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Yes shave september
Atheraal
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hey H/A, how's it going? I've had a beard pretty consistently for the past 5 or so years, and I think I want to give shaving a try again. The thing is, my skin is pretty sensitive, and my hair grows fast. Hence the beard. I've tried lots of different techniques, going with, against and across the grain in various combinations.. I figure I just have to break down and spend some cash on decent razor & products. But what to buy?! Any suggestions, especially if you share my traits of babyskin and Rapunzelhair, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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I didn't, and I'm confident I'm not a moronic caveman, so I'll share here, just in case.
For me, the trick is really doing a thorough job of pre-wetting my face with warm water and then spending extra time really massaging in the shaving gel. Second, I run the razor under really hot water in between applications.
Both these things combined have basically eliminated razor rash for me entirely.
If you have a good barber, they can give you a good shave as well just to get you started.
the best, low-irritation razor you can get is just a straight up single blade safety razor; you can buy a fancy one if you like but the cheapo plastic ones that come in a bag are almost as good if you only use each one a couple times (plus I don't feel guilty about leaving one in the shower accidentally, etc)
warming/scrubbing your face first is important; the warmer and less covered in gunk your face is, the easier the blade moves and the less irritation you get. I like to shave in a hot shower.
another thing I do if I need a close shave is do it in the evening, then just touch up the next morning. That way your skin has some time to heal overnight if you get a bit of rash somewhere
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/124080/wetshaving-and-safety-razors#latest
You can get a single blade safety razor at Target for cheap these days.
but they're listening to every word I say
I have a big bushy ginger beard and don't shave often so my skin is sensitive like a baby's.
I went from a Mach whatever fancy disposable to safety and it's been night and day.
I get a closer and quicker shave for way way cheaper and because you lather up the soap and brush it on your face I feel like you naturally spend a bit more time prepping which means a nicer shave.
I spent about 30 bucks on blades 5 years ago and I still have a couple years of blades left. The handle/razor holder itself takes about 30 seconds to clean whenever I remember.
My experience is the opposite of drake's, rinse the safety razor with cold water.
Also, buy a styptic pencil, you'll 100% need it at some point.
That's really interesting - I used cold water for the blade for literally more than a decade before switching, and the hot was so much more comfortable for me I was frankly kind of shocked and felt like an idiot for how long I'd been cutting myself.
Takeaway here certainly sounds like people should try all kinds of things and see what works best.
Aridhol you mention 30 seconds of maintenance, what does this entail? I just opened the top, removed the blade, rinsed both and set them on a piece of tp to dry, am I missing anything?
Brings it back good as new.
That would be Proraso. I like their aftershave but haven't tried the soaps/creams they make.
My biggest recommendation is to make sure you completely dry the blade and handle after you're done and you've rinsed everything out. The blades last longer and the handles wear better if they are left dry.
For me personally, I get better results when I wash my face in the shower, then shave afterward. The hair is easier to shave and doesn't fight as much, plus your skin is a bit more forgiving. What has helped me a lot for nicks, is to turn the faucet water to full-cold after shaving, and splashing it on my face and neck. This causes the pores to close and often stops small nicks from bleeding. Some larger cuts will still bleed (often when I'm shaving for the first time with a new blade), but this method certainly reduces the number of
I highly recommend getting a sampler pack of blades and a sampler pack of soaps. Also consider getting a pre-shave oil or similar product and an aftershave or moisturizer. I found the pre-shave oil in particular helpful when starting out. People's faces and hair thicknesses are different, so you'll need to experiment to find a combination that works for you. If you go for a solid soap, you'll want to also get a badger-hair brush for application. If you use a cream, you don't need the brush if you don't want to bother. Also agreed with getting a styptic pen. There will be that one time when you're tired and in a hurry and not paying attention when you'll manage to nick yourself but good, and a styptic pen is invaluable then.
In terms of general approach, I shower (hot water), then immediately shave with hot water (splashing my face with hot water while the sink fills to keep the pores open and letting the razor sit in the hot water). I wet the cream by simply putting it on my hand and letting my hand sit in the hot sink water for maybe 20 seconds, then apply. Repeat until face is covered and shave normally. Like the others above, I finish by splashing with cold water to clean the soap off and close the pores.
Most of it comes down to finding the combination of razor + shaving cream/soap and technique that works for your hair.
Something to be aware of if you do a lot of travel is that DE razor blades are not allowed in carry-on baggage. I've never been called out on it on a domestic flight, but the people running security in Japan noticed and confiscated them (very apologetically of course). If you have the option, I highly recommend checking them and having a backup disposable razor just in case.
Re: letting the razor be wet or dry for storage. I haven't seen any difference on longevity when I dry them off vs. when I don't. That said, I'm sure there are razors that don't use quite as stainless steel. It's very much YMMV.
Cleaning: some soaps lead to buildup on the razor (e.g. Proraso), others don't (e.g. Cremo Creme). Since the razor itself I'm replacing regularly, I only bother cleaning the soap scum off when it starts building up in the guard. Simple warm water and a toothpick is enough for cleaning out the guard and then I go about my day.
This can't be emphasised enough. Razors aren't designed to cut long-ish hair. They will snag, chafe, cut, etc. The easiest way to go from beard to nothing is to use an electric trimmer on your face (taking care to not be rough around sensitive areas (under the nose, under the neck)). This will bring you to the 5 o' clock shadow stage, which is what traditional razors are designed to deal with.
(.....maybe)
Nope. Not British.
but like, i've basically only ever used an electric razor in... i dunno 10 years
i supposed i should try out this proper shaving business
Is your skin sensitive?
Growing up poor, my mom bought the Bic disposable single blade razors. I remember the first few times using shaving cream as a pre-teen. Then I just started shaving immediately from the shower before drying off with nothing but water. I dry shave when I actually shave because my skin is lizard at this point.
But it’s irritated a lot today from the electric one
I never got a close enough shave until I started two-passing with a safety razor (one across the grain; one against the grain to pick up what was missed)
I shower, use jojoba oil on my face, lather up and then shave and it's kind of become a comforting routine. Don't start out with a hyper aggressive setup and overly sharp blades. I have a pretty average Merkur and some pretty basic Personna Blades and I'm perfectly content.
The bolded part, I only get irritated skin when I rush, because I just give it several passes quickly in order to get possibly missed spots, and the beard is not "wet" wet, like when you let the soap rest for a minute.
I found that the electric shaver is good when you just need to baby-fy your already well shaved face and you are in a rush, better than hasitly scrapping a blade through your face at 6am.
For example, I can do a daily shave without needing a shower beforehand and I typically only do one pass (different from dispatch.o).
I can shave and thoroughly cleanse myself in about 10 minutes.
Of course, that's going to clean shaven. If I had to shape a beard, I would do that in front of a person yelling directions at me or a mirror but I prefer the former.
Yes, I know there are antifog mirrors made specifically for mounting in a shower. I do not own one.