DE Shaving

[Compaq]

If you can survive not fixing the knife itself, you could send it for repair. Old knives are cool. One can stumble upon many a gem in flea markets or antique stores.

 

[Stradawhovious]

Lord knows when the last time that razor was honed, and its not.touching my face until it is. I have a 12,000 grit stone, so I might do it myself, but will more likely send it off to get done right. If I.get around to it I will post up some pics later.

 

[Derrel]

If you need three passes to cut off the hair you're clearly doing it wrong. Ask anybody who has been to barber college...three passes is considered poor technique. But then, as you said you came to this hobby on your own. Perhaps your shaving lather is far,far to heavily applied, and that's why you need three passes. Perhaps you're not man enough to press down hard enough, and are using a queen's touch, and the blade is barely skimming over the skin...or perhaps you're shaving the first thing upon waking, with all the fluid still in your face..or perhaps you're realllllllly over-doing the hot towelling, and the whiskers are so soft and so limp that you need three passes, including one against the grain, to get a decent shave. Or perhaps you are cinching the razor blade so,so tightly in the razor that barely any blade is exposed, and then a combination of factors are preventing the razor blade from doing its work properly, in one single pass.

The idea of a razor is that the blade is "razor sharp"...and that with the right prep, and some lather, not a huge volume, and not a razor-clogging consistency, that the whiskers can be shaved off with one, single pass...not haggling them off in three, separate passes...that's just, well...there's clearly something wrong with the routine if three passes are required to get a decent shave.

Man up...expose more blade, use less lather, put a bit of pressure on the razor...learn to shave without haggling the whiskers off in three baby steps...there...I said it.

Have you actually gone to a proper barber, and had a good shave done? Try and find an old guy. Somebody 65 or older.

 

[Stradawhovious]

Redacted.

I'm not getting sucked into an intrawebs fight.


Shave however you want, but please save your insults and condescention for someone else.

Thanks.

 

[MissCream]

My husband has to shave everyday for his job and he gets crazy bad razor burn. I wonder if this kind of shaving would help...

 

[Stradawhovious]

My husband has to shave everyday for his job and he gets crazy bad razor burn. I wonder if this kind of shaving would help...

Theres only one way to find out............ And Christmas is right around the corner!

But the answer is really yes, provided he does it right and doesn't treat it like a disposable.

The expense to start up is negligible. The only real cost is the razor, and you can find those for as little as $10-$20....... or as much as you want to spend. A friend got mine at a garage sale for a dollar. Blades are 5 for a dollar (the ones I use anyways), my soap was $2 for a puck, my brush (albeit a cheap one) was $8, my preshave oil was free and my shave cream was $6

If you add it up, it all costs about the same as a small number of refills for a mach 5 or whatevr he's using now.

Also, if you ask my wife, she will tell you she likes it too. Apparently I smell pretty now.

ETA For Miss Cream.... Read this and see if it is something your husband might like.

http://zenhabits.net/the-zen-of-shaving-how-a-double-edge-razor-can-change-your-life/

 

[Compaq]

Derrel, I feel for you, man. Not because you "shave like a man". Not because of your superior lathering technique. Not because you're pressing that razor against your skin like a bawwws. No, it's because you have missed ONE very simple, yet extremely important, part of shaving.

There are no absolutes in shaving!!!


We are not all alike. Your skin is probably different from mine, which is different from my neighbour's. You cannot claim that YOUR way is the better way than any one else's. Shaving is a highly individual thing. Some people like to use aggressive razors and use as few passes as possible. Other people, like myself, prefer a milder razor and more passes. I have found a few soaps that really work well with the setup I have. I experiment from time to time, try out the new razor I bought, try out blade buffing, shave with left hand just to try it... My point is this: you have your routines and I have mine. Stradawhovious has his own, and I'm guessing Bitter has non at all. Don't come and mock other people's routines, you just come off as high horsed .......

Your facial hairs may grow in another direction throughout your face than mine, that may require special attention. Perhaps you can get away with "breaking the rules" and use pressure and just do one pass, but most poeple, yes most people, cannot due to sensitive skin. If I apply too much pressure with my Gillette Tech (which is a very mild razor), I get redness. No, that's not because of my lather, my lather is fine, it's because of my skin. Some parts of my face can are tougher than others, perhaps your face is tough all over.

Just don't claim to have found the universal best method for shaving, because, quite frankly, you're ridiculing yourself.

Ohh, and MissCream, should your husband be interested, tell him to check out Mantic59's videos on youtube. He has created a "learning portal" where he explains concepts very nicely, and shows more advanced shaving methods.

http://www.youtube.com/user/mantic59

 

[Compaq]

Ohh, btw, when your big restoration project starts, this might be helpful!

Brush Making and Restorations

 

[MissCream]

My husband has to shave everyday for his job and he gets crazy bad razor burn. I wonder if this kind of shaving would help...

Theres only one way to find out............ And Christmas is right around the corner!

But the answer is really yes, provided he does it right and doesn't treat it like a disposable.

The expense to start up is negligible. The only real cost is the razor, and you can find those for as little as $10-$20....... or as much as you want to spend. A friend got mine at a garage sale for a dollar. Blades are 5 for a dollar (the ones I use anyways), my soap was $2 for a puck, my brush (albeit a cheap one) was $8, my preshave oil was free and my shave cream was $6

If you add it up, it all costs about the same as a small number of refills for a mach 5 or whatevr he's using now.

Also, if you ask my wife, she will tell you she likes it too. Apparently I smell pretty now.

ETA For Miss Cream.... Read this and see if it is something your husband might like.

» The Zen of Shaving: How a Double-edge Razor Can Change Your Life :zenhabits

Sweet thanks!!

 

[GeorgieGirl]

Apparently only boys shave with razors? Guess what...a few of us girls know how to work the blades soft and supple too....

 

[Stradawhovious]

Ohh, btw, when you're big restoration project starts, this might be helpful!Brush Making and Restorations

Thanks a ton, buddy.......... I think you're responsible for creating yet another addiction/hobby.

 

[Compaq]

Apparently only boys shave with razors? Guess what...a few of us girls know how to work the blades soft and supple too....

I have addressed this already

edit: ladies, traditional wet shaving isn't just for men. I know you shave, though I won't go into what. Lathering up is a nice feeling, though maybe not dow.... ahrmm...

 

[Stradawhovious]

Well, I whipped out the ole 12k grit Japanese water stone yesterday and honed up the old straight razor. Stropped it up and its ready to rock and roll. I haven't had the balls to do a complete shave with it, but I did one side of my face, and it kicks ass. maybe someday soon I will grow a pair and do a shave with it.

 

[bruce282]

Given a normal beard, how many shaves can one expect before needing a DE blade change?

Bruce

 

[Compaq]

Strada, awesome!! I'm jealous!

I'd say with normal beard growth around 5-7 shaves. It varies, though, on several factors:

Beard
Blade brand (each brand feels different on your skin, and its performance will even vary with the razor)
How sharp you need the blade to be.

At www.westcoastshaving.com you get blade sampler packs inexpensively. Highly recommended.