Safety Razor Basics

If your thinking about getting started with a safety razor you are probably asking yourself where do I get started and what do I need. This article will show you what you need and how to use these items. We recommend watching the videos

So first things first. You will need these items to get started.

1. A Double Edge Safety Razor
2. Double Edge Blades
3. A glycerin based soap
4. A badger hair brush
5. A stand to dry your brush
6. Styptic Pencil or Liquid

A basic safety razor will do. Some safety razors can be adjusted with a dial to change the angle of the blade. Simply unscrew the base of the handle and the top will open. Insert a blade and close the top.

Always shave after a shower. The hot water opens your pours and softens the whiskers. Wet shaving with any razor is all about water. The water is the buffer between your skin and the blade. Wet the badger hair brush and rotate it around the soap until the end is saturated with soap. What you are trying to do is create a thick lather. This lather is heavily saturated and will create that buffer you need for a smooth shave.

Next brush the lather onto your face. The bristles of the brush will lift your hairs and the advantage of the badger hair is that it will help keep everything wet.  For this reason stay away from boar hair brushes.  Put your brush down, but do not rinse at this point. You will need to use it again.

Now it’s time to shave. Take is very slow. The key is to achieve a 30 degree angle between your face and blade and to NOT USE ANY PRESSURE AT ALL! With a modern multi blade cartridge, plastic protects you from getting too close to your face. People tend to press these types of razors into their face to achieve a close shave.  Pressure is not requried for a DE blade to cut.  These DE blades are sharp and you will need to take it slow and use short strokes while maintaining the angle. Do not be worried about getting all the hair off in one stroke. Safety razor shaving requires 2 or 3 passes in different directions while lathering between shaves.

For your first pass always shave in the direction the hair grows. For the second pass shave across and for the third you can shave up if required. Only shave up if your skin can handle it and you have a week or two of experience. In the beginning take it very slow and just do 1 or 2 passes in the direction that the hair grows.

After shaving wash your face with cold water. This will close the pours. We strongly recommend a cream based after shave to finish off. After a few weeks you can expect your shaving time to be no more than 8 minutes.

Unlearning the cartridge way of shaving will take some time. Don’t be surprised or discouraged if you get a few nicks the first week or two. Remember to take it slow and gentle and you will soon be shaving like a pro. In the end the results will be worth it. You will get as close a shave as possible at home and the cost of this new equipment will be offset by not having to spend high prices for cartridges.