Shaving the traditional way using a straight razor

This is a small video of how to shave with a straight razor - a way to get the daily time of relaxation, every man deserves ;)
The razor I used was a full hollow ground LouPer. You can literally hear the grinding of the razor. I love the sound.

So let us start up:
The preparation of your beard is essential for a good shave (Even if you don't shave with a straight razor). This is as important as a sharp razor itself! A bit of foam out of the can just won't cut it.
The use of the preparation is to open the pores and to make the hair come out and of course soften the hair itself. This is done by moisture and heat as following:
Before the shave you wash your face with soap and lots of hot water to presoak the beard (Instead of this you could shower before the shave. Another possibility is to use a hot and wet towel, you apply on your face. The washing itself is not essential, but helps) and lathered up using a shavingcream or shavingsoap. What we want is a good lather, that is not to thick but not to thin either. It should contain enough water to keep the beard wet but keep its shape (Its quite close to whipped cream really, perhaps a bit more moist.) About 2 minutes of waiting to let the lather soften your facialhear are a good choice, you can use this time to strop the razor.
After every pass I usually wet the lather again to keep the perfect consistency, but this is optional ;)

Then you usually shave in 2 passes, first with the growth of the hair and then against. But this really depends on your hair and how it growths, so you'll have to find out yourself ;) The third pass I do is only to get those crutial areas extra smooth.

After the shave clean your face with lots of cold water and last but not least make sure to dry the razor really well, because most of them are made of carbon steel and will rust quickly (You must not store them in a moist room like the bath either). Make sure NOT to touch the very cutting edge of the razor (under no circumstances what so ever), because this will damage the burr that actually cuts the hair and end in a fast loss of sharpness.
To clean the very edge just use the palm of your hand (The side of the small finger) as a "strop" and move the razor over it in a normal stropping motion (3 times each side are enough). This will clean the edge itself.

If you have any questions concerning the shave with a straight razor, feel free to ask.
Enjoy ;)

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Straight
• razor
• cut
• throat
• shaving
• shave
• rasur
• rasiermesser
• messer
• nassrasur
• messerrasur

[Budhabe]

i wonder why he opened his mouth , also when people puts eye contacts they open their mouth

[snippydude]

@Budhabe You can ask him yourself ;)

I open my mouth while shaving the lower part of the cheek because it puts tension on the skin, that is all (but very important!)

[NoizyWun]

great vid by the way pal, i will be buying a straight and the whole set today!

[snippydude]

@NoizyWun Thanks, man! Take a look into the comments, it's in there.

[Dante38488]

I have to give props to any man who takes the time and enjoyment in using straight razors. And a great taste in music doesn't hurt either.

[snippydude]

@Dante38488 And it is much appriciated!

[WhackAttack21]

Holy Shit!!! That woman has a goatee!!

[ChainReaction666]

You're pretty good for a young fella. So far the best strait razor vid as far as instructional and informative videos go. I just couldn't shake the feeling that some armed dudes holding Leonardo DiCaprio are gonna come busting through your door screaming at you that you should get off 'The Beach'...

[OTEP1234567891011]

Holy shit. This guy and myself are the same person. I swear.

[axxerr]

you need to learn how to shave like a boss. use both hands.

[Eninety2]

Now I have to find out what that second song is. Fuck.

[andrewvanrhoberts]

@NoizyWun I wanna know too, it sounds strange but catchy

[shavefan12]

Great video man.

[emmfc]

Nice video. However, i have had better results using the advice in the 1902 Sears catalog: hold the blade as flat against your face as you possibly can. No 20 or 30 degree angle, just flat. It works beautifully. With no blood loss...