You got yourself a straight razor. You read our Beginner's Guide to Straight Razor Shaving. You’re finally ready to give it a shot. I’ll say it right now: this is going to be difficult. It’s supposed to be difficult. But it's worth every second of your time, which you'll learn more and more with each slow, careful shave.

On that note, let’s talk about why you should even bother. With all of the bargain shave clubs and fancy electrics out there, it seems like a step in the wrong direction to take (ostensibly) a knife to your face just to trim those pesky whiskers. First, let’s all agree that anyone using a straight razor automatically looks badass, and if we’re honest, that in and of itself is a motivator. The straight razor is primitive; it’s visceral, and it dares you to disrespect its power and prowess. Also consider the economic factor: a straight razor — while a potentially hefty investment up front — won’t need to be replaced in your lifetime. Like a pair of well-made loafers, if you take care of your blade, you’ll be able to pass it on to your son one day. Finally, there’s the beauty of the ritual. Shaving with a straight razor forces you to slow your routine, to remember that it’s ok to spend a little extra time on yourself in the morning, and to temporarily excuse yourself from the world of forced efficiency and automation.

Let’s all agree that anyone using a straight razor automatically looks badass. It's primitive; it’s visceral, and it dares you to disrespect its power and prowess.

The hardest part of straight shaving is finding the angles that work for your face, and this won’t happen on your first try. Have some patience, and remember that at one time, this was how every guy shaved, so it’s not impossible. It just takes practice. While this may seem like a frightening endeavor, you’ll get the hang of it, and you’ll never look back.

# The Prep For your first straight shave, you need time on your side, so make sure you have plenty of it. And make sure you have the following supplies ready: - **A straight razor – ** If you’re new to the game, I’d recommend getting a new razor. And you want to see the words “shave ready” in the description, which means someone has sharpened the razor by hand after the manufacturing process. While it may seem counterintuitive, the sharper the razor, the less likely you are to cut yourself. If your budget is tight or you’re feeling especially old-school, start combing the local antique shops for a vintage blade. Look for one with no rust and no pitting (little nicks on the blade). You’ll need to sharpen it before you shave with it. - **A shaving brush** – Because you’re going to use actual shaving cream (not some junk that comes out of a can), you need a proper shaving brush. Stay away from a brush with boar bristles: these are stiff and will irritate your skin. Instead, you want to opt for a classic badger hair brush. "Pure" is the entry-level bristle grade, and it will serve your purposes just fine. - **Shaving soap and a mug, or shaving cream –** Shaving soaps and creams are like watches and cars: you get what you pay for. Yes, you can grab a can of spring-fresh scented aerosol slop off the shelf at the grocery store for $2.99 ($2.49 with coupon!), but this is your face we’re talking about. Spend the extra few dollars for a round bar of shaving soap or a dense, non-foaming cream. - **A clean towel –** Because again… this is your *face.* - **A styptic pencil or alum block –** These will come in handy if you cut yourself. - **A strop and hone –** The strop is a leather strip that you’ll hang from the side of your sink. People will ask you, “What’s that?” And you’ll say stoically, “Oh that? That’s just strop for my straight blade.” The hone is a stone for sharpening. More on these later. - **A life insurance policy –** Just kidding. Kind of. The best time to shave is right after a hot shower. Because your whiskers are short and stiff, they won’t go down without a fight. A hot shower will soften them, so the razor can cut the hair without also cutting your skin. If your schedule doesn’t allow the shower, soak a clean towel in hot water and hold it against your face for a few minutes. Apply a thin layer of pre-shave oil to your face and neck. And seriously, a thin layer is all you need. One small bottle of pre-shave oil should last you a solid six months. Don’t want to spring for pre-shave oil? Olive oil actually works as an appropriate substitute. Either way, the oil will allow the blade to sail over your skin while still managing to shave close enough to leave it smooth. Fill the sink with hot water (the hottest you can handle), and let your shaving brush soak in the water as the sink fills. Make sure your blade is shave-ready. If you bought it brand new, then it’s probably ready to go; if it needs to be honed and stropped, ask your barber to show you how. If you don’t have a barber, stop reading this article and go get a barber.
# The Lather Contrary to popular belief, the purpose of lather is not solely lubrication. The lather is actually meant to get underneath your hair in order to prop it up, thus allowing your razor to cut it in one pass. This means that the quantity of lather on your face means very little compared to the quantity. You want a rich, dense lather: think lemon meringue. Once your shaving brush has soaked in the hot water for a minute or so, lift it straight up out of the sink, bristles down. Don’t shake it; just let it drip. This will leave just enough water in the brush to make the perfect lather. And by the way, the lather isn’t made in the mug. The lather is made on your face. Swirl the brush around your mug about ten times to fill the brush with soap. Then apply the brush to your face and work it in a circular motion. This isn’t about pressure; it’s about rhythm, and it’s all in the wrist.
# The Shave Here we go. I’m going to break this down step by step, first visually and then with written instruction. As you go through each one, make sure that your shaving strokes always go in the direction of your hair growth.

1. **Sideburn and Cheek** — Reach your left hand over your head and pull up on your sideburn. The idea here is that you’re stretching your skin upward so that you can shave downward – you always want your skin taut so that your blade will glide more easily. Start with steady and slow strokes, and try to avoid “planting” your blade – this means don’t just rest the blade on your face because trust me, it’ll cut you. Next move your left hand closer to your nose and again stretch your skin upward. Make one or two strokes over your cheek. 2. **Under the Jaw Line** — Now tilt your head back slightly; move your left hand lower, and shave under your jawline. 3. **Other Side** — Repeat these steps on the other side of your face. If you’re ambidextrous, feel free to switch hands; otherwise, experiment with different angles to see how you can keep your skin taut while still being able to see yourself in the mirror. 4. **Moustache** — Now grab the tip of your nose and pull it up (think pig-nose). Open your mouth and make steady, downward strokes. Yes, you’re going to look a little ridiculous. No, no one else will know. 5. **Chin** — The chin is not easy, and there’s a healthy debate around the best way to shave the chin with a straight blade. Some say the best method is to go straight down the chin. Others say you should go across. For the soul patch, go straight down. Easy. But for the actual chin itself, I say go across. 6. **Neck and Adam’s Apple** — Shave your neck in a downward motion, but don’t shave directly over your Adam’s apple; you’ll cut yourself in a place where you very much do not want to be cut. Instead, use your free hand to pull the skin over your Adam’s apple to the side, then shave in whichever direction your hair grows (mine grows a bit sideways, so I can’t go straight down).
# If You Cut Yourself… And you might. Run your styptic pencil under cold water, then apply it to the cut. It stings. Badly. But it will stop the bleeding immediately. An alum block, while more expensive, is the better way to go. After a fresh shave, wet the alum block and rub it over your smooth skin. It will stop any bleeding and close up your pores. And if you’re on blood thinners, you shouldn’t be shaving. Embrace the beard. How do you avoid cuts? Practice the triple "s:" 1. Steady hands 2. Smooth strokes 3. Slow pace
# Post Shave While you may be tempted to lather up and take a second pass, this is a bad idea. You’re still getting the hang of this, and going against the grain of your hair just to get that extra smoothness is going to backfire in the form of razor bumps and irritation.

Give your face a rinse with cold water. It will tighten your pores and flush out any excess lather. Pat your face dry with a clean towel, apply some toner with a cotton ball, and quickly apply an even layer of aftershave. Look in the mirror. You did it.
#Keeping Your Straight Razor Sharp Like the actual act of straight shaving, keeping your blade in good shape takes practice. It's' divided into two steps: **honing**, which realigns the blade to smooth out any microscopic nicks, and **stropping**, which brushes the edge of the blade smooth after you've honed. #### How to Hone Your Blade

Similar to sandpaper, hones come in different grits. Watch a few videos online and you’ll find that there are a few dozen theories about which grits you should own to keep your razor keen, but a stone with 4000 on one side and 8000 on the other is a good place to start. Make sure it’s a water stone, meaning that you keep it wet while sharpening your blade on it. You can expect to pay anywhere from $40-$90 for a good hone, and like the blade, it will last for the rest of your life. Lay the blade flat on the end of the stone, and with zero downward pressure, pull the blade toward yourself. Turn the blade over (turn it on its backside, not the blade side), and now push the blade away from you. Some say to go straight. Some say to pull and push at an angle. You need to find what works for you.
####How to Strop Your Blade

After you’ve made twenty-or-so passes on the hone, your blade will have tiny metal shards on its edges, though you probably won’t be able to see them. This is where your strop comes in handy. Hold the end of the strop with one hand, and with the other hand, run the blade over the strop (again, turn it on the back side so as not to jam the blade into the leather). This will remove those little shards (they’re called burrs) and get your blade ready to sing. Before you try to hone and strop on your own, your best bet is to take your razor and your hone into your barber shop and ask him to show you (he has a strop in the shop, probably hanging from the chair).
Once you get the hang of it, this whole process will only take you between five and ten minutes, but until then, take it slow. **Using a straight blade is sleek and badass, but make no mistake, it will cut you the second you lose focus**. With all of the low-cost, high-tech shaving options available to men today, it’s no wonder that the simple act of shaving has begun to lose its sense of ritual. But the straight blade challenges you to practice, learn, and eventually master a thousands-year-old art. Take your time. Enjoy the shave. And be smooth.

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Start With This Box

Tamed

How to Shave with a Straight Razor