Barber Blades

A-Rod

Ive become tired of using the disposable blades on my face, and Im thinking of just getting one of those blades barbers use. Anyone actually do this at home for themselves? Is it practical? Im also thinking down the line I would use it to shave my head as well (I use clippers right now).

Where would I find one of these anyway?

supabeast

http://www.classicshaving.com/Home.html

Straight razors are many things, but practical is not one of them. There’s a reason men gave up those amazingly close shaves for disposables and electrics. As for shaving your head with one, well, you’d better be coordinated. Buy a headblade for that.

Zombot

I attempted to shave with a straight razor before.
It is very hard.
To keep the blade sharp enough to cut hair you're going to need a stroop.
They are pretty pricey.
You'll also need to take good care of the razor.
Apply oil to it once a week or it will rust like mine did.

Uncle Long

Yes, it's tough. Col Conk makes a good set that has brush, razor, strop and wet stone, but I think it's going to cost you around 140.00. If you can pick up an older/used blade at an antique store or from a grandfather than this will be much cheaper.

It's not particularly practical, but, if you like the idea of buying things that will do their job for most of your life if you treat them right than it can be worth the investment of money and practice time and cut face.

I use one on my mornings where I don't have to go to work, or before a date or an interview or whatever.

Other than that I use a double edged safety razor; specifically the merkur hd. It's a cheap shave, very close, and much faster than the straight razor.

MuddBudd

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/33930

Proto

TheLong wrote: »

Other than that I use a double edged safety razor; specifically the merkur hd. It's a cheap shave, very close, and much faster than the straight razor.

The Merkur HD is amazing. After shaving with it once you'll wonder how what the hell you were thinking using a mach 3 for all those years.

If you haven't tried one before, I highly recommend picking up one, some good blades (Personna Super+ are awesome), a nice badger brush and some good shave cream.

here is a good article:
http://shaveblog.com/?p=185

Sceptre

This thread has inspired me to become a true man, and order one of these razors.

I expect to have cut myself to pieces by the end of the month.

Wezoin

Although I have never done this myself, I'm gonna steal a piece of advice from the last thread like this, "Practice on a damn balloon ALOT"

D90

I never realized there was so much to shaving

TwistedJester

I second using a DE, however my first was a Merkur Classic, and I wasn't too fond of it. It just seemed a bit too aggressive. Perhaps the HD is much more gentle. If you want to save cash, I recommend getting an older Gillette either on eBay, or on this forum which I frequent. You'll likely get a much better deal on the forum. My personal favorite is the Gillette Tech, which usually can be found on that message board for around $10 - $15. I also recommend buying a DE Blade sampler pack (which can be found at the above forum in a sticky), as people have different preferences for aggressiveness of blades.

Also, a shaving brush with a nice cream would complete the experience. You can get a nice beginner brush for only $10 here, and you can get a good quality shave cream at Bath and Body Works (C.O. Bigelow Shave cream), or look up Proraso shave cream online.

I'd also recommend perusing these youtube videos regarding techniques and how to properly shave. Also, this blog has a lot of useful info regarding other optional things such as alum blocks and stypic solutions.