# Shaving methodology (Ladies, too!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 15, 1999, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160 "1999-12-15T17:58:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 1999, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/21 "1999-12-15T21:20:00Z")
Same hand here, too. If I tried shaving with my left hand, I might lop off an ear. I’ve tried against-the-grain shaving a few times…I find it leads to those gaping facial wounds someone else referred to earlier. Oh, yes…I use gel, too. The cream makes me feel like Santa when it’s all over my face, and it’s harder to shave through. I own a badger shaving brush as well, but I only use it when the can of gel runs out unexpectedly. I didn’t even know there WAS such a thing as bar shaving soap; it those cases I usually just use the ordinary bar soap. I’d love to get my hands on some Burma-Shave, but the website UncleBeer posted on the Burma-Shave thread did not include a sales page. Guess I’ll keep checking the bottom shelves in old-timey Brooklyn drug stores. * * * Uke ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 1999, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/22 "1999-12-15T21:42:00Z")
Eve, I found your remark totally offensive and utterly uncalled for! I am hereby cancelling my subscriptions to all of the magazines in which you appear, plus MARTHA STEWART LIVING just for the hell of it, throwing out all my Jean Harlow and Theda Bara videos, and re-naming my hamster Flora. En garde! * * * Uke ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 1999, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/23 "1999-12-15T21:47:00Z")
Ah, rename your hamster anything ya like. It can’t hear anything anyway, considering where it spends most of its time . . . ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 1999, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/24 "1999-12-15T21:54:00Z")
Electric razor man, here. I never liked messing with foams, dull blades and toilet paper bandages, so I switched many moons ago and have never looked back. Being mostly incoherent early in the morning means I have no shaving pattern. Purely random acts of shaving. I do, however, shave exclusively right handed. The left hand is for pulling the skin taut. I do run my left hand over my face, against the grain, to feel for patches that need additional work. * * * The overwhelming majority of people have more than the average (mean) number of legs. – E. Grebenik ---
**Author:** ![Vestal\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5e9695/32.png) [@Vestal\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vestal_Blue)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 1999, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/25 "1999-12-15T23:10:00Z")
Oh, you’re a hoot, Eve, you crack me up, you really do! I think you left Uke bleeding with that riposte! DJ, Toilet paper is passe; for the infrequent nicks I reach for the styptic pencil; BTW, styptic pencils and epesiotomies; any thoughts, ladies? * * * VB “Hey! How 'bout that Toe Jam?” ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 1999, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/26 "1999-12-16T02:17:00Z")
Before the shower: give the beard a few passes with the Maverick trimmer to take it down to the proper length. I usually do this while standing in the bathtub so I don’t have little hairs all over the sink. Then, an extensive ritual with really hot water and washcloths to soften the ol’ whiskers I wanna slice away. Now, the lathering of the neck and cheeks and the shaving: I use a Mach 3 and Edge ‘Extra Protection’ Gel. On my neck, I go against the grain bottom to top, then side to center to get as smooth as possible. Haven’t had a cut in ages. After that, a few artful curved strokes to get rid of those unsavory stray hairs on my cheeks. Then, I hop in the shower and do my shower ritual. After I get out, I rub some Gilette Wild Rain aftershave liquid in (ooooh, so cool and nice), and I’m good to go. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 1999, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/27 "1999-12-16T10:48:00Z")
I usually shave in the shower, in which case the water is enough to soften the hair. If I shave at the sink I have a bottle of liquid soap which I use. I also exclusively use Schick double blades. They have a little button on the back which pushes the hair out from between the blades. Keeps them from clogging up. ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_Gilligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kid\_Gilligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_Gilligan)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 1999, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/28 "1999-12-16T12:22:00Z")
Regarding security measures for razor blades. Most stores I know affix those little magnetic security stickers to razor blades. I have a theory that shoplifting is higher on items that people hate to spend money on. Noone WANTS razor blades, but they need them. I suspect if they were more fun, people would not mind spending a few bucks for them. ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_Gilligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kid\_Gilligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_Gilligan)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 1999, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/29 "1999-12-16T12:40:00Z")
The best “Shaving cream” I have ever used is Noxzema skin cream. (In the blue jar) It opens up the pores and gives a very, very close shave. And for Nemo… I used to use those blades with the trigger for ejecting hair, But there is something better now. Gillette Sensor and Mach 3 mount the blades so that water flows between them, making the hair easy to wash out. They never clog. With the blades you mentioned, hair occasionaly gets stuck between the plastic ejector and the blade. I also found that (at least for me) the distance between the blades required to allow room for the plastic thing made for a less than ideal spacing for a great shave. ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_Gilligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kid\_Gilligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_Gilligan)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 1999, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/30 "1999-12-16T12:50:00Z")
Regarding security measures for razor blades. Most stores I know affix those little magnetic security stickers to razor blades. I have a theory that shoplifting is higher on items that people hate to spend money on. Noone WANTS razor blades, but they need them. I suspect if they were more fun, people would not mind spending a few bucks for them. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 1999, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/31 "1999-12-16T15:06:00Z")
(Psssssst…Vestal! Eve mails me a crisp five-dollar bill for every straight line I hand her. But keep it to yourself; she’d be devastated if everyone found out.) ---
**Author:** ![Moonshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Moonshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonshine)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 1999, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/32 "1999-12-16T15:24:00Z")
I shave in the shower every morning, right hand only, using a badger-hair brush and a mug of shaving soap. Cheeks, moustache and then chin. With the grain only, unless I’m out on a date then its the whole nine yards (now where did that expression originate I wonder, must be something to do with the length of WWII aircraft’s machine gun ammo…). I have found that if I rinse the blades often enough they can last for weeks at a time and it doesn’t really matter what kind I use, one-blade, two-blade or even Mach 3, they are all as smooth as each other. The only difference is the ones with a lubricationg strip, them’s nice. It have tried electric shaving several times, but those things seem to annoy the heck out of my skin. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 1999, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/33 "1999-12-16T15:40:00Z")
Gillette Sensor, unribbed. We all know ribbed is “for her pleasure” only. Ordinairy Gillette Shaving Foam. Shave before shower. Right hand only. Downwards on the face to the jawline, including upper lip and chin. Upward below the jawline. And the only time I cut myself up really bad was when I used the Sensor Excell, the ribbed one. Also, the Mach III is a big crock. There’s nothing like an original Sensor. ## After shaving and showering: apply some Nivea After Shave Balm. Then apply Calvin Klein \ Cologne. Put on suit. Dash out to catch tram & go to work. Coldfire * * * “You know how complex women are” - Neil Peart, Rush (1993) ---
**Author:** ![Vestal\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5e9695/32.png) [@Vestal\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vestal_Blue)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 1999, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/34 "1999-12-16T17:38:00Z")
Ok Uke, I won’t tell anybody (wink!) But I still think you need to wipe the blood off your chin for that one! Moonshine: Off on a tangent here, but I heard that ‘the whole nine yards’ referred to the amount of cloth needed to make a traditional Scottish kilt. * * * VB “Hey! How 'bout that Toe Jam?” ---
**Author:** ![the\_Scarlet\_Pimpernel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f1d935/32.png) [@the\_Scarlet\_Pimpernel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Scarlet_Pimpernel)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 1999, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/35 "1999-12-17T06:27:00Z")
Being a bit of a hippie, I don’t shave my legs, only under my arms. I use one of those lubricating-strips razors and liquid shower soap to make a lather. Right hand for left side, left hand for right side. (I cant believe Im sharing so many details about my shaving habits!) Raising my arm over my head, I shave downwards, and then upwards to catch any leftbehinds. BTW, are there any other females who let their hair grow a bit before bothering to shave when it’s not tank-top weather? Moonshine, Vestal, no, no, no! Nine yards is the amount of cloth it takes to make the train on a really fancy wedding dress! * * * the Artist Formerly Known as Kara ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 1999, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/36 "1999-12-16T20:56:00Z")
> [@](#): > > DJ, Toilet paper is passe; for the infrequent nicks I reach for the styptic pencil Vestal - you obviously missed my “incoherent in the morning” admission. When they come out with styptic rollers, I’ll reconsider. ---
**Author:** ![Vestal\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5e9695/32.png) [@Vestal\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vestal_Blue)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 1999, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/37 "1999-12-16T21:03:00Z")
Ok DJ, you got me on that one! I guess when your squinting a toilet roll would look bigger, although I’m not real sure what coherency has to do with motor skills! * * * VB “Hey! How 'bout that Toe Jam?” ---
**Author:** ![PurpleCrackwhore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc348/32.png) [@PurpleCrackwhore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleCrackwhore)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 1999, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/38 "1999-12-16T21:26:00Z")
I don’t shave… I wax… ripping all the body hair out at the roots is the way to go and if you were a real man you would know that 😉 * * * I really try to be good but it just isn’t in my nature! ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 1999, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/39 "1999-12-16T22:52:00Z")
Interesting thread. I use a Sensor Excel, with Edge “Extra-Protection” Gel. Much better than my old razor. Used to use Atra Plus, but the Sensor is better. I shave right handed, starting on right. Shave against grain. Chin and jaw are always a problem. Dimple on chin is a nuisance. Grew mustache to avoid upper lip. Used to use a Norelco electric triple head, but didn’t like it. It invariably would chew my face raw and still leave stubble. Hurts like a dickens when you sweat into newly scraped wounds. I have dry shaved before, but don’t go for the really close shave. That’s mostly a quick job after growing a few days and wanting to look a little neater, but not having time for the whole soak down and lather up. Oh, and shave at sink, not in shower. FYI - dry shaving will sometimes catch the odd hair and yank it out at the roots. Also, styptic pencil - where can I find one? Falcon, I’d offer to shave your legs, but after seeing the nicks on my face you’d scream and run. And I have worn a beard before. ---
**Author:** ![Vestal\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5e9695/32.png) [@Vestal\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vestal_Blue)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 1999, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160/40 "1999-12-16T23:21:00Z")
Irishman, you can get styptic pencils at your local drug store or grocery store. They come two to a pack and last forever! PCW: Masochism was never my style; besides, if I have stubble I can make my daughters sqeal when we rub faces! * * * VB “Hey! How 'bout that Toe Jam?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-methodology-ladies-too/12160.md?page=3)