Things I have learned along the way in nearly 3 years of DE Safety Razor shaving.
1. Hold on loosely and don’t let go. If you’re coming over from swivel headed razors (Track 3 and the like), you’re going to have to learn how to not grip the razor handle so firmly. With the swivel heads and cheap plastic handles, you actually have to apply pressure to get the razors to work right. With DE shavers, you absolutely have to learn how to hold the razor loosely in your fingers and let the razor swivel and follow the contours of your face. If you don’t learn that, you won’t get the most out of the razor and you will learn how to use a styptic pencil.
2. Learn what a styptic pencil is and how to use it.
3. Technique far outweighs what razor/blade combo you’re using. You can have the “best” razor available and the sharpest blades installed (let’s just face it…that’s a Feather Hi-Stainless) and still not get a great (BBS) shave if your not skilled at shaving technique. Conversely, you can be using a cheapie razor (like a Weishi) and an average blade and get a fantastic shave thanks to technique learned over time.
4. DE Shaving is learned through trial and error. The errors often require above mentioned styptic pencil or an alum block.
5. Unless you genuinely have an interest in building a collection of every razor available, don’t buy multiple razors at first. Check the B&B site for recommendations for affordable and effective razors. Buy one and learn with that one. It’s far too tempting to jump on the “current popular oldie” and then not learn how to use that one razor to your best ability. This can discourage newbies when their new technique is set back by a new razor that might require a different angle of attack to be effective.
6. DO NOT BUY A BLADE SAMPLE PACK WHEN YOU FIRST START. Several reasons for this. One, if your pack includes Feathers, you will regret bad technique. Two, you won’t really find the optimum blade for you with your technique still at newb level. Three, a bad experience with a good blade can leave a bad impression due to your technique being insufficient. You could probably go back to that “bad blade” after a couple years and find out they’re actually quite good.
7. Pick a popular “average” blade to begin with and master that blade with your one razor. This will ensure that you’re results will be due to your technique and not the variables created by a different blade in a different razor AND your technique. That’s a very elusive moving target for a beginner to try and track down what needs improvement. Astra Platinum SP, Persona Blue Labs, Derby blades are all good blades for very good prices. $10-$12 per 100 blades is common online. You don’t have to buy 100, but for that money, why not? Use the same blades for a LEAST 6 months before you start experimenting. That gives you time to evaluate every shave and what was good and bad each time with no variables other than you and your technique.
8. In spite of what “purists” might preach, not all canned lather is “full of chemicals that will dry your skin.” On mornings when you just don’t have a lot of time, it’s a pretty good idea to keep a can of Barbasol around.
9. Even though it’s good to keep a can of cheap Barbasol around, brush/soap lathering tends to better prepare your whiskers due to the time it takes to get the lather worked up on your face. More than likely, you’ll get a more comfortable shave with the brush/soap approach.
10. If DE shavers scare you…don’t even consider straight razors. That’s a whole other hornet’s nest.
11. Just because a shaving “cream” or “soap” is in a tube doesn’t mean it can’t be really, really good. Proraso and others come in tubes and lather beautifully with a wet brush. Cremo products are incredibly slick and comfortable. Even some that come in tubs and feel like cold cream work very well. And some of the “butters” are also quite good products.
12. I don’t have any advice/learned-knowledge on brushes because I’ve been very happy with the $20 badger-haired brush I got online and haven’t felt the need to go any further. I used a boar brush years ago and thought that it too was good for that time, but I do think that the badger hair is the better way to go and there are some very affordable ones online.
I’ll update if/when I think of anything.
1. Hold on loosely and don’t let go. If you’re coming over from swivel headed razors (Track 3 and the like), you’re going to have to learn how to not grip the razor handle so firmly. With the swivel heads and cheap plastic handles, you actually have to apply pressure to get the razors to work right. With DE shavers, you absolutely have to learn how to hold the razor loosely in your fingers and let the razor swivel and follow the contours of your face. If you don’t learn that, you won’t get the most out of the razor and you will learn how to use a styptic pencil.
2. Learn what a styptic pencil is and how to use it.
3. Technique far outweighs what razor/blade combo you’re using. You can have the “best” razor available and the sharpest blades installed (let’s just face it…that’s a Feather Hi-Stainless) and still not get a great (BBS) shave if your not skilled at shaving technique. Conversely, you can be using a cheapie razor (like a Weishi) and an average blade and get a fantastic shave thanks to technique learned over time.
4. DE Shaving is learned through trial and error. The errors often require above mentioned styptic pencil or an alum block.
5. Unless you genuinely have an interest in building a collection of every razor available, don’t buy multiple razors at first. Check the B&B site for recommendations for affordable and effective razors. Buy one and learn with that one. It’s far too tempting to jump on the “current popular oldie” and then not learn how to use that one razor to your best ability. This can discourage newbies when their new technique is set back by a new razor that might require a different angle of attack to be effective.
6. DO NOT BUY A BLADE SAMPLE PACK WHEN YOU FIRST START. Several reasons for this. One, if your pack includes Feathers, you will regret bad technique. Two, you won’t really find the optimum blade for you with your technique still at newb level. Three, a bad experience with a good blade can leave a bad impression due to your technique being insufficient. You could probably go back to that “bad blade” after a couple years and find out they’re actually quite good.
7. Pick a popular “average” blade to begin with and master that blade with your one razor. This will ensure that you’re results will be due to your technique and not the variables created by a different blade in a different razor AND your technique. That’s a very elusive moving target for a beginner to try and track down what needs improvement. Astra Platinum SP, Persona Blue Labs, Derby blades are all good blades for very good prices. $10-$12 per 100 blades is common online. You don’t have to buy 100, but for that money, why not? Use the same blades for a LEAST 6 months before you start experimenting. That gives you time to evaluate every shave and what was good and bad each time with no variables other than you and your technique.
8. In spite of what “purists” might preach, not all canned lather is “full of chemicals that will dry your skin.” On mornings when you just don’t have a lot of time, it’s a pretty good idea to keep a can of Barbasol around.
9. Even though it’s good to keep a can of cheap Barbasol around, brush/soap lathering tends to better prepare your whiskers due to the time it takes to get the lather worked up on your face. More than likely, you’ll get a more comfortable shave with the brush/soap approach.
10. If DE shavers scare you…don’t even consider straight razors. That’s a whole other hornet’s nest.
11. Just because a shaving “cream” or “soap” is in a tube doesn’t mean it can’t be really, really good. Proraso and others come in tubes and lather beautifully with a wet brush. Cremo products are incredibly slick and comfortable. Even some that come in tubs and feel like cold cream work very well. And some of the “butters” are also quite good products.
12. I don’t have any advice/learned-knowledge on brushes because I’ve been very happy with the $20 badger-haired brush I got online and haven’t felt the need to go any further. I used a boar brush years ago and thought that it too was good for that time, but I do think that the badger hair is the better way to go and there are some very affordable ones online.
I’ll update if/when I think of anything.
