You guys still shave yourselves? What are you, homeless? Seriously, I rarely shave smooth any more (just a no guard clipping job mostly), but when I do I use a straight razor. My grandfather's brother was an old school barber and I inherited 6 of his pearl handled straight razors. I had one of them rebladed and use it. I also have a hot shaving cream dispenser like you find in a barber shop. Makes all the difference in the world. Best Christmas gift ever from my mom about 7 years ago.
Using a brush and soap is like the Ferrari version of a hot lather machine. Much better product, same temperature. As for straight razors. stropping becomes a real chore to me, and I have to rehone my razors every three weeks or so (unless I'm using a balsa strop on top of a leather strop), so it sort of dropped out of favor with me.
As infrequently as I shave, I don't mind the stropping. The ex was a pro stylist so hooked me up with a really good strop, and it only takes 20 seconds or so. I've used a brush and cup before but seem to prefer the convenience of the dispenser.
My bathroom here never completely dries, so it's hard on anything in there. I noticed that my straight razor has a few flecks of rust on the top of the blade. I was uber pissed because I never actually took it out of the case, since it's been in the bathroom. Any suggestions for removing these without damaging the razor? In the US, I used this to shave about once per week when I could spend the good 20 minutes it took to do properly. Here, I have no brush and the idea of shaving cream or lotion is either some organic vegan bullshit that smells like rosy ass or lime scented gel. Great thread, however.
You remove rust off of a high carbon shaving blade the same way you do any other... either good ol' elbow grease (dangerous with a razor) or something like WD-40. With my straights that I keep in the drawer that are high carbon (hint: they all are) I put a coat of gun oil on them to store, and wash it off if I'm going to use them.
Any good suggestions for straight razors? I don't want to go nuts for my first time out, my brother spent something crazy like 200-300 bucks on one. If I don't end up liking it I'd rather have only blown 50 bucks or so. Ive heard people find them at antique markets and have them resharpened.
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.whippeddog.com/straightrazors" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.whippeddog.com/straightrazors</a> Go there, get the sight unseen deal. You'll end up with a pretty damned good razor that is shave ready honed, a new strop, and a balsa strop. 54 bones. Can't go wrong with someone's hobby restoring old razors.
That's usually a product of pushing too hard, especially against the grain - you don't really need that much pressure. As for brushes, badger hair is important (even if you use soap over cream like I do) - but you can certainly survive with a cheaper brush though I'd stick with a known name live Vulfix. I think my brush is $38. Its small but it works
Just a quick comment/word of warning to you any anyone else who takes up DE blade shaving... it's not designed to be a one-shot pass. A lot of people who haven't been taught good shaving techniques don't know that a couple light passes give you a much better shave than trying to get everything off in one shot - that even holds true for cartridge razors. So, as BrianH said, yes, DE razors are great for multi-day growth because it's a super sharp blade and the hairs don't get caught in the cartridge and pull, but when you start shaving, have a little patience. Two (or even three, if you've got a lot of growth) light passes will easily knock off as much hair as you have with no pain - but don't try to hit it all in one shot. Small tip: I prefer whipping up creams to bar soaps because it works faster and the storage is easier. You'll need a mug for that. For the ultimate luxury, use the thickest mug you can find, and before you jump in the shower, fill it with scalding hot water. When you get out, pour out the water and whip up your cream - the mug will be hot and will keep the cream hot for the duration of your shave.
I use shaving foam or gel from a can. Put it on, let it sit for a minute to soften the hair, then use a multi-blade to go with, then against the grain. I always shave before I shower, as I find that the warm water cauterizes any little cuts I may get.
This seems wrong to me. I've always shaved after the shower as that's when everything is nice and soft.
Eh, I cheaped out on the mug - I just use one of those blue speckled enamel mugs that I purloined from my kit of camping kitchen supplies. The upside is that it heats up REALLY quickly.
The best technique is definitely shaving after the shower, which softens the beard and opens pores, followed by a cold water splash, which closes up pores and constricts blood vessels to help stop bleeding from any nicks.
Fucking this. Bigelow is awesome, Feather blades are awesome for me (very coarse/rough beard) but for newbies you definitely want to go with a blade sampler so you can see what works for you. Also, four-pass method is CRUCIAL the first couple of times. I've got it down to three passes now: first with the grain, then across, then against. Don't try to get it all at once. I use a Feather Portable for the actual razor - it's a tiny little Gillette knockoff, but it works fine. As for aftershave, can't go wrong with Aqua Velva. If I had to upgrade one thing, it would be my brush. It's a POS Burma-Shave boarhair doohickey. Sheds all over the place and is generally pretty terrible. But eh.
Dude if you're going to upgrade get an aftershave that doesn't have alcohol in it - Nivea's sensative skin one is great.
I'm surprised this thread has gone on for 7 pages and no-one has mentioned that you need to have a steady hand if you want to use a straight or DE razor, so I'm stuck with disposable Gillette Blue II Maximums. Since I do not have a steady hand (and long and weird/fucked up fingers), I couldn't use a DE or straight razor without looking having a face like this guy: Also, my skin is plain-old fucked up. Moisturiser fucks it up even more and so does any aftershave, regardless of whether the aftershave has alcohol in its contents or not. Since I'm broke I can't afford to fix this, so, basically, I am doomed to always look like shit. At least my scalp feels less fucked-up shaved as opposed to having hair on it. EDIT: Any actual helpful advice for me? Telling me to cut my head off is not helpful advice... EDIT 2: I'm using Nivea Sensitive Gel for shaving with. Most of the products that have been mentioned I've never heard of or seen here. I've seen Tabac before but not in the last 3 or 4 years...
You totally don't need a steady hand for a DE - the guard ill protect you + short strokes. I dont have a steady hand at all (even went to therapy for it) and i shave fine
Exactly! I can't hold my hand steady to save my soul (even had one of my old nursing instructors ask me about it while watching me draw up medication). Short strokes and light touch.
Found some cheap shave soap, Williams, and brush, Burma, at a local super market. Decided to try it out. The brush does shed more than my dog in spring. One my first try my houses hot water was done (a new shower head we got runs through the hot water in 15 minutes), so I couldn't get the super hot water I needed. But it was still promising. The density of the foam was lighter and easier to stroke through.
After reading through this thread, I'm seriously debating getting the single razor you guys are all talking about. I'm just figuring that I'll slit my own throat, so I'll miss you all when I'm gone.