A better shave using a single blade safety razor
by Colin Loretz. Average Reading Time: about 2 minutes.
Shaving is usually something everyone hates to do. Who really enjoys scraping a piece of sharpened metal across their skin? My own experience has been less than pleasant. I’ve tried probably a dozen different brands of razors but all of them have been common safety razors with multiple blades.
The razor I “enjoyed” most was the Gillette Sensor Excel. Most new razors have pivoting heads that have led to some pretty painful hacking. The Sensor Excel’s head does not pivot so if you’re looking for a multi-blade razor, look for this one but do not fall for the Sensor3 which has more whizbang features and I believe a pivoting head. I used to buy 30 cartridges at a time for it at Costco but unfortunately they no longer seem to carry them here in Reno.
I’ve recently discovered the problem was the multiple blades. Multi-blade razors function in such a manner that the first blade pulls the hair and the second, third, fourth (and so on) blades cut the hair. Ouch! Earl Spriggs gave me a single-blade straight razor along with shaving soaps and a brush as a graduation present and I’ve found it makes a significant difference during shaving. Before I started using the “new” razor, he suggested I check out videos from Mantic59 on YouTube. Mantic59 has an entire channel of videos dedicated to shaving with multiple types of razors including a straight edge razor, for those of you brave souls looking for a barber shave.
While I doubt shaving will ever be an entirely pleasant experience, I’ve found that using a single-blade razor has made shaving much more enjoyable and my face doesn’t hate me (as much) afterward.
Everything I’ve watched and read about single-blade shaving stresses the importance of:
- Maintaing a 30-degree angle between the blade and the face
- Proper lathering
- Have patience when shaving – it’s not a race
- Do NOT apply pressure to the blade
- Use an alcohol-free aftershave product to help soothe and condition the skin
Not applying pressure to the blade might seem counterintuitive for most shavers because most of today’s safety razors are extremely light and require a little bit of pressure to pull and hack the hair off your face. When using a single-blade razor (as pictured right), the weight of the razor itself is enough pressure to provide a close shave without destroying the top layer of your skin. If you’re doing it right, you will know it’s working as you actually hear the blade cutting the hair, something you probably don’t hear with your multi-blade razor now. The key to avoiding razor burn is to not apply pressure!
Happy shaving!
I went to a barber shop in Marrakesh and got a shave. The guy used a straight razor with removable blades. It was a tiny little 2 seat shop about half the size of a small bedroom a step off this narrow street teaming with people, donkeys, mopeds, bikes, etc… It seemed like men get a shave every other day there and a haircut at least as often. Moroccans are pretty fastidious about grooming. Not so much about littering.
I had a pretty big beard going, about a week and a half, but he had me smooth as a butt. Ended up pretty irritated through after wards when he rubbed some shit all over my face. Might have been castille oil. Smelled great, but itched and I almost broke out in hives. That would have been awesome. An allergic reaction in Marrakesh. Either way. Those blades might be worth a try. I don’t know about the shaving soap though. I used to use that and it didn’t work for me.
-M
This is a great article, and I must say that the most important, and wildly overlooked, aspects of wet-shaving are: the blade angle and the pressure applied on the razor.Wet Shaving is not about being snobbish, but about a better shave with less iritation and fewer ingrown hairs. A double-edge classic safety razor, like Merkur HD Classic, won’t pull the hairs and cut them below the skin level as is the case with multi-blade catridges, taking better care of your skin and your beard. Also, with an old style razor you have the luxury of choosing the sharpness of the blade ; so you can find the one that fits you best.
i started shaving since when i was 19 with Gilette mach 3, i didn’t got any hurt, bump, irritate anytime. my skin was supposed to be very soft, childish etc at a same time my beard were getting harder. Now at age 25, i’ve started using double edge safety razor, my skin got irritated (the same I use to get in barber shop) though I use costly shaving gel and balm evrytime. now the question should I really give up using double edge blade?