Facial hair/shaving thread

Saw a few beards or thick stubble's in the 'New Picture' thread and thought it'd make for interesting discussion. I mean, shaving your facial hair could be something you either do pretty often (I have to ... damnit) or you're gifted with not having to shave a lot. I never got around trying an electric razor when I started out as a teen, went straight to a Sensor Excel (Twin Blade) and moved to a Mach 3 since the past 5/6 years now. I've been on the wall or just lazy to get to a 4/ 5/ 6 blade razor.

Anyway, I have to shave every 2nd day or every day most of the times. I can never get a clean shave if I shave consecutive days (which sucks!). I'm interested in going the traditional wet shaving route, I like how it needs a fair amount of prep time or care - sort of like a process. I picked up a brush the other day and a Merkur safety razor + stainless steel blades online. So let's see how that goes, especially cos I will pass out if I see myself bleed a lot haha =_='

I guess to get the discussion started, how often do you shave? Blades/ creams/ foams of preference? You a beard guy?

It must be hard to be Griffith as he looks good with/ without a thick beard.
 

Th3Branded0ne

I'll be back.
This is the longest I have let it grown, it was about a 3 months.

beardp.jpg


As for razors, I just use a Gillete Mach Turbo along with the shaving gel of the same kind. When it got this long I just used some clippers first to cut it as short as I could. Then shaved it. I usually shave depending on how I feel about it. Sometimes it's every 2 days or once a week, or just trim it down with the clippers if I dont' feel like shaving at all.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
I'm gifted with only having to shave between once and twice a week. And I have a Mach 3 razor.
 
Shaving is something I really don't care for, I shave at most once a week or once every other week even though I should probably shave every day. I use cheap disposable Gillette razors. I so seldom shave that a can of foam lasts for years.
 
Shaving is probably one of those things I do only when it feels necessary. When my beard either gets too wild or looks uneven I just shave it into the right shape to make it look neater or shave it all off to just let it grow back again.
 
My shaving practice has a lot to do with what's allowed at my job *raises fist* (doesn't help I have thick growth). Would grow a beard if I could, just for the experience of it, good ^_^ or bad =_='.

Is that Mach 3 Turbo with a battery-vibrate handle, Branded? You could grow your mustache super~long like those old school Kung-Fu masters.

Lucky you, Aazealh.

Guessing you use an electric shaver, Skullgrin?

You may want to move away from using canned shaving foam, m. I read it dries out the skin a lot quicker and canned shaving stuff comes with chemicals that may/ may not harm the skin over a period of time.
 
IncantatioN said:
Guessing you use an electric shaver, Skullgrin?

You may want to move away from using canned shaving foam, m. I read it dries out the skin a lot quicker and canned shaving stuff comes with chemicals that may/ may not harm the skin over a period of time.

Nope, the idea of using an electric shaver to shave has come up once or twice but never used it though. Also I have been using canned shaving foam for a while, I was not aware it causes damage to the skin over a length of time. What would you suggest as an alternative?
 
As an alternative, look for a shaving cream/ gel that comes in a tube. The only problem is that it's not always readily available at your local store, depending on the size of the store. There's a sort of tendency for dry skin post-shave using a canned foam type of cream and to counter that dryness, manufacturers add artificial ingredients. It really depends as most add-ons like that can be petroleum based ones. So, it's just something to be aware of ... may not matter at all but it's there to know.

I'm a bit scared to try out that safety razor I ordered, I'm going to enjoy the days it's going to spend in-transit post shipping =)
 
IncantatioN said:
You may want to move away from using canned shaving foam, m. I read it dries out the skin a lot quicker and canned shaving stuff comes with chemicals that may/ may not harm the skin over a period of time.

Thanks for the tip! Like Skullgrin140 I was not aware of risks associated with canned foam.
 

turkitage

ターク
Like Skullgrin140 I only shave when I feel ncessary. Since I work from home, I can get away with it more often. I "should" be shaving every day since my hair grows ridiculously fast (on my face, not my head. :judo:)

I use Gillette Fusion Proglide Power Razor - I can never go back to a razor that doesn't vibrate, it really helps a lot during shaving. It's been several years since I used foam or shaving cream. I just shave in the shower so as long as my face is wet I'm good to go. I sometimes shave all my hair + beard, sometimes grow a beard out, sometimes just do number 1/2 all across - just whatever.

Also, I was reading some amazon review about extending the life of a razor blade and I'm currently testing it out. Basically, using shower cleaner to spray your blade once used then wash with hot water every use. Can last a month with just one blade! The chemicals from the shower cleaner get washed out when you clean it with hot water. We'll see as I know blades are expensive but as long as the blades aren't rusting or chipping and still feel smooth using this method I don't see why not.

More details here.
 
Shaving without the use of shaving cream, you my friend are BOLD! I've tried that once while running to a dinner meeting straight from work and it wasn't pretty :schierke: but I think I could also attribute my disastrous experience to the water not being hot/ warm enough. Prefer to shave after my shower and jump back into the shower after I'm done, to wash everything off my face splishsplashIdontfeellikegoingtoworksplashsplish.

That's a pretty good tip Turkitage, thanks for sharing man. I wonder if it'll work with the stainless steel blades I ordered. But, I'll try it with my Mach 3's blade. Would the shower cleaner sort of damage/ affect the upper 'gel' strip or the bristles below the blades?

By the way, anyone try this yet - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUG9qYTJMsI
 

Kompozinaut

Sylph Sword
I have to shave fairly frequently. If I want to keep a smooth face then I have to shave at least every 1-2 days. But I've been getting more into keeping a trimmed well-shaped beard. For the last year actually the only shaving that I did was along my neck line with some trimming.

As for razors I use a big electric Remington (Its supposed to be for head hair I think) for trimming and then for close shaves I stick to a disposable 2 bladed Schick. Anything more than two blades utterly destroys my neck and under jaw.

I typically shave in the shower. I tend to get less irritation that way. I just use some soap and go to town. Sometimes I go without soap, which also leads to some mild irritation.
 
One of the main ideas behind the shower/ soap thing is to soften up the stubble/ hair and skin, giving one a better shave. I get razor burn/ cut myself crazy if I don't use hot water to rinse my shaving blade. Yeah, it's different for everyone!

This came in yesterday -

DE.jpg


L - R: Shaving Cream, Shaving Oil (just a drop to be used before you lather up, softens the hair), Brush, Aftershave lotion, 1 Blade that came with the Merkur Heavy DE Straight Razor and a stand. The left bigger gap on the stand is to hold a regular size shaving brush. The creams n lotions I got in small size (came in a set) just to try it out. Didn't want to invest a lot before deciding to venture into the whole wet shaving thing for good. Going to try it out on Saturday right before a 6 year old's birthday party.
 

turkitage

ターク
IncantatioN said:
Would the shower cleaner sort of damage/ affect the upper 'gel' strip or the bristles below the blades?

Hmm/ doesn't seem to affect it much. So far I'm liking this method.

IncantatioN said:
This came in yesterday -

That's a bit intense! Reminds me that I've always wanted to get my face professionally shaved, like with a straight single blade. Brother did it once said it was a super clean and close shave.
 
I bet your brother felt proud he went through it, Turkitage ^_^.

It took me about 25 minutes to shave from start to finish. Got outta the shower, applied 2/3 drops of that pre-shave oil on my face, put some shaving cream paste in a mug n began to lather it up with the brush, after 2/3 minutes of lathering I put it on my face, inserted the blade in the razor and started off slowly on the side of my face. Took a few seconds to figured out the angle and the weight/ pressure I needed to put, it was easier then on. Short strokes. A small careless cut at the base of my neck (didn't stop bleeding, gave me a headache) and another one I noticed this morning - under my lower lip. Overall a clean shave! I usually go against the growth (backwards) for a cleaner shave but with this I didn't have the guts to go upside down, instead I went side-ways (on my face, didn't go side-ways on my neck cos I was scared :p) on the 2nd run. This Merkur is the heavy version and I can see how it helped. You don't need to push it to your skin or make much of an effort. It's the weight of the razor that makes up for it. I shaved yesterday with a week's worth of stubble. It'll be interesting to see how it fares on an every 2-day shave cycle. I usually don't get a cleaner shave on the Mach 3 if there isn't a gap of 4/5 days between shaves and I get skin burn, cutting myself. Will try to wake up early tomorrow and go for Round 2 ;). By the way, this felt a LOT cooler and brought out a smile on my face as I left home ... as if it were an accomplishment hahaha!
 
Well, I dont need to shave often once a week or so. However I do use the traditional straight edge which is fairly rare nowadays. I have never used a DE but hear good things about them so I hope you like it. Just keep at it and take your time the shaves should get better. Well I tried to attach a picture of my favorite razor not sure it it worked though.

Here is a link with the razor it is in post #7 http://straightrazorplace.com/member-introductions/71610-lockon.html
 
That is beastly dude, Naniwa blades or which ones do you use? I was curious to try them out but I played it safe by getting the Merkur blades cos the Safety Razor's a Merkur as well. I've heard good things about Naniwa.

Man, gripping and technique on that is completely different ... it's like you've got to forget everything you've been doing while holding a regular razor and start afresh, right? Major props to you and that's a cool looking handle.
 
Not sure if your question is pointed at me or not? However, all the straights I use are just one solid razor and do not take disposable blades. Yeah, the technique is a little difficult to learn but very satisfying once you learn it. If you do want to pursue the DE razor you should check out the site I linked to if you have not already they can answer all your questions and give advise that is very helpful. http://straightrazorplace.com/forum.php
 
Just saw this pop up in my feed but the advertisement looks hilarious and cool (Thermo-Electric Cooling technology they say) at the same time - http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ca1MOQUX0CI ... it's a Braun electric shaver with a cooling effect, first of it's kind. What do you think guys? Electric shaver-users, does it sound interesting to you?

Wow, just realized the topic was made in July last year, so it'll be close to a year since I moved to a Safety Razor and so far so good. A year on and I still enjoy it a lot. If anything, I used to go for 2 passes for a finer cut but I realized that it was hard to do every day (with irritation n what not) plus it would take me a bit of time for it. So, I stuck with just a 1 pass method and I've gotten quicker than I used to be.

So far, I've used 8 packs of blades, each comes with 10. That's roughly $23/ 24 in total spent on blades, which for a year is pretty good. I could have used less blades but I'm not comfy with re-using a blade for more than 3 shaves, even if they're double-edged + stored correctly. Having tried Merkur, Wilkinson and Feather blades, I recommend Feather's for sharper, smoother shaves.
 
Top Bottom