So I used to almost always nick myself when shaving my legs. I could virtually count on at least once per shave. Nowadays I shave my legs a lot more recklessly, far less carefully, and yet I can’t remember the last time I cut myself. So have I just gotten better at it or are razors these days better engineered or something?
(poll coming right after I post this)
My razor certainly has gotten better - I got one with the blades wrapped with wire so it’s much more difficult to cut off my ankles.
Razors have gotten better, I think. Whenever I get a cheap disposable because I’m in a rush or being cheap, I end up slicing my legs up like middle school again.
I’m only 20 so I can’t comment directly on how razors have improved but I will say that I’ve been using the cheapest razors I can find and I’ve never, not once, cut myself, ever. I’ve never experienced razor burn or anything. And my facial hair grows quite a bit.
Never had anyone to teach me to shave, just sort of winged it. So unless I’m a natural shaver, I’d wager that the razors have improved.
Edit: I really hope I haven’t posted in a thread meant specifically for female leg-shaving experiences.
I can’t speak for the OP, but you guys work around some pretty tricky areas, too (on your face, I mean, although other areas certainly look tricky to shave, too).
The Gillette M3 powered razor was dramatically better than any previous razor I’ve used. Haven’t had the desire to try newer models because I get a close shave without any nicks.
I started shaving (legs/pits) in the 70s. The razors today are so much better, better than the ones my kids grew up using in the 90s. Enjoy!
It also depends on how your hair grows in. I once had a professional barber-shoppe shave, and he remarked that my beard, albeit thick and manly, was a nightmare to shave, because the hair grew in different angles in at least six different sections. Different angles of growth mean that getting a close shave requires a different cutting angle. He even nicked me once, for which he apologized profusely. Needless to say, if I use a cheap-ass razor, I get at least a few cuts, but if I use a high-quality Mach3 or whatever, I get cut once or not at all.
Of course this proves nothing about razor quality, but my gut instinct tells me that after the initial few months of skill-improvement, that razor technological advancement matters much more.
Well I’m glad for these new razors and I welcome them as our new overlords. I used to spend the next 10 minutes after a shower with little pieces of TP stuck to my legs… man am I glad those days are over!
Oh my goodness are they better. My Gillette has an open back, which lets me very easily rinse out the hair. My old razors would get gunked up in minutes, and I’d have to stop shaving in the middle, and dull the blade trying to clean them out. With either the Mach 3 or 5, run water over it, and it’s gone.
The only reason I stopped using them is because they are expensive, and I don’t get out of the house often enough to warrant using them much.
I think not only has disposable blade technology improved, but so has the design of the housings. Add in the little strips of moisturizer and we’re far, far ahead of the game. Used to be a twin blade was the best disposable you could buy, and it was in a hard plastic housing with a hard plastic handle. Now housings and handles are rubberized and much comfier to hold.
I love the Venus razors, and almost never nick myself with them, even though I shave really fast and do it by feel, 'cause I don’t put in my contacts until after my shower. I also like the Intuition, which has a solid shaving soap attached to the head of the razor, but they’re a LOT more expensive because I only get three or four shaves out of each one before the soap is gone. With the Venus I can easily use the same razor for at least 10-12 shaves, if not more.
I hate those razors with the wires on top of the blades. They leave individual hairs unshaved. So annoying.
BTW - Most of the time I don’t even use shaving gel.
I’ve been shaving for over 40 years, so I’m way on the flat part of the skill curve. The razors I started out with were single blade ones you dropped into a handle, and then double blades for a long time. Four and five blade razors make it really hard to nick yourself, unless you have some piece of something sticking up. So, definitely the razor.
They don’t give the best shave, I’ll give you that, but it’s worth it to me to not have my knees and ankles bleeding. I still use my old double-bladed whatever for my underarms where there aren’t so many contours to nick.
Razors have certainly gotten better, however, your muscles have also gotten better - sort of - by habituating your body i.e. muscle memory, your body automatically remembers to go lighter here, longer there, straighter here and so on. It helps that razors have been improved, but over 20 years of shaving will help too.
I noticed not long ago that I shave the exact same way every single time I put the razor to my face. Weird.
I have sensitive skin, and the switch to Gillette’s 3-blade razor was a godsend to me. I’ve been debating moving up to the 5-blade, but also wondering if at that point the difference is just hype. If you’ve made the switch from 3 to 5, I’d be interested to hear your reactions. Women or men.
Not just reliability, but longevity has definitely improved. A cheap twin-blade razor will only last for me about a week before it starts tugging and nicking. A Mach 3 blade will last me several months.
I switched from 3 to 4. It’s awesome.
Man I’m only 23, started shaving at 12 or so, and in 10 years I can definitely tell the difference. Like Diosa said, the cheapies are still the cheapies, and they still nick ya.
Nothing beats the Gillette Fusion razor. I shave my head every day, and the Fusion is the only razor I’ll use.