So, be patient, read on, and enjoy your stay with the SRP community. The following items are considered optional, but useful, additions to the basic equipment.
Beginner's Guide to Straight Razors
Further useful items can be found in the Equipment Category of this Wiki. When you see a razor that is advertized as "shave ready". Unless the razor has been honed by somebody with experience, it will likely need to be honed before you use it. If you are really interested in the reason you can read the detailed explanation. Otherwise just trust us. Choosing a razor is a matter of personal preference.
If you must have a brand new razor the quality choices are limited to the three main major current manufacturers: A brand new razor will still have to be honed. Fortunately there are many vintage razors which would often be of equal or even better quality than the current production and they will generally cost significantly less. The best place to find one is the Classifieds section of SRP. Most often the razors there are honed and shave-tested by the seller, and this is noted in the ad, but when in doubt you can always ask.
Newbies are strongly discouraged from purchasing vintage razors on eBay because they do not have the experience to evaluate the condition of the razor - in most cases the pictures on eBay do not provide enough details, and even when they do, a newbie generally doesn't know what is important and what isn't. Nevertheless there are some razors that should be avoided , and even though every purchase is a risk there are few popular vintage brands that are generally good. Before each use a razor needs to be stropped on a flexible strip of leather or canvas.
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Unlike honing a blade, in which a whetstone removes metal bent out of alignment from the blade's edge, stropping the blade re-aligns the indentations without removing any material. The strop may be a hanging strip or a hand-held paddle. Leather is generally considered to be the best material for strops, but some synthetic strops have been reported to be almost as good. Both cartridge and safety razors are designed with an ergonomic curve to help keep the blade in contact with the skin with minimal effort required on the part of the user. Because of this, cartridge razors, and safety razors to some degree, are pretty easy to just pick up and use.
Although we would argue this is not an advantage with cartridge razors because it causes most men to develop poor shaving habits leading to terrible shaves. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage is that the user has total control over how the razor performs. The disadvantage is that it is not as forgiving when you make mistakes. If you want to understand how to shop for the right straight razor, you need to understand how they are designed and what features you should look for.
Otherwise, you are just blindly relying on the opinion of others. Those guys reviews you are relying on bought a straight razor that met all the requirements they needed.
Straight razors are making a comeback
Your requirements are probably a little different. The handle, also referred to as the scales, of the straight razor are the protective pieces that cover the blade when it is not being used. Straight razor handles are made from a wide-variety of materials. The scales material really is a matter of personal preference as it really has no impact on the actual quality of shave. That said, we do think certain materials are better for grip. Others are easier to maintain.
And some do all three great. For your first purchase, just make sure he handle is made from something you feel comfortable handling and maintaining. The tang is the curved metal part the extends past the pivot. The purpose of the tang is to safely help raise the blade away from the handle when you are ready to shave.
Many men also use the tang while they shave by simply resting one or two fingers on it to help stabilize the razor.
The shank is the narrow support piece that is between the tang and the main blade. The shank is sometimes decorated with a logo or design and also can have some indentations or texture added to assist with grip. The shoulder is the small part of the curved part of the main blade that is perpendicular to the shank while the heel is the actual point where the should and cutting edge merge. Not all straight razors have a stabiliser, but they can be present as a single or double stabiliser.
The spine, sometimes referred to the back, is simply the arched top of the blade that is not sharpened or used for cutting. This is the part of the blade that you can safely handle without getting cut. The sharp side of the blade that is opposite of the spine and is used for cutting is referred to as the cutting edge. The point, also referred to as the head or nose, is at the end of the blade at the opposite end of the tang.
Straight razor blades can be made from stainless steel or a high-carbon steel. Stainless steel is more resistant to rust but can be more difficult to sharpen. There are two types of finish: Sometimes, straight razors are designed to combine both finishes to make the blade more affordable but still have an awesome design element too.
Beginner's guide to straight razor shaving
How do razor companies do this? They finish the front of the blade with a mirror finish but then finish the back of the blade with a satin finish. In a similar fashion, metal plating can also be done to make the blade look like a mirror finish when in reality it is just a nickel or silver plate on top of the blade. We recommend avoiding blades with metal plating as eventually the plating will erode and the metal underneath is usually inferior quality. Some straight razors have a great deal of decoration on them while others are simple and have no decoration at all. Hydrate your face with hot water first and apply shaving soap with a brush.
Hold the blade at an angle against your skin and move in short, controlled strokes. To shave with a straight razor, start by applying shaving cream to your beard.
Beginner’s Guide to Straight Razors
Then, use your index finger and thumb to grip the metal part of the straight razor that connects the blade and handle. Next, hold the blade at a degree angle to your skin and pull your skin taut with your free hand. When you're ready, drag the razor downward so you're shaving with the grain of your hair. Do this on the sides of your face, your chin and upper lip, and your jaw and neck. When you're finished, rinse off your face with cold water.
To learn how to sharpen a straight razor, scroll down! Mit einem Rasiermesser rasieren. The wikiHow Video Team tested these instructions during filming, and everything worked perfectly. In the case of this article 55 people, many anonymous, came together to create this article. Together, they cited 18 references in their creation of the article. When you see the green checkmark on a wikiHow article, it means that the article has also received careful review.
In the case of this article, the wikiHow Video Team tested the instructions while filming the article for wikiHow and confirmed that the instructions worked. Hydrate your face with hot water. Take a hot shower and let the water wash over your face for five minutes. You may also wrap a hot towel around your face like barbers do for their customers. Soak a small towel in hot water and hold it firmly against your face until the towel cools. Rub pre-shave oil over your face. A good pre-shave oil can help make shaving easier. Look for products containing natural oils such as jojoba, coconut, olive, or sunflower.
These oils help soften your beard without stopping your razor. Soak your shaving brush in hot water. Fill your shaving bowl or mug with hot water. Make sure the water is hot so it softens the bristles on your brush. Leave the brush to soak for a minute or two. Afterwards, pick up the brush and flick your wrist to get rid of excess water. Boar bristle brushes are cheaper, and synthetic brushes are of the lowest quality. You may work the soap or cream into your whiskers with your fingers, but a brush makes it a lot easier.
Place shaving cream or soap on the bottom of your shaving mug. Dump out the water in your mug or bowl.
Replace it with nickel-sized dollop of shaving cream or the entire soap cake. Soaps are the cheaper option and are made with a high fat, vegetable oil glycerine mixture. Creams are similar to soaps and you should look for ones with natural essential oils like jojoba or coconut oil. Make a lather with the brush. Place the dampened brush in the mug.
Stir to work the soap or cream into a lather. The more you stir, the thicker your lather will be. Brush the soap or cream into your whiskers. Use the brush to pick up the lather. Move in circular motions over the area you wish to shave, taking care to cover every single hair. Grip the shank between your thumb and three fingers. Instead, place your thumb under the blade on the shank the piece of metal connecting to the handle. Your index, ring, and middle fingers go on the opposite side of the shank. Finally, place your pinky on the tang, which is the small piece of metal on the outside of the handle.
The blade should not be flat against your skin or directly pointed at it. Instead, turn it slightly so the sharp part of the blade points downward at your skin. The handle should be out near your nose. Stretch your skin with your opposite hand. Start with one side of your face. Use your free hand to pull up on your skin to make it flatter and smoother. Do this for every area you shave, since it gives you a smoother shave with less nicks.
Shave with the grain on the sides of your face. Hold the razor at the proper angle and start at the top of your cheek. Since the hair grows downwards here, work downwards towards your jaw and chin. Gently stroke the razor downwards in one smooth, controlled motion. Rinse off the blade and continue where you left off. Rinse off the blade after every stroke. Do this for both sides of your face. When starting out, you will cut yourself.