The Whys and Hows of the Wet Shave

Most of the products I will be reviewing on this blog will be classic shaving products.  I use a single-blade safety razor, which is refereed to online as either “DE shaving” (for double edge), “Wet Shaving,” “Traditional Shaving,” etc.  It essentially means ‘shaving without a cartridge razor.’  Because I’ll be reviewing these products, I thought it would be helpful to start with a post on why you should switch to traditional wet shaving.  More importantly, perhaps, I thought I’d provide a “how-to” wet shave.  Now, there are plenty of places on line for a how-to, but I found when I switched, it was hard to get all sorts of tips in one place.  This will be a place where I can offer some tips, but by now means is it exhaustive.

I’ll also talk about a Merkur razor I use, so there’s some sort of review here.

Why wet shave?  I think this is a good place to start, as some people may not be convinced right off the bat.  There are, as far as I can tell, three big reasons – they are at least my reasons.

First, it’s cheaper.  A single razor blade, which will last upwards of a month, if not beyond, costs a few cents.  Depending on how often you change your blade, and what blades you use, you’ll spend between $7 and $10 per year on razor blades.  Much better than the cost of a pack of cartridges.  Shaving cream is also, ounce for ounce (or ml for ml) cheaper than shaving foam in a can, and will last a longer time.  I guess reason one-and-a-half is that shaving cream has a lot less ingredients than shaving foam, and they tend to be natural, non-chemical ingredients.  So that’s probably good.

I want to add a caveat to the ‘it’s cheaper.’  You’ll have to lay out some money at the start in order to get set up.  A razor will cost you money.  A shaving brush will cost you money.  In some cases, a significant amount of money.  But, the will last way, way longer than a shitty plastic razor.  You may have to spend money on a shaving mug as well.  In the long run, though, you’ll shave money with the wet shave.

Second, it provides a much closer shave.  These commercials that say “three blades for a closer shave!” “five blades for a closer shave!” are lying to you.  They just are.  If you learn how to wet shave, and get the technique down, you will have a ‘baby bottom smooth’ shave every single time you shave.  It’s the closest shave I’ve ever had, and is quite lovely.

Third, it doesn’t irritate the skin as much.  When you’re shaving with a cartridge razor, you’re dragging, what, two? three? five? strips of sharpened metal across your skin?  That’s not going to be good for your skin.  This is why men hate shaving – the cartridge razors tug and pull at your beard, multiple blades irritate your skin.  Ugh.  It’s awful.  Switching to wet shaving is much better for anybody who wants to have a nicer feeling shave; its especially better for those with sensitive skin.

Okay.  Part two.  How to Wet Shave.

Step One.  Have a shower or wash your face.  This ensures that your beard is soft and warm, which also assists in opening the pores in your face – this dramatically reduces the chance of razor burn.

Step Two.  Use a pre-shave oil or gel.  It makes the shave easier, adds some lubricant to the face to help the razor glide across the skin, and protects the skin from nicks.

Step Three.  Apply shaving cream or soap with a brush.  Using a brush lifts the whiskers off the face, which makes for a closer shave and reduces razor burn.  It also exfoliates the skin, which is nice.  When you use the brush, you want to swirl it on, moving the brush in circles.  Make sure you get a nice lather – you don’t want to be able to see skin through your cream.

Step Four, the shave.  Always, always, always shave with the grain of your beard.  This ensures a close shave, and it also prevents nicks and razor burn.  You want to go for beard reduction, not beard elimination.  Shave in slow passes, trying to shave across an inch of face with each pass.

A few things to note.  The weight of the razor alone will be enough to shave with.  When you first move from a cartridge razor, this is really hard to get used to.  With a cartridge razor, you have to apply pressure to pull the plastic razor across your face.  If you do this with your new metal razor, you’re going to cut your face to shreds.  I found the best tip to help with this is to simply hold the razor with the thumb and index finger.  This will help you from adding additional pressure.  You’ll also want all the movement to come from your shoulder, not from your wrist.

Finding the right shaving angle is also key.  Too shallow of an angle and you’re not going to cut any of your whiskers.  To deep and you’ll cut into your face, or give yourself razor burn.  Hold the razor so the head of the razor (ie no blade) is touching your cheek.  The handle should be parallel to the floor.  Slowly lower the handle towards your cheek until you first feel the razor against your skin.  The handle of the razor should be at around a 30 degree angle to your cheek.  This is the ideal shaving angle.  Now, with a cartridge, the razor will automatically adjust to your face, meaning you don’t need to keep the angle.  With your new razor, yeah, you’ll need to keep that angle up.  Go slow.  You can keep the angle and get a nice shave.

Step Four Point Five.  Re-lather your face and repeat step four.  Because you’re reducing your beard, and not eliminating it, it takes a few passes to completely shave.  I tend to shave my cheeks twice and my neck three times.  Most online advice says shave three times.  If you do this, you’ll have an incredibly close and nice shave.  It feels great.

Step Five.  Rinse your face with very cold water.  Man does this wake you up and feel refreshing.  Splash cold water on your face.  This helps close your pores.

Step Six.  Deal with your nicks.  You’re probably going to have a few nicks in your face.  Even the most accomplished wet shaver will occasionally cut himself.  Keep a styptic pencil or some alum on hand to quickly close those cuts.

Step Seven.  Use an aftershave.  Aftershaves sooth the skin, help close the pores, and help keep your skin clean.

Okay.  That may seem overwhelming, but trust me, it’s going to be worth it.  You’ll feel great, you’ll save money, and your face will be really, really smooth.

Let’s review something!

I really like Merkur razors, as do a few of my pals, but there are plenty of options.  I’m currently using a Merkur 15C.

 

Merkur 15C

It is solidly constructed, that’s for sure.  Very nice German steel, so it will last for years – if not decades.  It’s very easy to change the blade – the handle unscrews from the top of the blade very easily.  The screwing mechanism stays in place, so it doesn’t ever feel like the razor will fall apart on you.   The razor is really good for sensitive skin.  The comb means you’re protected from slashing at your face and giving yourself razor burn, and you can feel the blade nicely on your skin.

Not a lot more to say about this product, actually.  It’s a very good razor to start with, and excellent if you have sensitive skin.  $40.00 is a great price for it, especially because Merkur is tried and true – it can be a life-long razor.

Merkur 15C: 5/5, my daily go-to razor.

A real product review Tuesday – I promise!