Approaching 70 & never ever used a real razor.

[AaLF]

I live in Sydney Australia. Grew up on cartridges & electric and avoidance via a beard. Nowadays I have a long white beard & its remaining. But I need to shave my head regularly due to some psoriasis.

I've got an old fella's fat roll at the base of the skull that always ends up like a gutter full of leaves. Can't dig the stubble out without blood. Never mind. I want to use a razor instead of a cartridge.

I want a blood free razor for my head. If the stubble in the rear bump remains who cares. I wear a hat.

As I said I know NOTHING about razor-blade razors. Advise me, which razors will not make me bleed & cringe?

I want this to be a happy experience.

best,
AaLF

 

[ewk]

I shaved the top solar panel for many years with a cartridge razor. To be honest, if you cannot get a Leaf razor in Australia, cartridges just might be the best solution for you. Double edge razors work best on flat surfaces. That is why chins and jaws are notoriously hard to get stubble free. The non-pivoting head means you must follow the curve during your shaving stroke. The head is ALL curve. Cartridges have their appropriate uses too; ain't no shame in using the right tool for the job if that is what is needed.

I am not sure what it costs to ship to Australia, but the best and most efficient razor for head shaving is the Leaf. It removes stubble more efficiently than the cartridge razor. It comes with half blades, and any double edge blade will work; just snap the blade in half while still in its paper wrapper.

My next recommendation would be an injector razor. Parker has a new one on the market, but vintage Schick injectors are plentiful at a modest cost. They are a mild shave and intuitive to use on the head. Not quite as efficient as the Leaf, but for cost and availability an injector razor is a great choice for shaving the dome.

My favorite double edge razor for head shaving is the Henson AL13 medium aggression. It was the second DE razor I purchased, and the first to ever give me baby-bottom smooth results on the back fringe; not even the Gillette Fusion could do that in all those years.

I too am a little over-stuffed at back of the neck. Chin to chest and pulling skin as tight as you can manage helps open up the area for an "east-to-west" pass to mow down the stubble.

Hope this helps.

 

[AaLF]

Comprendo. Thanks muchly.

 

[Tanuki]

My son gets good head shave results with his iKon X3. He has recently been trying his Geisen&Forstoff SB razor without any problems. A Merkur SB would be pretty equivalent. Both G&F and Merkur make long handle versions.

I gave him a vintage Gillette Tech a long time ago. Now that he is using the G&F sometimes, I suggested he try the Tech, a well loved mild shaver around here.

 

[Henry Green]

I’ve been head shaving for decades. Cartridges until about ten years ago. With care, any double edge works for me - my biggest issue is having the razor clog up on me. Just started using a Razorock single edge, which feels a little heavy in the hand, but is surprisingly efficient. I have to be careful these days as I’m doing a pre cancer treatment on my head that leaves things a little raw. At 69 I’m still learning.

 

[ShavingBarristr84]

Get Gillette Tech on ebay and shave away. Head, face, anything. No need to think, just go! Superb job.

 

[JoWolf]

I live in Sydney Australia. Grew up on cartridges & electric and avoidance via a beard. Nowadays I have a long white beard & its remaining. But I need to shave my head regularly due to some psoriasis.

I've got an old fella's fat roll at the base of the skull that always ends up like a gutter full of leaves. Can't dig the stubble out without blood. Never mind. I want to use a razor instead of a cartridge.

I want a blood free razor for my head. If the stubble in the rear bump remains who cares. I wear a hat.

As I said I know NOTHING about razor-blade razors. Advise me, which razors will not make me bleed & cringe?

I want this to be a happy experience.

best,
AaLFI

Welcome to B&B AaLFI
I started my third year with B&B October 1. I’ll be 75 around Christmas. I’ve been a face and head shaver since the mid eighties. Another cart refuge. Yaqi Mellon is an excellent mild razor. You would be hard pressed to get a better razor. I have used it and there is little to be concerned about. Check out my journal and you will find write ups on my face and head shaves with the Mellon. Voskhod, Astra, GSB are decent blades. A blade sampler pack would be a good idea. While boar brushes do require breaking in. They are affordable and my preference. Badger is a second preference. A little more confusing to understand in terms of which one. Don’t buy a cheap one, not worth having. Good Luck to you Sir.

Thread 'GC.68OC, GOLD GRANDE, YAQI CHROME MELLON - A JOURNEY'
GC.68OC, GOLD GRANDE, YAQI CHROME MELLON - A JOURNEY - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/gc-68oc-gold-grande-yaqi-chrome-mellon-a-journey.585819/

 

[FoolishMortal]

Rockwell 6C with the R1 plate. It's nearly impossible to cut yourself with that set-up and it will get "most" of the hair. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[McBlade]

The Merkur 15C is very mild and so easy to use with a low risk of nicks - perfect for head shaving. The open comb can easily handle longer hair if you don't shave every day. This is what I use - although with a different handle (the 985C travel version).

 

[Old Hippie]

Been head shaving since the days when I had a lot more hair; about 27 years now.

I don't honestly think there's any razor you can't shave your head with! My head's been over with electric, cart, regular DE, slant DE, single edge Gem, single edge Artist Club, Artist Club slant, 1/2DE shavette and AC shavette. New and old, ratty and minty, priced from $2.50 up to hundreds. I will say that for me a nice DE open comb slant is probably my favourite.

For starters I'd suggest having a look at Merkur -- a nice mild 34 or 38 may suit, or you can check out the 15 or others in their line. I also prefer a solid middle-of-the-pack blade, the Astra SP. I generally get them from Amazon for about US$15 per 100 plus shipping.
O.H.

 

[Halfblade]

Head shavers often recommend the Leaf, Gillette Guard or similar pivoting SE razors.

 

[Roedeer]

Rockwell 6C with the R1 plate. It's nearly impossible to cut yourself with that set-up and it will get "most" of the hair. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Good thought.

I'm not sure if the R1 plate is even meant for face-shaving, it's so mild. They probably wanted to cover all the use cases.

 

[ajkel64]

Welcome to the forum from Australia @AaLF and thanks for checking in with us.

 

[Dave himself]

Welcome to the forum an omnishaver might work for you ive seen them used on YouTube and they are made for head shaves only you could check those out. Good luck on your search

 

[Invicta]

Welcome to B&B.
The Edwin Jagger DE89 or Merkur 34C are readily available so either one will do the job. Get a sample of blades to try. Tilt your head down to get rid of the rolls and you can shave that area easily but you have to do it by feel as you cannot see what you are doing. Start with one pass shaves till you develop the correct technique.

 

[nofuiyo]

I live in Sydney Australia. Grew up on cartridges & electric and avoidance via a beard. Nowadays I have a long white beard & its remaining. But I need to shave my head regularly due to some psoriasis.

I've got an old fella's fat roll at the base of the skull that always ends up like a gutter full of leaves. Can't dig the stubble out without blood. Never mind. I want to use a razor instead of a cartridge.

I want a blood free razor for my head. If the stubble in the rear bump remains who cares. I wear a hat.

As I said I know NOTHING about razor-blade razors. Advise me, which razors will not make me bleed & cringe?

I want this to be a happy experience.

best,
AaLF

I use Merkur C37, slant and it work great. I also use Muhle R89, is very mild and gentle, but with 3 passes I get a neat shave on my head

 

[Sergey Markushin]

It's not too late ...
my grandfather went to his mistress when he was 75 years old ...
And a few years later returned back to his wife

 

[hcoop112]

I feel you on the psoriasis I get it on head sideburns cheeks near the nose area it’s horrid stuff you just want to scratch and scratch …if you had some hair on the top or heck it may even work without you should try some selsun gold it’s medicated (dr said to try it ) and you can get it at say woolies I think maybe coles …pharmacy ….it won’t cure you but it will for sure reduce it by so much if used every day give it a shot worse case ur out of pocket $7-10

 

[hcoop112]

P.s it does smell a bit kind of like when a woman is at the hair dressers and she’s getting a perm in those machines

 

[AaLF]

Thanks for the words on psorasis. I'm onto of it. Had it here & there for sometime. The best solution is David Craig Coal Tar Solution dabbed on with cotton wool. Then thin film of Vaseline afrer 2-3 hours of tar solution. Then stop the itch sessions with Listerine kept close by in a vegemite jar & shaving brush to apply.