Howto
Single blade shaving with old fashioned safety razors
I have been chatting with yimou about manly things and we came to the conclusion that the internet needs more "manly" blog posts. More manly blog posts from us (cough.. cough... crickets).
So what do real men do every day besides farting, drinking beers and creating great things out of trash? That's right, shaving!
It's a shame that this daily ritual has been degraded to smearing some bad smelling soylent green colored goo out of a can on ones face and then rape the skin with the latest four (maybe it's five or six blades by now) blade vibrating something from some company I don't want to do advertisement for, but it for sure does not go mach 3. It smells bad, is bad for your skin and leaves you with a lot of ingrown hairs (depending on your skin/beard type). A pack of 8 replacement blades for your unmanly vibrator thingy costs you $23.29 and if I remember correctly they don't last for long. Don't forget the batteries. Contrary, a pack of Wilkinson Sword Classic safety blades costs you $4.99, and there's ten blades inside. If you go for luxury, the Merkur Double Edge Razor Blades, that would be $5.29 - also for ten. And you can get them in bulk pushing the price per blade lower. Do the comparison for yourself.
I have been using this very old fashioned shaving method since February 2007 and I have never been happier with my shave. My face looks clean and i had no ingrown hair anymore, which was a huge problem for me before.
I suggest you go to your local drugstore and grab a single blade razor (if you can still find one between all the "modern" tools, i suggest trying amazon instead), glycerine based shaving cream (they usually come in a tube) and a nice badger hair brush. That's what I think every real man uses, including your cool grandpa.
Tutorials
I won't teach you here how to use your freshly purchased manly goods, because mantic59 did a great job in creating a series of video tutorials and posting them on youtube.
For the beginning, you should check the following videos out:
- Introduction to Traditional Wetshaving, Part 1: Concepts
- Introduction to Traditional Wetshaving, Part 2: Lathering
- Introduction To Single Blade Shaving
- Intro To Single Blade Shaving, Part 2
- Preparing For A Shave
The Tools
Also, i know it's very difficult for a beginner to pick the right tools, so I will highlight here some of the things I have been using and comment on them:
- Merkur Futur Double Edge Safety Razor, Current price is ~$68 incl 10-pack Mercur blades (sweet). This thing could also be a part of a German tank! it's robust, it's heavy, it's good. There's nothing on it that could go broken in the next fifty years.
- Merkur Futur Double Edge Safety Razor, Different vendor, slighty cheaper at ~$58 plus shipping.
- Merkur Heavy Duty Classic Safety Razor with Slant Bar, Price is ~$39. If the Futur is a bit too pricey for you, this is a good alternative.
- Merkur Double Edge Safety Razor Blades, Price $5.95-$49.90. The best blades i had so far, they do their job and the package looks really vintage, like something out of your grandpas drawer.
- Wilkinson Sword Classic Blades, Prices $4.99-$57.39. If you want to go for cheaper blades, have a look at these.
- Badger Hair Brush, $15-$30. Just pick one you feel comfortable paying for, for the beginning a $20-$30 brush should do the job.
- Col. Conk World's Famous Super Bar Shaving Soap, Price $3.59-$5. I love these soaps. You can melt them in the microwave (few sec) into your cup.
- Weleda Shaving Cream, Price $6.95. Excellent cream from Germany if you don't like soaps.
That's it. For reference, a blade lasts on me for a week or two, but sometimes i would skip a day, so your mileage may vary. The soaps and creams also last for many shaves unlike the canned shit. If you have anything to add or share, like your favorite razor or soap, leave a comment! Thanks.
Your beard doesn't hurt me at all now, which means i have to buy facial scrub... hehe...
hi paul,
first of all somebody should give u a lesson in "howto shave with modern razors in the year 2007" :) I ve never had the problem of ingrown hairs.
but u r right. modern razors are kinda wicked. I m no friend of the electric ones. u shave n shave n shave and after a while ur face looks red like a crab and u still have a nice 3-days-beard left.
so I early found out that "wet shaving" is made for me and my soft but nevertheless male (rrrrruaaarrrr) baby-skin. the razor-blade industry is overwelming us. first we only had single blade, then two-blades... then three, four and five with extra-blades on the back. are these people driving nuts? after all that they even started vibrating, which, but this is only my personal opinion, hurt even more and shave worse than the non-vibrating super-bladed shavers. somehow all "independant" test-labs found out a different result. am I alone with my experiences or does this speak for a very good marketing director at G... ?
because I left my razors at home I bought some know "disposable blades" in a maltese super market. I knew the brand starting with G... cos I use it at home either. When they are not sharp enough anymore , u exchange the head of the razor and all is fine. Now I had these really cheap 4 disposable razors in my hand. I was kinda scary. Will these make me to go back to Germany as a scar-face? I used my non-sissy n...a-foam and... zomg, what the heck was that? It felt... nothing?! What was wrong? Usually although the blades are new n fresh u feel every moving of the razor in ur face... damn... that was good... wow i enjoyed so much... that I was thinking for a moment to shave every hair I else could find. But then I decided that it is better to calm down, relax, and wait for the next morning. hehe, I would not look that sexy with a bold head.
after I overcame the interior orgasm for having experienced a very pleasant and sweet shave I asked myself: why these cheap disposable razors are feeling sharper and better than the expansive ones from the same brand?
on the other side... aren't we all big sissies? nature wants us to grow hair and what do we do? we give every owner of a nice beard a bad feeling by telling him: "psychologists say, that wearing a beard is just a sign for that the person is not happy with himself and wants to change into someone else". pffffft!
yi.mou says: let it grow!
if your girlfriend complains, let her shave u!
But ATTENTION: before asking your gf to shave u make sure that:
1. u were always faithful
alternative: if u were not always faithful make sure she does not know that u were not always faithful
2. ur gf is wearing her lenses, glasses or does not need any of these
3. ur gf is not famous for being clumsy
letting ur gf shave around ur carotid is a proof of trust but.. hey... we just don't want to be lightheaded, right?
cheers
the shaving mou!
p.s.: paul, it is great to know that as a "real man" u have a jiji. furthmore I really envy u, cos ur jiji is not only talking to u, no, it is even able to write comments in ur blog.
so, now I can proudly say, paul, our man in asia, has not only balls but also a well trained and talking jiji!
I want to add...
your foam and brush do not attrackt me.
If... let's do the "crocodile dundee"-style with a big machete. huge enough to go hunting and kill animals before, during, or after shave :P ruaarrr
Dear Yi.Mou, as far as I can remember you never had any beard growth and I feel sorry for you that when mother Gaia was giving beards to all real men, you somehow missed that day. I understand that therefore modern one-use-trow-away plastics, which the ladies usually use for their bikini lines, appeal to you.
It's kind of a revenge on Gaia what you do. While real men throw away a single blade now and then which will oxidize away in few years, you pollute mother Gaia forever with your polyethylene or whatever shit that plastics are made of. But, i am your friend and can understand your anger.
As to shaving with knifes... Step by step, Rome was not build in one day.
Late post, but I'm glad you like my shaving videos! :)
I bought the Mercur Futur razor through your link and man that's a damn good razor! Thanks!