Shaving with a straight razor
And the first thing I hear my dad say when hearing I’m trying out a straight razor is “are you crazy?” — well I indirectly heard this through my brother Tyler who was instructed by my dad while on a cell phone to ask me this question.
Anyways, I bought a straight razor. I didn’t go all out though. I bought one that uses disposable razor blades. I wasn’t sure if I would like it and I didn’t want to cough up $200–$300 for a decent straight razor so I went the disposable route. The upside is the blades are super cheap. Between $.50 and $1 a piece depending on what kind and in what quantity you buy them. That’s a hell of a lot better than the $15 pack of 3 Gillette blades, which I am sick of buying.
I bought some decent shaving cream and a good brush to go with it. It was highly recommended by the folks at “The Art of Shaving” where I bought the razor and I thought I might as well give it a serious chance if I’m going to do this thing.
After purchasing it I went home and watched a few “how to” videos on YouTube. They were good at giving me a sense of the basics. Then I decided to go for it. I took a hot shower and afterwards went for my first shave with the straight razor. I should add that I had not shaven in quite a few days so that added to the complexity of the situation.
The tools.
This is me before I’ve shaved.
This is me after I’ve shaved.
My skin wasn’t really that red after shaving, it’s just bad color from the photo.
Regarding my tools. Maybe some of this is overkill but it’s my first time and I wanted to get the full experience. We have an initial oil used to prep the skin and help provide a barrier between the blade and your skin, it’s also suppose to provide a smoother surface so your less likely to cut yourself. There is also the brush, the shaving lotion, after shave lotion and finally the razor. I used a Dovo Shavette.
Well I’m sure you are wondering how it went. Well, it actually went just fine. Yes I cut myself, but nothing more than a few little nicks here and there which I think is pretty damn good for my first time shaving with a straight razor. I didn’t experience the gushing of blood that I had heard about. Granted I took a looong time to shave as it was very awkward to use at first. It’s mostly tricky to figure out the best angles and hand positions for holding the blade for the different parts of the face. Some areas I got a really nice close shave that was better than any thing I’ve experienced with the Mach3 blades from Gillette. Other areas I had quite a bit of trouble and it was still a little on the rough side after shaving. I only took one pass as I had all of the little nicks I wanted and my skin was not terribly happy with me.
It’s hard to tell yet but I think I may be a convert in the making. I’m going to give it a few months and see if I can really get the hang of it. Time will tell.