I like having my face clean-shaven, but I’m not happy with the results I get when I shave every day. I shave right after showering, with a Gillette Mach 3, and lather up with hot water and shave cream as they advise.
If I go two days between shaves, the shaves are closer, and I avoid the little cuts that start occurring with daily shaving. But every other day, I have a slight beard.
Might I get better daily results with an electric razor? There appear to be some newfangled ones (like these wet/dry jobs) and I admit I haven’t tried anything new in a long time. Or, are there blades that work better for daily shaving than a Mach 3?
I have a Philip’s Cool Shave. They’re good, but the head still won’t reach everywhere on my face, and I always end up with missed regions around the jaw close to my ear, no matter how many times I go over it. They’re closer than a normal shaver, but still not as good as wet shaving.
I’ve also tried Gillette and Wilkinson Sword razors, and they’re better. However, I’ve found buying a pack of ten disposable razors and using a new one everyday gets the best shave. It’s also cheaper to buy the disposables than to replace the cartridges in a Gillette razor, here.
Try not pressing so hard. This was something no one ever told me until I really started looking into shaving. I always used to really push hard, I still do if I don’t think about it. I get a lot less nicks and cuts this way.
Fusion Power is my blade of choice. I thought the vibration was a gimmick, but it really seems to make a difference.
I also use King of Shaves shave gel. It’s gel and oil based, and makes for a much much smoother shave than shave cream which is more aklaline and therefore makes the skin “squeakier”, making for more likelihood of the blade stuttering and nicking your skin.
King of Shaves claim to have made a superior razor now too, but I’ve never tried it.
ETA: oh dear Lord the KoS razor says “iStyle meets the razor” and a “Hybrid Synergy System”. I no longer want to part with my money for one.
Shave in the shower. Go buy a $5 mirror that sticks to the tile with a suction cup and towards the end of a hot shower, lather up and shave. I picked this up after 20 years of shaving over the sink and will never go back, to the point of when I travel I take a little shower mirror with me. I could not believe how much quicker, closer and more comfortable shaving is this way.
If you go this route, be sure to get a mirror that has a little hangar for the razor as well.
Actually, I shave in the shower when I’m back home. But I’m currently deployed on a military base in Iraq with sparse showers, so that’s not an option here.
Don’t waste your money I bought one in december. It was rubbish, the handle is some cheap plastic that bends easily and the razor blades are ok, but you can’t get into the little nooks and crannies on your face.
Beard prep is the key to getting a good close shave without irritation every day. Here’s what I do:
Wash your face with a good quality soap and plenty of hot water. Take your time and leave your face wet. This is going to soften the beard.
Use a shaving brush and shaving soap. Technique is important on this step. Hold the brush under really hot water and get it thoroughly wet. Turn the brush handle up and let the water run out of the brush until it is just dripping slowly. Don’t shake it out!
You load the brush by lightly rubbing the tips of the bristles against a cake of shaving soap in a bowl or mug. Don’t try to make a lather in the mug, it’s useless there. You make the lather on your face by making light circular strokes of the brush. This lifts the beard and works the soap into it, further softening the whiskers. It also has the side benefit of exfoliating the skin and cleaning the pores. You don’t need to make a mountain of lather. If it is thick enough that you can’t see through it, you’re good. Set the brush aside.
Use a good quality razor that has some heft to it. You shouldn’t need to press the razor into your skin. It should apply adequate pressure just from its own weight. I use one like this. Blades are easily available at drugstores and Walmarts, as well as on line. Those plastic piece of shit razors, no matter how many blades they layer on top of each other, are too light.
Shave with downward strokes. Let the razor do the work. You just guide it. Try to use as few strokes as possible i.e. don’t go over the same spot repeatedly. After you’ve done your whole face, rinse off, re-lather and shave again with upward strokes. It is absolutely important that you don’t press on the razor. That will cause irritation and ingrown hairs.
Rinse again. Inspect for any areas you missed and give them a light stroke of the razor. Apply after-shave. I’m old fashioned about these things and use a bay rum-scented product with a witch hazel base.
All this takes maybe 10 minutes once you’ve picked up the techniques. I have pretty sensitive skin, but this routine gives me a very close shave every day and no problems with shaving bumps or other irritation.
Always rinse your brush out before you put it away. Ditto your razor. Don’t try to get too many shaves out of a single blade…that seems to be a particular failing among the guys who use those multi-bladed monstrosities that cost several dollars per blade.
This what I do with the M3 razor (vibrating blade). I shave twice, once down, and then once up EXCEPT that I never shave my neck up. That gets shaved twice down. If I shave my neck up I get ingrown hairs. This technique is the result of many years of trial and error. I recommend the vibrating types of blade shavers because they have reduced nicks to statistical ZERO (OK, once last year I nicked myself with a dull blade). I’m sticking to the M3 because it works and the newer versions cost more.
I also go back after the 2 shaves and clean up using a very loose mixture of water/shaving cream.
If you can’t stay in the shower to shave try this:
Wash face thoroughly using hot water.
Soak a washcloth in water as hot as you can stand.
Lie back in a chair or on your bed and drape the washcloth over your face and neck so it’s covering your beard.
Steam. When the washcloth has cooled off, resoak and repeat if possible.
Lather up good and shave. I always use plain old soap - shaving cream really gunks up my razor.
Rinse the blade a lot (to clear the debris). I shave once with the grain, then rinse/lather/repeat going against the grain. I know my face well enough that I don’t need a mirror. This gives me an extremely smooth shave however it is a little more irritating to the skin - if it’s really cold out or I put on sunscreen or something on a hot day I can definitely feel it compared to a single shave with the grain.
I have to agree with Scumpup, our grandpa and fathers (depending how old you are) had the right ideas on how to shave. You can get a much closer and more importantly more comfortable shave using “old” techniques.
The biggest difference can be found in beard prep, and I guarantee you will notice a difference, even if you change nothing else. Use a decent quality shave brush and cream. I have a vulfix super badger which I like. It may seem like it costs a lot, but if you take care of it, it will literally last a lifetime. I like Proraso or Taylor’s Avocado for creams. Saturate your brush with hot water, the hotter the better. Apply about a small amount of the cream on the brush and work it in circular motion across your face. Pretty quickly a nice lather will be built up. Others have covered some good ideas on shaving technique and razor choice.
As an aside, some may be unaware, but drying your razor with a hairdryer after shaving really helps the longevity of the blades as it cuts down on rust formation.
I agree with much of what’s said here. A hot, wet face is the most important place to start.
Also, shaving brushes are a godsend. Get yourself a badger bristle brush and you’ll see an immediate improvement. One tip: rather than shaving soap, which can be kind of an expensive hassle after a while, after you prep the brush you can squirt regular shaving gel on it. You get an INCREDIBLE lather and much closer shaves than any other method I’ve tried. Just be sure to rinse the brush thoroughly after each use.