Shaving your Face - without shaving your wallet

[Duiker]

Shaving. It's wrapped up in too much consumerist bullshit. Either buy these dumb metal and plastic refills they say you should replace each week, or buy a $100+ machine. I have your solution: Return to Razor Blades.

Double Edged Safety Razors.

They are cheap, can be found used online, and is a simple and timeless design. Usually with only three parts that screw together, it will last you a lifetime. You never have to worry about the blades not fitting, as compatibility is never an issue.

Razorblades

Again, they are cheap, and I found I get a months use out of one blade before I replace it. Check ebay and you will find Sample packs that have 20 blades each from different brands. That will last you a long time.

Skip Shaving foam in cans and use shaving soap with a brush. One bar will last a long time.

Do that, and you can have a good shave without spending big money.


I'll add more about Straight razor shaving later, as I found a good method of transitioning from this to that.

 

[Cirrhosis_of_Liver]

If you buy the disposable blue razors and replace them every week, you don't have to fiddlefuck with bare razorblades. But you do you. I think barbasol is fine. I have no idea how much it costs, because I buy it MAYBE once a year, and I shave every day.

It's on par with "submarine sandwiches are health food" that "you need to spend more than a negligible amount of money on razors" ever took off. Two razor blades in a disposable is good, because it makes it harder to cut yourself. Anything beyond that is like. You don't lose points for taking more than one pass.

Nothing wrong with making a hobby out of your daily routine.

SHTF, uh, you should probably still be able to find razors in the rubble. A clean shave is easier to keep clean than a beard, though a beard can be valuable nesting material for magpies, so think globally act locally.

 

[CoolGuy1990]

I use a derby razor straight blade holder 400 of them bitches will last me 1-1 1/2 years I would recommend it for people who get razor burn easily you'll slash your face up in the beginning but you'll get the hang of it however it cut my shave acne down to nothing

 

[Freshly Baked Socks]

Everyone seems to overlook AFTERSHAVE.

I learned something from an old guy who was in pro wrassling. He said you need WITCHAZEL, to spread on your skin after shaving for those nicks, and cuts. Y'all should try it sometime if you're prone to razor burn and razor bumps.

 

[Cirrhosis_of_Liver]

People who get razor bumps have black ancestors.

Change my mind.

 

[generic sauce]

Everyone seems to overlook AFTERSHAVE.

I learned something from an old guy who was in pro wrassling. He said you need WITCHAZEL, to spread on your skin after shaving for those nicks, and cuts. Y'all should try it sometime if you're prone to razor burn and razor bumps.

I use an alum block and it just werks for me. I personally use a maggard razor, Voskhod blades and Proraso soap. Shits all cheap and works great.

 

[Cats]

I look positively horrible with facial hair so I shave every single day. I have a really young looking face and it looks absolutely ridiculous with any kind of beard or goatee or what have you. my ex wife asked me to grow a mustache once and I just looked like one of those porn cops from the 1970s. It helped that I had to be clean shaven for my career. They allowed mustaches but after that one experiment I said no never again

I like using traditional disposable razors, like the one in OP. Not a fold-out "straight razor" type, which I never was able to use on myself properly, though I always thought it'd be cool to be able to do that.

There's nothing worse than shaving with a dull crusty blade so I buy my replacements in bulk and only use them a few times. I heard ppl tell me to strop them but I just can't be bothered

 

[Topsoil]

Straight razors (think sweeney todd) are pretty looking and you can sharpen them without having to buy anything (once you have the strop, it's good for a while) but I found sharpening them to be annoying. I second the safety razor in the OP, it's (for me) the best compromise between being cheap & convenient. Hate the plastic waste and feel of disposable razors. Might be good to keep a straight razor and a strop around in case SHTF.
When it comes to shaving cream, you can just use any fat/oil. Then for aftershave you can just use alcohol. The point of aftershave is to close the pores to keep bacteria out. You could literally just use straight vodka, or add stuff. Shave with beef tallow, then use vodka as aftershave. Simple, no useless bottles.

 

[Drip Torch]

my ex wife asked me to grow a mustache once.

Was it more majestic than yours? Did it tickle when she a gave a blowey joey?

 

[Lord of the Large Pants]

Crossposting and updating a post I made some years ago on another shaving thread here...

The Flightless New Zealand Fruit Horticulturist's Guide to Shaving

This is intended to be an introduction. I won't get into topics like open VS closed comb, slant razors, single edge, vintage razors, etc. Let's start with basics. Some of it may seem TOO basic, but keep in mind that some people may want to switch from an electric, so I'm going to play it safe and assume minimal knowledge.

I'm not a barber or any kind of expert, I'm just a guy with a touch of shaving autism. All opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of Kiwi Farms or its affiliates.

So why a safety razor?

Multiple reasons. The blades are INSANELY cheap, as low as a dime each if you buy in bulk. It gets a closer shave. It causes less ingrown hairs and irritation due to a better, cleaner cut. Cartridges can irritate your face, since any more than two blades is pointless. It can help with acne since a safety razor won't trap and spread around dirt as easily. It's less waste. Some people find it to be sort of a Zen thing, doing it every morning. Plus, they have a certain oldschool cool factor.

So what's the catch? Well. It has more of a learning curve, it's less idiot proof, it takes a bit more time, and it has a higher up front cost. Personally, I think it's worth it.

With that in mind, let's talk about how to get started.

Spoiler: Razors

Razors are one of those things where you generally gets what you pay for. For a beginner, I would recommend looking for something in the $30 to $50 range. I wouldn't go lower. You can go higher, but you may not know exactly what you're looking for in a razor until you try one and figure out what you don't like about it. There are a wide variety of factors to consider when selecting a razor, such as material/plating, blade exposure, handle size, and more. But we're going to try to keep it simple.

Merkur is probably the most commonly recommended brand for beginners, especially the 34C model. Having owned two Merkur razors myself, I'm not a fan, but I accept that I'm in the minority on that. My experience has been one of poor quality control, with bad blade alignment and regular chipping of the plating. If I were starting from scratch, I would get the Rockwell 6C. It's a chromed razor with 3 reversible base plates, allowing for 6 different blade exposures depending on your needs. It's not absolutely top of the line quality, but I found it to be excellent for the price, usually around $50.

Spoiler: Blades

I would say that the blade is the single most important part of your equipment choice. Keep in mind that everything else in the whole shaving setup is just there to make the blade work better. It's easy to look at safety razor blades and think that they must all be pretty similar. Far from it. Changing your blade will change your shave more than anything else, and there are a lot of options. The good news is, they're cheap. You can usually get a 100 pack for $10-$25 on Amazon, depending on the blade.

Let me run through some of the more popular ones. It's worth noting that I have a relatively tough beard, and I select blades accordingly.

Astra Superior Platinum - When I first started, I found this blade a little unforgiving, but now it's by far my favorite. Sharp, cheap, and high quality, without being too brutal.
Gillette Silver Blue - A very popular, well balanced blade. Not QUITE sharp enough for my taste, but still usable.
Rapira Platinum Lux - Smooth as butter. I would highly recommend this for sensitive skin, especially if your beard isn't too heavy.
Feather - The sharpest blade in history, made of grorious Nippon steer, forder over a mirrion times. They really do work, especially if you have a very tough beard, but I find that they wear out pretty quick. These will absolutely cut you if you're not careful. Also a bit on the expensive side.
Gillette 7 O'clock Super Stainless - A very underappreciated blade in my opinion, and definitely one I would recommend for beginners. Sharp enough to get the job done while still being easy to use.
Personna Lab Blue/Med Prep - Some people swear by these. The only blades I know of that are American made. Nobody can seem to agree if the Lab Blue and Med Prep are the same blade in a different package or actual different blades. I seem to do a little better with the Med Prep. They're not a favorite though.
Personna Platium/Red/Crystal - All different names for the same blade. These are Israeli made. I've never been able to get to the bottom of the shared name with the American Personna blades, but I don't think they're the same company. Another decent medium blade.
Derby - This is a love it or hate it blade. There's absolutely no in between. Try it if you have a very light beard, otherwise stay the hell away.
Shark Super Chrome - Reasonably popular, and they get the job done, but I find them to be a little rough on the skin.

There are plenty of other quality blades available. These are just a few popular ones and personal favorites. If you're not sure what you want, you can buy sampler packs on Amazon. If you want to try something specific without committing to a 100 pack, check out Try A Blade for singles with flat shipping. I've ordered from them a couple times and they do exactly what they claim to do. They seem to have gone out of business since I originally wrote this post. These guys are supposed to provide a similar service but I haven't tried them and can't vouch.

Blade lifespan varies wildly. Change it out when it starts pulling hair or is otherwise uncomfortable. I've heard of people who change the blade every time, I've heard of people who use the same blade for a month. For me, it's about 3 uses.

Don't throw blades directly in the trash. Some blade packs come with a little place to put used blades. If yours doesn't, buy or make a blade bank. I've seen people make them by cutting a hole in the top of an empty tin can, for example. Just make sure they won't come out in the trash.

Spoiler: Cream/Soap

What, you thought we were done once we covered razors? HAHAHA HELL NO

You can use standard foam in a can with a safety razor if you want. I really have nothing against foam. The chemicals can be a little harsh on your skin, but it's not THAT bad. I still use Barbasol Original here and there. If you're new to safety razors, it's probably a good idea to use whatever shaving cream you're used to with the new razor for a little while, just to avoid changing too many things at once.

Buuuuuuut as long as you're going oldschool on your razor, you might want to consider ditching the can as well. I've never been quite clear on the difference between soap and non-can cream, but in practice they seem to work basically the same except for the container.

Without getting into too much detail on all the different kinds of soap, I'd recommend Proraso soap for the beginner. The jars come in three colors with slightly different types of soap. Green is the "default", and it works fine, but it gives your face a cooling sensation that not everyone cares for. Red is for dry skin and heavy beards, and is my preferred type. White is for sensitive skin, though I've never personally used it.

Spoiler: Brushes

If you decide to go oldschool shaving soap or cream, you need a brush to lather it with. They come in different sizes and handles, which are largely down to person preference. There are four primary types of brushes: Badger, boar, horse and synthetic.

Badger is the most popular, the softest among animal hair brushes, and comes in a wide variety of qualities. The quality ratings (best, pure, silvertip, etc) are supposed to mean something specific, but these days I think they're mostly marketing terms. Check reviews for the individual brush you're looking at.

Boar tends to be the cheapest, and the stiffest. You'll love it or hate it.

Horse isn't as popular, but it's a decent medium between the two. It also doesn't require killing the animal to get it, for those concerned about that sort of thing.

Synthetic is my preferred. Hypoallergenic, low maintenance, and relatively inexpensive. They don't smell as much either. Quality varies a lot, but there's good stuff out there for not much money. I recommend the Razorock Plissoft line for the beginner. Pick whichever handle looks comfortable to you.

Spoiler: Aftershave

Most aftershaves are based on either alcohol, or witch hazel. The one I recommend for a beginner is neither fish nor fowl. It's called Lucky Tiger, and it's mostly based on aloe vera. It won't sting and contains good healing juices for your face. The scent is quite mild and smell a bit like orange Pledge. If you don't like the smell, don't worry, it fades fast.

It's hard to recommend anything else specific because scent is so personal. I'd strongly recommend trying to find a local shop that sells this sort of thing so you can try samples. I've had (for example) some lavender aftershaves that smelled very good, and some that smelled disgusting. Try before you buy if at all possible.

Spoiler: Other Equipment

I would recommend getting a bowl for your brush/lather. You can use a coffee mug in a pinch. A razor and brush stand is also useful. Make sure it will fit your equipment, as the brush stands and brushes come in a variety of sizes. There are a lot of other accessories but the basics are covered at this point.

Spoiler: Technique

First, install blade.

Then get your water nice and hot. If you're using a hard soap, you'll want to soak it in water for a bit. Usually not needed for soft soap or cream. You'll want to soak most animal brushes as well. For a synthetic brush, just run it under the hot water.

Get your face wet with hot water or soak it with a hot towel.

Shake out the brush a bit. It's very possible for it to be too wet and your lather will be too thin. It's easy to add water, it's hard to take it away.

Swirl the brush around against the soap to create lather. You can be relatively aggressive with it. This is sort of hard to explain, and I honestly found it a little tricky to get the consistency right the first couple times. If it's too wet there will be a lot of bubbles, but it's it's too dry it will be sort of flakey and thick. Hard water can make it difficult as well. You may want to take some lather and put in in your mug to work it further there. Some people face lather. I've never had much luck with this.

Brush the lather in circles against your face until fully covered, then continue for say, 30 seconds. Then use the brush to smooth it out.

You'll be doing 3 passes, more or less. The order and direction you should shave in is... a bit of a tricky topic. The usual answer is with the grain, then across, then against. Everyone's face has a different grain, and it can vary between different areas of your face. Some people actually try to roughly map their own beard grain. I've never found that necessary. For your first try, I would shave down, then across, then up. If you difficult or painful to shave up (which is USUALLY against the grain), don't panic. I can't either. Every time I've ever tried, it's hurt me badly. Instead just shave across the grain in the other direction. Or try it at an angle, part across and part against. But if it hurts, don't do it.

Now here's how you actually do the shaving bit. Place the razor against your face, 30 degree angle, ZERO PRESSURE. Do NOT press against your face. At all. You don't need to and you'll hurt yourself if you do. Pull it across your face in short, smooth strokes. Rinse the shaving cream off the razor frequently. Do that until you've achieved full face coverage.

Wet your face again, reapply lather, then shave again across the grain.

One more time, but this time against the grain, or across in the opposite direction if you can't go against.

If you missed any spots, put shaving cream on them and clean them up.

Now there are two standards of a good shave. A damn fine shave, which feels smooth with the grain, or baby butt smooth, which feels smooth AGAINST the grain. If you achieve DFS, you're doing just fine. Don't worry about BBS at this stage. And even if it FEELS smooth, you may still be able to see some hair if you have dark beard and light skin. They call it blue beard. Not much you can do about this as far as I know.

Once you're sufficiently smooth, grab a washcloth and wash your face with hot water, then again with cold. Apply aftershave.

Wash out your mug and brush and squeeze out the water as much as you can. Put away your razor and other gear.

Your face is now shaved. Congratulations!

You can check out this quick demo video for extra info. Picture is worth a thousand words and all that.

Spoiler: Equipment Care

For your razor, just use soap, hot water, and a tooth brush to clean it as needed. I've changed my mind on this since the original post. Use a stiff synthetic brush like you'd find at a hardware store. You can use brass to get out stubborn rust, but there's a small chance you could jack up the finish.

For your brush, give it the occasional GENTLE scrub with pet shampoo.

Don't clean blades, new or old. For new ones, you may strip the coating. For old ones it's not worth it. Just replace it.

Spoiler: Potential Injuries

We've all seen the movies where the guy has a bad shave and ends up with his face covered in toilet paper. It's not QUITE like that, although you CAN hurt yourself with a safety razor if you're not careful.

You'll probably cut yourself quite a bit when learning. I still do here and there. It's not as bad as you think. There are a lot of times when I've gotten a cut and not even realized it until I saw the blood. I'm not what you'd call a tough guy, but it just doesn't hurt that bad. I can count the number of BAD cuts on one hand, and even those aren't THAT big a deal.

In case you get cut, pick up some styptic. You can get it in either powder or pencil form. Just get a bit of cold water on it then put it on the cut to close it. Do NOT let styptic get on your clothes, it will destroy the dye.

While cuts aren't that bad, what you SHOULD be afraid of is razor burn. Razor burn occurs when you either don't prep your face correctly with water and shaving cream, or when you press the razor too hard (which is to say, at all) against your face, thus taking too much surface skin away. Do not do that. Razor burn hurts like a MOTHERFUCKER.

Spoiler: Other Resources

Aside from your friendly neighborhood search engine, my preferred specialty site is Badger and Blade. They have a very active forum, as well as product reviews and a wiki. If nobody in this thread can answer your question, one of those magnificent autists can.

There are lots of other good resources out there, that just happens to be the one I'm most familiar with.

Spoiler: FAQ

Q: Okay, you convinced me. Where can I buy all this stuff?
A: Amazon carries the basics, except for maybe Barbasol if you decide to go that route. You can get that at any Wal-Mart or drug store. There are online stores that specialize in shaving gear, but be a little careful. I've never had occasion to buy from any of those types of stores outside of some direct manufacturer purchases, so it's hard for me to recommend anything specific. But there are some shady sites out there. Always look at outside reviews. When in doubt, ask here or Badger and Blade.

I have a local men's gift shop where I buy a lot of my stuff, especially if it's something I want to smell before I buy. Check your local area.

Q: If safety razors are so great, why are they not more popular?
A: Partly because disposables are more idiot proof, but mostly marketing. Gillette and friends figured out they could make more money by selling the handles cheap and charging far out the ass for blades, so that's how they started advertising.

Q: I'm a girl on the internet. Tee hee! Can I use a safety razor on my ladypits/legs?
A: I've never tried to shave these areas myself, but there are definitely women who use safety razors for it. One thing I've heard is that a long handle tends to help with the hard to reach places. Beyond that I don't have much info, but there are resources out there.

Q: I like to feel the breeze. Can I use a safety razor on my junk?
A: Again, never tried it myself, but general consensus is no, due to increased risk of cuts. If you decide to try it anyway, you best have your local hospital on speed dial.

Q: What's the deal with straight razors?
A: I honestly don't know. I own two. A disposable shavette style, and a traditional. They don't see much use. Even after spending quite a bit of time trying to learn it, the disposable has never let me get away without at least one bad cut, usually a couple. The traditional doesn't cut well even after being professionally sharpened, and despite being stainless steel it developed bad rust when I looked at it funny.

The angle is VERY hard to get right, and you wouldn't believe the number of times I've heard people talking about using a straight razor only to "clean up with a safety razor". I've been shaved by multiple different professional barbers with a straight razor, and each time I ended up going home and having to finish the job myself with a safety razor. At that point, why bother with the middle man?

They also require a lot more maintenance, needing to be stropped, honed, and occasionally sent away for professional sharpening.

Straight razors are expensive, high maintenance, hard to use, and worst of all, don't give a good shave. Just get a safety razor.

Q: Gillette's commercial made me Mad on the Internet. Can I avoid them entirely if I switch to a safety razor?
A: If you want. They do make some safety razor related equipment, especially blades. I find some of their Russian blades to be the best around, but if you want to boycott them for moral reasons, you do what you gotta do. There are plenty of blades available from other sources.

Q: How much are you being paid to shill for these companies?
A: I wish.

 

[Smoge]

just a heads up for anyone, astra blades are now being made in india instead of russia (if it doesn't have numbers on the blade, it is made by pajeets), which happened couple months back. i have heard rumors of the india blades aren't as smooth after multiple uses compared to the russian ones.
alum block / alcohol / shave balms are neat but i feel like after shaving for a while, you sort of build 'resistance' to your shaving routine and can get by without any.

 

[Lord of the Large Pants]

just a heads up for anyone, astra blades are now being made in india instead of russia (if it doesn't have numbers on the blade, it is made by pajeets), which happened couple months back. i have heard rumors of the india blades aren't as smooth after multiple uses compared to the russian ones.

FFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

 

[DD214BRUH]

Derby, DORCO, and Sabre were brands I bought tons of 15+ years ago.

Anyone got any quality made substitutes they recommend? I haven’t bought any since 2008-ish.

 

[Trig.Point]

I tried using a safety razor for a while, and it's just not the way I want to start the morning. Yes they're cheap but men gave up on them for a fucking reason. There's plenty of decent online options. Yes Harry's is pozzed, but King of Shaves is pretty good.

 

[Jump]

I have to shave every day. I just buy the store brand plastic disposable razors and toss them out when they start to hurt.
And I just lather up regular old Irish Springs bar soap in my hands and spread that on my face for shaving cream.

I went through a hipster phase years ago and figured out how to shave with a strait razor.I gave it up because its slow and you really have to pay attention. I still have a few and the strop. If razors become hard to get or expensive I can just go back to using that.

 

[Cirrhosis_of_Liver]

I tried using a safety razor for a while, and it's just not the way I want to start the morning. Yes they're cheap but men gave up on them for a fucking reason. There's plenty of decent online options. Yes Harry's is pozzed, but King of Shaves is pretty good.

What's the reason?

So many people tell me shaving hurts, and these are not people who strike me as huge pussies or anything. I don't tolerate pain for shit. Shaving just isn't painful for me.

What are y'all doing to make shaving such trouble?

E: I just want to be clear I'm not dissing anyone. I believe it's geniinely painful for you if you say so. But how are you making it painful aside from cutting yourself, which sucks dick?

 

[Trig.Point]

What's the reason?

So many people tell me shaving hurts, and these are not people who strike me as huge pussies or anything. I don't tolerate pain for shit. Shaving just isn't painful for me.

What are y'all doing to make shaving such trouble?

E: I just want to be clear I'm not dissing anyone. I believe it's geniinely painful for you if you say so. But how are you making it painful aside from cutting yourself, which sucks dick?

Mate old school safety razors basically scrape your face, which is the reason most men don't use them. Yes with proper technique you can get used to them but they're not worth the effort.

 

[Cirrhosis_of_Liver]

How do you shave without "scraping your face?"

Nair?

 

[Mortan Shekelstorm]

One benefit I have not seen in this thread that personally sold me on safety razors, was how disposable razors got clogged up a few seconds into shaving with its multiple blades . Sine switching to a Merkur 42c I haven't had issues with the blade getting clogged. I also enjoy it being dual sided and having a fixed head.

 

[Cirrhosis_of_Liver]

The tradeoff with 2 or more blades is it's much harder to nick yourself if you're not retarded or Michael J Fox. Having to constantly wash out and tap a disposable is the chief annoyance and downfall of the cheapo ones that come in bags of 10 or 20.

Whether you want to use cheapo disposables, an older style safety razor, a straight razor that lasts the rest of your life, or an electric contraption of some sort, I think it all falls under personal preference. I have voiced my geniune perplexity at what people are doing to make shaving so uncomfortable an experience, but I'm not making fun or saying anyone's preference is wrong, and if you like to make a whole production out of shaving, it seems to me an innocent, even a beneficial fancy to put extra effort into one's hygiene.

I say all of this because there *is* one wrong option-- those foolish expensive disposables that cost, rather than 10-20 cents a piece, 3 dollars or even more. Why in the name of fuck would you pay 20 prices for the same thing, but worse? Past two blades, there's no further safety advantage. Five blades will not add three inches to your cock. A huge head of needless supernumerary blades just makes the shaving less precise. I've seen it tacitly admitted by how many have even a sixth razor for "hard to reach" places which are only hard to reach if you're using the silly cartrige style razors. Do not be deceived into thinking they're not the exact same quality of blades as in other disposables. They won't last longer, either. It's exposing a blade to water and whatever's on your face that dulls it more than anything.

I have absolutely known guys to cringe through shaving with an old rusty cartridge razor for a whole month to "save money" when they could have used a new disposable razor every day for the same price. That shit's retarded. Literally any other option I won't mock, but fuck off with your dumbass cartridge razors.