Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Michael1359 on April 4, 2011 at 8:49am

Some of the Nivea stuff burns and some doesn't. The replenishing does not, at least on my face.

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Permalink Reply by Michael1359 on April 4, 2011 at 9:07am

I'm sorry, revitalizing, not replenishing. I just looked at mine.

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Permalink Reply by Albert Wells Jr on April 3, 2011 at 10:51am

Thank you good info to to know. I don't know why I didn't think of the hot cloth. I know that just plain feels good to do anyway but before a shave might really help.

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Permalink Reply by Michael S. Hilton on March 30, 2011 at 10:33pm

Good post. I'm thinking about getting myself a safety razor.

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Permalink Reply by James L on March 30, 2011 at 11:35pm

Depends on your face and the blades. And what is a great blade for one person may suck for you. You just have to experiment and see.

You might also look at getting a good shaving cream (like Proraso) and try. I have found it works better for me than the soap.

Personally, I don't use a blade more than 3 times. I have a pretty course beard, and they are too cheap to bother pushing to far.

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Permalink Reply by Monty Smith on March 31, 2011 at 8:37am

I shave almost every day. Sometimes I skip a day on the weekends, but not usually. My beard is not particularly coarse, and if I push it I can get about 8 or 9 shaves from a blade (and I have no trouble using the CVS brand, FWIW). More often than not, I just change the blade on Sunday regardless of whether it has started to "pull" or not. Mostly I just don't want to take the time to change blades during my work-week morning routine.

As far as your razor burn is concerned, I'd be willing to bet you're using way too much pressure. As a rule, the weight of the razor is all the pressure you should need. Make multiple passes, but no pressure. The mantra is to think of it as beard reduction, not beard elimination.

 

Finally, check out the "Real Shaving" group here on AoM, and The Shave Den forum elsewhere on the interwebs for some great info and advice.

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Permalink Reply by Albert Wells Jr on April 3, 2011 at 12:57pm

Ok I'm just about fed up with this whole safety razor deal. I just got through spending the better part of an hour trying to get a good close shave and what I've got is no better than what I could have gotten with a cheap cartridge or my electric razor. I'm trying to not put any pressure on the blade at all but I'm still getting razor burn and not a close shave. This has just about gotten me to the point of just using my electric from now on. 

My grandpa can't use anything but an electric with out getting razor burn and my dad uses cartridges. What am I doing wrong? I used my electric to try and cut down most of the longer whiskers and then put a how towel on my face for several minutes after washing my face with a facial soap. Then I lathered up the way I normally do with my Colonel Conk's bay rum soap and shaved the way I normally do first with the grain and then against. PLEASE HELP!

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Permalink Reply by Albert Wells Jr on April 5, 2011 at 1:16pm

Ok yesterday I decided to use the goop in a can shaving cream that I used for years when I was using cartridge razors and had a much more enjoyable experience. I got a good shave and had no razor burn. So I"m thinking I just need to stick with some kind of shaving cream instead of soap. I just couldn't get a good lather with the soap, so I guess I was doing something wrong in that regard.

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Permalink Reply by Albert Wells Jr on April 5, 2011 at 9:33pm

Thank you for the link Jimdaddy. I like the sound of the cedar and sandalwood cream. I really like scents and smells that smell like the woods.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Warner on April 6, 2011 at 12:28am

You may be using too much pressure or have the blade at too extreme of an angle.  Try to grip the razor with just the thumb and forefinger at first, then just have the razor lay against your face.  That is as much pressure as you want.

Shave slowly and use short strokes.  Going too fast causes razor burn, and using long strokes like with a cartridge razor isn't feasible with a non-pivoting razor head.

Also, try to shave across the grain for your second pass instead of against it.  Remove your beard gradually.  It may take three or four passes to get completely stubble-less.

Lastly... be patient.  Wetshaving is a skill.  Over time your technique and touch will develop.  The first week is all trial and error, and you and your face are still adjusting to a new way of doing things.  Give it a month or so and your face will thank you.

 

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Permalink Reply by Samuel Chapman on January 21, 2013 at 4:42pm

I've read of people keeping a blade going for over a year.

They last longer if you keep them dry - I sometimes use medical alcohol to clean them with as this evaporates quickly. I also strop them on the palm of my hand before use like this video http://goo.gl/DmU3C. In general I get 4-6 weeks from them.

I just use soap and a cheap shaving brush with them, but it's real soap no girly weird soap. I use Bialy Jelen, a Polish soap http://domitp.com/blog/bialy-jelen-natural-soap-from-poland-at-dom-... which I find lathers up well and smells of just soap.

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