How to Shave Using a Straight Razor
Straight razors have gradually been replaced by safety razors with disposable blades. However, there are still men who insist that there's no better shave than the one a straight razor has to offer. The idea of repeatedly holding a very sharp blade against the face and neck is a deterrent to some. But once you understand the way a straight razor works, and experience the closeness of the shave, you might just make a permanent switch. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Preparation
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1
Wash your face and beard with a mild soap. Rinse and pat dry. The oils and dirt on your skin and beard can dull the blade, so this step is very important.
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2
Lather your clean face and beard with a glycerin-based shaving soap. Standard shaving creams are not recommended for use with straight razors.
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3
Open the straight razor and strop the blade, using only the leather side of the strop. Hold the strop's handle in your left hand (or non-dominant hand) and the razor by the shank in your right hand.
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4
Place the blade shank flat on the strop at the position farthest from you with the blade facing away. Draw the blade towards you for the length of the strop, flip the shank when you reach the end so the blade is facing you and stroke the razor away from you. The razor's hull should be slightly in advance of the point, according to ArtofManliness.com; the heel should always be slightly closer to the strop end than the point of the blade.
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5
Make 15 to 20 slow, even strokes in each direction. Take your time.
Shave
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6
Hold the razor with your first three fingers on the back of the blade and your pinkie resting on the blade's tang. This will give you good control of the blade, although you may have to change it up a bit to shave certain more difficult spots. Your thumb should be on the side of the blade near its middle. You may develop your own method as you get better and more confident, but for the beginner, this is a good way to start.
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Add more lather to your face.
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Shave different parts of your face and neck in the following order, as Lehmans.com recommends: sideburns and cheekbones, sides of the neck, middle of the neck, upper and lower lips and, lastly, the chin. Lehman's advises this order because it allows the lather to soften the thicker facial hair for longer. Remember to shave with your beard's grain. Rinse your face with cool water. Apply aftershave if desired.
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9
Keep your skin pulled taught. Reach over your head with the left hand and pull the skin on your face upward; point your chin in the air to tighten the skin on your neck, tilting your head as necessary; pull your upper lip downward and your bottom lip upward when shaving your upper lip and chin, respectively.
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10
Follow the contours of your face.
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Rinse your razor under the tap and gently dry it with a towel. "Strop" the blade gently against the towel to dry it. Make sure the razor is clean and dry before you close it.
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Tips & Warnings
Hold the blade flat against your face then lift it slowly so it's at roughly a 30-degree angle to your face. The larger this angle becomes, the more likely you are to cut yourself; the smaller it gets, the less likely you are to cut any facial hair.
Apply very little pressure. The weight of the blade is what cuts and all you have to do is to keep your skin taught and move the blade across your skin. The more pressure you apply, the more likely you are to cut yourself.
This article explains how to do one pass with a straight razor. Some people like to do two or three, shaving with the grain, across the grain and against the grain. If this is your first time, stick to one pass and move on to two or three as you feel more confident.
References
- Photo Credit razor image by Andrey Rakhmatullin from Fotolia.com
