Intro to Straight Razor Shaving
If you’re new to straight razor shaving, the thought of dragging a bare blade across your face can be rather intimidating. Coming from a world of disposable cartridge blades, a naked razor may seem more like a medieval weapon than a personal grooming device.
Fear not! It’s not as difficult as it may appear, and in time the art of shaving with a straight razor will eventually become second nature. As with any new venture, tips and guidelines can help you find the joy and comfort straight razor users rave about.
Don't Rush
When first starting out, the most important thing is to take it slow. No one gets a medal for the quickest straight razor shave. While no one single thing will make or break your shaving experience (except a poor quality blade, that will hurt), taking your time and using quality products will certainly add to the experience.
Pre-Shave Oil
Pre-shave oil is meant to help the razor glide over your face cleanly and smoothly, making for a more comfortable shave. Put a pea-sized portion in the palm of your hand and rub it in all over the shaveable portion of your face. You will want to wash your hands with soap and water after applying—handling a straight razor with slick oily hands will not end well.
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Give the oil a minute or two to soak in. This is the ideal time to do your pre-shave stropping (between 25 & 60 passes on leather).
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Some don’t care for pre-shave oil while others swear by it. Try shaving with it one day and next without, then judge for yourself which camp you’re in. I have dry skin, so it's definitely a worthwhile step for me.
Shave Soap
Both soaps and creams have their advantages and disadvantages—just like pre-shave oil, it’s all about preference. However, you should forgo canned shave foams and gels, as they simply do not have the body and quality ingredients of the high-quality soap pucks and creams, they also cost much less per shave than the cheapest canned foams or gels. A good quality shave soap will help cushion the razor and greatly reduce any skin irritation.
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Work up a decent lather using your shave brush—it might take a few tries to determine the optimal amount of water to add, but you’ll get there. Splash a bit of warm water (some like cold, not me) on your face and apply the soap with the brush till you have a decent lather.
Proper Grip
This is where the rubber hits the road. It’s going to take a few shaves to really get the feel of a straight razor, so take your time and don’t rush through it.
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The razor is held with the first two fingers and the thumb gripping the shank and the third finger resting on the tang. The scales will be standing 90 degrees up between the second and third fingers. The scales are not handles, and you do not actually grip them; they do, however, provide essential counterbalance while using a straight razor.
Technique
Always move the razor perpendicular to the cutting edge, never move the razor sideways (bad things will happen, the details of which you can probably guess). The blade should be at about a 30-degree angle to your face, and the spine of the blade should be about two or three spine widths off of your face. Do not use a lot of pressure with the blade—it doesn’t need it.
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Start at the sideburn and work your way to the lower jawline in one straight motion. If you are shaving the left side and holding the razor in your left hand, use your right hand to reach over your head and pull up from the sideburn area to pull the skin on your left cheek taut. wherever your are shaving, always try to pull the skin taut on that location. The shaving will be more effective and you'll be less likely to cut or nick yourself. For now, don’t go past the jawline. For your first shave, just do the flats of your cheeks and finish the rest with your normal razor. This will help build confidence, feel, and muscle memory. Do one side, then rinse the blade, change hands, and move to the other cheek and do the same. Use your normal razor to finish up your upper lip, chin, and neck area. Shave like this as many times as it takes to feel comfortable using a straight razor.
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Once you are comfortable with the straight razor, it’s time to hit the curves. After you get to the jawline, continue to the neck trying as best as you can to maintain that 30-degree angle on the face. As you’re going around a curve, that can be a bit tricky to maintain, but just take your time. Just remember to not let the razor slide sideways, as your face will pay the price.
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Finish both sides of your face and you’ll be left with the upper lip and chin area. As those areas are the most difficult to shave, you may want to go back to your normal razor for a bit until you get even more comfortable with a straight razor.
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People use different methods to shave the upper lip. I hold the razor 90 degrees to my face and place the blade directly under my nose and move it straight down to my upper lip, bringing the blade angle from 90 degrees to about 30 on the way down. The hardest part is now over! Some people will shave with the toe end of the razor directly below the nose (holding the razor vertically) and move from the center of the lip to the side—that never worked for me, so I can’t comment on it. Do what feels most comfortable for you.
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Once the upper lip is done, it’s time to move to the chin. Again, about a 30-degree angle starting at the bottom of the lower lip and straight down and over the chin line till you end up at the previously shaved part of the neck. Switch hands and hit the other side. Your first straight razor shave is now complete!
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Use a bit of warm water to rinse the soap off of your face and follow with a nice cold water splash, which helps lessen any irritation.
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A good aftershave, be it a balm, gel, or alcohol-based liquid, will refresh your face after a shave and further reduce irritation. Try a few and see what works best.
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Remember to strop the razor with about three passes after each shave to remove any residual soap scum and other detritus so as not to allow the cutting edge to pit.
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Take a moment to marvel at the incredible closeness of a straight razor shave. If you happen to have a loved one who values a clean-shaven face, chances are they will marvel at it, too. You have not only upgraded your shave, you have also enhanced the quality of your daily hygiene routine.