How to Shave with a Straight Razor

Important Note - Please no phone calls ...and a message from our lawyer
The following information was compiled from a variety of expert sources and is inclusive of all information we have available. Unfortunately, we do not provide use instructions or straight razor counseling over the phone. This information should be used only as a general guideline for straight razor shaving and is provided strictly as a service. Like riding a bicycle, straight razor shaving is a unique and individual experience which you must learn for yourself. Like working with all sharp and pointy objects, straight razor shaving can cause bodily harm. We do not guarantee or warranty the quality of a shave using any of our products, the use of the following information is strictly at the liability of the user (and any other participants) and releases PremiumKnives.com of any type of responsibility or liability.

What to Expect - An anonymous perspective from a long-time straight razor user
- Will I cut myself? Stop with the mob movie mentality. Unless otherwise motivated, it is very unlikely that you will cut yourself with a straight razor any worse than you already have with a regular razor. Remember its just a big scraper and in essence any razor's job is just that, to scrape hair off your face with minimal irritation.
- I don't think my razor is sharp, I can't get a good shave. All of PremiumKnives.com's razors are hand inspected and are ready-to-go shaving sharp. Its a 99.999% chance that it is your technique or lubrication that needs honing rather that the razor. Technique and lubrication are the most important aspects of a safe and close shave rather than the razor's actual sharpness, so don't go grinding the heck out of your brand new razor. Once you have honed your technique (about 6-12 months of use), you will be very surprised at how dull a razor you can shave with and still get a very good shave (although I strop my razor daily, I only hone my razor once every 4-6 months). Also most initial shaving problems can be eliminated by going to a slicker shaving lubricant.
- Lubrication is your friend What you are looking for is a product that is really slippery. The better the lubrication, the better the razor will safely glide across your face and cleanly remove your hair. Yes, baby oil will work, but it may make you break out and makes it really hard to safely grip your straight razor. Your best bet is soft, high glycerin shaving mug soap or whipped shaving cream tubs such as Well Shaven, E-shave, or Colonel Conk. These soaps rinse away very cleanly from your face and the blade without much soap residue. For really sensitive skin or while first learning to shave, apply the E-Shave Pre-shave Oil, then apply shave cream and shave. In a pinch, plain Ivory soap will work. Do not use that canned shave gel or cream for straight razor shaving, it is NOT designed to be a slick lubricant, it IS designed to carry away removed hair and sterilize your face with a bunch of alcohol. Even with years of straight razor shaving experience, I knick the heck out of myself and get a very poor shave when using anything that comes out of an aerosol can.
- Do I need a shave brush? I highly recommend it. A 100% badger hair brush is best and will last 10+ years when taken care of. A shave brush will gently stand up all of your hair for shaving for a better shave and will work the shave cream oils down into your skin, increase lubrication and this will help reduce overall shaving irritation.
- Will it give me a good shave? Yes. If you are dedicated to taking the time and effort to learn what technique is best for your face and beard growth. Although this can take months, you will be handsomely rewarded with the best shave you have ever had.
- How about skin irritation? Two things. That big wide blade floats better across your face than a thin blade (its a physics thing - less pressure less irritation). Secondly, as an open blade shaves/scrapes away the hair, it lifts the removed hair away from the skin instead of trapping it inside a razor head and grinding it back into the skin.
- I am just starting to shave and am considering straight razor shaving, any advice? You probably don't have enough hair yet and/or experience to fully appreciate what a straight razor can provide. Wait until you are sick of shaving, that's the time to move to a straight razor.
- You seem like you are very experienced with straight razor shaving, can I call you? No. Although you are probably a very nice person and only have one question, it would be a full time job for me to field even a small portion of PremiumKnives.com's customer shaving questions. The nice people at PremiumKnives.com have put all the fundamental information you should need on this and other pages.

General Straight Razor Shaving Guidelines
Prepare your Beard
While showering, start by wetting your face in the shower several times and washing your face with a facial soap such as a glycerin based soap. Or, if shaving without showering, first wash your face with a facial soap such as a glycerin based soap, rinse well, and then place a hot pack towel (usually a towel that has been steamed or run under hot water then rung out) on your face for about 1-2 minutes the hot pack should be as hot as your skin can safely tolerate. Either one of these processes will soften the hair and cleanse the face of dirt and oils that dull the razor and prevent the razor from gliding across the face.

Suds Up
The shave cream you use does make a dramatic difference as does the application method for the shave cream. A glycerin based shaving mug soap such as the Col. Conk shave products are considered the best in the world for use with a straight razor, because of their ingredients and lubricity. Convenient concentrated whipped shaving cream tubs from e-shave are also great shave cream options. Standard aerosol shaving gels or foams are not recommended as they will not provide your face the protection and lubricity that a good glycerin based shaving soap provides.

If you use a shaving mug soap you will also need a Shaving Brush. Many of our clients use a Shaving Brush with their regular shaving creams and gels because the Shaving Brush is another important part of the shaving process that has been overlooked and forgotten over time. The Shaving Brush pushes the lather into the beard and skin and helps the beard to stand up for shaving. Modern shaving foams attempt to replicate the function of the shave brush with chemical additives, however the action of the shave brush can not be completely duplicated with chemicals alone.

If using a shaving mug brush, drench the brush bristles with hot water (this will rinse the brush of any previous residues and will provide for a nice warm lather), brush the shave soap in a circular motion with the shave brush until a rich lather forms. Work the later into the beard in a circular motion. The lather should look foamy. The lather can be renewed on the face while shaving by simply reworking the lather with the shave brush.

The Shave
Start by opening the razor 270 degrees so that the handle is pointed up and the blade edge is pointed down. This position is considered the standard shave position for the razor handle and allows good control of the razor while shaving. The beard should be shaved with the beard growth (not against it) in the following order: side-burns/cheek bones, neck sides, middle of neck, upper and lower lip areas, then finally the chin. This shaving order allows the lather more time to soak into the thicker beard hair of the next shaving area.

A modern razor locks the razor angle in at one angle regardless of facial features and beard density where as the straight razor allows you to adjust the blade angle for different parts of the beard and face. Most of our clients find that they nick themselves less when straight razor shaving. The razor angles can range from a 90 degree angle from the skin to a more aggressive 30 degree angle. We encourage you to start shaving with a more forgiving angle of around 90 degrees. The idea is to scrap all of the shaving cream off of you face with the razor as if you were using the razor as a squeegee.

Remember even at the oldest of barber shops, a shave may entail being shaved two to three times, so don't worry if you need to lather up and re-shave to achieve a closer shave.

• Precautions:
  Be careful to NEVER move the razor in a cutting motion parallel to the blade edge, this will cut you.
• Rinse the razor under running water prior to and frequently during use to remove oil, soap and hair. Be very cautious to NEVER hit your razor on the sink, faucet, etc. as this could permanently damage the razor and make the razor extremely dangerous to use.
• Strop the razor before and after each shave. Those people with thicker hair may also need to strop several times during a shave session to retain the razor edge.
• If the razor is jarred (for example: accidentally dropping a closed razor on a hard surface or tapping the blunt spine of the blade on a watch) this will jar the delicate edge out of alignment and will require the razor to re-stropped before any further use.
• Take your time. Hurrying through a straight razor shave is not a good idea.

The Finish
Finish by thoroughly rinsing you face with cold water, pat you face with a mild astringent such as Dickerson's Witchhazel, or Original Bay Rum aftershave and face lotion or a combination astringent and lotion such as Colonel Conk's After Shave Balm. These after shave astringents are low in alcohol and will burn less than normal high alcohol after shaves. The Original Bay Rum aftershave is very high in alcohol, but continues to be one of the best and most popular all-natural aftershave skin conditioners. This final step soothes and protects your face and prevents your face from becoming irritated.

Rinse you razor and shave brush under running water and allow to dry before putting into any enclosed area or container. The brush should be stood on its base or hung on a brush stand to allow it to fully dry each time.

Most of the best straight razors are high carbon steel and will rust if not cared for properly. After shaving, rinse and dry the razor and protect from rust by applying a rust preventative treatment every one - two weeks or lightly oil after each use. This will insure that your razor remains rust free. The razor can be left closed while drying. PremiumKnives.com recommends applying a light coat of Sentry Solutions Tuf-Glide treatment (a non-oil based product that chemically bonds with the metal and dries to protect the steel from rusting) every one to two weeks. For long-term storage of the razor, coat liberally with a heavy oil or other long-term protectant and store in a cool dry place. DO NOT us food oils, food oils are acidic and can pit and rust steel. Most oils and protectants do not pose health risks for grooming items, however a razor should be rinsed prior to use to avoid any potential skin irritation.

After you finish shaking your first few times, you start to develop your own personal style and technique. Shaving with a straight razor will become a very enjoyable part of starting each day.

Enjoy your shave.