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Shaves to the Gilette Company

HoA-playerHoA-player Registered User regular
edited January 2008 in Social Entropy++
Shaving! All of us men and some of you women have to do it, some starting earlier in life and more often then other but still everyone has to shave at least once in a while.

Of course there a many different ways to shave the most common nowadays is probably to use a modern electric razor:

Electric_Shaver.jpg

They come in different forms and shapes with lots of additional functions like self cleaning and maybe even little lcd screens. Shaving with one is quick and convenient but personally I never got a real close shave with doing this.

Alternative to electric shaving is wet shaving. Wet shaving is a very broad subject that can be separated in modern and traditional wet shaving.

I will start with modern wet shaving as it is the more common version.

A picture of a modern razor:

Gillette%20Fusion2.jpg

The main idea with modern razors seems to be the more blades the better and if you're really fancy they vibrate too! Most men, or rather boys start shaving with this because of commercials telling them that this is how real man shave, by slathering their face with goo out of a pressurized can and then dragging 3 to 5 blades all across their face. At least that's how I started with wet shaving but again my personal experience wasn't so great. The shave was closer but with that close shave came razor burn, dry and itchy skin.

So I wasn't really happy with shaving and didn't do it very often but that meant having to grow one of the dreaded neckbeards you see so often. Until about a year ago that is when I found traditional wet shaving.

Traditional wet shaving is by far the most complex method of shaving. First of all you don't smear the shaving cream on your face using you hands, no you use a shaving brush:

art1b.jpg

These come with three different kinds of hair badger, bore or artificial. Each of the three kinds has slightly different characteristics badger is softer and retains more water, bore is harder and retains less water. The artificial is somewhere in the middle.
Badger hair brushes are considered the best of the bunch but are also the most expensive.

Now you need something to apply with that brush and here you have the choice between shaving cream of shaving soap.

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Choices abound! Instead of just uniform goo from cans you can pick and choose from dozens of different scented shaving cream or soaps most still produced after recipes from the late 19th century or early 20th century.
Here I prefer Sandalwood Shaving Cream from Taylor of Old Bond Street but I also tried Proraso Eucalyptus Shaving Cream from Italy which was also very good.

Now to the shaving part.

23razor.jpg

This is a typical early 20th century safety razor. These are fed with single disposable razor blades. Shaving with this is very different from modern razor as you work with far less pressure which leads to far less skin irritation but is a bit tricky to learn after getting used to pressing a modern razor to you face and dragging it all over the place.
I bought one like this last year when I first got into traditional wet shaving and after getting used to it I had some good shaves.

You may ask yourself now if the razor is from the 20th century but the shaving cream is 19th century then there has to be an even more traditional method of shaving, right?

Right! Shaving with a straight razor.

burggraf.jpg

This is the oldest and if you following the progression in this post the most complex method of shaving there is. Aside from the straight razor itself you'll need a leather strop for stropping the razor.

213.jpg

This prepares the razor for the shave by slightly honing it.

I got a set of straight razor and leather strop for Christmas this year and started shaving this way but like I said it's the most complex method and I still need some training with it before I can get a really close shave but so far I like it.


So for those of you who actually read all that, how do you shave?

HoA-player on
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    AbracadanielAbracadaniel Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Oh damn

    I have been looking into traditional wet shaving for a while now.

    I am tired of blowing like, $20 for the disposable cartridges on the one I use now.

    Abracadaniel on
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    Penguin IncarnatePenguin Incarnate King of Kafiristan Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    I'm of the opinion that people who use straight razors to shave deserve their face to be horribly cut up.

    Penguin Incarnate on
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    scarlet st.scarlet st. Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Plant

    scarlet st. on
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    HoA-playerHoA-player Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    The thing is while the razor blades are much cheaper, the best I found are 1.50 for 10, the starting cost for the razor, brush and the traditional shaving cream and after shave are pretty high.

    HoA-player on
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    Dead LegendDead Legend Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    i use a razor and it's pretty good

    i just use it to shave my upper lip and most of my neck, growin my beard out right now

    but i have used my hunting knife before and that just sucks

    Dead Legend on
    diablo III - beardsnbeer#1508 Mechwarrior Online - Rusty Bock
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    HoA-playerHoA-player Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    I'm of the opinion that people who use straight razors to shave deserve their face to be horribly cut up.

    So far out of shaving 4 times I only cut myself once the very first time :P

    HoA-player on
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    SeriouslySeriously Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Where do you even find straight razors anymore?

    I am satisfied with my cheap-ass mach 3.

    Seriously on
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    FrylockHolmesFrylockHolmes Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Gillette sent me one of those quintuple blade razors for my 18th birthday. How they know who I am and that I was turning 18 is beyond me.

    FrylockHolmes on
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    Me Too!Me Too! __BANNED USERS regular
    edited December 2007
    I used to use one of those fancy 4-blade razors.
    Then I ran out of cartridges and didn't feel like buying more, so I just went back to using 2-blade disposables.

    Me Too! on
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    Metzger MeisterMetzger Meister It Gets Worse before it gets any better.Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    We use disposable razors in my house.


    Which is why I let my facial hair grow to embarassingly patchy, teenaged bushiness.

    Metzger Meister on
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    the wookthe wook Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    i don't shave very often. my hair is light enough that a trimmer usually suffices. when i do shave, i use a Mach 3 razor.

    the wook on
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    ButtersButters A glass of some milks Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    I used to have a wet dry Norelco that was stolen out of my old residence. It was convenient as I could shave in the shower but it really didn't give that great of a shave. It was adequate for the face but bad for the neck.

    I have since switch back to steel, using disposable three-blade razors and it's going a lot better than it used to. I used to have huge irritation problems but more blades really does help out.

    I also started using Neutrogena for men products for prep and shaving and I really like it. Better than Nivea for men in my opinion.

    Butters on
    PSN: idontworkhere582 | CFN: idontworkhere | Steam: lordbutters | Amazon Wishlist
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    HoA-playerHoA-player Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Seriously wrote: »
    Where do you even find straight razors anymore?

    I am satisfied with my cheap-ass mach 3.

    The internet mostly but some of the fancier shopping places in Germany still carry them too.

    HoA-player on
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    Penguin IncarnatePenguin Incarnate King of Kafiristan Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    HoA-player wrote: »
    I'm of the opinion that people who use straight razors to shave deserve their face to be horribly cut up.

    So far out of shaving 4 times I only cut myself once the very first time :P
    Your day is coming.

    Penguin Incarnate on
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    FrylockHolmesFrylockHolmes Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    I have to shave every two or three days or else I start growing a neckbeard

    FrylockHolmes on
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    Kuribo's ShoeKuribo's Shoe Kuribo's Stocking North PoleRegistered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Got a norelco for Xmas

    Works pretty good

    Kuribo's Shoe on
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    FalloutFallout GIRL'S DAY WAS PRETTY GOOD WHILE THEY LASTEDRegistered User regular
    edited December 2007
    you know the razors that come in a bag of like 20 at the 99 cent store work just as well as a seventeen-bladed razor that costs eight bucks per replacement head

    Fallout on
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    Me Too!Me Too! __BANNED USERS regular
    edited December 2007
    Fallout wrote: »
    you know the razors that come in a bag of like 20 at the 99 cent store work just as well as a seventeen-bladed razor that costs eight bucks per replacement head

    Hell yes they do.

    I'm at the weird stage, where I have to shave because, yeah, it'll grow out, but just enough to look shitty. I can't grow it thick enough yet to actually look good.

    Me Too! on
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    Metzger MeisterMetzger Meister It Gets Worse before it gets any better.Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    HoA-player wrote: »
    I'm of the opinion that people who use straight razors to shave deserve their face to be horribly cut up.

    So far out of shaving 4 times I only cut myself once the very first time :P
    Your day is coming.
    Y'know how, in Nothing But Trouble, Dan Akroyd doesn't have a nose?

    Metzger Meister on
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    xeroismygodxeroismygod Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Every now and then I indulge myself in a straight razor shave from a barber shop that keeps it traditional. Straight Razor shave is the best. Otherwise I use a lowly Mach 3.

    xeroismygod on
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    CrossBusterCrossBuster Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Gillette sent me one of those quintuple blade razors for my 18th birthday. How they know who I am and that I was turning 18 is beyond me.

    My god, what else might they know?

    CrossBuster on
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    JimothyJimothy Not in front of the fox he's with the owlRegistered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Every now and then I indulge myself in a straight razor shave from a barber shop that keeps it traditional. Straight Razor shave is the best.


    I'm of the opinion that people who use straight razors to shave deserve their face to be horribly cut up.

    Turns out it is an excellent method for disposing of one's enemies.

    Or if you are particularly hungry.
    Inter-thread humor!

    Jimothy on
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] regular
    edited December 2007
    The user and all related content has been deleted.

    [Deleted User] on
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    Penguin IncarnatePenguin Incarnate King of Kafiristan Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    HoA-player wrote: »
    I'm of the opinion that people who use straight razors to shave deserve their face to be horribly cut up.

    So far out of shaving 4 times I only cut myself once the very first time :P
    Your day is coming.
    Y'know how, in Nothing But Trouble, Dank Akroyd doesn't have a nose?
    What?

    Penguin Incarnate on
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    FalloutFallout GIRL'S DAY WAS PRETTY GOOD WHILE THEY LASTEDRegistered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Lol! wrote: »
    Fallout wrote: »
    you know the razors that come in a bag of like 20 at the 99 cent store work just as well as a seventeen-bladed razor that costs eight bucks per replacement head

    Hell yes they do.

    I'm at the weird stage, where I have to shave because, yeah, it'll grow out, but just enough to look shitty. I can't grow it thick enough yet to actually look good.

    i've been at that stage for a few years now and it annoys the piss out of me

    Fallout on
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    FrylockHolmesFrylockHolmes Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Gillette sent me one of those quintuple blade razors for my 18th birthday. How they know who I am and that I was turning 18 is beyond me.

    My god, what else might they know?

    My guess is that they hired a private detective to find out any dirt on me they could

    so they probably know all about my war profiteering

    FrylockHolmes on
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    HoA-playerHoA-player Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    HoA-player wrote: »
    I'm of the opinion that people who use straight razors to shave deserve their face to be horribly cut up.

    So far out of shaving 4 times I only cut myself once the very first time :P
    Your day is coming.
    Y'know how, in Nothing But Trouble, Dank Akroyd doesn't have a nose?

    Since I don't shave my upper lip it's much more likely I'll loose an ear.

    HoA-player on
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    Bad-BeatBad-Beat Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    I used to use a Philips electric shaver but it took so long to get anything done. So I switched to a Gillette Fusion disposable and haven't look back since.

    Bad-Beat on
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    the wookthe wook Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    I have to shave every two or three days or else I start growing a neckbeard

    I embrace the neckbeard

    the wook on
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    Metzger MeisterMetzger Meister It Gets Worse before it gets any better.Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    HoA-player wrote: »
    I'm of the opinion that people who use straight razors to shave deserve their face to be horribly cut up.

    So far out of shaving 4 times I only cut myself once the very first time :P
    Your day is coming.
    Y'know how, in Nothing But Trouble, Dank Akroyd doesn't have a nose?
    What?

    It's a typo, shut up.

    Metzger Meister on
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    SeriouslySeriously Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Straight razor shaves from a barber scares me because I can't feel them.


    Also because that is a big-ass sharp thing. Only I get to put sharp or pointy things against me.

    Seriously on
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    KarlKarl Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    I use a mach 3. Its pretty good and i've finally got my technique right to get a smooth shave. But one day i want a proper single blade safety razor.

    Fuck those electric razors though. They're rubbish.

    Karl on
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    FalloutFallout GIRL'S DAY WAS PRETTY GOOD WHILE THEY LASTEDRegistered User regular
    edited December 2007
    i want a straight razor but i know i'll be way too lazy and clumsy to use it

    plus i'll probably eventually go sweeney todd on a bitch

    Fallout on
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] regular
    edited December 2007
    The user and all related content has been deleted.

    [Deleted User] on
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    Metzger MeisterMetzger Meister It Gets Worse before it gets any better.Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    What's an epilator?

    Metzger Meister on
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    FrylockHolmesFrylockHolmes Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    the wook wrote: »
    I have to shave every two or three days or else I start growing a neckbeard

    I embrace the neckbeard

    You're a braver man than I

    FrylockHolmes on
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] regular
    edited December 2007
    The user and all related content has been deleted.

    [Deleted User] on
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    Randall_FlaggRandall_Flagg Registered User regular
    edited December 2007
    Gillette sent me one of those quintuple blade razors for my 18th birthday. How they know who I am and that I was turning 18 is beyond me.

    My god, what else might they know?

    My guess is that they hired a private detective to find out any dirt on me they could

    so they probably know all about my war profiteering

    uh-oh

    you'd better hide your secret nazi blood diamonds inside a safe at the bank that you own that nobody knows about, except somebody does and they dress up everybody else just like them in order to throw confusion of the theft of your safety deposit box and subsequent revelation to the public that you are a bad person

    Randall_Flagg on
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    FalloutFallout GIRL'S DAY WAS PRETTY GOOD WHILE THEY LASTEDRegistered User regular
    edited December 2007
    PAIN IN A PINK AND BLUE MECHANICAL DEVICE

    are those those little things for trimming unsightly hairs on the ladies

    Fallout on
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    Kuribo's ShoeKuribo's Shoe Kuribo's Stocking North PoleRegistered User regular
    edited December 2007
    epilators emotgonkqj9.gif

    it's krusterrific, johnny Unitas! But is my upper lip supposed to be bleeding?

    Probably.

    Kuribo's Shoe on
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