The Plan

The plan was, to go slow. Very slow.

If there was one thing I learned from the fantastic info on the forums, it was I would make mistakes, and that is the point.

I decided that for the forseeable future I would only straight shave on evenings and weekends, when I'm relaxed and can devote the time. And I would only do a few strokes on each side of the face and finish with the disposable. Then gradually replace the disposable with the straight over a long period of days and weeks.

This has made the difference, and if you are starting out, it's the way to go.

I also decided to start this out by doing it the classic barber way:

- Shower (warm water opens pores)
- Didn't have to strop the first time, Ken had the blade truly shave ready
- Create the lather in a bowl
- Apply shave oil to face
- Lather face for at least a minute
- Hot towel on the face, 2-3 minutes
- Relater
- Time to shave

Very carefully, steady, I began as I saw in the great youtube vids out there.

Result : Not too bad. I only did the sides of the face from sideburns to cheeks, but I did have spots with the coveted and much sought after BBS (Baby Bottom Smooth) effect. Couple nicks, not too bad

I was hooked.