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New member who head shaves

I've only been wet shaving with a safety razor for a month or so and still shave my head with a cartridge. Eventually, I intend to switch to using a DE razor.

All I wanted to add is that I have used Creamo to shave my head. It doesn't lather like canned or brushed soap, but applied by hand it is very slick and has never failed to give me a nice, close head shave with a cartridge. You may want to consider it as a brushless alternative.

Being more of a heavy, soapy film than a lather, I used to keep it wet by using my off hand to add a small amount of water with my palm as needed.

Anyway, nothing more, except:

Wecome!...and best of luck.
 
Thank you everyone for the warm welcomes! This is all so helpful 😃 @McBlade, @emwolf, @ewk, I really appreciate your additional answers.

You have some fun times coming!

Looking forward to it, thanks! How long did it take for you to settle on your basic head shaving outfit?

Eventually, I intend to switch to using a DE razor.

Nice, and thanks for the lather insight! Do you have a sense yet regarding what DE razor you'll want to use for your head?
 
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Welcome to BB.
Interesting that you shave with no soap and get good shaves...... I remember when I started to shave I used a hand soap (that was long time ago).
I shave my head every 2-3days with DE.
I would suggest getting a cheap razor and trying first if this is something you like.... Maggards has on clearance one cheap for $5.99. I have used them and they are OK....
Gillette Guard is a good step into this type of shaving or an excellent option to have for days you just need to shave fast and go (you may get 10-15 shaves out of one head).

How many shaves do you get out of a throw away razor?
 
Nice, and thanks for the lather insight! Do you have a sense yet regarding what DE razor you'll want to use for your head?
Probably something mild. I've picked up too many razors since joining the forum, and I am slowly trying them all out. All I am changing is the razor, and keeping everything else the same, so I can gauge the razor performance over 6-7 shaves. I only shave every other day, so each razor is used for almost two weeks.

So far, I've used a Merkur 34c HD which gave me a decent shave with three passes, and a 1940-something Gillette Tech, which I really like. Seems a bit more efficient than the Merkur and very comfortable shave.

For me, either would feel like a safe entry point to head shaving as neither has bitten me, though I don't know how well they would work if attacking more than several days growth.
 
I’ve just recently started head shaving with a DE a couple months ago so I hope I can offer some advice.

Razor
My recommendation is a Rockwell 6C. Six different plates will give you a good idea of what works for you, and you can always move up to a more “premium” razor later on if you want. I use my 6C all the time on my head and it does a fantastic job.

Soap
Most soaps dry my skin, and I don’t care much for scents. I’ve had good results with Canada Shaving Soap and Highland Springs Soap Company Silence which are both unscented. Any quality shaving soap should work, they’re all very similar. If you can pry the puck out of its tub I bet you could rub it on your head and smear it around with your hand to avoid using a brush.

I think your starting plan is really good. Using a DE isn’t much different than using a disposable, so I think you’ll do great.

Enjoy the journey and have fun!
 

Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
How long did it take for you to settle on your basic head shaving outfit?

Slightly complicated question! I got to boar brushes pretty quickly after discovering I like a stiffer brush. I couldn't find decent soap locally except for Williams, and even that's no longer available where I live. Oh, there are other soaps; I simply have a cheap streak. I also don't like paying extra to have something couriered to me. Making my own soap involves some of that, but I'm getting exactly the soap I want and I know what's in it. So, yeah...flexible ethics. :)

I started where most of us start, with a Merkur plain DE razor. Good for building technique, good shaver but just didn't engage me. So I went on a journey to find what engaged me. That turns out to be mainly slant razors. I also get engaged with Gem SE. Over the last few years I've refined my stable of razors to weed out the ones that fail to bring me joy.

I have a few razors that can deliver an effortless DFS/DFS+/BBS depending on how much time I want to devote to it. I have had a few razors that delivered irritation, nicks, aggravation and a DPS (Darn Poor Shave) -- and they're now in someone else's hands.

At the moment I'm using the ATT X1. I tend to switch razors whenever I switch blades; two weeks for DE and about three weeks for AC razors. I can start to treat the shave as just a chore after about two weeks, so switching up the razor keeps things fresh for me even if I'm going around a pretty small rotation of just a few razors.

I've had my head completely spun by the Rex Konsul. I did a two-week review of it lately and once I'm done with a year-later review of the X1 and maybe a modification thread for the FOCS (tools on backorder) I'll return to the Konsul and really get into that thing for a while.

O.H.
 
The shaving world is so much bigger than I ever didn't even think to imagine a month ago :laugh:

How many shaves do you get out of a throw away razor?

That's helpful to look into, thank you! And great to have your insights about razor life. If I were to shave my head every 1-3 days, 1 razor per head shave (I don't do this often). Otherwise, it usually takes around 2-3 razors per head shave, because I would rather use a fresh blade than have to make do with a rapidly dulling one...so I technically could use 1-2 in this circumstance, but it's easier not to.

For me, either would feel like a safe entry point to head shaving

I appreciate you sharing your experience! I'm very curious to know how the head shaving goes for you when you start.

I’ve just recently started head shaving with a DE a couple months ago so I hope I can offer some advice.

Advice is much valued, thank you :D Interesting about the Rockwell 6C. And I am so glad you mentioned the Highland Springs “Shaving Soap Silence Unscented”. It barely missed making it into the most recent iteration of my curated unscented soaps list, but only because I've not found a lot of feedback about it. I've been on the fence bringing it back in consideration.

Slightly complicated question!

Haha, I suspected it would be, but your answer was very clarifying, thank you so much. I'll check out your reviews too! There rarely are perfect solutions, but it's encouraging that you found something that, on the whole, works so well for you.
 
If my disposable razor shaving background, from where I’m springboarding my introduction into DE/SE/similars shaving, could potentially be of use to anyone, here it is.

I would definitely classify my successful soapless disposable razor shaving, with the lubricant-free Gillette Good News (two blades) and warm water, as a happy blessed accident conducive to my hair and skin types. This is certainly not a recommendation or promotion for it; I am simply sharing my experience for others to do with it what they will. Whenever dealing with blades, I think a priority theme is to proceed with caution, whatever that means to each individual.

In this post, I'll refer to this model as the Gillette (I sometimes wonder if it is a knock-off, but whatever it is, it works for me).

Current

I am only successful with it right after a warm shower and rehydrating with warm water during. My hair's affinity to moisture retention has been important, I suspect.

My scalp skin tends towards the dry side. I infrequently use jojoba oil as an immediate after-shave. I do use it more consistently on non-shave days; it probably reduces demand for immediate pre-shave and compensates for skipping the immediate after-shave.

The Aqua Jet Razor had caught my eye. Conceptually, it reads as a match for me, but its design as of yet doesn't quite fit with my own needs. I've not tried it, but it might be worth looking into for others with a similar profile.

How I Landed There

Razor:

After researching lubricant strip-free razor options, I chose the Gillette. Its handle grip looked sturdiest of what was in stock at the time I was ready to buy.

Soaps/lathers:

I experimented with jojoba oil, aloe vera gel, unscented castile soap (variety), unscented glycerin soap (variety), Dr. Bronner’s “Organic Shaving Soap Unscented”, and some other unscented moisturizing conditioners and body washes that I don't specifically recall at the moment.

The best shaving aids overall for me were Vitacost "globaby Baby Liquid Castile Soap Unscented" and Clearly Natural Essentials "Glycerine Bar Soap Unscented". Jojoba oil did work well...but clogged too much. Drying as they can be on my skin, I still like the soaps, but they were not my favourites as shaving soaps. The amount to achieve a 'shaving lather,' of sorts, dried and irritated my skin far more. I settled on the liquid soap (side note: of the unscented bar soaps I've trialed up to now, this one has been amongst the most resistant to external fragrance absorption).

Once comfortable with the motions, in an attempt to reduce soap quantity, I decreased it further and further. Curious, one day I applied none. It turned out far better than with the soaps. I did that for a while, then tried the soaps again several times, to test if it was experience, rather than soaplessness. It wasn't. Additionally, soaps did not significantly extend the razor life for me.

Pre-Shaves:

I also experimented with jojoba oil and glycerin for a while. Shaves without them compared to shaves with them yielded results of negligible difference across the board, so I relegated pre-shave product to the as-necessary status (which is very rarely -- my best pre-shave support is gentle exfoliation).

Branching Out:

With the intention to cover the range of razor options in my awareness, in search for something more efficient, I then tried the Bic Metal (one blade), using soap and pre-shave. I frequently injured myself, and no matter what I did with my techniques or products, results were not good. I revisited the other soaps that didn't mesh with the Gillette -- still not good. Tried without soap -- VERY not good. On the plus side, using it did teach me a much lighter touch!

After my adventures with the single blade Bic model, I was unmotivated to attempt another single blade disposable (McKesson Single Blade Disposable), haha. I had discounted the McKesson Performance Plus Double Edge Prep Razor Disposable because it seemed too scary (hello there, character development). And, the McKesson Disposable Shaving Razor Twin Blade design looked substantially the same as the Gillettes. The Bic Twin Select Sensitive Skin didn't look exactly the same as the Gillette, but the blades seemed similar enough that I haven't come around to trying it yet, and the handle looks more slippery, similar to the single blade Bic.

Conclusion

I'm grateful that there are even any manufacturers making lubricant strip-free disposable razors. Despite my issues with the Gillette for shaving my head, it has been a very reliable and safe tool for me. I will continue keeping a supply of it stored away. I might try out the McKesson Twin Blade to confirm that it offers the same performance, as a backup if the Gillette is ever discontinued. And, I'm sure the other options work well for those who need what they have to offer, so this is not a negative statement against any of them.

ALL THIS is with my full acknowledgement that I could be doing this 'wrong' -- that is, if I did ABC in my routine with the disposables, then XYZ magic could happen. This was all self-taught, by myself inexperienced, seeking to adapt information I could find to the constraints of my circumstances.

If I'm going to learn something new to improve though, I'd rather, personally, if I can, invest that effort on something more enduring: with traditional wet shaving and its current wealth of resources.

So, that's my own experience thus far. To state for my first time...YMMV!
 
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A butterfly razor may be an option to consider for ease changing the blade

Thank you for the recommendation, something to consider!

Shaving your head with cartridges is a hellish experience. Welcome to a better world.

Haha, thanks 😂 The more I read about traditional wet shaving, the more excited I get. Especially, this notion of being able to count the passes to shave one's head -- so foreign to me. I've just been hacking away at the hair multiple times in whatever direction works, with my stalwart disposables that do their best in a job they were not designed for 😜
 
I'm sure there are a lot of guys out there with more experience to share, all I can say is I was a bit nervous when I started, and going slow and careful worked okay, and it wasn't too long before I started to develop a feel for what I needed to do, a shaper angle of approach, or more obtuse. A heavier or lighter touch, etc. I just can't see how a taped blade will get you far, when the feedback from your own actions are what guide you.

Hello, I wanted to thank you for your insights! It will be important for me to remember that what I learn with a taped blade will not directly translate to an untaped blade, and I (and my skin) really appreciate the word of caution. It would be very unpleasant to dive into using a sharp blade from a taped one without considering the differences 😣

For me, due to tactile and spatial awareness issues, I have to teach myself that There Is A Blade In This Vicinity, haha. And, also learn tangibly what orientation the blade is at when I hold the razor in any given position. Due to neuromuscular issues (that could potentially cover the overlapping area on a venn diagram with recklessness 🤪) I'd rather do that education without a sharp edge. Once I get that general sense, I plan to practice with a regular blade on really easy areas of my body first, getting progressively more difficult, to then learn the basic execution of muscle memory that will compensate for the neuromuscular issues that could otherwise get me into trouble when later learning the finer-tuned movements for shaving my head.

After having read several others' experiences navigating adventurous physical variables, I do believe that, with my profile, I can approach this safely. As you said, slow and careful is certainly the way to go! Your explanation also brings up a good point that I should be mindful to qualify my strategy when mentioning it, or just not mention it (I had only briefly mentioned it there with the intent to quantify timeline of where I am as a beginner). That's why I'm putting this here, so if anyone in the small chance encounters this in a search or something, they can get the important context that I should have added earlier for what I'm doing (or, attempting, haha).

In addition to being conscious of pressure, are there other particular habits standing out to you that you had to unlearn from the shaving system you used prior to DE shaving?
 
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