I feel I am close, after 6 some odd years of de shaving after having a beard, of achieving the elusive goal of a completely sensationless shave. And yet the places that confound me always are the mustache, goattee, and some sensitive areas on my cheeks and neck. It seems it doesn't matter how good my prep is. There will always be a sensitive hair or two, or a thick/coarse patch or my chin where I can always feel the hair being slice. Not neccesarily a tug. But I can feel the razor grip the hair before It slices. The only way I've been able to achieve this is via top tier bases Omnibus or Ariana and evans K2E. But I can't help but think these soaps don't actually s soften hair as well as they feel. Some of these bases are truly remarkable. I seriously can't figure out how some of these soaps are so well formulated that you could shave with glass but I digress. Has anyone managed to consistently get shaves they can't feel at all or is feeling the hair cutting normal and something I should just accept?
Feeling hairs being cut...can you?
- Thread starter Sethology
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I can feel an ever so slight tug adjacent to my Adam's Apple, and perhaps ATG along a specific section along my jaw line, aside from that, no touch sensations.
I can definitely lessen the sensation in the two spots with strategic skin stretching, but it's not an uncomfortable thing for me in the first place.
I can definitely lessen the sensation in the two spots with strategic skin stretching, but it's not an uncomfortable thing for me in the first place.
Maybe it's the blade.
Think I feel zero as a sharp blade when slicing is fairly quiet, the sound I hear is the sound like you would get rugby you hand over a hair brush. Not loud but ever so softly, and faint.
Something to keep in mind is that the razor itself plays a role in what you feel. Heavier razors dampen the feel of whiskers being cut while lighter razors enhance the feel. Take two identical razors, one in brass (heavy) and the other in aluminum (light), and the brass razor will feel much smoother, while the aluminum will communicate more about what is happening.
Razor design plays a role as well, but I'm not as familiar with how this works since I haven't used a ton of different razors.
Personally, I like lighter razors or those that communicate what is happening. It makes it easier for me to tell when my angle might be off. Nothing wrong with wanting no feel at all though. It's very much ymmv.
Edited to add: I notice the most feel when going atg and on the swirls on either side of my neck.
Razor design plays a role as well, but I'm not as familiar with how this works since I haven't used a ton of different razors.
Personally, I like lighter razors or those that communicate what is happening. It makes it easier for me to tell when my angle might be off. Nothing wrong with wanting no feel at all though. It's very much ymmv.
Edited to add: I notice the most feel when going atg and on the swirls on either side of my neck.
Blade I just finished using was starting to not cut like butter, could I feel a little drag, YES. Maybe one more shave out of it, BLADE ARE relatively cheap, but I still think I push most too far, being frugal.
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
I think the blade is key here. If I use a vintage English Wilkinson Sword blade then there is no feedback, or sound at all when shaving; it is as if there is no blade in the razor. This is the only blade I own which provides this experience and it does so regardless of the razor or soap used. To be honest I do not care for it as I prefer to feel and hear the hairs being cut so I rarely use these blades.
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Doubt it, I can feel a feather shave as well. I use a razorock super slant l1 paired with a feather or a lab blue and can always at least feel it shaving on my jaw line, thicker parts my stache and goattee and my sideburns which grow very flat
I can achieve the closest shave using Feathers, but I've always thought they were a bit tuggy.
Theres a few threads around here quoting Gillette saying the feel of the blade, in terms of perceived sharpness, is more related to the blade coating than it is its actual sharpness.
I can always feel it. The question is, does it feel reasonably efficient, or is it tugging, skipping or doing something else unpleasant? Efficient slicing with as little tug as possible is what I aim for.
Incidentally, if I have understood correctly, the resistance we feel is the flat planes of severed hair that are created as the blade passes through literally "gripping" onto the steel. So, the thicker the hair (or the more acute the angle of the cut to the angle of hair growth, e.g. with "flat growing hairs)" the larger the surface area of the hair facets being created by the passage of the blade and the greater the "gripping" effect. PTFE coatings are designed to reduce that friction so that that blade feels "smoother".
Incidentally, if I have understood correctly, the resistance we feel is the flat planes of severed hair that are created as the blade passes through literally "gripping" onto the steel. So, the thicker the hair (or the more acute the angle of the cut to the angle of hair growth, e.g. with "flat growing hairs)" the larger the surface area of the hair facets being created by the passage of the blade and the greater the "gripping" effect. PTFE coatings are designed to reduce that friction so that that blade feels "smoother".
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