Hi All and N00b Question

[ShavethAndProsper]

Hi All,
I haven't shaved my face in decades but have recently started shaving my head. I consider myself capable but no expert by any means. It's over whelming the number of blades these days but used to use a straight and regular old I guess they are considered cartridge these days? I don't shave every day, so I start with a Mach 3 and finish with a Fusion.
So that me.

__

As for the n00b question;
There are actually three now that im thinking abut t it.

First, shaving my head is proving to be difficult in regards to seeing the back of my head. Anyone have good tips on visibility?

Second, I find shaving my head, my hair grows in all sorts of directions. It feels like if I go up, dow , left, right, diagonal, I can't get all the hair and it feels stubbly. What is the SECRET!?

Lastly (and most lengthy), as I said in the intro, I've used good straight razors but wasn't ready to invest in one until I tried my head (which I never did before). I bought one with replaceable blades, that was a mistake. Blades kept shifting and ended up slicing up my head. So that's why I use the two in the intro, they work well.
Is there a benefit (other than cost) to learning how to use a saftey razor? If so what/why and what's the learning curve like?

Thanks All

 

[DesertIguana]

Use to shave Head, never found much difference in the Disposables I used, Shick SST, Back Metal Black, and Elchepo Bic Yellow. They all accomplished job, job I chases was shaving, head, results w=ere not picture perfect, but were acceptable.

 

[Eric_75]

Hello and welcome to B & B!

You'll get some great advice here, friend.

Head Shaver's Check-In

OK Gents: I've seen every other kind of check-in except "Head Shavers" Shout out; let us know if you are a head shaver. Let us know your special techniques. Let us know if you are bald for real or just like to shave your head. If you are in the mood, let us see a photo of the head. Let us...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[ShavethAndProsper]

Use to shave Head, never found much difference in the Disposables I used, Shick SST, Back Metal Black, and Elchepo Bic Yellow. They all accomplished job, job I chases was shaving, head, results w=ere not picture perfect, but were acceptable.

Mine looks OK but I have OCD and if I feel stubble it has to be fixed. More a mental and feel over visual for my issue

 

[Dave himself]

Hi and welcome to B&B. The thread that @Eric_75 linked will have a wealth of information. Enjoy your time with us.

 

[blethenstrom]

Welcome to B&B!

 

[cryhavoc]

Welcome to B&B! I second checking out the thread linked by @Eric_75.

 

[Lightcs1776]

Welcome to the Forums.

 

[BigJ]

Welcome aboard! Wish I could help with your questions, but I am not a head shaver.

 

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to the forum !!

 

[ShavethAndProsper]

Thank you all for the welcome and pointing me in the right direction.

After my semi disastrous encounter with a cheapo straight blade, I dared a DE and am overall very pleased.

 

[dmshaver]

Glad you got good results with a DE. Welcome!

 

[SmoothOperator]

Welcome to B&B

 

[ShavethAndProsper]

This thread is going swimmingly, lots of friendly members and replies.

Unfortunately it seems the thread suggested is t really a fit for my post as subsequent posts are about equipment and not so much the shaving itself.

Anyone have a suggestion for the appropriate place on the forum? I'm not a tech newbie but some mods on forums absolutely roast you of you don't post in the exact subforum they think is appropriate.

 

[blethenstrom]

I am not a head shaver myself so I cannot help your there, but the search function here on B&B is your best friend. You can find loads of threads discussing the different aspects and challenges regarding head shaving. I did not see any specific head shaver wiki or anything. I would recommend to see if you can find someone who is a head shaver's journal or something where they record their journey. This might be the best help. One thing that always helps regarding learning to use a DE or similar is to map out your growth pattern and I am pretty sure that head shavers need to do that as well. This way you will know in what direction to shave.
Search results for query: head shaver - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/search/3121110/?q=head+shaver&c[title_only]=1&o=relevance

 

[ShavethAndProsper]

I am not a head shaver myself so I cannot help your there, but the search function here on B&B is your best friend. You can find loads of threads discussing the different aspects and challenges regarding head shaving. I did not see any specific head shaver wiki or anything. I would recommend to see if you can find someone who is a head shaver's journal or something where they record their journey. This might be the best help. One thing that always helps regarding learning to use a DE or similar is to map out your growth pattern and I am pretty sure that head shavers need to do that as well. This way you will know in what direction to shave.
Search results for query: head shaver - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/search/3121110/?q=head+shaver&c[title_only]=1&o=relevance

Mapping out my hair growth is like the pedestrian/walking streets including allies in Italy. It grows in two directions less than 20mm (⅛?) apart. Extremely frustrating.


ill look around for someones journal as yiu suggested but nobody has answered this.

I know TLDR normally goes at the end but:
TLDR: if i dont like the new one meant for heads, in your opinion, is there any reason not to use the beard one if it works without issue?

Full:
This is slightly off topic from the thread and you may not have used either razer ans i understand you don't shave your head. But I was using (apparently) and open comb beard razor on my head. It works fine and if I was holding at the wrong angle the beard guides simply streaked the shaving cream indicating it wasn't the blade.
I ordered and will be trying thr Merkur 180 which is closed and doesn't have the big guide so that's an experiment. What I'm curious about is if I end up liking my current beard one if it's fine to just keep using.

 

[blethenstrom]

Mapping out my hair growth is like the pedestrian/walking streets including allies in Italy. It grows in two directions less than 20mm (⅛?) apart. Extremely frustrating.


ill look around for someones journal as yiu suggested but nobody has answered this.

I know TLDR normally goes at the end but:
TLDR: if i dont like the new one meant for heads, in your opinion, is there any reason not to use the beard one if it works without issue?

Full:
This is slightly off topic from the thread and you may not have used either razer ans i understand you don't shave your head. But I was using (apparently) and open comb beard razor on my head. It works fine and if I was holding at the wrong angle the beard guides simply streaked the shaving cream indicating it wasn't the blade.
I ordered and will be trying thr Merkur 180 which is closed and doesn't have the big guide so that's an experiment. What I'm curious about is if I end up liking my current beard one if it's fine to just keep using.

Technically there is no difference in the razor you use on your head vs face. Now that does not mean that some are easier to use on your head vs your face. I have read that many head shavers do struggle a bit with a DE especially in the back of your head and getting the angles right. You have to kind of learn the angle at which the DE needs to be used and this will vary a bit from razor to razor depending on the model.

The Merkur 23C (Merkur 180) is not a bad razor to start out with. Nice and mild and good to learn with. Some head shavers prefer the half DE blade razors like the Leaf Twig, Leaf Thorn, Parker SoloEdge and many others. I know one head shaver that may be a good resource and that is @gpjoe. He might be able to point you in the right direction regarding the questions that you may have or put you in contact with other head shavers.

A few questions. what are you using or will be using as far as lather? Traditional soap+brush, shave cream+brush, lather less cream, canned shave gel, canned shave foam. Using DE or half DE razors you will need something that will give you a great slick shave.

Another question is what blades do you have or will get with the razor? If you have not bought any yet I would look for a middle or the road blades like: Astra Superior Platinum, Nacets, Lord Platinums, Treet Platinum, Derby Premium, Dorco Prime something like those.

I hope that gave you some helpful pointers.

 

[ShavethAndProsper]

Technically there is no difference in the razor you use on your head vs face. Now that does not mean that some are easier to use on your head vs your face. I have read that many head shavers do struggle a bit with a DE especially in the back of your head and getting the angles right. You have to kind of learn the angle at which the DE needs to be used and this will vary a bit from razor to razor depending on the model.

The Merkur 23C (Merkur 180) is not a bad razor to start out with. Nice and mild and good to learn with. Some head shavers prefer the half DE blade razors like the Leaf Twig, Leaf Thorn, Parker SoloEdge and many others. I know one head shaver that may be a good resource and that is @gpjoe. He might be able to point you in the right direction regarding the questions that you may have or put you in contact with other head shavers.

A few questions. what are you using or will be using as far as lather? Traditional soap+brush, shave cream+brush, lather less cream, canned shave gel, canned shave foam. Using DE or half DE razors you will need something that will give you a great slick shave.

Another question is what blades do you have or will get with the razor? If you have not bought any yet I would look for a middle or the road blades like: Astra Superior Platinum, Nacets, Lord Platinums, Treet Platinum, Derby Premium, Dorco Prime something like those.

I hope that gave you some helpful pointers.

Right now I'm using a Merkur 25C with Feather (yellow box) and yes I know... Schick Shaving Foaming gel...
It is slick but doesn't stay slick for too long so I add a finger tip worth of water or a little more of the gel.
Just using what I have as a starter, the Schick is inconvenient but has provided good results with no irritation. I do plan on getting better cream or soap as i go on this new journey.
I didn't understand the "satisfying" comments people make about DE until I used one. No going back.

Thank you very much for the input, figured I'd snatch you while you commented to ask in the meantime.

 

[blethenstrom]

Right now I'm using a Merkur 25C with Feather (yellow box) and yes I know... Schick Shaving Foaming gel...
It is slick but doesn't stay slick for too long so I add a finger tip worth of water or a little more of the gel.
Just using what I have as a starter, the Schick is inconvenient but has provided good results with no irritation. I do plan on getting better cream or soap as i go on this new journey.
I didn't understand the "satisfying" comments people make about DE until I used one. No going back.

Thank you very much for the input, figured I'd snatch you while you commented to ask in the meantime.

Using your Merkur 25C and Feather blade gives you no real problems then? No irritation? If that is the case I would not mess with it too much. Super sharp blades as the Feather can be challenging for someone starting out. Now there are many that use Feather on regular basis.

Ok if you are not experiencing irritation using the shaving gel do so, but I would still recommend getting an inexpensive synthetic brush and some easy to lather shave cream like Palmolive Shave cream or Proraso shave cream. You will be the same way with this as the comment that once you tried DE you are not going back. Same thing goes for real lather and brush. It does not have to be expensive. You can also go the soap way but the cream might be easier to start with until to get your feet wet.

The biggest challenge for anyone coming from cartridges is the pressure or the lack of it. First you really do not want to use any pressure on the razor. Second is to get the angle right. Two ways to do it. Start by resting the razor on your skin on the cap and roll the handle slowly more parallel until you hear/feel the hair being cut. This is called the shallow angle at which you can use the razor. You can go the other way too. Rest your bar/teeth on your skin with the handle parallel to your skin and roll the handle up slowly until the hair it cut. This is called the steep angle.

You probably want to use the razor starting out somewhere in between these two extremes at a more neutral angle. Try to maintain that angle throughout your shave. You do not have a pivoting head here like on your cartridge razor. It takes a bit of practice, but you will get the hang of it. Some razors will have quite the narrow angles at which it can be used. It is highly design dependent.

 

[gpjoe]

This thread is going swimmingly, lots of friendly members and replies.

Unfortunately it seems the thread suggested is t really a fit for my post as subsequent posts are about equipment and not so much the shaving itself.

Anyone have a suggestion for the appropriate place on the forum? I'm not a tech newbie but some mods on forums absolutely roast you of you don't post in the exact subforum they think is appropriate.

The moderation here is generally light-handed...no worries about being reprimanded for posting in the wrong place. The worst that will happen is that your thread may be moved to a more appropriate forum, and only because it may get more eyes and more responses.

I've used many different razors for head shaving, mainly multi-blade cartridges and single edge razors. I began with carts, and switched to a Leaf (triple half DE blade) and then moved on to mainly SE razors. After trying several, my favorites are:

- Blackland Vector (AC)
- Shield Predator (GEM)
- Mosses Mono (injector)
- Parker Solo Edge (DE half-blade)

Of course, these are MY personal favorites in various formats and MY limited experience. There are tons of capable razors and I've only sampled a small fraction. Last note on hardware: I've never shaved my head with a DE razor.

I've been shaving my head for about 15 years, and have always shaved the back of my head by feel (razor in one hand, feeling for stubble with the other), which seems to work very well. I've never felt a need to actually see what I'm doing in the back.

My first pass it mostly WTG, except the sides which I shave XTG, front to rear. Second pass is primarily ATG, followed by touch up, usually behind and around my ears.

I suppose, like beards, everybody's growth pattern varies a bit, so you may (likely will) have to make adjustments based on the direction of your growth. There is no "silver bullet" but with practice and perseverance you will figure it out.

Good luck, and welcome to the show.