Tips for head shaving with a shavette?

[Samon]

Yo, I bought my brother a shavette for Christmas and would like any tips that might help him on his way. He has an assortment of de blades and soaps I've given him for his de89 but as the shavette is different he is nervous.

Firstly I'd like a link or two to some decent video tutorials on method, loading etc and finally some general tips you lot have collected over the years that might be handy. I'll teach what I know from my time head shaving with a cut throat but I'm sure there's plenty I've missed.

Cheers

 

[rbscebu]

A pic of his shavette would help. There are a few different types with different blade configurations.

Here is a good one with a traditional SR.

 

[MurderousCrow]

This may be helpful.

Head Shaving with a Straight Razor

Hi all, I thought a resource post may be useful for people looking to begin head shaving with a straight. Tips, tricks, kit etc. I've been head shaving this way for nearly a year now, having forsworn cartridge-type razors. I do use a safety razor occasionally, but the vast majority (~200 or...

www.badgerandblade.com

I will make a video of my process at some point soon and upload it to YouTube, I'll put a link in that thread.

 

[Old Hippie]

Well, I can say how I got started with it, if that helps.

First, watch a few videos to see how guys do the passes.

Second, leave the blade out of the shavette, get in front of a mirror, and make the same moves as the guys in the videos. What you're looking for are ways to see what you're doing, ways to hold the razor so that you can put the edge where you need it, and getting used to the need for two hands on deck for the shave. Practice stretching in various directions, noting what that does to how your hair presents itself for the blade.

When it's shave time, make a slightly wetter lather than normal. If it's running into your ears it's too wet, but this is not the time for those lovely meringue layers. You want slick. Also load a fresh blade into a good safety razor and set it to the side.

Apply lather in areas. I generally do the top of my head first, right side then left side and paint on each side just before I shave it. I go WTG from the centre of my head down to just above my ears, and some XTG just on the front above my brow where I still have a bit more hair.

Then I do the back of my head WTG, right then left just like the top. My scalp is tight enough that I don't need to stretch WTG. A nice tip I picked up is to make TWO WTG passes on each side. This gets as much of the easy stuff as possible.

.................................

At this point I recommend to someone just starting out to stop, congratulate themselves on a good start, and finish the shave with a safety razor. I'd say keep doing that for a while until you're comfortable shaving blind on the back of your skull.

................................

Ready to keep going? Rinse off your head and assess the shave so far. I usually start with ATG in the back. Might as well get the hard part outta the way. Dampen a washcloth with warm water, fold it up, and use it under your stretching hand for "traction" and also so you don't carve your fingers by not watching where the blade's going at the end of the stroke.

Again, scalps are usually pretty tight but going ATG will pull up a fold of skin. I've tried stretching from below, but find it not as effective for me as stretching from above the razor, hence why I use a washcloth. Go gently. It may take a couple of passes to get it, or you might want to do one pass and then, again, finish the job with a safety razor while you get your heart rate back down.

Once the back's done, I do the sides ATG, clean up areas where the angles change quickly, etc. Depending on how well I'm doing and on my confidence, I may or may not finish off with an electric trimmer to shave cheeks above my beard.

I find Western-style shavettes a bit more cumbersome to use due to the grip. That said, the Focus Slim Al is a very nice little Western shavette, with built-in angle guides and corner guards.

A kamisori style seems more intuitive to me and is my current preference. I have a Feather SR and it's very nice.

You may find that angles are different for head rather than face shaving. Curves are tighter, harder, and go different directions. A 1/2 DE shavette like the Parker SRX has a low angle, Focus Slim a bit higher, and in AC razors the Feather SS might need a pretty steep angle to headshave because of the bump. A Feather SR or Kai/Kasho Woody will like a narrower angle because the bump is smaller, and a Feather DX will be a lot like a straight because it has no bump just behind the edge.

Pretty general advice because there's so much YMMV involved. Good luck, go slow, enjoy the ride.

O.H.

 

[ewk]

Well, I can say how I got started with it, if that helps.


Second, leave the blade out of the shavette, get in front of a mirror, and make the same moves as the guys in the videos. What you're looking for are ways to see what you're doing, ways to hold the razor so that you can put the edge where you need it, and getting used to the need for two hands on deck for the shave. Practice stretching in various directions, noting what that does to how your hair presents itself for the blade.

I recently acquired a Feather AC DX, and experienced two disappointing shaves to start. Someone gave me the advice to leave the blade out. My obstinate self rolled its eyes like a petulant teen when I received it. Then I tried it. Holy smokes, what a revelation. Without worrying about a sharp blade, I was able to focus on angles and stretching in a way I couldn't when it was loaded up.

 

[Mitzie]