Throw some knowledge at me about wet shaving

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mnewsham

Lifer
Oct 2, 2010
14,539
428
136
3 shaves? Read the above. I get around 60 shaves from one disposable. When it starts to become dodgy, I discard and whip out a new one.

What is your facial hair made of, angel spunk? A single cartridge with 4 blades would last me maybe 2 weeks.
 

sze5003

Lifer
Aug 18, 2012
14,319
682
126
60 shaves ? Wow. I dunno I have a lot less facial hair than you guys describe but on my 3-5 shave it starts hurting and snagging when I use my fusion. You can tell on the fusion when it will go bad when the foam part above the blades starts to dissipate.
 

sourceninja

Diamond Member
Mar 8, 2005
8,805
65
91
I've tried that route. Don't bother now. I shave after a hot shower using ordinary shaving creams. I caught a deal off Ebay, it was a batch of 50 Schick triple edge disposables. Per a thread I saw here they can be made to last a lot longer than otherwise if they are rinsed and dried immediately after use and removed to a low humidity space. Although I have a heavy beard, one of these disposables will last me ~4 months.
3 shaves? Read the above. I get around 60 shaves from one disposable. When it starts to become dodgy, I discard and whip out a new one. And I have a heavy beard.

I picked up some kind of infection on my face from somewhere (probably some unwashed mats at bjj). Took about 3 months to clear up and the doctor told me I had to use a fresh razor after every shave (and shave the infected part last so I didn't spread it). At the time I wasn't using my DE razor so the cost was insane.
 

Jaepheth

Platinum Member
Apr 29, 2006
2,572
25
91
Protip:
You can get decent Tweezerman brand badger brushes off Amazon for ~$10

Not the greatest in the world, but they'll get you started.
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,874
10,222
136
What is your facial hair made of, angel spunk? A single cartridge with 4 blades would last me maybe 2 weeks.
Like I say I have a heavy beard. I think I get at least 60 shaves/3-bladed-Schick disposable because:

1. I take a hot shower just before shaving at the sink.
2. The smallish bathroom is ~100% humidity when I get out of the shower (keeps the face from drying).
3. Dampen face with a bit of warm water just prior to wiping on shaving cream (not too thick, but thick enough to ensure smooth/wet shaving).
4. Thoroughly rinse the disposable razor immediately afterward, dry it by squeezing inside a dry towel and then set it in a dry spot outside the damp bathroom until the bathroom dries out. There was a thread in this forum about this some time ago, not allowing even stainless razors to oxidize -- dry them to prolong life, don't just let them air dry.

Believe me, this works.
 

blackangst1

Lifer
Feb 23, 2005
22,902
2,359
126
Thought I'd throw in my .02 and bump this. I should be getting my DE "kit" today. Ive got medium whiskers and normally shave 3x/week. Been using Mach 3's forever, and just getting tired of the expense AND the irritation. Even with new blades I get bumps occasionally, and general irritation. Funny thing...when I was telling my wife about me getting into wet shaving she's like OMG can I get one? She's get very sensitive skin and always gets bumps mostly on her underarms. So got her one too :) Showed her a few youtube videos about ladies wet shaving, including one where the lady states "It leaves my shaved parts smooth and soft as a baby's ass...yes, even down there." That sold wifey.

Sooo...I got 2 Jagger 86bl razors, a 35 blade sampler pack with feathers, 7o'clocks, Derby, and Bluebirds, a starter kit containing a mug, soap, and badger brush. I decided on badger as the boar brushes tend to be a bit stiffer.

Alot of people complain about the additional time involved in wet shaving. A friend of mine who has wet shaved for many years has told me its like getting yourself pampered when you shave, as opposed to just scraping whiskers off your face. You make time for the pampering, he said.

So, we'll see how it goes. Ive committed myself to giving this a good effort, as I know there is a learning curve. But I rarely hear anything negative about wet shaving, and mostly raves.
 

JM Aggie08

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2006
8,414
1,007
136
Thought I'd throw in my .02 and bump this. I should be getting my DE "kit" today. Ive got medium whiskers and normally shave 3x/week. Been using Mach 3's forever, and just getting tired of the expense AND the irritation. Even with new blades I get bumps occasionally, and general irritation. Funny thing...when I was telling my wife about me getting into wet shaving she's like OMG can I get one? She's get very sensitive skin and always gets bumps mostly on her underarms. So got her one too :) Showed her a few youtube videos about ladies wet shaving, including one where the lady states "It leaves my shaved parts smooth and soft as a baby's ass...yes, even down there." That sold wifey.

Sooo...I got 2 Jagger 86bl razors, a 35 blade sampler pack with feathers, 7o'clocks, Derby, and Bluebirds, a starter kit containing a mug, soap, and badger brush. I decided on badger as the boar brushes tend to be a bit stiffer.

Alot of people complain about the additional time involved in wet shaving. A friend of mine who has wet shaved for many years has told me its like getting yourself pampered when you shave, as opposed to just scraping whiskers off your face. You make time for the pampering, he said.

So, we'll see how it goes. Ive committed myself to giving this a good effort, as I know there is a learning curve. But I rarely hear anything negative about wet shaving, and mostly raves.

All solid choices, especially with the blade sampler pack :thumbsup:

I've been using my Merkur for almost a year now, and can't imagine going back to cartridges. Currently I'm looking towards getting into purchasing a straight razor, stones, and a strop, just to change it up ;)
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,874
10,222
136
Thought I'd throw in my .02 and ....

Don't know what WTH you bought there but it seems pretty complicated to me. See my post (2 posts back) which thoroughly details what I do. I'm using disposable 2 and 3 blade razors, no cartridges. Not expensive at all. My techniques make for a very smooth, easy shave, could hardly be easier, my beard is at least medium heavy. I don't get bumps, virtually no irritation if I'm reasonably careful. Replace razor with new one when I detect excessive razor drag.

At one time I did the mug/brush routine. It's unnecessary with the techniques I'm using. I'm OK with foam or gel, either works fine, so much less trouble and I get great results.
 
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Gooberlx2

Lifer
May 4, 2001
15,381
6
91
IME, better shave, MUCH cheaper, less irritation (fewer ingrown hairs for those with curly facial hair).

Skip the brush, mug soap, cream, after shave and all that shit. Just shave when you shower with a bland/unscented conditioner on your face (like suave humectant).
 
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Mr. Pedantic

Diamond Member
Feb 14, 2010
5,027
0
76
Not sure what some people in this thread were doing with cartridges. I got around 10-15 decent shaves per cartridge. That would last me about a month (don't really bother shaving on the weekend, otherwise every 2 days).

Given this, DE blades don't save me as much as I originally thought they would. Each blade is good for about 5 shaves, and each blade costs about 10c, so each year I only save about $50. But then I had to buy a razor, and a brush, and the soap is a lot more expensive than gel. Add on the extra 5 or so minutes per shave/dealing with nicks (the only time I got nicks with cartridges was when they started blunting, which was when I switched, but even with new blades I get nicks every couple of shaves on average), and it's really not worth it. Unless my time is worth $6/hr.
 
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Vdubchaos

Lifer
Nov 11, 2009
10,408
10
0
I use Gillet or Schick razors (ones with replaceable tip).

I can use 1 for AT LEAST 6+ months. The trick to keep in mind is to shave right after the shower while your skin is moist/warm.

I've used 1 razor for over 1 year at one point......mostly replace it for shits and giggles.

If you don't shave right after the shower, yeah I can see myself replacing the razor every week as it hurts like hell.....

So there, hope I saved you some pain/money.
 

Phoenix86

Lifer
May 21, 2003
14,644
10
81
I buy whatever twin blades are on sale. Go through about 1 a month.

1. Take shower
2. At end of shower, lather up face with bar soap, shave
3. Rinse face and blade in shower
4. Hang up blade on fog free (lol) mirror that has holder for blade.

0070500441510_500X500.jpg
This.

If you don't have dry skin you can skip the soap, I do. I never get ingrown hairs and very rarely get any kind of razor rash. I also ditched the fog free (lol) mirror and trim my sides outside the shower but I can get pretty damn close just by feel.
 

blackangst1

Lifer
Feb 23, 2005
22,902
2,359
126
Don't know what WTH you bought there but it seems pretty complicated to me. See my post (2 posts back) which thoroughly details what I do. I'm using disposable 2 and 3 blade razors, no cartridges. Not expensive at all. My techniques make for a very smooth, easy shave, could hardly be easier, my beard is at least medium heavy. I don't get bumps, virtually no irritation if I'm reasonably careful. Replace razor with new one when I detect excessive razor drag.

At one time I did the mug/brush routine. It's unnecessary with the techniques I'm using. I'm OK with foam or gel, either works fine, so much less trouble and I get great results.

Yes, I did see your post, and Im happy it works for you. If you dont know WTH I bought, then you arent familiar with wet shaving. Thats fine. Over the years Ive tried about conceivable routine as well as about every kind of disposable razor out there...and got the same result which I posted in my earlier post.

Just because something works well for you doesnt mean it will work for everyone.
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,874
10,222
136
I use Gillet or Schick razors (ones with replaceable tip).

I can use 1 for AT LEAST 6+ months. The trick to keep in mind is to shave right after the shower while your skin is moist/warm.

I've used 1 razor for over 1 year at one point......mostly replace it for shits and giggles.

If you don't shave right after the shower, yeah I can see myself replacing the razor every week as it hurts like hell.....

So there, hope I saved you some pain/money.
Yup, right after a nice hot shower... every time! One more tip: Thoroughly rinse that razor, tap off the water and then hug it in a towel for a couple of seconds and store it in place with low humidity. IOW, remove from your 100% humidity bathroom to dry, then replace in bathroom when the bathroom has dried out. This makes your razor last much longer. Yes, it has stainless steel blades, but even stainless is susceptible to oxidation to some degree.
Yes, I did see your post, and Im happy it works for you. If you dont know WTH I bought, then you arent familiar with wet shaving. Thats fine. Over the years Ive tried about conceivable routine as well as about every kind of disposable razor out there...and got the same result which I posted in my earlier post.

Just because something works well for you doesnt mean it will work for everyone.

No, I haven't tried everything. What I do works for me. What else can I say?
 
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bradly1101

Diamond Member
May 5, 2013
4,689
294
126
www.bradlygsmith.org
I prefer electric. It's cheaper in the long run, and the $30 Norelco I got at Target shaves me perfectly.

I know you're not supposed to 'go against the grain' when shaving with a blade, but that's the only way I could get a clean shave. The Norelco does just as well.