When should I teach my son to shave?

[Stainsor]

I just started shaving with a safety razor this past Christmas and I feel like I am really learning to shave for the first time. I am deliberate, detail oriented, and love to learn so I enjoy exploring shave technique, different razors, and different blades to try to get the optimal shave.

Meanwhile, my son is 13 and he's got enough just enough on his upper lip that you will easily notice if you're looking for it. With the amount of facial hair he has now, I figure just about any razor/blades you can buy would easily take it off his face. It would not require three passes. It would not require worrying about the grain direction. And he is not the most detail oriented. He tends to do tasks quickly and if it is "good enough" then he is on to the next thing without a second thought about whether it could have been improved.

So right now I am wrestling with how and especially when I should teach him to shave. Should I start now? Should I wait or revisit when he's got "enough" facial hair? Any advice?

 

[gpjoe]

I don't have a son. If I did, I'd just say to him:

"Let me know when you're ready, and I'll show you the traditional way of wet shaving."

It's up to him, no pressure. He may decide, like millions of men, that a can, cartridge, and one pass is good enough.

 

[Messygoon]

My dad did it right. At about 5 years old, he would lather me up and let me use his Gillette Super Speed without a blade. When I hit your son’s age, he gifted me that razor and guided me carefully through the shaving process on the lowest setting. A single pass to start.

That razor has now been replayed and passed on to my son.

Dad did it right. And from your question, however you proceed, you’ll do it right, too.

Please share how it turns out, and way to go dad!

 

[Tanuki]

Just my perspective, but if he has fuzz and wants to get rid of it he is ready for a lesson. Keep it simple. And if he is satisfied with his result, leave it at that. When he needs more help he may ask you or he may just go online.

All three of my sons are traditional shavers. The amount of shaving they need (or do) are very different. But they are launched and appreciate dodging the cartridge costs. None took much instruction. The oldest buys kit online. I bet the youngest has also explored a little online.

 

[KW Driver]

I’d personally wait until he’s ready and brings it up. Or, as gpjoe said, let him know you’re willing to help when he is ready. And that was basically my approach with my girls for any topic.

And he may want to hold onto his little bit of appearance masculinity for a while.

 

[brucered]

My dad did it right. At about 5 years old, he would lather me up and let me use his Gillette Super Speed without a blade. When I hit your son’s age, he gifted me that razor and guided me carefully through the shaving process on the lowest setting. A single pass to start.

That razor has now been replayed and passed on to my son.

Dad did it right. And from your question, however you proceed, you’ll do it right, too.

Please share how it turns out, and way to go dad!

Both our kids took to wet shaving after many fake shaves with a razor and no blade with me.

Our oldest is coming up on 20 now and 3017''ing soaps, uses the same razor blade, soap and brush everyday.

As for when they are ready, when they show an interest in getting rid of the fuzz or they ask how to shave it off.

You also have to know how to shave to teach them. If you just started less than a month ago, you aren't ready to teach anyone as you are likely still in the learning phase.

Thread '100% Guaranteed BBS shave in 3 easy laps' 100% Guaranteed BBS shave in 3 easy laps - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/100-guaranteed-bbs-shave-in-3-easy-laps.344196/

 

[losing]

My 2 cents...

I never got destructions about shaving. From anybody or anything. I had to learn how to shave on my own. I got a pack of 5 plastic 1 blade razors i had no idea how to use. And a few hidden shaves, when nobody was home to see what i was doing or even try to stop me from shaving wrong or tell me i can't use a sink to shave. Was my first shaving experiences

So you teaching your son how to shave is your choice but wanting to teach him how to shave will give him something more than just shaving instructions. And to me 13 is a great age to teach your son to shave, whether you need a microscope to see his upper lip fur or not.

Just let him decide if he wants to experiment with different hard or wet gear. I am not sure if he has a job or any other ways to earn money, so your gear or your money might want to be used by him, lol.

And has been said already an update about you and your son's lesson/s would be a good thing to read about.

 

[Bsamps]

My first two sons didn’t have any interest in shaving and I didn’t push it. Eventually the 2nd son, after entering the US Naval Academy discovered a de razor from a room mate. The first son looks like a ZZ Top band member wanna be. The third son who is about to be 21, took an interest in de shaving when I started, and shaves almost every day with his great grandpa’s slim. I think eventually your son will take an interest with it as long as you keep him engaged with shaving. I wish I spent more time with #1 while I was shaving.

 

[Merchant Seaman Z]

I got a 10 yr old. He has his own shaving supplies. He likes to watch me shave when I’m home. I’ll do a narrated “walk thru” shave on me, while he’s there. And he also does his own shaves with no blade. While I talk him through. But whenever your son wants to shave. I would just guide him through. And show him the ropes.

 

[ERS4]

When I first entered middle school, my dad just threw a Schick FX Diamond Razor at me and told me I could use his lather, and that was my first razor.
At that time, I only shaved during the weekly hygiene inspection at school. (I live in Asia)

By the time I was about to go to college, my dad had simplified his shaving to a few cheap electric razors, and he bought me a few when they were on sale; however, I still carried the Schick FX Diamond Razor and the Schick Protector Go to school (because my mom was afraid I would lose my electric razor) (I don't understand her thoughts).

After graduation, I tried various methods including manual clipper.
It wasn’t until I was 30 years old, when I bought a $3 Chinese DE online, that I really got into wet shaving and started collecting razors.

And my dad is more dependent on the electric razor than before.
The DE I gave him was pushed to the deep end of the drawer, and he didn't even notice when I gave it to someone else.

------
My conclusion is, don't rush.
You can give him a razor and tell him or demonstrate once how to use it/what the tricks are, and then leave it entirely to him to develop.You can choose a relaxing weekend to do it.

Maybe he will fall in love with wet shaving one day, maybe he will fall in love with electric razors like my dad, maybe his female classmates will like his beard better, all of these are good.

 

[NorthernSoul]

Most teenagers like things to be easy. So, you could get him a Trac II handle and a set of twin blade cartridges. There's a very short learning curve. These have been around forever and can be pretty inexpensive ($7 for the handle + $13 for 50 Personna twin blade cartridges.

 

[Mike M]

I have 4 sons and he will let you know when he is ready. Despite being a DE shaver I taught 2 of them with carts because that was what they wanted. One switched to DE after a few shaves due to sensitive skin the other one after a couple of years due to the cost of carts. One shaved with me without a blade for a few years before he needed to shave for real. The last one got his then 10 year old brother to teach him before I gave him the full course.
As "enthusiasts" we tend to forget that not everyone is as enthusiastic about wet shaving as we are. It may surprise you to learn that the younger generation mostly see shaving as a means to removing hair from their faces.
Once you follow this forum for a while you will see threads regularly pop up on what gear should I buy my offspring and almost without fail people tend to recommend their own favorite setup because that is what works best for them. It is best to remember that we all come into this hobby with little idea what works for us and the gear we start with is seldom what we end up using. I started my lads with plastic Wilkinson Sword razors because they aren't quite as threatening as an R41. Despite having a collection of higher end soaps at their disposal my kids all prefer Proraso soaps.
Your best bet is to concentrate on improving your own skills and wait until your son is ready to start shaving, but there is no harm in letting him know you are there for him, you don't need to push him.
I agree with many of the posters on this thread and if you follow even half the advice you've been given your son will indeed be well prepared.

P.s. Sorry for the lengthy response

 

[Merchant Seaman Z]

Most teenagers like things to be easy. So, you could get him a Trac II handle and a set of twin blade cartridges. There's a very short learning curve. These have been around forever and can be pretty inexpensive ($7 for the handle + $13 for 50 Personna twin blade cartridges.

View attachment 1980839 View attachment 1980841

Most teenagers?

 

[Frito Ray]

Teach him now, before he gets attached to his teenage pinch. They look awful.





Perhaps asking his opinion on the looks of a razor or smell of a cream for yourself (wink wink) could peak his intrest.

 

[Lane101]

I just started shaving with a safety razor this past Christmas and I feel like I am really learning to shave for the first time. I am deliberate, detail oriented, and love to learn so I enjoy exploring shave technique, different razors, and different blades to try to get the optimal shave.

Meanwhile, my son is 13 and he's got enough just enough on his upper lip that you will easily notice if you're looking for it. With the amount of facial hair he has now, I figure just about any razor/blades you can buy would easily take it off his face. It would not require three passes. It would not require worrying about the grain direction. And he is not the most detail oriented. He tends to do tasks quickly and if it is "good enough" then he is on to the next thing without a second thought about whether it could have been improved.

So right now I am wrestling with how and especially when I should teach him to shave. Should I start now? Should I wait or revisit when he's got "enough" facial hair? Any advice?

When he is interested and at the point when he needs to shave. In our case my son sought advice a few years ago when his beard started to come in and opted for the convenience of one of my old Norelco rotary shavers. No interest in wet shaving and sees no need for BBS shaves when many of his peers have adopted the "scruffy" look of a short beard.

My nephew, who is a few years older, is fully into the "week old beard" look and currently uses a trimmer to maintain it neatly. I have gifted him a full DE shaving set that he experimented with and perhaps will use again some day should beard styles revert to a primarily clean shaven look.

P.S. I was never given shaving instructions by anyone. My dad used an electric as the texture of his skin made use of a DE challenging. As I started college I began to shave and had to figure out what to use on my own. Was able to see what fellow students in the dorm were using. Started with a Gillette Super Adjustable and a can of cheap generic drug store shaving foam that worked well enough for a good enough one pass DFS. Shaved that way for five years until my soon to be wife gifted me a Norelco rotary.

 

[nlife]

My son is 13 and has enough facial hair to notice, but not really much more than that. He knows I like to shave and that I'm here if he want's to ask any questions or try shaving.

I don't know if he's going to be into shaving since he seems to be a bit of a hair farmer. He's growing a fine head of long hippy hair. He must get it from his mom since my hair has been on the retreat since grade 10.

I watched my dad shave a few times when I was a kid, but he never taught me how to shave. I tried his Bic Orange and White single blade disposables when no one was around and they cut me up bad. When I eventually picked up the Gillette Sensor twin blade razor he told me to be careful because it was "a mans razor". I had much better results and a lot less blood. I eventually moved on to the Mach3 Power and the Fusion 5 Power after my Mach3 Power died. I did find two Mach3 Power on sale some time ago, but I haven't really used much since I switched over to DE.

 

[BigJ]

I don't have a son. If I did, I'd just say to him:

"Let me know when you're ready, and I'll show you the traditional way of wet shaving."

It's up to him, no pressure. He may decide, like millions of men, that a can, cartridge, and one pass is good enough.

+1! Yes indeed!! Best to let him decide the question, with you there to help with his journey.

 

[Pacman225]

I had one son ask me at 14 and his brother asked at 13. I just started with something simple, bic disposable. I figured they're pretty mild. I used proraso red for one and just some Dollar Shave Club shave butter for the other. I'm kind of letting them experiment with different soaps and creams and having them watch me from time to time til they decide on what they want to use. I also figure we'll evolve into like the Gillette Skinguard or Mach 3 and then a traditional de. Maybe the Vanderhagen or King C Gillette. I hear they're both mild razors.