I am on the lookout for a cheap safety razor to replace my Gilette off-the-shelf-plastic-garbage. Are there any razors which won't break the bank? As for the shaving cream, do I need to use expensive cream? I have very sensitive facial skin and I normally get by using the eco-friendly version of the big supermarket brands shaving cream. I have tried using that blue Gilette stuff and it makes my skin burn.
Well you can pick up a Merkur 33c for around £23, and you would soon see yourself saving money on razors, which are a fraction of the cost of the cartridges you need to get for gilette razors (you get 100 for around £10). Again, with the cream, it is more of a layout, but you'll find that it lasts a long time. Plus the best comparison I've heard between spray shaving cream and, for example, taylor's of old bond street cream is like comparing spray desert cream and cornish clotted cream for quality. The alternative is to get a shaving soap rather than a cream, you can pick up for around £6 and will last months. Razor Blades Shaving Cream Shaving Soap You'd need a brush for the soap/cream too, thinking about it. I think the initial outlay for switching to DE shaving in one hit can be quite steep, but then you don't really need to spend any money for some time (unless you get bored of the scent of soap/cream, I guess). You can of course use a razor with the spray cream, or alternatively a Gilette razor with a brush & shaving cream/soap, but I'd feel remiss if i didn't point them out to you.
Well done for making the plunge I would suggest taking your time with the first few shaves, make 2+ passes of your face, especially if you're letting your facial hair grow out a little. Don't place anywhere near the same pressure on your face as you would with the Mach 3, or it'll be pink water time. Most of all, I would say that you need to persevere with it. You won't get as good a shave as you do with your Mach 3; not initially at least. You will get to the point where going back to the mach 3 (when travelling) you find that it just doesn't do the business any more by comparison, just takes time.
Yeah the up front cost of razor + shaving soap + brush can be quite a bit. But razor blades are cheap, and the shaving soap lasts quite awhile. Besides Taylor or Trumpers, I also like Neutrogena shaving cream, you can use it with or without a brush. I used that for a couple of years before trying out Trumpers shaving soap.
The bodyshop do a shaving cream that's rather good for sensitive skin & it's reasonable priced at around £8. A pot of cream lasts me a few months. Soaps can last almost a year (I prefer creams but rotate what I use on a daily basis). Always remember when starting out to only use downwards passes until you've mastered using the razor. Trying to do upstrokes too early results in irritation. Just avoid the gunk they sell in Lush. It's not suitable for brushes & is proper crap. Anyway. Time for a picture from the shave den
Having used mine for the first time tonight I found it a real struggle to do my top lip and chin. I can usually shave in under 5 minutes but I was nearly 30 mins tonight. Is this normal?
Don't try and go for speed, take your time with it. This is why I normally shave in the evening when I have time to take things easy, slow down and relax and actually enjoy it. Shaving definitely used to be a chore I would avoid as much as possible then reluctantly go through the pain of trying to scrape off a week's growth with (what I now know to be) an inferior razor. Now it is enjoyable, it is relaxing and I find that it is a great way to wind down and calm things before bed.
It will take a while to get used to it. The chin and lip and adams apple are definitely the worst for me. I've been using a safety razor for over a year now and I can now shave a weeks worth of growth in about 5 minutes. And I do it in the shower where I have no mirror to look into. lol
Second shave today and it was a great one. I was a lot more confident in using the razor and was done in around ten minutes. I am pretty certain already that I will be using these razors in the future. I did give myself a little nick on the neck, but a quick dab of my Styptic Pencil (and a small burst of pain) and I was fine.
I have a Edwin Jagger safety razor and badger brush on order. There comes a time in the life of a man when an electric razor just doesn't cut it anymore... It really annoys me that most department stores have a whole floor dedicated to female grooming while male grooming gets two shelves in a corner somewhere. And in Birmingham it gets increasingly difficult to find a barber where you can get a proper wet shave with hot towels, a straight razor and the works. Really, it's a whole culture getting lost, right there.
The hot towel shave is starting to come back, slowly but there are places popping back up. The problem is that they are not easy to find most of the time and those that are more obvious are silly money. We have one here in Nottingham that charges £30 for a shave or £40 for a shave and 'facial'...
I was in Turkey about 2 years ago, while there I decide that I had to get a proper Turkish shave. Had hot towel, the works. Was a little scary having some bloke whizzing round my face with an extremely sharp blade, but to his credit he didn't nick me once. After he'd finished he ask if he wanted me to have my ears and nose flamed or waxed... I passed!
question, is shaving soap/cream necessary for using either a safety razor or straight edge? I normally drive shave (sometimes no water either and always against the grain) with no skin irritation/bumps/etc and just see shaving cream as an extra cost. I am debating switching over to either of the two types listed above though.
Yes, the foam from a good soap or cream both lubricates the blade and holds the hairs upright. It also softens the hairs which is very important to prevent pulling. A puck of shaving soap will last a fair while, i have been using one for about a year now and still have plenty left. Another thing to look at is a brush, they can cost a lot but they don't have to, go for a boar bristle one and that will do you fine (boar is cheap too)
I recently bought a safety razor a couple of weeks back, this one (not from seeing this thread). The only problem I am finding with it is when I'm shaving my chin. I just can't seem to get as good a shave as I could with my previous disposable razors when I am shaving this area? Any technique/advice anyone can give on shaving that part with one? When I look in the mirror after shaving I can still see a good few millimetres of hair on my chin that I couldn't with my old crappy razors.
Some facial contortion and manipulation is required to straighten and tauten the skin in those hard-to-reach places. You also need to keep the angle of the blade relative to the skin constant as you go around the curves, and that's just a matter of practice.
Try be a little braver when using your razor, I struggled with my chin and upper lip as I was afraid of nicking myself. The more confident you are, the better shave you will have.
