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Wetshaving with a double-edge safety razor – Part 1

Recently started shaving with a double-edge safety razor; if you’re a guy, here are a bunch of reasons you should too.

6 Reasons you should start using a traditional double-edged safety razor

Traditional double-edged razor, shaving mug, shaving brush, and standRecently started wet shaving with an old style double-edge safety razor and I’ve gone from hating – absolutely hating – shaving to loving it.

Here are six reasons why you should consider it:

1. It’s fun

Shaving is a chore. I mentioned to my buddy John – who’s also Asian – that one of the perks of being Asian, generally, is that you don’t have to shave a lot. Unless you’re a member of my family or his. At which point, it’s a lot like that Simpsons episode where Homer shaves only to instantly get a 5 o’clock shadow.

I can shave on Monday and have a full beard by Wednesday, I can sport all the beard styles 2017, I know you are jealous.

When you start wet shaving with a safety razor, you realize that it’s a skill you have to learn again. And there are these rituals before and after that make it interesting.

2. You get to get cool new stuff

The safety razor’s a heavy piece of metal that feels solid in the hand. It’s not some piece of exuded poly-anything. Even the double-edged razor I have, which is less than $6, is a machine made of steel and chrome.

Now granted, the only thing you really need is the double-edged safety razor itself and blades but it’s also a good excuse to get some cool – male – things for the bathroom, like a shaving brush and shaving mug, but more on that later.

All this brings us to:

3. It’s insanely inexpensive

So, take a look at your razor. How much do you spend for each blade? I’m guessing it’s like $1.50 to $3 per blade.

Again, what’s for sale? Does anyone really need two, three, SIX blades? That’s just stupid – read Number 5 below. Here, you can get 200 blades for $12.93 – or $0.064 each. Figure you get about four shaves from each, that means each shave is about $0.016.

Unless you have a super thick beard, at which point you’ll need the far more expensive Feather Blades, at a whopping $0.08 a shave.

As an IP lawyer, my guess is that once the patent for the double-edged razor went away, the razor companies needed to convince you that the old way wasn’t working and that two-blades were better.

After a while, three. Then four. I’m waiting for the 16-blade razor to come out.

4. It’s better for the environment

My double-edged razor is 100% metal. I can give it to my great-grand kids – if you wanted to, you could buy an vintage one on Etsy or ebay. And it’s also 100% recyclable. As are the blades.

And if you decide to get the shaving mug and brush as well, you don’t even have shaving cans to throw away. I can also give my shaving mug to my great-grand kids, providing my clumsiness doesn’t destroy it first.

When I’m done with my razor, it goes into the recycling bin with zero plastic.

5. It’s better for your skin

If you watch the commercials of the razor companies, they say the multiple blades lift up – aka pull – your hair (ouch!) and cut it so that the hair falls below the skin.

Hair below skin equals ingrown hairs (ouch X2!). That’s the last thing you want. Women get to use the best epilator equipment to prevent this, we just need to be skillful.

Research has proven this out that two blades are actually worse for your skin than just one blade. And six blades are just a marketing excuse no different than the Stella Artois marketing itself as “reassuringly expensive” here in the US, when it’s called “wife beater” in Europe.

Once you get used to shaving with a double-edged safety razor, there’s no going back.

6. Not everyone does it – so you should do it

It’s like knowing how to tie a bow tie, wearing a suit with working buttonholes sleeves, fencing, or cooking.

It’s not like you’re the guy that carries around an iguana so that people say, “Oh, he’s that nutjob with the iguana.” It’s something small and subtle that becomes part of who you are, slightly different than the rest; a skill that no one can take away from you.

It’s not something you need to know to be a man, but it’s something that makes it fun to be one. Note also that it makes a unique gift for a man.

A raditional double-edged razor for wet shaving

Here’s what it’ll cost you if you decide to start wet shaving:

That’s pretty much it to start. It comes with a cheap blade and you can see if it’s for you. If not, toss it into the recycling bin, chalk one up to: “Dammit, I listened to some idiot blogger online,” and call it a day.

If you decide you like it, here’s some more stuff you might wanna consider (I’m an Amazon Associate, btw but that’s not why I put up these links):

Ladies, this Christmas, if you have no idea what to get your fella, get him the above. Like I said, it’s a unique gift and something that will look nice around the house.

Because men like sharp, rugged stuff made outta metal. While you’re at it, toss out that Stella Artois in his fridge and get him a bottle of single-barrel aged rum.

If you’re not totally bored by this post by now, here’s the second part of this post. Blame my injury for all this posting…

Shaving Mug and Brush with whipped foam

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A Great First Date, early 2014It’s just $2.99 at at Amazon, BN.com, and the Apple Store.

Location: still home with a bum leg
Mood: pensive
Music: slashed in the face, you’ve been left there to bleed
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23 replies on “Wetshaving with a double-edge safety razor – Part 1”

Choosing $1-$3 blades is harmful. You should spend a little more money on blades, buy German blades. It may cost you $150, but it’s long lasting and don’t get dull after 1 month. Interesting shaving stuff’s are shared here. Good Job 🙂

What huge difference would it make to go German? Why would cheap blades be bad for your skin?

I’m not sure it makes much of a difference so long as the blades are very sharp and made of quality steel.

I keep a pack of Feather blades handy when I more than a few days growth just because I know that I’ll get a really clean and close shave. But most times, I do just fine with the cheaper blades.

Ha – I’m actually spending about $0.03 a blade now and it’s been working our just fine for me.

Originally I used the Feather blades, which are broadly considered the sharpest (and I agree) but now that I’ve gotten the hang of it, I can use the much cheaper Derby blades with the same results.

Thanks for the comment!

Ha, I’ve actually been using the Dollar Shave Club razors, 4 razors a month with 4 blades each… that’s 16 blades for $6 a month. $0.37 per blade!

I looked into that and that’s def. a better deal than regular blades BUT I still like the safety razor blades; there’s just something cool about them and I’m finding them for about $0.05 a blade so that’s still over seven times more expensive. Still, at least you’re not spending $1.50-$3.00 a blade, that’s just nuts!

Thanks for the comment!

Daniel,

Great point. Another point is that if your skin is in good shape, the shave can be smoother. A good lotion can keep your skin from becoming dry and flaky. The suggestion above for coconut oil is a good one. My face always gets very dry after I shave. So, immediately putting on an aftershave oil or lotion fights off those dry skin tendencies. A good vitamin E oil can also be useful. Interesting stuff!

Thanks for the comment – and the idea! I really just use the regular rum soap I mentioned but I often toss in bits and pieces of left over soap, which I feel is just thrifty.

I’m starting with wetshaving and all this content is helping me to understand better all this universe. Thank you and keep doing good content.

Great – glad to hear it. I don’t think you’ll ever go back once you’ve done it for a while.

And thanks for the compliment!

The look of these razors instantly move me back to my childhood when i was fascinated by father’s “shaving gadgets” 🙂 “It’s like knowing how to tie a bow tie” 🙂

Which is also a good skill to have!

And I think there are lost of people that are fascinated with these shaving gadgets, just because they’re unique and nice-looking.

Well, I use either straight razors or double edge razors because only this razors get the clothest shave!

Nice! I’m not sure I’d ever be brave enough to do the straight razor but it certainly looks cool.

I think I get equally close shaves with regular razors but you’re absolutely right about the skin irritation – I never get that with safety razors!

I agree with a lot of the comments. I’m bald, so I shave my head with a safety razor and it’s definitely a closer shave with less irritation than a multiblade Gillette.

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