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Newbie with first ever DE head shave

Backstory: I'm 38 and about 13 years ago I shaved my head for a week just to see what it was like. I had mixed feelings, I preferred my high and tights. Plus I have a big ridge going down the middle of my head.

However, after I started growing hair back out I developed a half dollar sized bald spot at the front over my right eye. If I grew my hair out longer than half an inch it looked disgusted. I was so self conscious about it for the next 7 years. I contemplated surgery.

I kept it trimmed for 7 years. Then I started using an Andi's Profoil to shave my hair. Made my scalp smooth for about 2 hours. You definitely feel the resistance went using it. If I went more than 2 or 3 days, I needed to use clippers first or else the foil shaver wouldn't work.

For the past 2.5 years I have been using the Skull Shaver Pitbull Platinum. It is fantastic. It gave the appearance of a shaved head, but you can still feel the stubble against the grain. Usually took 90 seconds or less. And I could go 6-8 days and have no problem mowing it down. Hands down the best non-blade way to shave your head. Can't recommend it enough.

Then 2 weeks ago I impulsively decided to give razor shaving a try again. But I wanted a way to not have so many cuts because of my ridge and lumpy head. And I originally got razor burn because I had to make so many passes in every direction to get it perfectly smooth.

I don't remember exactly how, but I feel into a 3-day youtube binging DE razor rabbit hole and made a slew of purchases:

Rockwell 6s black (R3 plate used)
Feather razor blade
Shayve black granite bowl
Je&Co silvertip badger brush
Stirling Barbershop shave suits soap
Osma alum block
Thayers unscented witch hazel toner
Nivia post shave balm

My lathering technique needs work. I ended up making 3 full passes. Ending up with 1 bleeder. That alum stings pretty good. One spot on the back of my head would d not get slick smooth while shaving, but was an hour later. Definitely need to also work on my handle technique. Overall it was easy better than I expected for my first try.

Long term, this will be it for me other than different blades and soaps. Thank you for taking the time to read about my first experience.
 

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Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
Good work! I've been "chromin' the dome" for 30 years. I also have a ridge; makes an excellent prow when I'm swimming.

Especially just starting out, scalp skin is easy to irritate. Shave gently and don't chase the baby for now.

With my nonadjustable razors I generally do two passes: WTG and ATG. Sometimes my hard old-man hair makes that ATG pass a bit rough. With the one adjustable I have (Rex Konsul) I usually do three passes: WTG wide open, then ATG with a narrow setting followed by opening up for the second ATG pass. It works; no irritation usually.

Shoot for a medium-wet lather. Personally, I am not a huge Feather blade fan. The edge starts too sharp and just fades too fast for me, but do what works for you. There are lots of blades to try. A mild razor with an aggressive blade is a combo many swear by. I tend toward a medium razor and a medium blade, which gives me smooth shaves. Again, you do you.

Pay some attention to prep. What I mean by that is that for me too much prep really blows up irritation. I need to leave some oils in the skin. I used to do the hot towel and lather scuttle and warm water shave, and my head felt like the surface of a baskeball. Now it's a boar brush, lather, shave, rinse with cool water and I'm much happier. Nivea Men Sensitive is great stuff and I use it in the cooler parts of the year when humidities are lower, or if I get a rough shave and need a little healing.

O.H.
 
I use a Leaf 3-blade or a Razorock Hawk Eco.

The Leaf is a mindless, autopilot shave, like a cartridge and I can go from a four-day growth to BBS in about 10 minutes.

With the Eco I need to be more deliberate and, of course, that takes longer. I do at least two passes, XTG and ATG and then touchup for BBS, in approximately 25 minutes.

I use a boar brush with plenty of lather and rarely get irritation with either razor, just a pleasant alcohol kick from my aftershave.
 
Are you guys saying a stiffer boar brush is better for the head than the face?
"Better" is one of those many things that depends on your skin, soap, instinctive movements, etc. I've enjoyed my wide long and floppy boar enough to know a short scrubby narrow knot will suit me better.
A boar brush can loosen tiny skin flakes to a lesser degree than a mild exfoliant from a tub or a tube.
One thing about boars that doesn't get mentioned often is a not-quite drippy lather seems more runny on the brush than it does in or on a badger. Going from bowl to face I don't hear as many 'plops' into the sink as I do during a head shave :facep:
 
Are you guys saying a stiffer boar brush is better for the head than the face?

I use all types (badger, boar, synthetic) but lately have been using a larger Omega boar. It works well because of the size and it releases the lather easily.

Like many things here, it is a matter of personal preference and what works best for you.
 

Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
Are you guys saying a stiffer boar brush is better for the head than the face?

In my case it lets me get to shaving without doing much other preshave. I like the stiffness of a boar brush. I've had a few synthetics and most of them have seemed too floppy after using a boar. I have a big RazoRock Beehive synth that I've used a lot and it's basically a lather mop. But in a good way. I have a badger and like it but darnit those boars are just so nice. :)

The question becomes which boar brush. Two of mine that I like are smaller knots. One is a Wilkinson Sword ten-buck brush from the grocery store; the other is an Omega 10005 ten-buck brush from the drugstore. I prefer the Omega. I also have a Semogue Owner's Club boar in cherry -- lovely brush and about six times as expensive as my Omega. Which is another good thing about boars: they are inexpensive.

There is a lot of superstition out there about boar brushes. It's really very simple. I keep a small plastic cup by the sink in the Lather Pit. As I'm getting ready for a shave I run that cup about 3/4 full of warm water, tip a little on top of the soap puck, and then stick the brush in the cup. I let it soak for between five and 10 minutes while I lay out things or take care of another small chore. Shake out the brush, dump the teaspoon of water out of the soap mug into the lather bowl, and start loading.

It will, like any natural hair brush, develop softer bristles and split ends (called "flags"). That's a good thing. Modern boar brushes, at least the modern ones I have, have no residual smell. I have encountered funky skanky boar brushes, but only vintage ones. Bear in mind that a boar will take longer than a badger to break in. You can simply use it every day and it will be a pretty well-broken-in brush in about two months.

Alternatively you can do all sorts of deodorizing, soaking for days in the fridge, washing in all kinds of awful chemicals, boiling it or otherwise abusing it and it will be broken in within about 60 days. I usually find that "more complexity" is a bad idea.

O.H.
 

Whisky

ATF. I use all three.
Staff member
Welcome to B&B. When you get a minute head over to the Hall of Fame and tell us a little more about yourself. Also, be sure to check out the monthly “Newbie” blade giveaway in the General Shaving Discussion forum. It’s a great chance to try different blades without paying for them.

 
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