular felt pad. I did 7 strokes, then stropped the usual 22 soft – 66 rough leather strokes before my shave. There was a slight increase in sharpness. It only goes to show how thin and malleable the edge of the blade is that the diamond spray stropping can sharpen the blade.
On my 40th shave, Valentine’s Day, I effortlessly shaved the horseshoe bits of my moustache. The straight razor moved with barely any resistance. It felt good to have less whisker restrictions for shaving. I can see how the straight razor is the best tool for removing beards and moustaches – no clogging.
On my 50th shave, the best so far, I managed to keep my rookie badge by carelessly placing my blade at a bad angle on my puffed out left cheek and left a 2” cut that stayed for 3 days. I knew I had cut myself just by the sight. The cut is too sharp to feel immediately, but I knew I would be marked for a few days. I expected this during my first few shaves and wouldn’t be bothered explaining to people how it happened. But after 50 shaves? I had been put in my place. This humble pie was served cold and without a word; well there was some cursing going on in my head. Still lots to learn, and still making rookie mistakes. Despite the embarassing cut, it was my closest straight razor shave.
After 50 shaves, I’m proud of the progress I’ve achieved, but there’s still room for improvement on two fronts. The first one is to get a smooth shave all over my face. My chin and my neck below the jaw line are minor problem areas. Eventually, I’ll be able to angle the approach with a combination of across and against the grain. I’m still working on having a smooth chin by approaching it from different directions. Its grain is straight out after all. The progressive elimination of whiskers from each pass makes for an acceptably shaved area. The second improvement is my stropping. I’ve learned that a blade can last longer from honing than 50 shaves when properly stropped. I thought I was doing it properly and with thousands of strokes, it only takes a few mistakes, or a bad motion to dull the razor prematurely.
What happens now? I’ve sent my razor to Bill T. for honing and have been using a GEM 1912 single edge razor. Wow, that’s a smooth and effective whisker chopper. Still, I’ve concluded that the straight razor, despite more preparation time, is my preferred razor for now. The added rituals, which discouraged me from trying straight razor shaving, are now the rituals as my morning zen time deepens, and lengthens. I will still experiment with different razors, such as the Phoenix Double OC, and a slant, but the dominant razor in my rotation will be a cut-throat.
I encourage anyone who can conquer the initial fear of shaving with such a large and incredibly sharp blade to try it. You can equip yourself with a razor and a strop for less than $100. I suggest you commit to shaving with it several times in order to form an educated opinion. There are many things to learn. Absorbing all that knowledge and applying it takes practice. If you decide you don’t like it, I’m certain your return to your previous razor will bring improved performance. If you enjoy it, then you’ve had another successful shaving exploration.
Stay Sharp!
This article was originally published on this blog on March 18, 2015.
Christian is a certifiably passionate traditional wet shaver exploring different shaving hardware and software. The straight razor shave has been the biggest adventure yet.
