Life Hack: Shaving

[jedi_mind]

Alright so I wore a beard for a long time, and had to shave recently for my new career (EMT)

 

At first I bought a buzzer thinking it was easiest, since it didn't involve soap. It literally couldn't stand up to my beard. I used a hair cut trimmer to bring it down to a short enough length and it still couldn't do it. I bought some razors with four blades and some goopy canned shaving cream and ending up cutting my face just about every time I used to damn thing. So finally I looked things up online and found an article I've since used to master shaving like a boss:

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2008/01/04/how-to-shave-like-your-grandpa/

I won't bother to write how to shave with these things because the guy who runs that site already did a great job. But I do wanna talk about the reasons why I think it's a good idea.

 

Cost The cost of blades and soap is crazy cheap. Of course you need a brush but I found a cheap for like ten bucks and can't imagine needing to replace it any time soon. Boar's hair is like $10 or so, badger is like $30. I think badger is softer but I'm cheap so there.

I attatched a couple images to help me illustrate this point, the first one is the soap I bought. I got a 3 pack from Amazon for I think ten or fifteen dollars, and I've been using the first pack for 7 months now. I have at least one more month if not more out of it. And the razors. I use a new one twice a week which is generous. I used one for two weeks without a huge difference once, just to see if it would ever feel more dull. It doesn't feel too different but gives me razor burn, so that's when I know it's too dull. The picture below was a variety pack bought on amazon for twenty bucks and I estimate I'll get about a year out of it (two blades a week, 52 weeks a year = 104 blades...this pack had 100 so almost)

 

 

Effectiveness Like I said any other method can't get my skin smooth, especially not without chewing it up in the process. My reading suggests that spreading the force across your face with five different blades doesn't actually help reduce cuts, but it reduces your control over said blades. While you apply force your skin folds in between the blades just enough for the small nicks we call razor burn.

The one platinum or stainless steel blade in a safety razor is so much sharper you apply a lot less force across your face to cut some hairs down. And since it's only one blade your control is better, giving you a more precise shave.

 

Environmental Impact Similar to saving costs, the resources necessary are so much less with this method. The plastic cartridges or even disposable razors are so much more material to be thrown away once or twice a week than these very small, all metal blades I feel better about my foot print. And the soaps are not in aeresol cans, they come in very minimal packaging, and last for-ev-er, meaning you'll toss out like one empty container of soap a year.

 

 

Then, after the shave, I swore that Brut aftershave was giving me a headache so I learned how to make my own. I took a bunch of different recopies online and developed an aftershave I like a lot, enough so I won't go back to what's at the store. I'll post it here but please keep in mind the recipe is extremely approximate:

 

1ea orange peel (eat the orange, put the peel in the bottle)

16oz witch hazel

4oz rum, i used sailor jerries

xx drops of juniper berries essential oil

1oz vanilla extract

4oz h2o (you can probably even skip this, honestly)

Put all ingredients in a mason jar or whatever's easy.

Let this sit for a week so the orange peel extracts into the smell.

Then I pour it through a funnel back into the witch hazel bottle for day to day use

Only a couple splashes will fix you up.

 

This is a  very different bay rum than what you will traditionally find. First off I use witch hazel for the main ingredient, instead of rubbing alcohol. Next off I didn't have bay leaves handy but I had essential oil from juniper berries. I'm lazy and cheap so I used those instead, and I really like the result. So I guess it's missing the bay in bay rum lol.

If you alter this recipe or use another one online, remember that witch hazel is about half as strong as rubbing alchohol in terms of an active ingredient. If you wanted that in this recipe I would do 8oz rubbing alchahol, and 12oz water (instead of 4oz) so that you end up with the same ratios of ingredients, compensating for the active ingredient.

 

 

Alright thanks for reading through this guys, I thought this was gonna be a lot shorter than it ended up being. BUT! If you hate shaving like I did please give it a thought and read some real articles about it. I bet you'll feel more in control of your heigine, and you'll feel badass for learning how to actually take care of your face instead of just fighting with it lol.

 

Lemme know how it goes!

[hawgsquatch]

Ahaa you have tapped the energy of my inner nerdness. I have been wet shaving for about three years now. I have been using vintage Gillette double edged razors and now I graduated to a straight razor and strop. I picked up some old shaving mugs and vintage brushes at swap meets and have been going strong since. You can save loads of money this way and I do find that my skin is much, much smoother and I no longer get razor burn or ingrown hairs on my neck. Plus I get the hobby of collecting aftershaves, ( I have 40). I get complements on my smell at work all the time. There is something about using a seventy year old razor to shave with that gets me all nostalgic. I also enjoy shaving now where before it was just a pain in the ass chore. I love the Art of Manliness blog. There are lots of great topics on there. I also am active on the badgerandblade shaving forums. It is a community of weirdos just like here, who's mutual passion is getting a great shave with old stuff. If you need bay leaves I have a bay laurel tree in my yard and I would gladly send you some. PM me.

[Metalhead]

I've been interested in this a while, and this has piqued my interest again. Might actually dive in and join the club. I keep a beard; however, I do keep it maintained and corral it to no lower than the jaw bone. 

[jedi_mind]

Cool then razor blades will last you forever. I read that article and watched a few YouTube videos and talked with the guy at the cutlery suite whoop sold me the razor to get me technique figures out. The only hard part is the lather that took a week of practice. Good lather looks look like late foam

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[Metalhead]

I stumbled up on this on Amazon. Seems to be a pretty good deal for a beginner setup. Uses the Merkur razor which on its own has excellent reviews along with a badger brush. 

[BigWill722]

I started wet shaving in March of 2011 and I freaking LOVE it! I used to trim with a pair of trimmers so that I wouldn't get ingrown hairs and somehow I ran across wet shaving. I have bought DE blades once ( a pack of 25 or so ) and they are just now about to run out. I have only used 2 shaving soaps and I bought my first shaving cream ( C.O. Bigelow ) and that stuff is fantastic.

 

I like to warm up water in the Keurig and fill up my soap bowl to get it warm and dip my brush it in to get it warm. Then I pour out the water, add a dollop of shaving cream and make a nice lather. Warm lather feels so good on the skin  . I have put in less than $50 and it has been a great decision. I would like to use a straight razor but those are a little pricey, but one day I probably will get one.

[Metalhead]

I started wet shaving in March of 2011 and I freaking LOVE it! I used to trim with a pair of trimmers so that I wouldn't get ingrown hairs and somehow I ran across wet shaving. I have bought DE blades once ( a pack of 25 or so ) and they are just now about to run out. I have only used 2 shaving soaps and I bought my first shaving cream ( C.O. Bigelow ) and that stuff is fantastic.

 

 

C.O. Bigelow - Don't they sale some of their stuff in Bath & Body Works? I only know this because my wife loves the place and I tend to be drug in very regularly.

[BigWill722]

C.O. Bigelow - Don't they sale some of their stuff in Bath & Body Works? I only know this because my wife loves the place and I tend to be drug in very regularly.

 

Yup that's where I got it from. I feel weird walking in there but it's for a manly reason so I go in with my head held high  . It last for a long time too.

[hawgsquatch]

The CO Bigelo goes on sale for three tubes for 20 bucks fairly often. It is just Proraso green in a tube. I am off to go hit some antique stores for my next vintage razor swoop. I got a 1940 schtick injector for a buck last week,

[Superman116]

Now this is something I'm going to have to try. I always get razor burn, and I've tried all sorts of new razors and creams and nothing seems to work.

[CarlosDanger]

Now this is something I'm going to have to try. I always get razor burn, and I've tried all sorts of new razors and creams and nothing seems to work.

Have you ever thought it could be your shaving technique? I know for me that was one of the things I changed to prevent razor burn.

[BigWill722]

Make sure you don't use too much pressure and don't go over the same area multiple times, it causes irritation. If you use shaving cream from the can I would suggest to use shaving soap or shaving cream from the tube, it is just better.

[Superman116]

Have you ever thought it could be your shaving technique? I know for me that was one of the things I changed to prevent razor burn.

I suppose it could be. How could know?

[CarlosDanger]

I suppose it could be. How could know?

I simply did a google search on what can cause razor burn and realized, at least for me, that shaving across the grain was causing this irritation.However, there are multiple ways that one could get razor burn. It could be that you're shaving in one area too many times, shaving across the grain(like me), using 4-5 blade razors, or simply pressing too roughly on your face. Or, as Bigwill suggested, using a shaving cream/soap/gel that is aggravating your skin, which you may need to change to cause no more irritation, but that's only if none of the other methods didn't work for you.

[jedi_mind]

With the grain helps me with burn. I go perpendicular on the goatee where resistance is strong, against under my chin where it's thinner. Otherwise it's all with the grain

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[BigWill722]

I also go with the grain. I do two passes to make sure that I get everything. For me the goal isn't to take out everything with one pass but gradually taking it off.

[hawgsquatch]

i do a four pass shave WTG, XTG, ATG, WTG.  This gives me a great shave. As long as I watch pressure and use a quality soap.

[jedi_mind]

oK so I want to write this down somewhere so I don't forget:

 

Merker blades: worked out nicely, came in the nice plastic case. These ones came from the shave shop and lasted a long time. Good.

 

Diamond: Also came in nicer plastic case, good quality, lasted a long time.

 

Shark stainless: a little rough and didn't seem to get a super clean cut. Not my favorites.

 

7am platinum: cuts my hair down really nicely and glides smooth at first but dulls out quickly

 

I'm starting to notice a trend: platinum > steel (duh, right?)

[Hong WeiLoh]

Seconding the straight-razor option. Yes, you will avulse your face a few times, but once you get your technique down and your "feel" for the razor dialed-in, you're set for life. Amazingly close shaves with little to no burn or irritation await. :-)

[jedi_mind]

that's an eventual next step for me

[brendon_small]

I'm looking to get a nice straight razor, but I did try using a shavette. Basically, it is a handle that you can insert the blades into and use like a straight razor, but from my understanding it is a little different. To be honest, I love it. I've been using it for the better part of a year and haven't gone through that many blades, and it came with multiple blade holders, including some that can hold safety razor blades snapped in half, which saves a little bit of cash also.

 

- Brendon

[Mechagodzilla]

I stumbled up on this on Amazon. Seems to be a pretty good deal for a beginner setup. Uses the Merkur razor which on its own has excellent reviews along with a badger brush. 

 

This is the exact set that got me started with safety razor shaving. 

Here is something else I would get: http://www.amazon.com/FEATHER-NACET-BLUEBIRD-Blade-Sampler/dp/B002Z85VJK/ref=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1387833385&sr=1-2&keywords=DE+blade+variety+pack

 

Blades are different and different brands work better for different people.

[rocky555]

I am shaving with DE for about a year now. Much more satisfied if compared with Mach3 and similar catridge razors.

 

DE shaving is:

- more enjoyable

- interesting

- sometimes challenging

- better for the skin

- cheaper (unles you go overboard with buying razors, soaps etc...)

 

Go and try it for yourself, maybe you will become hooked.

 

I also tested straight razor shaving. It is cool, but not my cup of tea.

 

This is the forum for shaving, you can find a lot of instructions and advises there:

http://www.badgerandblade.com/

 

As for beginner razor I would recommend Edwin Jagger 89, aka EJ89.

Also vintage adjustable Gillete Slim or Fatboys are very good. You can set aggresivnes from 1 to 9 to suit your needs.

 

Good and cheap brushes can be ordered from Ebay. You can buy Frank Shaving brushes, but in finest gradation, not silvertip (there were some quality problems with their silvertips). I have their finest badger, 24mm knot and it lost maybe 10 hairs in 6 months of use, while being excellent brush for making the lather. It cost me 22$.

Even if you use Mach3 and similar catridges, you would benefit from using brush and soap/cream instead of using pressurized can with cream/gel.

 

Easiest way to make lather for beginners (IMHO) is using of soap in stick and face lathering. There are a lot of youtube videos and tutorials on the lather making.

 

Blade choice is very individual. One blade can be great for you in one razor, but in other razor maybe it will be terrible. One combination can be great for me, but terrible for you.

I recommend that you order a sample pack with 10-20 different types of blades and find out which works best for you.

[Kevin Mack]

I got a Gillette Super Speed at an antique store for five bucks and it shaves great (older than my dad too). A large Col. Conk soap lasts months and I get my blades at the BX at $1.49 for 10. The only thing you really want to spend a lot of money on is the brush and it is worth it.

[j-squared]

I got a straight razer for Christmas, with all the fixings (strop, soaps, mug, etc.) - so far it has been a good and enjoyable learning experience.