Shaving Technologies

JMJ:

I would like to engage in sexual intercourse with you. But only if you shave.

Your nuts.

With a straight razor.

In a hurry.

The joke’s on you, JMJ is naturally hairless.

On a completely non-fancy note, I got a Gilette Proglide recently and it’s unbelievably better to the three-razor business I had from there before. The combination of FIVE INCREDIBLE BLADES OH GOD and the automatic bending head means I don’t cut my self for goddamn once.

If you think that’s good Jason, you should tr…holy shit, you have 33,000 posts? What the he…er anyway, you should try Wilkinson Sword’s Hydro 5 razor. I have particularly sensitive skin due to being ginger haired, and the H5 is the only cartridge based razor to not make my face feel as though it’s on fire.

He’s an Alpaca?

All of my shaving stuff arrives today! Which is really good because that gives me the long weekend to get used to how to use it properly. This way I won’t have to go into work with my face all full of nicks and cuts.

Worst comes to worst, the Garner Walmart carries those bad boys for about $2 ;)


Also, recently ran across this awesome little guide to blade angle:

So good!

Well, had my first shave with the new kit last night and MAN was it nice. My face and neck have never been so smooth. Sure, I nicked myself once and there’s a little irritation here and there (I did 2 passes, which is apparently a mistake) but it felt so damned good I didn’t want to stop.

And I realized what after shave is actually for. It’s for after a razor shave. That’s a sensation you just don’t get after an electric shave. Heh…

Yeah, I am still in love with my straight razor I bought a while back. So much precision! (I didn’t go full on old school, they make some that have replaceable razors.

15 bucks and you never need to buy another razor (for a long time)

So I finally got my razor from the Dollar Shave Club yesterday, and I tried it this morning. I got the middle option, the 4X, for $6, and god damn if it didn’t give me one of the best shaves I’ve ever had. Very impressive.

Irritation shouldn’t be so bad in a couple weeks once your skin gets used to a blade. When I switched from switched from electric I did 3 passes every time, but I had to use an ice pack on my neck a couple times. I get no irritation now as long as I go slow on my neck.

Armando, time to tell everyone about Phase Two.

Top-hats and monocles.

Yeah, I’ve been trying to 1 pass (well, 1 major pass and then minor touch ups here and there) it every 2nd day or so. Any more than that, and things get irritated. This morning was the most blood free shave I’ve had yet so it’s definitely getting better. My technique and my skin’s tolerance, I think.

Always worth taking a bit of time when you’ve got some stubble on to map out the general direction of your hair growth. Going up and down on my checks (down for with the grain, up for extra-close against) is fine, but my neck hair actually grows horizontally out away from my Adam’s apple toward my ears. Gotta accommodate that to keep things happy.

If you have a bit of time and bravery, plus enough lather to keep things lubricated, try going with the grain, rinsing very briefly, relathering, and going across (90 degree angle to it). Gets you damn near as close as going outright against the grain with a lot less irritation/nastiness. Only go against on days when I really feel like being utterly smooth.

Aside from that, good angle and no pressure are the way of things. Maybe trying another brand of blades or two to make sure that one isn’t getting you down (Derby’s tug my hair like crazy for some reason; work fine for other dudes).

And yeah, do enjoy the feeling of being a classy-ass gentleman :D

Yes, NO PRESSURE. When they say use the weight of the razor that’s exactly what they mean … or so I’m finding out. Any pressure at all and I end up in a mess.

It’s why I’ve started to shy away from recommending people get started w/ a cheapo razor like the $12 Lord L6. It’s made of (essentially) aluminum, so it’s too lightweight to cut on its own. . . so new guys (or girls) start off learning to shave with pressure. Then the weak metal in the threads for the head to screw on wears out and they go out and buy a $35 Edwin Jagger and start carving their face up. No bueno.

I will say though that when I do make a mess, it’s almost amusing as it doesn’t really hurt. I just look up and, “Shit, I’m bleeding”.

Exactly. It always looks a little shocking to see the red stuff smeared across your face. And, of course, nothing is more sad than seeing a man with a bunch of toilet paper scraps stuck to his face.

Yep, that was my first. Way back in the thread I left a comment about it. My Merkur made all the difference.