The thing is I have to keep a close shave pretty much all the time. I just started out shaving with a DE safety razor, actually my first shave was on 8/9/2012 today! Just wondering should I try to skip a day or will I have better results shaving daily? I am a black male and am concerned about razor bumps as well, so that is why I am seeking the advice of some seasoned vet!
How often should I shave with a DE?
- Thread starter Jwb056
- Start date
just starting out i might recommend every other day. let your skin get used to the new shaving regimen. also, if you are worried about irritation and razor bumps try only shaving with the grain for a while then add an across the grain pass.
Based on my experience, I would recommend with-the-grain and across-the-grain to start, not against-the-grain. Every other day until your skin becomes accustomed to the friendly nature of DE and begins to resolve the PTSD it has suffered at the wrath of non-DE blades/foils. Before you know it, you will tolerate daily shaves and your skin will be happy again.
Last edited:
Move into every day shaving gradually. If you notice irritation take a day off or shave in the evening (so that your face recovers over night before you go out in public/work)
Excellent advice. I started DE shaving just after the start of July. I do WTG, XTG, and ATG every two days. If I do need to touch up between, I will only do WTG and XTG. I also tend to shave in the evening, giving my face plenty of time to recover overnight from any weepers or rash.
I've been shaving Mondays, Wednesday and Friday mornings for the last seven years. I say as long as you try different techniques (finding the one that works for you), test out different products and acknowledge any irritations, you should be fine. Hell, I could shave everyday if i wasn't so damn tired from work lol
- Thread starter
- #8
Thanks guys for the advice I'm feeling a little irritation from the blade so i'll give it a day thanks!
Irritation will be commonplace until you realize exactly how much pressure you really need to use with a DE razor (which is almost none). Once you get the hang you'll be fine.
Personally, shaving daily isn't exactly possible for me because I try and go for as smooth as possible every time. When I do achieve BBS then shaving 24 hours later is a little redundant and usually causes me more irritation. I find that if my skin rests for a day it's very unlikely that I'll draw any blood, but if I try and shave every day then I'll have to cover up a couple of weepers here and there even if I'm very careful.
If you only do 2 passes then you should be golden to shave every day (the third pass is usually the only one that ever draws blood on me)
Personally, shaving daily isn't exactly possible for me because I try and go for as smooth as possible every time. When I do achieve BBS then shaving 24 hours later is a little redundant and usually causes me more irritation. I find that if my skin rests for a day it's very unlikely that I'll draw any blood, but if I try and shave every day then I'll have to cover up a couple of weepers here and there even if I'm very careful.
If you only do 2 passes then you should be golden to shave every day (the third pass is usually the only one that ever draws blood on me)
When I first started DE shaving, I could only shave 2 to 3 times a week. After a month I was able to shave 3 to 4 times a week. By the end of the 2nd month I was shaving daily. Give it a few months, slowly increasing frequency, and you will soon be shaving 7 days a week. I am not a black male, but have very curly hair that is prone to ingrown. In a few months you will be getting the best shaves of your life without ingrown hairs, but give it time. It will take several weeks to get the necessary skill/condition your skin.
Welcome to B&B!
After a few weeks you should be able to shave at least as often with a DE as you did with your previous shave gear and probably a little bit more frequently. For now, pay more attention to what your own face tells you than what we have to say.
After a few weeks you should be able to shave at least as often with a DE as you did with your previous shave gear and probably a little bit more frequently. For now, pay more attention to what your own face tells you than what we have to say.
I started off with 2 days between shaves then one day now with my job I shave almost everyday giving my face a rest if I have some irritation. With time your not only does your technique improve, you skin also adapts and can handle techniques and regimes that it may not have been able to when you started off. It's funny but now I'm more likely to get some irritation if I wait more than one day between shaves where as when I started off daily shaving would have left me raw
