Hi. I'm a head and face shaver of many years and recently have run into a problem. Maybe you can help. I've used a LEAF Razor (2 blade) and a few different "good" blades, only used 2-3 times each. I've also used an Electric Remington Balder Boss. I'm developing some irratation bumps that I assume are due to repeating and irritation as I seek the BBS. Have any of you found the "best" SE or DE Razor that works well for headshaving OTHER than the LEAF?. If you have an idea, why do you think it works? I understand choice of blade is highly personal. I rather not go backwards and use a cartridge razor for sensitive skin, if possible. Any other words of wisdom are truly appreciated !!
HEADSHAVERS, I need your help, please!
- Thread starter bbobbdd
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I would probably recommend trying a medium to aggressive traditional DE razor. I’ve never tried the Leaf and some people swear by it, but it seems counterproductive to me if you’re hoping to minimize irritation, you’re introducing an extra blade or two into contact with your skin for each pass. Others swear by the Henson which I also have not tried. I’d recommend aiming for something on the more efficient side so you can keep the number passes to a minimum.
My current favorites are the RazoRock Game Changer .84SB, Lupo .72SB, and Lupo Aluminum. I’m able to stick to two passes with each of them and haven’t had any significant irritation to speak of.
I use either a Muhle R41 or a RazoRock German 37. I only shave my head once a week, so I need an aggressive razor. I only do a single pass and aim for "good enough."
If you head shave more often and aim for BBS, then I'd get a medium-mild razor. I've also had good luck with a Timeless Aluminum and a RazoRock GC .84P.
For me, the key is having a razor that's forgiving of different angles. The head is a great firm shaving surface, but the problem is it's round. Getting a good angle takes work. To me something like a Henson would be frustrating on the back of your head, since you can't see what you're doing and it has a narrow effective angle.
If you head shave more often and aim for BBS, then I'd get a medium-mild razor. I've also had good luck with a Timeless Aluminum and a RazoRock GC .84P.
For me, the key is having a razor that's forgiving of different angles. The head is a great firm shaving surface, but the problem is it's round. Getting a good angle takes work. To me something like a Henson would be frustrating on the back of your head, since you can't see what you're doing and it has a narrow effective angle.
Slightly more aggressive razor, mid-sharp blade. Don't keep thinking, "Just one more pass..." but quit once you've gone over it a little. Use some Nivea balm, and wait about an hour before you "evaluate" the shave.
I use slants. I also use Gem. Currently I'm using a "Mantis SE" 3D printed Gem razor from @SlimGem. It works very well.
O.H.
I use slants. I also use Gem. Currently I'm using a "Mantis SE" 3D printed Gem razor from @SlimGem. It works very well.
O.H.
I haven't found any razors that offers a better head shave than the Leaf. I've never experienced any irritation, but here's some tips for maybe getting the best out of it.
1. Use a pre-shave (if you don't already) to assist in the slickness
2. Use cold water for wetting, rinsing and lathering. Cold water can help reduce irritation
3. Use smooth, sharp blades. I've found Bic Chrome, Nacet, Lord Platinum, Perma-Sharp and Willy's all work very well in the Leaf
4. Use three half blades rather than two. I've tried two blades in various slot combos, and it always leads to a lot more work to get a good close shave. Three slots gives me a very good shave with two passes and very little alum feedback. That extra half-blade is worth it
5. Don't chase a BBS. Go for close but comfortable. More you obsess over a BBS, the more likely you are to apply more pressure than is needed, go over and over the same areas, and therefore increase your chance of irritation.
6. Use some witchhazel, such as Thayers, after rinsing. This helps reduce any small bumps and curb irritation.
I've been shaving my head for 18 months using just the Leaf and the above works well for me; I hope it may work for you too.
1. Use a pre-shave (if you don't already) to assist in the slickness
2. Use cold water for wetting, rinsing and lathering. Cold water can help reduce irritation
3. Use smooth, sharp blades. I've found Bic Chrome, Nacet, Lord Platinum, Perma-Sharp and Willy's all work very well in the Leaf
4. Use three half blades rather than two. I've tried two blades in various slot combos, and it always leads to a lot more work to get a good close shave. Three slots gives me a very good shave with two passes and very little alum feedback. That extra half-blade is worth it
5. Don't chase a BBS. Go for close but comfortable. More you obsess over a BBS, the more likely you are to apply more pressure than is needed, go over and over the same areas, and therefore increase your chance of irritation.
6. Use some witchhazel, such as Thayers, after rinsing. This helps reduce any small bumps and curb irritation.
I've been shaving my head for 18 months using just the Leaf and the above works well for me; I hope it may work for you too.
So with the Leaf you described it as a "two blade". I assume that means you've only been loading two of the three slots. Which two? THere's a blade map over on the Leaf website that explains the different levels of aggression you can get by loading which slots (and how many slots). It's a picture graph of sorts. Anyhow, when it comes to headshaving, I can't think of a better rig than the 3-blade Leaf. Especially when loaded up with 3 half-snapped blades. We're talking Fusion or Mach3 level smoothness for a fraction of the price. There's room for user error, believe you me. I accidentally loaded this hog wrong once and got rattlesnake bit. Blood bath. But if you jam 3 quality half snapped DE blades into this rig and come out with a subpar shave, you either did something wrong or you have copper whiskers. Maybe your pre shave routine needs some work. Get those whiskers wet and soapy.
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Yes, the "2" I load are the top and middle slots, leaving the bottom open. Leaf suggest "2" blades if you have sensitive skin. I wonder if loading "3" and minimizing passes might help. I always go ATG first and only pass with touch-up. Maybe I should do the pass WTG (?)
ALSO, I rarely use a pre-shave. If I do, it's been jojoba oil. What pre-shave do you recommend? I use hair conditioner vs shave soap as I heard the conditioner is slicker. Do you think that could be part of the issue? I'm going to try an "every other day" schedule vs. daily, as I do now, to minimize irritation (?) Do you see anything in what I just said that you would suggest doing or changing, etc.? Can you share a link to the diagram on Leaf's website, as I couldn't fing it. Thanks for everyone's support!
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Space_Cadet
I don't have a funny description.
Perhaps you should try an open comb on your dome. I was using closed comb on my head and was also getting irritation from the multiple passes.
Been shavin' the noggin' since 2001. I tried HeadBlade and quite frankly found it was one of the worst shaves. I multiblade cart on a handle was much easier to maneuver and resulted in a near flawless BBS. Also tried an electric for minute and NOPE!
Last year sometime I got a Leaf, using 3 blades and depending upon the quality of the blade get 4-5 BBS shaves. Leaf requires more attention during use otherwise you can get bitten pretty badly. I've had this happen as recently as last night, though not a terrible bleeder. I wondered off in my thoughts and wasn't paying attention to angle.
I was growing very tired of paying for expensive carts, despite the fact they're about the safest most comfortable in use of the blades I've used.
As to the suggestion to use a single DE...from horrible personal experience and chasing after BBS when I shave my head, I'll have to vote: Hell NO! For my dome, a DE is about the most uncomfortable shave regardless of aggression or blade. It takes far too long with too many passes to get the right angle of razor to skin and it's simply an unfriendly propostion.
With 3 blades in the Leaf I'm able to do less passes, more gently and get a really love post-shave feel.
Also, I'm NOT shaving my dome but 1 or 2xs/week. The remaining hair that I grow is thick and pretty dense. Additionally, prep is everything. I scrub with a nylon mit loaded with Dr. B's soap, then layer on PAA 2.0 Pre-shave cube, and last apply a well whipped lather from whatever soap I'm using that day. Lately, it's mostly been non-scented Stirling w/beeswax (trying to understand and dial in the right combo of water/soap: rather enjoying that journey.)
Last thought...the head, as you know is quite sensitive. If you're shaving everyday and chasing BBS, I think regardless of what blade or format you use, will invariably result in irritation. As I see it, you're not just shaving the hair off, you're shaving the hair to a length under the skin to get BBS (I could be wrong here.) In order to get the hair that close, you've no choice but to shave skin and that my friend will result in irritation, if done day after day with no rest for your skin to heal between shaves.
My two cents for what that may be worth.
Last year sometime I got a Leaf, using 3 blades and depending upon the quality of the blade get 4-5 BBS shaves. Leaf requires more attention during use otherwise you can get bitten pretty badly. I've had this happen as recently as last night, though not a terrible bleeder. I wondered off in my thoughts and wasn't paying attention to angle.
I was growing very tired of paying for expensive carts, despite the fact they're about the safest most comfortable in use of the blades I've used.
As to the suggestion to use a single DE...from horrible personal experience and chasing after BBS when I shave my head, I'll have to vote: Hell NO! For my dome, a DE is about the most uncomfortable shave regardless of aggression or blade. It takes far too long with too many passes to get the right angle of razor to skin and it's simply an unfriendly propostion.
With 3 blades in the Leaf I'm able to do less passes, more gently and get a really love post-shave feel.
Also, I'm NOT shaving my dome but 1 or 2xs/week. The remaining hair that I grow is thick and pretty dense. Additionally, prep is everything. I scrub with a nylon mit loaded with Dr. B's soap, then layer on PAA 2.0 Pre-shave cube, and last apply a well whipped lather from whatever soap I'm using that day. Lately, it's mostly been non-scented Stirling w/beeswax (trying to understand and dial in the right combo of water/soap: rather enjoying that journey.)
Last thought...the head, as you know is quite sensitive. If you're shaving everyday and chasing BBS, I think regardless of what blade or format you use, will invariably result in irritation. As I see it, you're not just shaving the hair off, you're shaving the hair to a length under the skin to get BBS (I could be wrong here.) In order to get the hair that close, you've no choice but to shave skin and that my friend will result in irritation, if done day after day with no rest for your skin to heal between shaves.
My two cents for what that may be worth.
No idea if this will work for you, but I use all three slots filled with a premium 1/2 snapped razor (currently the Accutech black wrapped med preps, but before that Shark Plats, and before that Lords from Egypt). Doesn't really matter as long as you're using a premium blade. Almost always use a pre shave. Either PAA cube 2.0 or Proaso pre/post creme. Then I use a premium lather. All over the map on this one. Taylor of Old Bond Street or Proaso or Lockhart's Goon Grease. Something slick and lathery. Hit that dome with the 3 blade Leaf a couple of swipes and I can't imagine a bad experience. I've pretty much told you everything Babe Ruth would have told a minor league callup in 1927. It's on you to smack the ball out into the parking lot.
Everybody has their favorite stuff. Mine happens to be a little of this and that, that was already mentioned.
Somebody mentioned slant, I use that Somebody mentioned open comb, I use that.
My go to razor is a FOCS. Like magic for me. I like Personna Lab Blue or GSB blades. A good combo of sharp and smooth for me.
Thayers Facial Toner, already mentioned, is also magic. Love the stuff. I like the rose petal.
Try this, good habits to use with any gear. Wet lather, on the sloppy side. Dripping.
Don’t run your blade over anywhere that doesn’t have lather on it. Touch ups, missed spots, etc. Re lather, even if you don’t bother to use your brush; just finger dip your bowl.
No dragging the blade over bare skin!
I also don’t shave every day. I can get away with it because I get such a close BBS shave and the open comb razor won’t clog with extra length if I go a week or twice a week.
Somebody mentioned slant, I use that Somebody mentioned open comb, I use that.
My go to razor is a FOCS. Like magic for me. I like Personna Lab Blue or GSB blades. A good combo of sharp and smooth for me.
Thayers Facial Toner, already mentioned, is also magic. Love the stuff. I like the rose petal.
Try this, good habits to use with any gear. Wet lather, on the sloppy side. Dripping.
Don’t run your blade over anywhere that doesn’t have lather on it. Touch ups, missed spots, etc. Re lather, even if you don’t bother to use your brush; just finger dip your bowl.
No dragging the blade over bare skin!
I also don’t shave every day. I can get away with it because I get such a close BBS shave and the open comb razor won’t clog with extra length if I go a week or twice a week.
The Henson razor is great for head shaves..it has the built in angle which helps..
Definitely try three blades. I'd also suggest doing two passes; first with the grain, the second against.
Definitely use some sort of pre-shave too. Hair conditioner works very well; I use it regularly, but you can also use a good quality hand soap or even a pre-shave cream like Proraso. The pre-shave helps soften the bristles and adds an extra layer of slickness and protection for the shave ahead.
As other have pointed out, the Leaf really is one of the best (if not the best) head shavers available, but it does require dialling-in the technique. Once you have it down, its effortless.
As has been mentioned above, proper moisturizer is a key to a successful head shave for me. I shave my head 6 days a week, same as my face. I also use the same razor for both which changes roughly every 3 days or so. I find the same rules of no pressure passes works wonders for me. Today was the stainless Rockwell T2. The only place that I find difficult is my occipital fat fold. That's also where I nick myself most frequently (usually only once a quarter).
Where are you getting bumps? You get them with all equipment you use?
I've written extensively on heash shaving before if you want to search. Karve overlander is best I have found. I go bbs (atg) on top and wtg/xtg on sides and back. BBS on sides and back takes too much time for me and I if I go atg on back of neck, I do get bumps for whatever reason. Mild razor is key for me.
Electric razors dull and require pressure. Pressure will almost always cause bumps.
Electric razors dull and require pressure. Pressure will almost always cause bumps.
- Thread starter
- #17
I get them primarly on the neck area. I think I started to get them while using my LEAF Razor, using 2 blades. I didn't get them before doing the same routine (pre-shave, soap, aftershave balm, etc.)
I'm trying NOT to go for BBS and shave every other day. I was shaving Every day.
I get them on the back of my neck as well. Unfortunately, I am not sure why. Interestingly enough they don't hurt or itch but if I look in the mirror I clearly see them. I will have to do so testing to see what is causing this. I wonder if it is angle of attack or pressure. I simply shave in the direction of bottom of neck and shave up towards top of the head. Maybe I'm using too much pressure as that is a weird angle to shave at. I am also going to try stretching vs. not stretching neck - i.e. keeping my head up and let the neck skin be normal and angling my head downwards to stretch the skin out. Sorry I can't be of my help - I think you will need to test a few things. Interestingly enough, my neck hair goes left to right and not north to south so I didn't think I was going atg.....
