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What Are The Best Razors For Head Shaving?

What are the best safety and cartridge razors for shaving your head bald? I have been shaving my head with a gillette fusion 5 and also a merkur safety razor with personna blades. I wanna try some new razors out and see if theres any that might give me a closer shave. I prefer razors with a pivot head too because it makes head shaving alot more easy.
 
If you like the pivot, the Leaf is a great choice. Cartridge-like ease of performance with very low cost for blade replacements.

If you really want to explore various safety razors, almost any will work well. My particular favorites for the dome include Henson medium, Yates 921-H, Timeless aluminum, and Leaf Thorn.

Vintage Schick injector razors work extraordinarily well. I would recommend a vintage injector above the double edge safety razors for dome work. I like the G and J models. The adjustable M did not really work well for me.
 
If you like the pivot, the Leaf is a great choice. Cartridge-like ease of performance with very low cost for blade replacements.

If you really want to explore various safety razors, almost any will work well. My particular favorites for the dome include Henson medium, Yates 921-H, Timeless aluminum, and Leaf Thorn.

Vintage Schick injector razors work extraordinarily well. I would recommend a vintage injector above the double edge safety razors for dome work. I like the G and J models. The adjustable M did not really work well for me.
Oh yeah should have mentioned i recently bought the leaf razor and it has not been going to well. I have tried about 10 different razor blades ones that i know are good cause i have shaved with them in a safety razor but each time i try shaving with that thing i end up with way too many cuts on my head. i nick myself almost every pass with the razor and i have no idea why. i have tried different technique and blades and it just cuts my head up so bad every time. see with the fusion 5 and even my safety razor with the right blades that work for me i can go fast and hard with them and dont even have to worry about how much pressure im putting into it and i can shave 100 times in a row without getting a single nick on my head.
 
I can see how the Leaf might not be for everyone, especially as it requires a bit of pressure to engage the head to the skin. The end result for me is good, but not as efficient as a Schick injector shave. Schick injectors are relatively inexpensive and the thicker blades are good for at least 10 shaves or more each.

If you want to maximize your double edge blade investment and not have to purchase a different blade style, the Leaf Thorn to me gives a result on par with the injector. Twig is nice too, but my preference is the Thorn.

I also personally prefer milder razor on the face, more aggressive on the dome.

After years of head shaving with cartridges, when I tried the Henson, it was the first dolphin skin BBS I had ever encountered. I also really like the light weight of the aluminum for head shaving.
 
You can remove the lower blade on the leaf if it is too aggresive. I don't know if you have tried that.

If you still get cuts, send it back. I just got one and will try it tonight. I'll come back tomorrow and let you know how it went.
 
Oh yeah should have mentioned i recently bought the leaf razor and it has not been going to well. I have tried about 10 different razor blades ones that i know are good cause i have shaved with them in a safety razor but each time i try shaving with that thing i end up with way too many cuts on my head. i nick myself almost every pass with the razor and i have no idea why. i have tried different technique and blades and it just cuts my head up so bad every time. see with the fusion 5 and even my safety razor with the right blades that work for me i can go fast and hard with them and dont even have to worry about how much pressure im putting into it and i can shave 100 times in a row without getting a single nick on my head.
So I got a Leaf for head shaving on their Black Friday sale and tried it for the first time last night.

I think you may have a defective razor, because with all three blades in, there was no way I could nick / cut myself. I was not careless, but I was not overly cautious either. I tried every angle, little pressure, some pressure, etc. No cuts.

I would email the company and get some sort of resolution, I think something is wrong. (I'm assuming the blades are snug up against the guide posts).
 
I have a Henson mild and a 6S. My first wet shave ever, which was a head shave, was less than a month ago on November 8.

I wasn’t bald when I shaved my head, and my hair grows thick and fast.

My Henson is brilliant. I am obviously a rank rookie, and even with countless errors and blunders, I have been able to get a great shave with zero irritation, let alone any cuts.

My 6S requires a lot mor care and caution, using plate 3 or 2. I did get razor burn and bumps from it the first time I used it with plate 3. Plate 2 since, has been fine but not as easy to use (for me) as the Henson.

There was no learning curve for me with the Henson. I would have to really screw up to cut myself or inflict any damage.

I was semi-tempted to throw down on the Leaf during BF. For whatever reason, I hate the idea of using carts. And for whatever reason, the Leaf feels too close to a cart to me. I would much prefer to persevere with the DE journey, although I have read on here that a lot of purists frown upon the Henson as well, saying it may as well be a cart. Oh well.

As a daily or every second day head shaver, at this point at least, the Henson mild is 10/10. I may pick up a medium too, perhaps even in ti. I am super pleased with the ease of use and efficiency of my mild. So far, it’s been the best wet shaving product I have bought (although I have a massive incoming BF shipment with lots and lots of stuff, so I guess I will see if anything displaces the Henson as my best purchase to date).

For a rookie wet shaver/head shaver (both firsts having occurred November 8), I can’t imagine anything beating the Henson mild as the best beginner/beginner head shaving DE razor. I can’t even begin to tell you how brutal technique-wise I have been. Yet the Henson has been like a gentle forgiving friend who is happy to cover for all my mistakes and make me look really good at the end of it all.
 
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I own a Henson Al mild as well. I have not used it for head shaving yet. I was drawn to the Leaf because of the pivoting head. I think it's a good design, though it feels somewhat awkward at first, very top heavy. Once it's on the head though, it ploughs through the stubble nicely.

The Henson mild is a very nice razor. It's aluminum body makes for a very light weight feel to it. It's a very safe razor. I'll have to try it for my next weekly head shave.

FWIW, When you go out to the Leaf website, it looks like they are marketing it as a women's razor as well. I showed it to my wife and she rolled her eyes. Somehow, I can't see too many women buying it.
 
FWIW, When you go out to the Leaf website, it looks like they are marketing it as a women's razor as well. I showed it to my wife and she rolled her eyes. Somehow, I can't see too many women buying it.
My wife very much enjoys the Leaf.
 
You'll never pry the Henson from my wife's hands.

I'm not a head shaver. I bought the Leaf because I'm tempted to. It does well on my face and has never cut me, so I'm thinking along the lines of something wrong as well. I do recall seeing someone having their replaced by Leaf because of an alignment problem.

I have the Twig as well and I've seen people using it for head shaves with good results.

I think the SLOC/Mellon would be a good choice for head shaving. Just the Mellon head is around $6 on AliExpress or you can get the SLOC version with a nice handle for around $20.

Take a look at the Gillette Guard made in India. Ebay has them fairly cheap.
 
I've been shaving my head for over 15 years. I've used many razors but the one I've used for about a year now is the Henson product line. I started with mild, then medium. Since June I've been using the aggressive almost exclusively.
Henson razors are my daily headshave razors of choice! Here is what I used today. Result: No drama, BBS with ease!

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Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
I am personally not a head shaver, having said that however, I have learned from other's on B&B, that most prefer a mild razor for head shaves. Nobody is jumping at the chance to take an Muhle R41 to their head, because thats a quick way to end down weeper river, with the reaper at the end, to collect his tole in crimson gold.

Now, there are a couple of razors that I own, that I can recommend for the task. Others have mentioned the Henson AL13 MILD & MEDIUM. I would agree that Henson makes mild razors, and since they barely have any blade exposure, you should be able to shave your head, without worry of nicks of weepers. But they pretty much have a limit of 2-day whiskers for my face, beyond that, they are no good. 4 out of 5 stars for my Henson AL13 MEDIUM.

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I also agree with Borwish's recommendation for the double open comb razors, regardless of brand you choose, they are known to be excellent head shavers. They tend to be a bit on the mild side, and because they are a double open comb, they leave some lather on your skin per pass, so you can go back over a spot a few more times if needed.

I personally love my PAA Copper Ascension Twist Adjustable in Rose Gold. It is a double open comb razor, but its arched head design, keeps constant tension on the blade, acting as a tension spring mechanism, which allows you to loosen the handle a bit, to increase blade aggression, but without causing blade chatter. I gave this razor a 5 out of 5 stars, and I totally recommend it. And it can handle 7-day whisker growth, so, even if you let your head go a whole week, this razor will still get it done!

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Today I had one of my best head shaves to date with my 6S and a 2 plate…as my Henson AL13+ watched on with sadness and jealousy. My first BF shipment landed today. And not a minute too soon, because for me it’s not the razors - it’s the soap. I cannot for the life of me get anywhere close to the amount of thick luscious lather as the YouTubers with my CF 1445. I’m more and more unimpressed with it with each successive shave. That said, I’ve only been at it for less than a month, so there’s that 🥴 Learning lots each time out 👍
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
Today I had one of my best head shaves to date with my 6S and a 2 plate…as my Henson AL13+ watched on with sadness and jealousy. My first BF shipment landed today. And not a minute too soon, because for me it’s not the razors - it’s the soap. I cannot for the life of me get anywhere close to the amount of thick luscious lather as the YouTubers with my CF 1445. I’m more and more unimpressed with it with each successive shave. That said, I’ve only been at it for less than a month, so there’s that 🥴 Learning lots each time out 👍

Most of the Youtube wet shavers, use garbage lather. Their goal, is to make a video quickly, so they do dumb things such as try to lather off the puck, and then when you see them apply the soap to their face, its full of bubbles! Other Youtube wet shavers, will go for the barbassal lather look, a real fluffy thick foamy lather, that again, far too many bubbles, not enough water moisture. You can't shave with that kind of lather, it will never work out, because your razor won't glide properly, and your skin isn't moistened properly, its just a bunch of mess if you asked me.

The proper lather you want to focus on, is a lather that is of a creamy yogurt consistency. I have a picture to demonstrate what that looks like, with Captains Choice Italia shave soap, in my CC SN bowl.
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I scoop some soap out of the container using a bouillon teaspoon. I place that soap into my lather bowl, and smooth it down evenly. I then using the same teaspoon, I place 2-teaspoons of water into the bowl. With a moist brush, I begin working the lather. As it becomes pasty, I then put 2-more teaspoons of water into the bowl, and begin working it some more.

Once I have the creamy yogurt consistency, I then begin applying the lather to my face, and I begin the shave. Let the shwarts be with you.
mel brooks comedy GIF by HULU
 
Most of the Youtube wet shavers, use garbage lather. Their goal, is to make a video quickly, so they do dumb things such as try to lather off the puck, and then when you see them apply the soap to their face, its full of bubbles! Other Youtube wet shavers, will go for the barbassal lather look, a real fluffy thick foamy lather, that again, far too many bubbles, not enough water moisture. You can't shave with that kind of lather, it will never work out, because your razor won't glide properly, and your skin isn't moistened properly, its just a bunch of mess if you asked me.

The proper lather you want to focus on, is a lather that is of a creamy yogurt consistency. I have a picture to demonstrate what that looks like, with Captains Choice Italia shave soap, in my CC SN bowl.
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I scoop some soap out of the container using a bouillon teaspoon. I place that soap into my lather bowl, and smooth it down evenly. I then using the same teaspoon, I place 2-teaspoons of water into the bowl. With a moist brush, I begin working the lather. As it becomes pasty, I then put 2-more teaspoons of water into the bowl, and begin working it some more.

Once I have the creamy yogurt consistency, I then begin applying the lather to my face, and I begin the shave. Let the shwarts be with you.
mel brooks comedy GIF by HULU
My bet is that when I shave the first time with the Stirling (Haverford, Sandpiper or Sheep), or with the A&E, B&M or NO that’s en route, it’s going to blow the doors off the CF. I did get the CF to a crème fraiche consistency, but it gets lost on my head. I can’t get it thick at all. It ends up being a little, thin, embarrassment of a layer no matter what I do.
 
I'm going on 25 years of shaving my head. For a good amount of that time I used a Mach III. When I switched over to DE tried a lot of razors that I liked for my face. I like very aggressive razors for my face and since I'm mowing down a full head of hair thought it would be the same, it is not! I tried the Leaf and hated it. As soon as I picked that razor up (in any blade configuration) my head started spouting blood :laugh:. I am not a vintage razor guy. I really have no desire to try old razors, so all my experience is with new/newer razors. When I tried the Razorock Game Changer, I found a razor that I could adjust (with additional base plates) and provided an excellent 1 pass ATG shave (with spot touch ups). I tried the .68, .84, and the JAWS. I landed on the .84 SB with the shortest handle available. The angle on it is easy to manipulate and very forgiving. The razor is heavy. To me, that is a good thing. I just let the weight of the razor do the work and I just guide it around my head. The only trouble spot I have to pay attention to is the vertical skull line directly behind my ear. No biggie at all, I just have to remember that I'm riding a ridge there. I was talked into trying a Razorock Eco recently by another head shaver here on this site. I ordered that a week ago and it should be here in the next day or two.
Here is another thought for you. Do not shave your head in the shower if you are using soap. I have tried many things for shaving in the shower. Steam and water break down soap. Lard or tallow soaps hold up better that the all vegetable oil types. If I shave in the shower, I use shave oil (not pre-shave oil), it holds up better to the environment in the shower. Using something that is not providing optimal lubrication might make it appear that the razor is not doing well.
In my shaving journey, I have found that my head is much more sensitive to my blade selection. On my face, I can use whatever. I might not get a great shave but I can always walk out the door to work with a DFS. My head is completely different. For me, The Astra SP has provided me years of excellent service. I shave my head 2 or 3 times a week. I never reuse a blade in my razor on my head. I want that blade S-H-A-R-P!
 
I have used all of the following for head shaves, with BBS results:
  • Gillette cartridges (various)
  • Harry's cartridges
  • Leaf (3-blade)
  • Razorock Hawk Eco
  • Blackland Vector
I rarely cut myself with any of these, though obviously some are more agressive than others. Carts are the least agressive, then the Leaf (still very tame), then the Vector, with the Hawk being the one that will misbehave if you don't respect it.

Anyway, I'm with many of the others: if you were successful with carts but not the Leaf, something isn't right. The Leaf is the closest thing to a cartridge razor that I have used, and gives me a mindless, autopilot head shave.
 
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