How to Shave with a Safety Razor
A video follow-up to an article I wrote over 4 years ago, about how to get a great shave. The only right way is to shave with a safety razor. It’s better for you, and it’s better for the planet, because the little stainless steel blade you throw away is fully recyclable. There’s no plastic that enters the equation, which means less pollution and less waste. Filmed in 720p HD with the Olympus PEN E-P2. Here’s the original article: raoulpop.com
The Men’s Grooming Blog Comments:
I’m no shaving expert, but I have found some shaving tips that are slightly different than what is given in the video. First of all, the shaving cream should be able to produce a good, rich lather that will not dry on your face even if it is left on for several minutes. If your shaving cream dries before you are finished you need to either add more water or try a different brand. I personally have never had a problem with it drying on my face and I have tried several different brands.
Shaving cream should soften the whiskers, but to do this, it needs to stay on your face for a little while. A lot of advice that I have seen says to leave the shaving cream on your face for as long as 5 minutes! This will seem like forever if you just stand there waiting, so what I do is apply the lather and do something else like put on deodorant and anything else that wont disturb my lathered-up face. The sequence of shaving should be as follows: both cheeks, neck, upper lip and the chin last. This will allow the areas that tend to have the toughest whiskers to be in contact with the shaving cream for the longest period of time.
Now, a few words about his sharp blade warning. A dull razor is FAR more likely to cut you than a sharp one. Razor blades do not dull evenly so the edge becomes jagged and deformed after several uses. Think of a serrated knife: great for cutting raw meat but not something I would like to use for shaving. By the way, try flipping the razor to the other edge every time you rinse. This will ensure even use on both edges. I get at least eight to ten good shaves from a blade, but this will vary from person to person depending on such factors as the quality of the blade and the toughness of your whiskers.
Raoul is correct about warming the shaving brush which therefore warms the lather. A warm lather not only feels great, it also helps soften the beard. To go even further with this, warm your shaving mug with hot water before adding the shaving cream. As for warming the razor: ultimately the razor should be at or about body temperature. The issue with a cold razor (or hot for that matter) is that your skin will warm the blade unevenly as you shave. Because temperature will cause any metal to expand or contract the blade can warp slightly as you shave. A warped blade, like a dull one, is more likely to nick your face. You will probably never feel the affects of a warped blade but warming it wont hurt and besides, a warm blade feels better against the skin.
Again, these are tips that I have come across. They have worked well for me so I thought I would share them here. What has worked for you? If you have any ideas, suggestions or tips please consider sharing them.
- Rob
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Awesome video, excellent quality and explanations. In some communities, used blades are medical sharps (biohazard!), and recycling is hand sorted during processing…we were asked to not recycle them in Seattle
@retrorazor Thank you! I can understand how sharps would affect hand-sorting of the recyclables, but it’s strange they’d ask you to not to recycle them when they could provide a sharps container to people, or put them next to recycling bins at recycling centers.
Perhaps a better long-term solution would be for blade manufacturers to provide a little sharps container for used blades when you purchase them, made of the same material as the blades. That way you recycle the entire container.
servus raoul si salutari de la constanta
@salageansorin Salutari!
Excelent video, I started to wet shave a week ago, and I love it, I’m curious, where do you get that gillette stainless blades?, at least for you they seem to work pretty good, so I’d like to give it a try.
@kiokoidrillow Thanks! You can try any of the major pharmacies like Walgreens or CVS. If that doesn’t work, you’ll always find them on Amazon, or if not there, there are plenty of websites that sell safety razors and blades and brushes and all sorts of other shaving stuff.
all these guys in these shaving videos have weak beards. get someone who has a thick beard (like a bluebeard) and have them shave. that will show you what the razors are truly made of.
@TeslaDRay I don’t know about you, but my beard is plenty thick for me. I wouldn’t want it any thicker. But hey, if you don’t think it’s thick enough, make your own videos. I’m not being dismissive, I really mean it. Get a guy with a really thick beard, and get him to work with you to experiment with different razors and lotions and techniques. I’d like to see what the results are, it should make for some interesting videos.
@raoulpop
then again, your hair is pretty light so that might account for something. no i don’t do videos, but I’ll look into suggesting someone into doing it.
@TeslaDRay Let me know if and when you put some videos together. After all, we all have different faces and what works for one may not work for the other. I’m sure those with thicker beards and coarser hair would appreciate knowing the best shaving techniques for their faces. All I can say is that my wife sure thinks my beard is plenty tough. She says it cuts her face every time I kiss her when I’m unshaven. She’s always on my case about shaving more often.
@raoulpop
like i said you may have a thick beard but since your hair is lighter, it’s hard to tell. i hate the area right under our ears – we can’t shave that enough, lol.
……. Researching these Safety Razoers right now…
Can you still get the same type of close shave, if you don’t use the any soap/gel ???
(I use the Schick xtreme3 & running water, Works fine, but the prices are too ridiculous.)
@a7green I’ve never tried it without soap or gel, but you’re welcome to try it and see how it goes. Keep in mind the shaving technique is quite different between a multi-blade razor and a single-blade razor. Expect an adjustment period of 1-3 weeks. You will get cuts and nicks until you get it, so I’d suggest you first use a good gel or soap to lessen the cuts and the pain, and after you’ve got the technique down, then try it with only running water. Make sure you watch mantic59′s videos too.
Safety razors work great for me too. I really like that there is no plastic to dispose of and the blades are so much cheaper than those multi-blade cartridges. Even if I changed the blade every time I shaved, I would still pay less than I would for cartridges. Thanks for the tips.
.-= Rob W from@qualify for loan´s last blog ..What do debt consolidation companies offer to people who are in debt? =-.
Good tips, a good blade, soften the beard with warm water, lots of lather, downward strokes, but shaving the neck first – my technique.
Safety Razor..
I like this article!!
:thumb up:
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I really find your site so informative when it regards to men’s hygiene and grooming. I have no doubts for the tips you have shared to us because you have experienced and tried it personally. Looking forward for your upcoming post. Thanks!
It’s good to be back in your site. Searching and learning the things that man needs to know when it comes to personal grooming. I have finally tried the electric shaver that you shared to us. Which is Panasonic foil shaver. My first try resulted to cool and clean shaving.
Just wanted to give a shout to you and thank you for maintaining this blog. It’s pretty rad with hard to find info, thanks!
This was a very interesting blog with video. I honestly had no knowledge of safety razors before running across your blog. I think I will stick with my disposables though.
I’ve never heard of these safety razors before now but I will definitely do some research and find out what they are all about. My husband not only uses disposable razors to shave his face he also shaves his head. I swear he goes through razors like they are going out of style. It would be great to be able to save some money and not have to worry so much about the expense. Thanks.
Not all safety razors are non-plastic as I have some that actually are plastic with the blade in it. These are the cheap ones that I have however I have recently purchased the Gilette ProGlide. Its supposed to not pull on hair but I havent noticed it, I think its because I havent shaved when my hair is thick so will see when I try it on that.
Here is a tip I didn’t pick from the video – shave in the shower, it ticks all of the boxes – warm blade, soak the hairs, steam to open pores and rubbing a bit of soap onto a small hand mirror stops it steaming up.
My girlfriend just got me a really nice set, thanks for the video I was a bit wary to try it at first. It doesn’t seem so hard now.
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Are you planning on writing a blog entry about those of us guys with shaven heads? It’s a great group to belong to. It takes a lot of upkeep but it’s nice, clean, and simple. I’ve been voluntarily bald for over 12 years!
Most men dont understand that a dull razor cuts more than a sharp razor. This is a really great article i called myself looking is there a article on your site for the bald head people?
It’s good to see sites dedicated to men’s affairs. Well done!
I noticed you didn’t specify What products you should use when shaving. I have recently found a Brand that works really well for me. Its The Jason Shankey Expert Range. It has 5 different products in the range but I actually bought The Limited Edition ‘Perfect Shave’ Gift Set. It has a Scrub, Shaving cream and Moisturiser in the box and they all smell great. I think these three, used together really does give you The Perfect Shave.
The Exfoliator is light, gentle and effective. It left my skin smooth and I noticed that my facial hair was much softer. The Shaving Cream Softens the hair much quicker than 5 mins, it helps the razor to glide across your face with less pull and reduces inflammation. The Moisturiser soothes the skin after shaving and doesn’t leave my skin shiny.
I was very impressed with The Perfect Shave Gift set and with the tips from this website I can only imagine them being twice as effective.
I LOVE shaving with a classic safety razor. I get a much better shave that way than I ever did using the latest Turbo Triple-Blade Gizmo. Thanks for sharing the truth!
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Great video, I have suggested it to a few friends who I talked into switching to the safety Razor
Thank you! Useful information!
I always use a safety razor but I usually just wash with soap and water
On the subject of switching to a different cream should your current one not foam well enough, I can’t recommend Colgate Irish Spring Scent enough…
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i always hated shaving as my face would sometimes itch for the next couple of days. i switched to using the “art of shaving” pre-shave oil and after shave and now shaving is quick and easy. no more itching.
give art of shaving a try if you are in the market for a new shaving cream (no, i don’t work for them, just a satisfied customer trying to help others, LOL)
Nice article and great suggestion.Thanks for sharing.
An excellent video. Thanks for sharing useful information and a great article.
Yes, my son always got irritated after a day of shaving. He feels some hurt and itchy on it. Great tips you got in here. I will share this one to him
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Get busy livin’-or get busy dyin’.
There are various ways for keeping the skin of the face clean.These are using a good moisturizing shaving cream and good quality of razor.
It is a really good thing
Nice, thx for sharing!
Thanks for sharing this info it will really help alot of people who doesn’t know how to shave properly. It will help them to prevent from being hurt by the misused of the shave
Underwater Photographer
Nice helpful video, shot in great quality. I use too safety razors in place of electric ones which don’t do a good job.
Nice post I’m impressed, Actually rarely do I encounter a blog that’s both educative and entertaining. Cheers from Sweden!
thx a lot for posts
I want to start shaving with a double edged safety razor (yes the old school ones) and I was just wanting some advice on what might be either a really good or the best brand for one. Also, I wanted to know where I would get replacement blades for it, I think I have seen them at big box stores like wal-mart and target, I just want to know if those are type of blades I would use and if they are worth buying.
what diff does it makes wheather u use it or not? I use intution and it comes with a bar around the blades so why use shaving cream?