Shaving

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I'm a twice a week shaver, ideally i'd shave more but my skin can't handle a razor before ~3 days since the prior shave.

I've been using this for the past 2 weeks, and it's just absolutely outstanding:

Jack Black's Beard Lube

I use a schick hydro and I've avoided redness, ingrowns etc now for these past 2 weeks.

Also over the summer i purchased a fog-free mirror that I installed in my shower. Definitely improves the quality/ease of my shaves doing it in the scalding hot shower water.
 
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I was the same way, twice a week only due to irritation, but I switched to DE shaving, and its a different ballgame, I can shave everyday no problem. In the end its cheaper too, (10 cents for a 5 use blade).
 

Sir Funk

Lord Nagafen Raider
1,251
155
I still use a regular razor, but what I have done is switch to a shaving cream that is applied with a brush, and it has been a night and day difference in the quality of shave I get, with no razorburn.

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Shaving-La...aving+lavender
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http://www.amazon.com/Escali-100%25-...=shaving+brush
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Those are what I purchased. That change alone has been all the difference in the world for me--someone who hasn't had a completely clean shave in years previous to this switch.
 

chaos

Buzzfeed Editor
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I've been interested in a safety razor setup for a while, anyone have experience?
I switched to a Merkur long handle safety razor about 3 months ago. I use that along with the shaving cream that Sir Funk linked, and their preshave oil and aftershave lotion, and a brush. It really is night and day, you get a much closer shave and less irritation.

I am having issues lately because my shifts rotate at work so now that I am back to day shift I need to shave every other day. I do seem to be getting some irritation from the razor. I am pretty sure this has more to do with technique than anything so I am going to work on that. In the store the woman I talked to really stressed how important it is to let the weight of the razor do the cutting and not to apply pressure, which is a difficult habit to get into.
 
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I've been interested in a safety razor setup for a while, anyone have experience?
Yeah, I made the switch about a year ago, theres a good amount of stuff to think about when buying your shit, but if u dont mind used (the razors clean up beautifully with scrubbing bubbles as long as the plating it ok) get a Gillette tech on ebay for a few bucks, great starter razor. For blades, I'd suggest a blade sampler from Westcoastshaving.com, as there's big differences between blades (Some are mild as hell and Feathers will eat your face alive if you're new to them), I like Astra SP's, a good in between and about 10 bucks for 100 blades.

As for brushes/soap if you wanna do that too, I picked up a cheap badger brush on Amazon for cheap (theres different classifications of badger brushes, Silvertip being the best). Razorock soap is cheap and really damn good.
 

Joeboo

Molten Core Raider
8,157
140
I just started shaving with a double-edge(DE) safety razor a few weeks ago, and while it seems like much less irritation than my old Fusion cartridges, I think some of the techniques people stress for DE shaving would have also improved shaving with cartridge/disposable razors too.

Using a brush + shaving cream is huge. Massage it in to your face for a good minute or so. When I shaved with my Mach 3 I always just put some shaving cream in my hand, rubbed it on my face real quick, and then shaved. Rubbing the lather onto your face with a brush not only applies it to all the individual hairs better, but works up the lather much better as well and the brush swirling around on your face tends to push your whiskers upright for easier shaving

The second main factor is to figure out which way your hair grows. I started using the technique with my DE of doing one pass of shaving completely WITH the grain of my facial hear, then rather than the second pass being against the grain(irritation), the second pass is at a 90-degree angle to the grain, or across the grain. So basically if shaving north to south is with the grain, and south to north is against the grain, then an east-west motion would be across. Gets you a closer shave than only going with the grain, but doesn't irritate as bad as going completely against it.

A lot of people do a third pass of against the grain at that point, but I find that it still irritates my skin, even though there isn't much left after the first 2 passes, so I just skip that now(plus, who has time for shaving basically 3 times, I'm usually cutting it close as it is with not being late to work)

Also obviously re-lather between each pass, which if you have a brush is no big deal, it'll still be lathered up from the first time when you use it the 2nd.
 

Joeboo

Molten Core Raider
8,157
140
And as far as shaving with a safety razor, the biggest thing I keep reading from everyone is to find the right blade for you. All razor blades are not created equal, buy a sampler pack of blades off of Amazon and experiment. Everyone is different and there is no correct choice that works for everyone. One razor brand/style that works great for you might feel like a cheese grater to someone else, everyones skin and hair types are different. My first sampler pack should be arriving next week, I ordered this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ls_o00_s00_i00

Those "Art of Shaving" stores that are all around have some nice stuff, but they are pretty expensive compared to just buying the products online. Also as far as blades go, those stores are owned by Gillette, so they only carry their razor blades.

But once you find the blade that works for you, buying in bulk is usually pretty damn cheap, a lot of brands are as cheap as $5-$10 for a 100-pack of razors. So it's pretty economical to just use a fresh, new razor for every single shave and that really cuts down on irritation too.
 

BrutulTM

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
<Silver Donator>
14,366
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For those that aren't romantic about shaving, has anyone tried this?

http://www.dollarshaveclub.com/
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The medium plan is $6 a month and they send four 4-blade cartridges to you in the mail every month. This is a bit more than half the price of Gillette Mach 3 cartridges and you don't have to pick them up from the store. You can also go every other month which would probably work for me since I usually only shave 2-3 times a week. If the razors don't suck it seems like a great deal.

rrr_img_7523.gif
 

Tarrant

<Prior Amod>
15,516
8,969
Oh man, let me know if those blades are junk or not....the amount of savings there is insane if they are at least half decent.
 

Kuriin

Just a Nurse
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1,020
We talked about the Dollar Shave Club back on FoH. I think the general consensus was that they were OK, but they weren't phenomenal blades.

I tried the safety razor from Merck, bought the pre-shave oil and all that jazz from Art of Shaving. Extremely expensive and I found the results to be a little lacking. Definitely took longer to shave. Used it for about ~2-3 months hoping I would speed up but it didn't work. Closeness of the shave is similar to that of a normal razor for me.

I love badger brushes, though. How long do these last before you need to buy another?
 

Lendarios

Trump's Staff
<Gold Donor>
19,360
-17,424
any links or recommendations the old styles razors? i think they are called one two and three pieces.
 

Sir Funk

Lord Nagafen Raider
1,251
155
I love badger brushes, though. How long do these last before you need to buy another?
They will last a looong time if you aren't abusing them. The one I posted above, which is a cheapass one too, has been going strong for a year..maybe two now?

The biggest thing is to not stand it up when you're storing it (so that the hairs are pointing up), this causes the most damage to them. Ideally you'd want one of those stands that you can hang them from facing down, but I just lay it on its side after use and have had no problems whatsoever.
 

chaos

Buzzfeed Editor
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I have always been doing one pass with the grain and one pass against the grain, maybe that is my source of irritation. i will try out sideways instead of against. Might try out the sampler razor pack, too. I have been using the Gillette blades they sold at the store I got my razor at just because I thought all the razors would be pretty much the same. I don't know if it is the razor or my technique or what, but it seems I get a lot of irritation after my second pass, even little tiny cuts/bloodspots in the upper lip area.
 
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I have always been doing one pass with the grain and one pass against the grain, maybe that is my source of irritation. i will try out sideways instead of against. Might try out the sampler razor pack, too. I have been using the Gillette blades they sold at the store I got my razor at just because I thought all the razors would be pretty much the same. I don't know if it is the razor or my technique or what, but it seems I get a lot of irritation after my second pass, even little tiny cuts/bloodspots in the upper lip area.
Yeah, both good ideas there. The different blades perform very differently so a sampler will let you find what works best for you (different blades also have different lifespans as well). Also there are certain spots I just cant go against the grain with (upper lip and neck) because I get ingrown hairs and irritation, so I just go across the grain in those areas.

If you keep having these problems, you might not wanna hear it but you might have a razor thats just too aggresive for you. Try an adjustable razor set to the mildest and work your way up if thats the case.
 

Kuriin

Just a Nurse
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1,020
When I used a safety razor, I went with the grain, against the grain, and at an angle. It took like 30-40 minutes to shave, lol. Wonder how fast people can shave with a safety razor.
 

lurkingdirk

AssHat Taint
<Medals Crew>
39,965
166,879
I have incredibly sensitive skin, and my neck would always look like crap, and hurt, from shaving. What I started doing that made all the difference is:
1. shaving every day
2. shaving in the shower, at the end of the shower. Your pores are open, your skin much more forgiving.
3. buying any quality "sensitive skin" shaving cream
4. using a razor with four blades, and changing the head often.

I no longer have any redness on my neck, and it never hurts. It does use some extra hot water, as my showers take about 3-4 minutes longer as I shave, but it is totally worth it for my neck. Try it!
 
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When I used a safety razor, I went with the grain, against the grain, and at an angle. It took like 30-40 minutes to shave, lol. Wonder how fast people can shave with a safety razor.
At first it can take a while, 30 to 40 minutes is a little ridiculous, takes me a good 5 to 7 minutes, not too crazy.
 
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any links or recommendations the old styles razors? i think they are called one two and three pieces.
I'm assuming you mean double edge. Theres primarily 3 piece (head is two pieces that screw to the handle, thats how you change the blade) and 1 piece (turn to open butterfly head).

As for suggestions i know just the vintage shit, for a 3 piece I'd recommend a gillette tech, for a 1 piece, I'd suggest a gillette fatboy.