Barber Life Academy · The Craft

The Straight RazorShaves, line-ups & beard design

The blade that turns a haircut into a full service. Set it up clean, hold it right, read the grain, and cut lines that still look right when they grow out.

10 slidesInteractiveAbout 20 minutesTexas rules checked Oct 2026

Tap a number to learn the part.

Know your blade

Know the tool before it touches skin

Two razors, same job. One keeps its edge for years. The other gets a brand-new edge for every client.

Straight razor

  • Solid steel blade that can last for years
  • Needs honing (a new edge on a stone) and stropping (realigning it on leather)
  • Heavier, steadier feel

Shavette

  • Takes a disposable blade
  • No honing or stropping
  • Lighter, and the thin blade can flex, so go easy
  • Clean. One nick and that blade is a contaminated sharp.
  • Sharp. Dull blades drag, and dermatologists link dull blades to more razor bumps.
  • Trust. Load it where the client can watch you do it.

Sources: BCcampus, Barbering Techniques for Hairstylists ch. 2.1; Sharpologist (2022); AAD razor bump guidance; OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030.

Sanitation & setup

What Texas actually requires

16 TAC §83.100–83.115. Last amended Jan 1, 2023; checked Oct 2026.

  • Clean your hands with soap and water or sanitizer before every service. §83.102(a)
  • No service on inflamed, infected, broken, raised or swollen skin, or open sores, in the area. Active razor bumps count. §83.102(b)
  • Wipe the razor, then spray it with an EPA-registered disinfectant (bactericidal, fungicidal, virucidal) or high-level bleach solution. §83.103(c)
  • Clean towel every client, and a neck strip or towel keeps the cape off the neck. §83.102(l),(o)
  • Blades: Texas doesn't spell out a blade-per-client rule. Federal OSHA treats a used blade as a contaminated sharp that goes in a closable, puncture-resistant, leakproof, labeled container. Fresh blade, every client. OSHA 1910.1030
  • Scrub razors and tools with soap and water. §83.103(d)
  • Then fully immerse them in an EPA-registered disinfectant (follow the label) or a high-level bleach solution. §83.103(d)
  • Mix bleach solutions fresh every day. §83.100, §83.101
  • Every shop needs a soaking container big enough to fully submerge tools. §83.71(g)
  • Full sharps container? Close it and dispose of it the way your local rules require.
  • Stop and glove up. OSHA requires gloves when hand contact with blood is likely. That covers employees; make it your standard even if you rent a booth. OSHA 1910.1030(d)(3)(ix)
  • Texas says licensees "should never touch a client's open sore or wound." §83.111(a)
  • Stop minor bleeding with powdered alum, styptic powder or a cyanoacrylate (liquid bandage), applied with a disposable cotton-tipped applicator. §83.111(a)
  • No alum or astringent in stick or lump form, not even on the premises. So no alum block and no styptic pencil. §83.112(a)(3)
  • Blood on a chair, counter or floor: clean it up right away with an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant, a tuberculocidal disinfectant, or blood-cleanup bleach (5,000 ppm: 1¾ cups of 5.25% household bleach per gallon of water), used per the label. §83.111(b) §83.100
  • Blood on a non-porous tool: clean and disinfect it right away with a hospital-grade or tuberculocidal disinfectant per the label, or fully immerse it in that 5,000 ppm bleach for 5 minutes. §83.111(c)
  • Porous items with blood (cotton tip, gauze, neck strip): double-bag them immediately and discard in a closed trash can or biohazard box. §83.111(d)
  • Blade into the sharps container. Gloves off, then wash your hands. OSHA (d)(4), (d)(2)(v)
  • Stop the service. Step away from the client.
  • Wash the cut right away with soap and water. OSHA (d)(2)(vi) MedlinePlus
  • Cover it with a bandage, and glove up before you touch anything else.
  • Report it right away. Cut by a used blade? That's an exposure incident. Employers must immediately offer employees a confidential medical evaluation and follow-up. OSHA 1910.1030(f)(3)
  • Booth renter or owner? Don't wait. Get seen the same day, because tests or medicine may need to start promptly. MedlinePlus
  • Then handle the blade, tools and surfaces exactly like a client nick.

Sources: 16 Tex. Admin. Code §83.71, §83.100–83.112; TDLR shop inspection checklist; OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030; MedlinePlus (2025). Outside Texas? Check your state. Virginia, for one, lists disposable razors and styptic pencils as single-use.

Before every shave

Station check

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Grip and angle

Grip it right. Ride the angle.

0°

The textbook angle between blade and skin. Steady, light pressure. Short strokes.

Freehand

Your main stroke. Downward work on cheeks, sideburns and upper lip.

Backhand

Short, gliding forward strokes led by the point. Covers what freehand can't reach.

Reverse freehand

Upward, semi-curved strokes toward you. Mostly the neck.

Reverse backhand

Upward, and only on the side of the neck.

Grip: hold the shank near the shoulder and brace the tang with your pinky. Your free hand stretches the skin with dry fingers. Source: BCcampus, Barbering Techniques for Hairstylists ch. 4.1–4.2 (2021).

Blade angle15°
Too flat

Too flat. The edge skates over the hair, so you press harder. That's drag, tug and razor burn.

Rule of thumb built around the textbook's 30°. Your hand learns it by feel.

Map the grain

Read the grain before the blade

Hair doesn't grow the same way on every face, or even across one face. Run your fingertips over it first. The direction that feels smooth is the grain.

Stretch

Flatten the skin, don't yank it

For most clients, use the dry fingers of your free hand, pulling opposite the stroke, so the blade meets a flat surface. Thicker skin on the chin needs a careful stretch.

Barber textbooks teach stretching. For bump-prone clients, the AAD and DermNet say don't stretch the skin, because pulling it tight is one cause of ingrown hairs. So on bump-prone clients: no stretch.

The standard shave map splits the face and neck into 0 areas, each with its own stroke and direction. Source: BCcampus ch. 4.1.

Tap a number to see how that zone usually grows.

  1. With the grain

    Every shave starts here. It takes most of the hair with the least irritation.

    Always
  2. Across the grain

    Only where it still feels rough. Prep the skin again first: water, oil or gel.

    If needed
  3. Against the grain

    The closest shave, with the most irritation and ingrown-hair risk. Textbooks call it rarely done. Never on bump-prone skin.

    Only if skin allows

The full service

The hot-towel shave, start to finish

Ten steps, same order every time. The minutes are an example. Your pace sets the real number.

Step 1 of 10Example · min 0–2

  1. 01Consult

    Look for bumps, broken skin and moles. Ask about allergies, past bumps, and meds like isotretinoin (Accutane) or retinoids that make skin more sensitive. Inflamed, raised or broken skin in the area? Don't shave it.

  2. 02Prep

    Wash your hands. Drape, towel across the chest, neck strip on. Recline and lock the chair. Disinfect the handle and load a fresh blade in front of them.

  3. 03Hot towel

    Test it on the inside of your wrist first. Wrap the face and leave the nose clear. Warm, damp skin and hair are softer and cut easier.

  4. 04Pre-shave oil

    A thin layer for glide. It's optional, and some barbers save it for the second pass instead.

  5. 05Lather

    Work it in with quick circles, moving up from the neck, for 1 to 2 minutes. A warm towel over the lather while you get your razor ready.

  6. 06Pass one

    With the grain, about 30°, short strokes, steady light pressure. Follow your area sequence. Wipe the blade on a towel, never on your hand.

  7. 07Re-lather

    Warm towel to clear lather and loose hair. Feel for rough spots. Re-lather, or oil, only what needs another pass.

  8. 08Pass two

    Across the grain where it's still rough. Against the grain only if the skin can take it. Skip it on bump-prone clients.

  9. 09Cold towel

    A cool, damp towel to calm the skin and wipe away what's left.

  10. 10Finish

    A soothing aftershave or balm, then moisturizer. Hand them the mirror. Then book the next one before they stand up.

Example plan: about 29 minutes in the chair. Steps from BCcampus ch. 4.2; timings are an example, not a rule.

Add-on calculator

Example numbers
Extra a year · gross$5,760
Extra a week · gross$120
Add-on hourly rate · gross$90/hr

Say it like this

“Want me to add a straight-razor neck shave today? It's $15 more and takes about 10 minutes.”

Gross means before supplies, your split or booth rent. It also assumes the extra minutes don't push out another paying client. Offer it once, every client, and take no for an answer.

Line-ups

Clean the line. Never push it back.

Push a hairline back and the grow-out looks rough within days. Do it every visit and the line keeps creeping higher.

The natural hairline is the design. Your job is to sharpen it, not move it.

Edge with the trimmer or leave a little stubble instead of shaving it bare. Guarded clippers that leave 1–3 mm are one option clinicians suggest.

Source: US Pharmacist, Pseudofolliculitis Barbae (2016).

  • Find where the strong hair starts, not the wispy baby hairs in front of it.
  • Set the line with the trimmer right at that edge. Clean outside it with the razor.
  • Work from the center out and check it straight on in the mirror.
  • Use the same landmarks on both sides, like the tail of the brow and the top of the ear.
  • Keep the client's natural temple corners. Don't carve into the recession.
  • Step back and check from straight ahead before you commit with the blade.
  • Runs from the sideburn to the corner of the mustache.
  • Clean just under the natural line: strays only. Too low thins the beard and adds length to the face.
  • A curved line softens an angular face. A straighter line adds definition to a rounder face.

Sources: Wahl, Lining Your Beard; Philips, How to Trim a Beard.

2 fingers too high soft U to earlobe
  • About 1–2 finger-widths above the Adam's apple. Wahl calls it the two-finger rule.
  • Curve it up to just behind each earlobe in a soft U, never a hard straight line.
  • Too high gives a chin-strap look. Never shave directly over the Adam's apple.

Sources: Wahl, How to Trim Your Neckline; The Gentleman's Journal; BCcampus ch. 4.2.

Beard design

Design the beard for the face

It's all balance. Add length where the face needs it. Keep it tight where the face is already wide.

The face

Oval

Length a little more than width, with a gently rounded jaw. The most balanced shape.

Goal: keep the balance. Most styles work.

Do

  • Clean lines on the cheeks and neck
  • Even length all around, or follow the client's taste

Avoid

  • Overbuilding one area and throwing off the balance

Sources: Wahl, Your Guide to the Best Beard for Your Face Shape; Philips. These are style guidelines, not rules. The client's taste and growth pattern come first.

Razor bumps (PFB)

Prevent bumps. Don't chase them.

Pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) is a shaved hair curling back into the skin, and the skin reacting like it's a splinter. Tightly curled, coarse hair gets it most.

0%–0%of Black men who had to shave regularly, in older U.S. Army studies. Wide range, same point: it's common.

Source: Ogunbiyi, Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol (2019), citing U.S. Army studies; AAD; DermNet.

Curls back in. The hair clears the skin, curves and grows back in nearby.

Grows in sideways. Cut below the surface, it pushes through the follicle wall.

Inflamed or raised bumps in the area? Don't shave over them. Texas bars it (§83.102(b)). Refer to a dermatologist when there's pus, pain, spreading or scarring, or bumps keep coming after you've changed the routine. You adjust technique. Doctors diagnose and treat.

Regular client, tightly curled beard, bumps after every shave. Next time, you…

A client sits down with red, raised bumps along the jaw. No pus. What do you do?

Score: 0 / 2 · Sources: AAD; DermNet; US Pharmacist (2016); 16 TAC §83.102(b).

Your move

Sharp blade. Light hand. Clean rules.

The razor feels heavy until you've put in the reps. Here's how to put them in, and what to fix in your shop this week.

Practice drills

  1. Balloon reps

    Lather a balloon and shave it clean. Too much pressure or too steep an angle and it pops.

  2. Dry-run the map

    Run the full area sequence on a mannequin with the razor closed until every stroke change is automatic.

  3. Grain journal

    Map five real faces with your fingertips. Sketch the arrows before you shave.

  4. Line-up photos

    Shoot every line-up straight on and from both sides. Compare left to right.

  5. Clock it

    Time a full shave against the example plan. Find where you lose minutes.

Action plan

This week

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Sources (checked Oct 20, 2026)

Texas rules

  • 16 Tex. Admin. Code §83.100, Health and Safety Definitions (bleach solutions, single-use items). law.cornell.edu
  • 16 TAC §83.102, General Requirements (hands, skin conditions, towels, neck strips). law.cornell.edu
  • 16 TAC §83.103, Hair Cutting, Styling, Shaving and Treatment Services (razor disinfection). law.cornell.edu
  • 16 TAC §83.111, Blood and Body Fluids (minor bleeding, surfaces, tools, porous items). law.cornell.edu
  • 16 TAC §83.112, Prohibited Products or Practices (stick or lump alum). law.cornell.edu
  • 16 TAC §83.71, Responsibilities of Establishments (soaking container, posted rules). law.cornell.edu
  • TDLR, Barbering and cosmetology shop inspection checklist. tdlr.texas.gov
  • Texas Register, Mar 28, 2025 proposed Chapter 83 changes (health and safety sections not amended). sos.texas.gov

Federal and other states

  • OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030 (sharps containers, gloves, hand washing, post-exposure evaluation). osha.gov
  • OSHA interpretation letter on used razors as sharps (Mar 28, 2005). osha.gov
  • Virginia 18VAC41-20-270 (disposable razors and styptic pencils are single-use). law.lis.virginia.gov

Technique and tools

  • Magtiza & Franceschini, Barbering Techniques for Hairstylists, BCcampus (2021): ch. 2.1 Tools, ch. 3.2 Outlining, ch. 4.1 Straight Razor Shave, ch. 4.2 Shave Service. opentextbc.ca
  • Sharpologist, Shavette vs. Straight Razor (2022). sharpologist.com
  • Classic Shaving, Anatomy of a Straight Razor. classicshaving.com
  • Wahl, How to Trim Your Neckline (two-finger rule). eu.wahl.com
  • Wahl, Lining Your Beard (cheek line shape). wahlusa.com
  • Wahl, Your Guide to the Best Beard for Your Face Shape. wahlusa.com
  • The Gentleman's Journal, How to Shape a Beard Neckline. thegentlemansjournal.com
  • Philips, How to Trim a Beard (cheek line and length). philips.com

Skin and razor bumps

  • American Academy of Dermatology, How to Shave. aad.org
  • American Academy of Dermatology, Razor Bumps: How to Treat (updated Feb 2022). aad.org
  • DermNet, Pseudofolliculitis Barbae (2022). dermnetnz.org
  • Ogunbiyi A., Pseudofolliculitis barbae: current treatment options, Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol (2019), citing U.S. Army prevalence studies. dovepress.com
  • MedlinePlus, After an exposure to sharps or body fluids (reviewed Oct 2025). medlineplus.gov
  • Norwood et al., Pseudofolliculitis Barbae: Prevention and Treatment, US Pharmacist (Oct 2016). uspharmacist.com

This lesson teaches barbering technique. It isn't medical or legal advice. For skin conditions, refer to a dermatologist. For rule questions, go to TDLR or your state board.