Stop it! You’re giving me an uncomfortable feeling!
So I participated in Movember this year, growing my facial hair to raise awareness for prostate and testicular cancer. I spent the first 25 days of the month growing a full beard and the last five days cutting it down into interesting shapes – A full Ambrose Burnside; massive, 19th century muttonchops (or a reverse goatee); pork-chops; jaw-beard, etc.
It was fun but, in the process of shaving off the heavy growth I discovered that I’ve been angling the head of my Parker wrong ever since I started using it. Now that I’m clean-shaven again, the shaves I’m getting with the new angle are the closest I’ve ever had in my life. Previously I thought the double-edged blades were superior to disposables in many respects but did not shave quite as close. Now my results are better than I’ve ever had with a disposable blade.
So what’s the new angle?
Extremely shallow, using the roll of the razor’s head to determine the angle of the blade (duh!) where before, trained by years and years of disposable razors, I was holding the blade slightly less than a 45 degree angle. (I guess it’s more to do with the angle of the handle as with disposable blades, the shallow angle is determined by the head.)
So, I think I finally found the perfect blend of the close but cost-effective shave for my nightmare of a face.
The problem with my face is that my facial fuzz pattern has all kinds of bald spots, so growing anything out is not happening. It also grows quickly and is super-stiff, so it kills blades fast. And on top of all of that, I have super thin skin. The worst of everything.
The problem is that I have to find a way to shave daily that doesn’t destroy my face nor cost an arm and a leg.
Here’s what I’ve ended up with:
I wash my face before shaving with a tiny dip of Garnier Daily Exfoliating Gel, let it sit for a few seconds, then rinse without drying. I then add a small bit of whatever cheap Gel – right now I’m using the economy-sized bottle of Edge with Aloe.
I let it sit for a minute; long enough to get into the now-opened pores, but not so long that my face starts to dry.
Now I’m shaving with a cheapass Chinese handle and Feather blades, which you can get for $0.36 each if you buy 'em by the hundred, and I can get about 3-5 good shaves out of one.
Technique’s important; I use very little pressure and lots of strokes, whittling the whiskers down, as it were, keeping the blade wet and once in a while adding an extra dab of gel.
Lastly, I rinse with ice-cold water and use a tad of CVS knock-off of Nivea after-shave gel.
The biggest difference with the safety razor is not so much that it shaves closer than the cartridge blades, but that when the whiskers first start to grow out, the electric would lead to very rough whiskers, while the cartridge razors would lead to very sharp-pointed whiskers. Something in either the gel or the safety blade leaves the whiskers a lot less rough to feel. After using the Feather blades as a trial, I asked my consort which she preferred between the different shaves, and she said that there was no contest, and this was the reason why.
Because after all… it’s all about getting more smooches. :)
See, Rimbo, I’m the exact opposite. Instead of $37 on blades and $8 on a razor, I spent $37 on a Parker razor and $8 on 100 Derby blades.
I’ll have to try the Derbys sometime.
It’s all still cheaper than the cheapest decent twin blades.
I have that Chinese razor (mine may actually be Egyptian but it looks exactly the same). Spring for a decent Parker. I got the 98R and I think they’re even $5 cheaper now than last year. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0037X9DFU
And I’ll toss in that my Edwin Jagger 89LBL is still rocking it hardcore, even though I’ve swapped its head with the slightly more aggressive Merkur 180 long-handle. My gf wanted a safety razor with a long handle for the shower, but the 180’s head was a little too aggressive for her, so I gave her my gentler EJ and took the Merkur. Couldn’t have worked out better for the both of us :D
I did try out the far extremes of my angles this morning for the first time in a long time (been wetshaving for more than a year now, since last September) per Rightbug’s recent posts. Extremely shallow (close angle in the direction of motion, putting me almost more on the “guard” under the blade than the blade itself) got the job done but it’s prickly. Extremely wide (far angle away from the direction of motion, putting me more on the top of the razor than anywhere) got an extraordinarily close shave. Literally cannot detect hair at this point. Shoulda saved that for date night tomorrow :D
I believe this is what I was speaking of when I said “extremely shallow.” I’ve got the roll of the Parker’s head against my face. (Spatial relations are not my strong suit – What does this imply for the angle of the blade relative to my face?)
I think it makes the blade angle pretty narrow, but to be entirely honest, spatial relationships are completely not my strong suit. Indeed, I don’t really have a visual imagination, so it’s extraordinarily hard for me to visualize what the hell the blade is doing when we do this :)
Wait a minute, that’s why I thought the Parker is cheaper and has a funny handle, I actually have a Edwin Jagger. Yeah, yeah, Rimbo get a Jagger.
So let me tell you a story. My stepson was here for Thanksgiving. He had already purchased the tickets before the storm slammed him. Anyway, he’s here. We were going to my mom’s house for Second Thanksgiving. I’m in my room. The computer room. Stop laughing.
Anyway, I hear the wife, “Can you come here? Can you help us?”
Of course I can. I am nothing if not useful. (Stop laughing)
I go into my bathroom and find my wife and her son messing with my shaving stuff.
“Can you show him how to use this?”
Now I will admit that I would love to show the kid how to shave using the proper devices. But she was handling my quality Merkur and my brush.
It was like her asking, “Do you mind if a total stranger uses your toothbrush?”
I quickly brought out my trainer device. I put in a 7AM blade instead of the Feather that I use. I searched all over for a can of crappy shave cream that I thought I had. Ended up showing him how to use the Proraso and the badger brush.
He said that it was the best shave that he ever did himself.
But I still felt like I was violated. My brush is mine. My soap is mine.
Was I over reacting?
Yes, you were.
Fuzzy wuzzy was a bear
Fuzzy wuzzy had no hair
Fuzzy wuzzy wuzznt fuzzy wuzzy?
Um, no, you weren’t. You did help, and in a man’s world, there are some things that are yours and yours alone.
So Ed. You share a toothbrush? You don’t mind when you sig other leaves pubic hair in your razor? Seriously?
Yeah, I’d share a toothbrush with my wife. And I let her use my razor. And, unless I misunderstood, no one put their mouth on your badger hair shaving brush or licked your shaving cream. Grow a backbone, Indiana.
I’m with Rich. I mean, I could probably stand it if another man used my shaving gear, but I respect a man’s right to set limits on certian things. Me, I draw the line at underwear. I will not put on another man’s undies, and I’d be upset if my wife lent someone a pair of my boxers.
Nothing wrong with limits. You just have to know what yours are and then act appropriately.
It’s facial shaving equipment. I’m in the “get over it” camp. :)
Eh, you do multiple passes with wetshaving, including relathering. If the kid nicked himself or gave himself a bleeding invisible “weeper,” then reapplying lather with the brush could contaminate it with his, err, fluids.
For that reason and that alone, I’d be hesitant to let just anyone use my brush (and its why traditional barber shops have to use machine-generated lather these days rather than the “real” thing). That said, my gf and I share brushes/razors and even toothbrushes on occasion. We’ve been together for 9 years–at this point, if there’s any microbes in her that haven’t been in me at some point, I’d be pretty surprised.