The wet shaving thread

eternoMind said:
Thanks for this. Shaving is once a week. I'd like to do it at least twice a week, though laziness gets the better of me.

Since you're talking about growth, I think a week without shaving results in ~5mm growth. Doesn't cause a problem wrt to using my Gillette safety razor.
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Interesting, with a new blade and replacing it for each shave per week I suppose you can get away with it.
eternoMind said:
I bought a cheap straight razor from Amazon. Used a slightly older blade (one that was already used for a couple of shaves) with it. There's a steep learning curve to using a straight razor. I'm fine with the nicks, but the time taken is a bit too much. For now, at least, the straight razor is ruled out as a replacement for my trusty (but crusty) old Gillette safety razor.
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It's better to master straight razors by shaving your face before moving to your head. That is like taking two steps at once as you only have touch to rely on. No sight.

If you can straight shave your beard with your eyes closed then you're ready to move to your head
eternoMind said:
I guess you're referring to those multi-blade razors that Gillette specialise in?
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A twin-blade is enough, the key is the movable head as that will follow your head contours and make it less demanding.
eternoMind said:
Yes, they're very fast and safe to work with, I have one of those with me.

I mightn't be objective in this assessment but the end result is just not as smooth as with a safety razor.
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You can do multipass with a single blade. The result is a smoother shave always. It's harder to do with more blades.
 
I'm experimenting with different blades Feather, Supermax diamond edge, gillette winner and Wilkinson. Also bought a new omega boar brush and breaking it in.
 
lockhrt999 said:
IMO, Gillet isn't as good as other brands but yeah I'm referring to those razors. Have you tried doing it more frequently? At least twice a week but preferably thrice a week? I think, that should give you smoother result. Shave it in the middle of your shower. It shouldn't take more than a minute. But if you are doing it less frequently, say, once a week then there's no point in using multi-blade razors.

I have used safety razors for many years. Shaved everything except my head. But all in all, I find multi-blade razors easier and faster.
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I shave immediately after showering, as the process takes 15 mins easily for two passes over the entire head with the safety razor. Might just give this a shot again with the multi-blade ones. Thanks!

blr_p said:
Interesting, with a new blade and replacing it for each shave per week I suppose you can get away with it.

It's better to master straight razors by shaving your face before moving to your head. That is like taking two steps at once as you only have touch to rely on. No sight.

If you can straight shave your beard with your eyes closed then you're ready to move to your head

A twin-blade is enough, the key is the movable head as that will follow your head contours and make it less demanding.

You can do multipass with a single blade. The result is a smoother shave always. It's harder to do with more blades.
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The 7 O'Clock Platinums I use last me 4-5 shaves of the head minimum. I just make sure to shave after a hot shower and with generous amounts of gel/pre-shave oil.

I can't pull off the clean-shaven face and head look, so sport a beard with a bald head. Hence, no scope for fine-tuning straight razor skills on the face first.

I do have a movable multi-blade razor that I bought to try but that as you'd know, is only fit for daily or alternate day shaving. Tackling the head contours is not a problem with the safety razor, just takes time.

Correct, so it's an objective assessment after all, that single-blades result in smoother shaves.
 
eternoMind said:
I shave immediately after showering, as the process takes 15 mins easily for two passes over the entire head with the safety razor. Might just give this a shot again with the multi-blade ones. Thanks!
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I think, 15 minutes is too long for just the head alone. I shave my whole body in 10 minutes. It's my suggestion or hack that you do the head shaving during the shower. Not after, not before but during the shower.

Lather the scalp just like the rest of the body with soap or whatever you use. Rinse the body and keep the lather on scalp. Take multi blade razor and be done with it in 2 minutes. If you 'baby' your skin with pre-shave after-shave etc, it'll keep requiring longer time. If you don't 'baby' your skin then it'll learn your habits and eventually it'll 'man-up'.

When you can do it in max 2 minutes, you won't find it cumbersome anymore and you can do it on alternate days.

BTW, Walter White look is badass.
 
lockhrt999 said:
I think, 15 minutes is too long for just the head alone. I shave my whole body in 10 minutes. It's my suggestion or hack that you do the head shaving during the shower. Not after, not before but during the shower.

Lather the scalp just like the rest of the body with soap or whatever you use. Rinse the body and keep the lather on scalp. Take multi blade razor and be done with it in 2 minutes. If you 'baby' your skin with pre-shave after-shave etc, it'll keep requiring longer time. If you don't 'baby' your skin then it'll learn your habits and eventually it'll 'man-up'.

When you can do it in max 2 minutes, you won't find it cumbersome anymore and you can do it on alternate days.

BTW, Walter White look is badass.
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It depends a lot on your skin type. Skin just doesn't "man-up".
For ex, I've seborrheic dermatitis (which was earlier just oily skin) and every single hit of the safety razor scrapes my facial skin.
Have to be super careful, do some pre work etc to ensure smoothness, else skin keeps on peeling off. Can't even grow a beard since hair also propagates fungal growth, increasing dermatitis, and I look like a baboon.
 
lockhrt999 said:
I think, 15 minutes is too long for just the head alone. I shave my whole body in 10 minutes. It's my suggestion or hack that you do the head shaving during the shower. Not after, not before but during the shower.

Lather the scalp just like the rest of the body with soap or whatever you use. Rinse the body and keep the lather on scalp. Take multi blade razor and be done with it in 2 minutes. If you 'baby' your skin with pre-shave after-shave etc, it'll keep requiring longer time. If you don't 'baby' your skin then it'll learn your habits and eventually it'll 'man-up'.

When you can do it in max 2 minutes, you won't find it cumbersome anymore and you can do it on alternate days.

BTW, Walter White look is badass.
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First up, not quite Walter White :) Don't know what this look is called but quite common these days among younger balding men. No half measures.

And as amazed as I'm that you manage to shave so fast, I don't think I can pull that off. I also concur with @alekhkhanna about the manning up part because ever since I started shaving, I keep getting very tiny bumps on the crown and temple areas (Milia, I think they're called). Faster shaving, ergo more irritation, will only worsen that, me thinks. But I will try to hack this in other ways.
 
By 'Man-up' skin I mean toughened but smoother skin. See face of any soldier. They have to shave on daily basis. The skin becomes thick yet it's smooth.

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Skin (A) which is being shaved regularly, will be smooth without bumps or dips. This skin is also thicker than the skin (B). Skin (A) has a shorter rebuilding time as every time it's shaved the top layer is removed. Skin (B) has a longer rebuilding time. Skin (B) will also be thinner and will be first to develop wrinkles, bumps and dips. Skin (B) is 'baby' compared skin (A)

The type of skin depends on what you eat, how you treat your skin, cosmetics, scrubbers, exposure to sunlight, genetics etc. So it can change if you change the variables.

Look at Indian women. They are hairy too. But you don't see jungle on their hands.

Another thing, if skin is getting irritated by safety razors then why use it in the first place? There's nothing safe about safety razors. Why's everyone here recommending going for safety razors?
 
lockhrt999 said:
Another thing, if skin is getting irritated by safety razors then why use it in the first place? There's nothing safe about safety razors. Why's everyone here recommending going for safety razors?
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For me, it's because the multi blade razors don't shave deep enough, and my skin is highly sensitive to new grown hair. So I shave daily or at max once every two days. If I don't shave, by the third or fourth day, I'll start seeing redness all over the face.
Hence safety razor is what irritates and soothes my skin. Love hate relationship for life. :(
 
alekhkhanna said:
For me, it's because the multi blade razors don't shave deep enough, and my skin is highly sensitive to new grown hair. So I shave daily or at max once every two days. If I don't shave, by the third or fourth day, I'll start seeing redness all over the face.
Hence safety razor is what irritates and soothes my skin. Love hate relationship for life. :(
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Well, for me multi blade razors give me close shave just like safety razor.
 
lockhrt999 said:
Well, for me multi blade razors give me close shave just like safety razor.
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I tried all Gilette and other multi blade razors, wasting tons on cartridges like crazy, but have never been able to get a smooth shave that I like. There's always the after shave shadow of small remnants of facial hair left behind. 4 blades, 5 blades etc etc.
One safety razor to trump them all. Blades cost pennies, and a huge pack has been running for the last 3 years !
 
eternoMind said:
The 7 O'Clock Platinums I use last me 4-5 shaves of the head minimum. I just make sure to shave after a hot shower and with generous amounts of gel/pre-shave oil.
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I see I don't head shave but ok. That's how many shaves I'd get with regular shaving with a 7 o'clock. I prefer the black platinum over the green stainless. Just nicer.
eternoMind said:
I can't pull off the clean-shaven face and head look, so sport a beard with a bald head. Hence, no scope for fine-tuning straight razor skills on the face first.
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I don't understand what you mean. You can shave your head but not your beard?
eternoMind said:
Correct, so it's an objective assessment after all, that single-blades result in smoother shaves.
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Only because they allow multi-pass. So a 3-4 pass means you tackle the beard from different angles. Different angles equal a closer shave. You scraped your skin 3-4 times. You can tell by the growth the next day just isn't as much as it used to be. Takes a little longer. With some more skill you can have a close shave every day with no skin irritation only if it's a single blade. As always the alum will tell you how good your technique is.

Take a 3-blade razor. You drag three blades through a fixed angle. If you change the angle and do another pass now you're up to 6 blades over the skin. Do another pass and it's 9 blades. People will try.

The multi-blade will cut closer in one angle, this makes people think it's more efficient than a single blade. They pay more for the time-saving. Gilette makes money. In terms of looks, you will get a decent shave. Nobody will say you need to go over anything. For a head shave, I don't know if you need it that close but closer means you shave less often.
 
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Even though nobody asked me :p , I shave every other day (my beard that is) and I spend like Rs. 5 per month for my 4 blade razors. Maybe that's still more than the safety razor blades.

I have used many of the gillette offerings. I have its vintage british made safety razor. Like it and used it for many years.

And still I'm going to say that Gillette is TRASH. There! I said it. I'll see myself out.

ImpressionableDifficultKitten-size_restricted.gif
 
blr_p said:
I don't understand what you mean. You can shave your head but not your beard?
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Sorry, missed this part. Can't shave the beard cos I sport a full-length one with a bald head. So, practising a straight-edge razor on the face first is ruled out. I'm interested in learning to shave my head with a straight edge, but don't have the time for it currently.

Based on your and others' recco, I've decided to give this one from Pearl a shot. Says it's a closed+open combo, so I can try out both versions. I currently use a basic closed-comb safety razor from Gillette.

For the blade, I'll continue with the 7 0'Clock Platinums (one with the black/grey packaging) that last me roughly 4 shaves per blade. I guess it's alright for a blade that costs ₹12 per unit (retail store prices). Might try the Astra platinum blades later.

Want to keep things as simple as possible as the search for a better shave can be an endless rabbit hole.
 
GuruGulabKhatri said:
I need budget suggestions for the following -
1. Pre shave oils/gels
4.Soap & Brush?
2. Razors, easy to use type
3. After shave anything without alcohol
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Pink Woolf pre shave oil and soap -269 each on smytten,
Pink woolf soft bristles brush 199 on amazon,
romer7 viceroy or feather popular or pearl shaving or hajamat razors depending on how mild or aggressive you want it.
after shave without alcohol - shave balms from bombay shaving company, pinkwoolf, anherb
 
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