Razor Burn: A Flood of Fancy Shavers Leaves Some Men Feeling Nicked
online.wsj.com
online.wsj.com
I bailed on modern shaving equipment in favor of antique (100+ yrs old minimum) straight razors over a year ago and I haven't looked back since.
Initial investment was roughly $200 for a good shave ready razor, soap, brush and a strop. My first multi-pass shave took me about an hour to complete.
Once I had my basic shaving technique down I bought a set of hones and started learning how to restore vintage razors to active use.
After a year and a half my findings are as follows:
- shaving with a straight provides the smoothest possible shave and turns shaving from a chore to a meditative experience that isn't to be missed.
- It's possible to do a three pass shave with touchup in 15 minutes without rushing.
- shaving with a straight is not economical compared to disposables.
- The fact that it's possible to restore a 150+ year old straight razor to perfect working order (I know this because I've done it myself) says quite a bit about modern build quality and designed obsolescence.
Short term: get in touch with one of the honemasters (Lynn does incredible work) on the forums and make arrangements to send your razor in for a professional hone.
Mid-term: examine the quality of your strop and your stropping technique. Assuming you have a quality razor a good strop and solid technique should keep it shave-ready for months at a time. Poor stropping technique is the leading cause of premature dulling.
Long term: browse the forums and howto sections for detailed information on honing and restoration techniques, procure quality hones if you haven't already done so, and then pick up some $10 ebay specials to practice your technique on until you've got it dialed.
It doesn't actually. It's simply selection bias. All the bad razors were thrown out years ago. The ones that were saved were the good ones.
Overall quality and price point for razors manufactured over the last 150 years or so are generally well documented, and there are more everyman cheapo razors floating around on the market than heirloom collector's items. Having done restorations on both types I can tell you "cheap" razors typically shave just as well (or better) than heirloom pieces.
Also it's substantially more likely that a "good" razor would have been used to death due to hone wear.
The initial investment in going to an old-school shaving setup is about $100. Safety razor, some blades, badger-hair brush and saving soap. But the payoff is huge over time. A $5.00 bar of shaving soap can last 6 or 8 months with daily use. High-quality DE blades are $0.50-$0.80 ea, depending on quantity.
As the article states, it takes a little more time and finesse to get a full shave done, and I like that. It's been, for me, an enjoyable way to start the day with a routine that requires some craftsmanship and skill.
On a friends recommendation, I recently switched to one of those cheapo King Of Shaves. It looks ridiculous and it was a bit fiddly to get used to, but it's doing ok. Prefer it to the crumbling Mach 3 anyway.
You shave every day? I thought I shaved a lot at once a week.
I have a feeling there is a significant amount of age and/or cultural difference between us, as I would never consider a weekly shave anywhere near "normal". Though when I was younger (18ish) I could go a few days without needing a shave.
Good heavens, once a week? My stubble isn't as fast as some, but I'd look like a criminal. Do you have visible stubble by the time you shave, and just tolerate looking decidedly unshaven, or does it grow slowly?
More than that, though, the shave is just all around superior. It baffles me that people shave with Mach 3s or electric razors.
The one downside to the DE razors is that (at least in my area) local supply of blades is somewhat limited. The drugstores that do stock them just seem to carry whatever basic cheap-ass blades they can get. My guess is that they think these blades are only purchased by 80 year old men, probably passing up a good revenue opportunity.
I think I'll order some of the Feathers and give those a try next.
http://www.classicshaving.com/catalog/item/522941/906451.htm
There is http://connaughtshaving.com/samplepack.html in the UK but it sounds like you're US based.
I had quite a lot of problems with the Feathers blades when I tried them. I suggest you try them anyway as what works for me won't necessarily work for you and vice versa. Try a variety and find what works best for you.
It's so easy to learn and so much cheaper than a Mach3 I can't believe more people won't give it a try.
It is a weird feeling when you don't realize that you bleed until your hand touches your blood.
The cut is so clean that it also heals nicely.
Depending on things it would take me between 20-25 minutes to shave (using a Merkur, forget which one it was exactly) but I wasn't good at it at all, so you could properly cut it down to 15-20 minutes.
And there is nothing as good as getting out of bed at 5:30 to start a productive day.
Keep in mind I haven't done any stop-watch studies...
Shaving with a normal razor takes me about 5-7 minutes (I still use a plastic 2-blade razor when I travel). The DE razor probably doubles that, maybe in the range of 10-12 minutes.
At first it was much longer, like 15+ minutes until I got the feel of it. But after developing a technique, it goes pretty quick overall. Either way, the additional time is still on the order of 10-15 minutes at most, and should be an extra 5-8 or so when you get the hang of it.
As for time and enjoyment, it takes me probably 15+ minutes because I'm still getting the hang of it, maybe even 20 if I'm practicing a 3rd pass (for the perfect shave, you go with the grain, across the grain, against the grain, and your face will be smooth in all directions), but I feel good when I'm done.
Here's the issue: errors with a single blade safety razor are much worse. I didn't cut myself 99% of the time, but when I did, the cuts were large divots out of my skin. It sucks.
Go with the modern technology and leave the single blades to the obsessive.
I also only shave every other day, in large part due to how close of a shave you can get, though I also naturally don't grow hair quickly.
My favorite one regularly goes for about 5 bucks (They are usually tagged with: Canadian 1932 "military issue" like these: http://cgi.ebay.ca/LOT-2-GILLETTE-SAFETY-RAZORS-3-PIECES-BLA...).
The first week I shaved before bed to get the hang of it. Went slow, paid attention to technique, beard growth direction, etc.
After that I shave almost every morning after my shower. Takes ~10 minutes including Lather, Shave and Cleanup.
For me, I like it. I have a small collection of some cooler looking old DE razors. Buy blades for incredibly cheap. And can enjoy a variety of shaving creams.
Anyway, you can probably get started on the cheap if you have any living male relatives born before 1950. They probably have some old vintage Gillette razor that works just as well now as it did when they got it. Or, if you live near an antique or consignment store, you can find razors there cheap, probably between $5 - $10. They're easy to clean, too.
ADDED IN EDIT:
I personally don't like having a beard. Been there, done that, don't like it. Also, my wife would be 100% happy with me being (effectively) clean shaven all the time. Stubble is much less welcome.
Unfortunately I've started to get grey patches, and laser removal is less effective on grey hair. So just as I'm getting to the point where I could afford it, I'm developing the characteristics that make it less plausible/possible.
Typical.
(Although, I'm not sure I would do it anyway. Having facial hair as an older man seems like it would be a rite of passage.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_Darwin_by_Julia_Ma...
There is just something about his huge beard and the way he stares off into the distance.
This is also a good one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_Robert_Darwin_by_J...
But don't wait until you're old to try a beard! Grow it for six weeks, see if you like it!
The thing with laser is that it's technically (according to the FDA) laser hair reduction. When you zap the hair with the laser, it doesn't necessarily kill the follicle, but it does make the hair grow back thinner. Repeated treatments make the hair grow back thinner and thinner and eventually it does stop growing. But it can also later start growing back, so you tend to have to go back for 'touch up' appointments, even after the majority of the zapping is complete.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3Kxiom83Js
Basically, you're using the denim as a strop to rub off the debris which accumulates on the blade (which appears to be responsible for most of the dulling effect). The blades themselves remain sharp for ages.
I've been doing this for a while and now use each regular Mach 3 blade for 3-4 months of daily use.
I tried double-edged safeties (the aforementioned Merkurs), and didn't like them. They produce a shave quality identical to Mach3 or Fusion, but take quite a bit longer and result in more razor burn. The blades are cheap, certainly, but if you're going down that road, why not try a straight? Think of it as an investment in the environment: no more disposable trash to clutter landfills.
I don't know if supply of razors or blades is a huge problem. classicshaving.com always seems to have everything I've ever needed.
You don't burn your face as long as you re-lather with each pass, and I typically recommend pre-shave oil too. But, tThe Robert's wet method technique takes a bit of studying and practice.
Nevertheless I do agree with your first statement.. different strokes for different folks.
Google around for a while and look at all of the anecdotes, including the ones given in this thread. People say that everything is the best. It seems to me that a man's goal shouldn't be to find "the best" shaving setup, but instead the setup that works best for him. To that end, I've seen each of these setups described as "the best":
* Gillette (Mach3|Fusion) with (Brush & Mug|Shaving Gel|Shaving Foam)
* Straight Razor with Brush & Mug
* Double-Edged Safety Razor with Brush & Mug
* Buying a giant bag of disposable single/double-bladed razors, making a single stroke with each one and discarding it until you find one that was manufactured fantastically sharp, and nurse it with the "arm as a strop" technique for weeks and weeks until it's finally too torn up to use; repeat
Other techniques include:
* Shaving after you shower
* Shaving religiously every day (so that you are only ever shaving short hairs, increasing the life of your blade and preventing ingrown hairs since you don't let the hairs grow)
* Shaving once a week (so that you are only ever shaving hairs long enough to grow, increasing the life of your blade and preventing ingrown hairs since you shave less often).
(Yes, those last two are contradictory and I have heard that both are "the best".)
I went on a bit of a Shaving Odyssey a few years ago, determined to find a better solution than my Mach3 with shaving gel, which yields wildly inconsistent results. I think it has to do with the blades; occasionally I'll get a cartridge that lasts 6 shaves and leaves me delightfully smooth without a single nick, other times the brand new blade will be like shaving with nettles and I look like a zombie.
I sought out my barber, a salty Sicilian who had once given me the best shave of my life with a straight razor. I joined him for lunch and, while he scarfed down a chicken parm hero, I asked him if I should learn to use a straight razor.
"Listen," he said in his thick accent, brow furrowing gravely, "I won't lie to you. I speak to you now, like you are my own son." He mopped marinara sauce off of his lips.
"Don't shave with a straight razor."
I blinked. "What? But you..."
"You'll cut yourself into ribbons. I shave my customers with a straight razor, but you know what? I shave with a Mach3! If you want a close shave, shave every day. It doesn't matter what razor you use. The most important thing is shaving every day. My Mach3 blades last for months at a time."
I felt a little betrayed, but thanked him for his help and duly attempted shaving every day. It didn't work for me, and my Mach3 cartridges still lasted less than two weeks at very best. (Sometimes they will be unusable after only one shave!) I have discovered that my stubble shares some traits with steel wool, or perhaps barbed wire, and that sometimes it will simply destroy a disposable razor. That is, what works for a lot of other dudes simply will not work for me.
I haven't found my perfect setup yet. I'm sure it's out there, but for now, I know it's not a Mach3 with shave gel.
Plan C.2 - beard and once a week do the bits around the edges so you don't end up with the full ZZ-top look.
(A quest to find the perfect beard trimmer is, of course, a very real risk if you follow this suggestion.)
I can absolutely respect people who prefer the 'classic' old straight edge shaves, or the dollar store single blades, or the ultra-manly outback shave with a friggen knife.. I have actually tried all of the above (the knife was a mistake!)
Now I found my personal golden sheep; I got a free one of the new Shtick Hydro's and it is bar none the best shave I have ever had. The first time I used it I was actually startled. It didn't FEEL like I was shaving, just like I was rubbing something smooth over my face and the hair was suddenly gone.
I think a lot of the backlash against the pushing of newer shaving products is legitimate (prices of blades going up.. how many blades do we really need? ergonomic grip? Really?), but I think a large part is also some sort of machismo. Having a really 'fancy' smooth shave just isn't as manly.
Personally I am not shaving for the man-points. I am shaving for utility and comfort.
EDIT: full setup, shave while shower is running so I am in a steamy room, I use shaving gel (the Gillette sensitive skin), and I make sure I change the blade every two weeks. Follow up with the shower and some post-shave lotion after toweling off.
Here are some good resources for picking up the art. I tend to prefer the Robert's wet method shaving technique. He's based in Austin, TX and makes all his brushes, soaps, and oils by hand in his shop off Congress.
http://shaving101.com/index.php/education/11-method-shaving....
Especially for the line "Here's the report from Engineering. Someone put it in the bathroom: I want to wipe my ass with it."
It probably only works for the baby-faced ones like me, but so far I haven't noticed anything bad happening to my face from using just water.
I may not be normal.
Basically, I gave up about a year ago and use a trimmer to shorten the hair to sub-millimeter length. A permanent stubble, pretty much. My girlfriend doesn't find it a show-stopper, so all is well on that front.
I sometimes wonder in morbid curiosity wether I should try again in order to look more professional, but then shurg it off quickly. I have two more years of architecture school left, so there's no rush.
1. Good shaving cream, in a tub or tube. Try Kennedy's or Nancy Boy or Proraso. This made a HUGE difference.
2. Badger-bristle shaving brush. You can get a decent one for around $25-30. Don't skimp, it should last a really long time. I tried a boar one, and it smelled really bad and made my face itch.
3. Decent after-shave. So far I like the Nancy Boy aloe-based one the best, but I haven't tried many. I have never had good results with the alcohol-based ones. They irritate my skin.
I tried a Merkur Futur, and a straight razor. Perhaps I was not patient enough, but even after a few weeks of each I found that I did not see enough of an advantage to justify the additional time. I have heard that the Futur is a bit fussier than the HD, so I have been considering giving that one a try and perhaps using better blades. I went back to the Mach 3, and with the changes above it has been OK, but just OK. I still get a lot of chafing around my collar.
Just my input having given this stuff a try. If you do one thing, get some decent shaving cream and a brush. That made 75% of the difference right there.
Perhaps I am just a holdover from a curmudgeonly, pre-Metrosexual era...
Wow. That's a really bad description. Hopefully you understand. You have my apologies for forcing you through that mess.
Anyways, it's really helped with the life span of my blades. Before I shave, I run them across my arm 10 times, real quick. Takes all of 5 seconds, and then I commence with the shaving.
It's like running a knife of a leather strap to help keep it sharp. Look! A concise description. >_< Need more coffee to get back to default awareness.
You aren't actually sharpening the blades, just honing them. This is essentially the same process you perform on a honing steel for your kitchen knives. The leather is used instead of a steel due to how thin the blades of your razor are. If you don't have a strop you could also use an old pair of jeans. Either way I wouldn't use your arm as if something did go wrong with the cartridge you could end up with severe cuts. I've had plenty of those cheap cartridges gillette mounts their blades in break and expose their innards.
By using a strop I typically get a cartridge to last for a couple of months before I toss it. They could probably last longer, but that's enough for me. I buy blades maybe once every couple of years due to a combination of stropping and growing a full beard each winter.
I've also tried moving to a safety razor but I dislike shaving enough that I'm not willing to spend that much time on the process each morning so stropping the modern blades is a happy middle ground of savings and convenience.
A good shave also looks after your skin, and using a badger brush with a good glycerine based shaving cream with good pre-shave and post-shave routine makes all the difference.
I use http://www.tayloroldbondst.co.uk/acatalog/shaving-soaps-and-... (top one in sandalwood) is fantastic, it lasts ages, doesn't numb your skin and works up a very nice lather (when used with a badger hair brush), I would recommend people try it even if they keep their Mach3.
I think there are four issues at play: - attention to shaving technique tends to be much less with a disposable, possibly due to ignorance - shaving cream from a can does a bad job of lubricating the face - disposable razors are poorly designed, with a gap between the razor and the skin, and are easily clogged with cut hair - the sharpness of disposable razor blades is essentially unknown
Is it possible to use a straight razor or safety razor in a way that leaves no risk of deep cuts?
I went with a light beard for awhile which was also convenient - just set a beard trimmer to the lowest setting and run it over every few days.
I have a similar setup due to my somewhat african-american hair. Grows in all directions and grows in. Used to have a TON of problems with various non-electric razors.
Nowadays I do a pass with the trimmer part of the electrical razor and then with the razor itself. Works like a charm, no ingrown hairs. I don't go for a super-smooth shave, though.
I'm convinced few people ever figure out how to correctly use an electric foil razor. They just use it wrong and think electric shaving is second tier. They don't get that you have to press pretty hard and work in tight clockwise and counterclockwise circles over everything a couple times.
http://moremoney.blogs.money.cnn.com/2010/04/29/spend-less-o...
If you do need your facial hair totally shaved, just get a safety razor. The blades are ~55 cents each, and while there is a little learning curve, within a week or two you'll be all set.
Maybe I should take the plunge just for the environmental aspect. But I just hate feeling like I'm over-paying...