No wrong way to shave

[Quaznoid]

I read a lot of posts from neophytes seeking advice from more experienced shavers about proper technique. One fellow referred to certain practices not being “correct”. I couldn’t help but respond that the best advice I could offer him was to throw out this idea that there is a “correct” way to shave.
Of course YMMV but I have found these oft- repeated conventions to be untrue: 1. Pressure is bad. Not true. Without pressure shaving w a bakelight or Schick injector would be impossible. And we all apply pressure on an upstroke to fight gravity and maintain contact with the face (unless you hang upside down for your ATG). It’s how much pressure to apply depending on your face and equipment that requires a little practice. 2. Hot water is better. Not true. Try it w cold or tepid water; no difference. 3. Thick creamy lather is better. Not true, and often the opposite is true. Slickness is what you want in a lather. 4. Long strokes are better. I shave w short strokes and often go over the same area again after the lather is stripped off, w BBS results and no irritation. 5. Heavy razors or more aggressive razors are better. Depends on your face, of course, but I get great shaves w mild razors like Techs and also with aggressive razors. In fact there are very few razors I have used that didn’t work very well, without significant change in technique. 6. Expensive is better. I have been preaching this evangel forever but this is most certainly not true. I get my best DE shaves w a Lord L5 ($8) and an Assured TTO ($1).
It’s your face. Take control and do whatever works for you, even if it defies convention.

 

[santamariasteve]

Shaving newbie's please take note: There is a surprising amount of truth in the #1 post above. However, do your own experimentations and draw your own conclusions. It's your face, and every face you see in the shaving mirror is unique.

 

[Ravenonrock]

Different strokes, for different folks.......

 

[kingfisher]

A long time ago there was a guy on this forum who went by the name of woodfluter who swore that he got his best shaves by using a mild razor, going extremely shallow (so shallow that the blade wouldn't even contact the face), and then adding quite a bit of pressure.
Different strokes for different folks.

 

[ackvil]

As a general rule, pressure on the razor is a recipe for cuts and nicks. If you don't believe me try it with most razors - even some milder ones such as the Feather AS-D2 - and see what happens.

I find that using the correct grip can make a big difference. I use two fingers and my thumb to hold the razor with another finger resting on the tip of the handle. This results in holding the razor very lightly with no pressure on the razor. When doing a S to N pass I find that if I hold the razor as pictured below I can get an excellent shave with minimal pressure.

 

[Eben Stone]

I read a lot of posts from neophytes seeking advice from more experienced shavers about proper technique. One fellow referred to certain practices not being “correct”. I couldn’t help but respond that the best advice I could offer him was to throw out this idea that there is a “correct” way to shave.
Of course YMMV but I have found these oft- repeated conventions to be untrue: 1. Pressure is bad. Not true. Without pressure shaving w a bakelight or Schick injector would be impossible. And we all apply pressure on an upstroke to fight gravity and maintain contact with the face (unless you hang upside down for your ATG). It’s how much pressure to apply depending on your face and equipment that requires a little practice. 2. Hot water is better. Not true. Try it w cold or tepid water; no difference. 3. Thick creamy lather is better. Not true, and often the opposite is true. Slickness is what you want in a lather. 4. Long strokes are better. I shave w short strokes and often go over the same area again after the lather is stripped off, w BBS results and no irritation. 5. Heavy razors or more aggressive razors are better. Depends on your face, of course, but I get great shaves w mild razors like Techs and also with aggressive razors. In fact there are very few razors I have used that didn’t work very well, without significant change in technique. 6. Expensive is better. I have been preaching this evangel forever but this is most certainly not true. I get my best DE shaves w a Lord L5 ($8) and an Assured TTO ($1)...

I'm waiting for someone to respond that none of that is true. Haha. J/K

I agree that *some* pressure, like what you might use with a fine artistic paint brush is good. But I think most new DE shavers are migrating from cartridge, and their idea of pressure is push the blades I to your skin as you *plow* the razor through your face. I don't think you can explain the no pressure concept effectively to a new DE shaver, the concept is foreign until they learn it the hard way, or they use an idiot proof razor. I use almost no perceptible pressure when using my Ikon Tek, just enough to keep the razor cap/blade/guard consistently on my skin.

It’s your face. Take control and do whatever works for you, even if it defies convention.

 

[MrSpeedy]

The only universal truth in the OP is "of course, YMMV".

 

[FarmerTan]

The only universal truth in the OP is "of course, YMMV".

That could be said about almost everything I post. Seriously. I think he has some valid arguments. I can't shave with zero pressure with any razor in all areas of my face.

 

[FarmerTan]

I'm truly not trying to be a jerk. I just have never understood "zero pressure." Except in life. I hate being under pressure. Only good thing about earlier- than- I- wanted -retirement.

 

[DougK]

I might quibble about some details, but I think OP's statement is essentially true: there is no one correct way to shave. Some techniques are better than others, of course, but you kind of have to try things out and see what works for your face. That's how I found out I should never do more than three passes, I don't like cold water shaving, face lathering works better for me than bowl lathering, mild razors are better for me than aggressive ones, and so on.

 

[SydneyShaver]

I agree. I just made my own post where I write down similar revelations. This is such a niche hobby that you only end up listening to people deeply invested in it. People should take a minute and listen to themselves. Somethings are relatable, others not so much. It IS your face at the end of the day.

 

[sarimento1]

Agree with all above, except this one rule:

Never, never, never stroke a razor SIDEWAYS!!
Every and Anything else is A-OK!!

 

[Quaznoid]

Although you can do the Gillette slide

 

[sarimento1]

Although you can do the Gillette slide

What is the Gillette Slide?
Any relation to the Electric Slide??

 

[chromedometone]

It's shaving. It ain't that complicated.

 

[Quaznoid]

A 45 degree anglish kinda move to get the effect of a slant razor without the slant

 

[MrSpeedy]

I can't shave with zero pressure with any razor in all areas of my face.

"No pressure" means no pressure beyond what it take to keep the razor contacting the skin. The OP says there is no difference with water temperature, but there's a whole club that says they get better shaves with cold water. Thick, creamy lather tends to produce slickness (mostly, but not always). I've never seen anyone on B&B say #4-6.

 

[thombrogan]

unless you hang upside down for your ATG

#grooming_goals

 

[musicman1951]

Yes, like golf, you can find someone doing things unconventionally and finding a fair amount of success. Strangely, they have yet to throw out all convention and teach all beginners to go without instruction.

Conventional technique becomes such because it works so well for most people. By all means, if you'd like to reinvent the wheel you can try everything under the sun with no instructions whatsoever. I think most people would be better served to start with the conventional technique and alter as your needs dictate, but YMMV.

By the by, short strokes are the conventional way.

 

[FarmerTan]

Yes, like golf, you can find someone doing things unconventionally and finding a fair amount of success. Strangely, they have yet to throw out all convention and teach all beginners to go without instruction.

Conventional technique becomes such because it works so well for most people. By all means, if you'd like to reinvent the wheel you can try everything under the sun with no instructions whatsoever. I think most people would be better served to start with the conventional technique and alter as your needs dictate, but YMMV.

By the by, short strokes are the conventional way.

To be fair, I'm pretty certain that the wheel would be easy to invent.

A cigarette lighter: hard.

Is anyone else amazed that heroin was first produced like, what 5 thousand years ago? And man is somehow still evolving?