Hacker News Reader

Comment by gvurrdon | Hacker News Reader

Using the old style of double-edged razors would be great. But, I have never managed to use them successfully - there's always a degree of nicks and razor burn. Fans of this style of razor would claim that this will be poor technique and they may even be right, but not everyone can be good at it, apparently. If someone were to invent a razor which can use cheap double-edged blades and not be unpleasant to use I'd certainly buy it. BTW, the old Rolls Razor turns out to give a very good shave and a blade can last a lifetime. Its only disadvantage as far as I can tell is that it takes much longer to shave with (presumably not a problem for those who actually enjoy shaving).

View on HN

DE razors have a level of aggressiveness. A Muhle R41 for example is a fantastic razor, but known to be hugely aggressive.

A R89 is much less agressieve and will be more comfortable to shave with if you have sensitive skin or are prone to nicks and cuts.

Lots of people talk about how to achieve the greatest smoothness, don’t go for that if you regularly have razor burn. Just go with the grain and that’s it, no across or against the grain.

Check out Rockwell razors. They come with a set of plates that let you choose the aggressiveness of the razor, which is very helpful, especially when you're first starting out.

THIS! My face doesn't like electric razors, but safety razors applied in in beard growth direction are fine, and give reasonably smooth shave.

Also make sure to clean that razor (Of course I did so for the electric one I had, a pretty advanced Phillips one with great reviews), and use sharp blades. Typically changing blades after 5 shaves is a good practice, though a bit of a luxury. Razors themselves and blades both have different level of agressiveness, you might not find the best fit for the first attempt.

I have good experience with Feather, some Lord and Voskhod Teflon blades. Some others didn't work well, but settled on these as soon as I found one readily available and of a good fit for my skin.

I also have a Müle R89 razor that is said to be not agressive, and indeed it did work out well for me! Had some others before, cheaper ones (actualy the Mühle one is not expensive, just not dirt cheap, it will easily serve you your whole life), some were hard on my skin, with the exception of some very basic Lord one was pretty ok. Cannot name the model, bought it while travelling and was sold for a few bucks in a bazaar.

Also shave after shower, or use other techniques to soften your facial hair. (though most are really cumbersome, like using steamed towels) Shaving soap of cream alone is barely adequate in my opinion.

Not all blades are the same - I bought a sample pack when I first started using double edged razors 12 years ago - 9/10 of the brands were horrible. Eventually I found the feather double platinum to be great, ordered a large amount from a Thai seller on Amazon because otherwise they were expensive.

Also I’d say the razor burn and nicks are all down to technique, and perhaps skin/hair type. For me, even from the get go, the old school safety razors did not cause razor burn while the 3 to 5 bladed monstrosities always did because they results in a far to close shave.

Blade type can make a big difference. I'm using Lord Platinum's right now and they've been a vast improvement. My skin is fairly sensitive though - I've only ever really managed to shave about twice to 3 times a week reliably. (I also have a pack of a 1000, so so I'll run out...possibly not within my lifetime).

Yeah seconding this. A lot of my razor rash went away when I went from Gilette Blue to Gillette Platinum. I've tried a lot of blades from different companies including Feather but the Gillette Platinum seem to work best for me.

You have to let your skin get used to it. When I first started I got tons of nicks and cuts and razor burn. Do it for a week or so and you'll get better and your skin will get used to it.

I've tried for weeks and it's never got any more pleasant.

Lots of room for skin types to play here, I found that Astra blades were the least likely to nick and cause irritation. If I am in a rush I can even use them dry (with the grain only!).

I love Astra blades. Smooth shave with my RazoRock Game Changer.

Same for me. I tried different blades and everything. Sometimes I think it's all a huge conspiracy to trick me, almost like cast iron pan fanatics (always a mess for me).

I tried for months and it was a bloodbath every single time. I guess if I were more persistent the skin would harden up or something but, shaved again with a cartridge blade and never looked back.

What’s the physiological process that makes your skin resist bleeding?

> You have to let your skin get used to it.

Alternatively, you simply develop better technique without noticing. They are much closer so they are very sensitive to grain direction. I’ve found that I need to go with the grain, then sideways, and lastly against the grain in sensitive areas like the neck. And beard can grow in swirls, so grain is not always the direction you’d think. Secondly, warm clean skin and foam helps a lot to soften the hairs. Best would probably be in the shower but a hot towel before works too.

An electric razor is a good complement, and to be fair I use it more often. But that’s because I usually don’t care about the close shave. When I need make myself presentable I definitely prefer a proper razor, even when irregular.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com