Holding and using the razor!

Hold the razor with your dominant hand. Your thumb

should be on the underside of the shank against the
shoulder. Your index, middle and ring fingers should
be on the opposite side (top) of the shank. The handle
should be between your ring and little finger, with the
little finger resting on the crescent shaped tang. Some
people prefer to have the ring finger on the tang also, but this is a matter of choice. With
your other hand,
stretch the skin as tight as you can get it. It is
recommended to hold the blade at a 30 degree angle
to the skin otherwise you'll get cut! A useful way of
starting is to lie the blade flat against your cheek and
then lift the spine to the desired angle of 30 degrees
before applying your first stroke. Use very little
pressure and apply even strokes with the razor in the
direction of the hair growth. look at the 14 step shave
to get more of an understanding on the direction and
steps to do a shave on the face.

Start off by massaging your chosen shaving cream

thoroughly into your/clients stubble or beard. Use your
fingers or a decent shaving brush. For straight cut
shaving to work, the lather must not be allowed to dry
so reapply as needed. Stretch the skin as tight as you
can get it. It is recommended to hold the blade at a 30
degree angle to the skin otherwise you'll get cut! A
useful way of starting is to lie the blade flat against your
 
cheek and then lift the spine to the desired angle of 30 degrees before applying your
first stroke. Use very little
pressure and apply even short strokes with the razor in
the direction of the hair growth(with the grain). Above is
an example of the general direction you might want to
shave when using your straight razor. Once you've
finished with your first shave you can then rinse, relather
and shave again. This time though, you should go against
the grain/direction of hair growth. When you've finished
shaving, rinse the razor in some running water and
disinfect. Dry it by dabbing it with a cloth. It is also good
practice to apply a little bit of machine oil or similar to
help prevent the blade from rusting.
Shaving with a cut throat razor is certainly one of life's
pleasures as it will give you the closest possible shave.
Use an aftershave lotion/ balm after they have finished
shaving. It may contain an antiseptic agent such as
isopropyl alcohol, both to prevent infection from cuts
and to act as an astringent to reduce skin irritation. But
it does take time to master the technique and you'll
certainly need a steady hand and plenty of practice .