I swapped to Harry's a few years back as they're one of the few vegan brands. But this shit is frustrating. Those little rubber side pieces are load bearing and made thin enough that they're gonna break after a while.
I literally can't remember the leftist word for a product that's designed to break after some time.
No shame directed at the bearded comrades, but damn shaving helps get a tight seal with N95s.
I recommend all hairy comrades buy an actual double edged safety razor and some razor blades. There's a bit of a learning curve and an upfront cost, but you will get a better shave, for much cheaper, without a ton of disposable plastic waste.
I bought a razor and a decent brush over ten years ago and the only shaving supplies I buy now are the blades which are definitely vegan and cost almost nothing
I can also recommend not getting a cutthroat razor. Should have gone safety a long time ago.
Cutthroat straight razor pros:
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Vegan (unless you're a weirdo who wants ivory handle or leather grips or something)
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Environmentally friendly (very little if any plastic, no need for replacement razors)
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Cheap in the long run (probably decades) due to not requiring replacement blades
Cutthroat straight razor cons:
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Upfront cost
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Maintenance (manual sharpening requires a whetstone, which you may not already have. As a cook I owned one for work anyway)
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Danger (I did lose a fair amount of blood because I sneezed while shaving drunk before a shift, took ages to stop bleeding due to thin blood. Didn't scar because it was very sharp though)
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Time (sharpening takes time, stropping takes time esp if you're using an old faux leather jacket as a strop)
Don't do this unless you inherit an old straight razor and are dextrous enough to not cut yourself regularly.
Yeah, I looked into straight razors when I first started wet shaving and my conclusion is that it's more of a hobby than a practical way of shaving. It's easy to see why people immediately switched to safety razors as soon as they were invented. Also, as you imply above, most of the ones you can buy today are mass produced trash
My razor is all metal, lasts forever (over ten years at this point), and razor blades cost practically nothing. Straight edge razors are cool though and will give you a a really good shave if you have a quality blade and are skilled with them
They do last forever. I regularly shave with razors as old as the 1940s, but mostly the 1960's.
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I have an Edwin Jagger and use Voshkod blades
But yeah, the multiple blade razors pull at the hair and cut it at an angle so that its tip can can get caught below the surface of the skin and start to grow in on itself
Do you shave your head with it? If so, send links to brand etc. I'm a baldie and thus have to do a shave every few days, and find it easier in the shower. I just don't want to cut myself - I once shaved off a flap of skin (granted it was ironically with a Harry's, had to switch back to Gillette after that sadly because the Mach 5 never cut me like that).
I'm not quite there on the head shaving yet (balding gang balding gang)
I know people do use DE razors for it, but I can't really give you advice beyond that
Blerg. I'll check some videos. My current batch of cartridges is almost gone and if I can do this comfortably I don't mind switching.
I know they make long handled razors for like, shaving your legs, but I don't know if that would be helpful or if a regular razor would be fine
I've found it a little tricky to shave my head with a double-edged safety razor, but a GEM single-edged razor is brilliant for it. DE clogs quickly, and i tend to to nick myself behind the top of my ears. SE no such problems.
Why anyone doesn't just use a double edge safety razor is beyond me. You're just throwing money away.
$10 for literally an entire fucking box of razors that will last me years. Can’t even remember the last time I’ve paid for a blade.
I literally can't remember the leftist word for a product that's designed to break after some time.
it's designed obsolescence
oh i've heard both, i probably just thought of designed because i saw the word designed lmao
that's what god was doing when he made us age and die so we'd feel compelled to reproduce
slaps roof of human you wouldn't believe how many erogenous zones you can fit in here
Being a child of parents that had kids because they felt inadequate with their own lives is one of the pillars holding up competitive children's sports
The only time I maybe got covid, I had no symptoms and never tested positive. Otherwise I'm covid free.
But being middle ages after a longggg work week does it too.
But they were made in a german factory!
Anyway this is your sign to get a safety razor.
I am perpetually vindicated in keeping a beard and using a straight razor to trim its edges.
I already have a baby face, but trying to grow facial hair makes me look 10 years younger in the worst way.
Seconding this. Much cheaper (the blades are dirt cheap and last well) and I used to get a closer shave too with less irritation. I have a beard these days, so I’m not shaving, but before for work I needed to shave daily for n99/ffp3 masks and the irritation (or lack of) mattered for my sensitive skin.
Buy a decent handle like an Edwin Jagger or a Merkur and it will be good for your lifetime and probably your grandkids life too, then buy a pack of decent DE safety razor blades, like Feather or something, and you’re good to go. No plastic waste from all the heads or handles. No bullshit marketing. No subscritions. No chemical lubricants that may or may not work (or contain animals). Just recyclable metal.
I just wish it wasn't so tricky to shave more intimate areas.
I'm still searching for a good shaving foam/cream though. Nobody has taught me to shave, so I'm just learning as I go along.
So I used just a bar of olive oil hand soap which our friend makes - which is odd because I can’t normally use proper soap on my hands regularly without drying them out. It lathers really thickly which gives all the lubrication you need.
I don’t think it’s much harder shaving with a safety razor than a cartridge one. I think it just comes with practice. Keep the skin taught if you can. It’s just a little more complex as you need to keep the angle correct over a complex surface rather than relying on the articulation of the head. The upside of this is a safety razor is better at getting a close shave in a tight spot.
I guess the alternative is wax for more intimate areas but I’m no expert there.
Do you apply the oil to the zone you shave, or was that just a tip for keeping hands moisturized lol?
Thanks for the advice!
No, no olive oil. Just olive oil soap.
To make soap you take a fat and an alkaline and mix them (to put it simply) e.g. olive oil and sodium hydroxide. One of my friends hand makes bars of soap, and it’s really good for shaving with, though I can’t use it all the time for my hands as real my skin dry! Other soaps will work just as well, I just mentioned that soap specifically as it was vegan.
Yesterday I was looking for shaving creams without tallow and I found a nice little artisan soap maker. Every review of them that I found said that even though they’re vegan their performance is still top notch. And the fragrances sound really intriguing.
I live in Europe. There are stores in the UK and Slovenia that sell it too.
FWIW, the fancy artisan shaving soaps are very nice, but over time I've found that having a good brush is more important than what soap you use. I used to order from https://www.stirlingsoap.com/, but now I just use whatever bar soap I have lying around
Yup, a good brush is worth it’s weight in gold, even though a good synthetic can be bought for really cheap. With soaps it depends on the person. Without a good one I just couldn’t shave regularly due to irritations.
And also I just want to smell nice.
Get a cheap intense pulsed light gun and vaporise the hair
(*depending on skin and hair colour)
Lmao when I searched "intense pulsed light gun" google suggested "intense pulsed light gundam" which sounds rad af
This dude taught me how to shave: https://youtube.com/@shavetutor
Maybe it helps you too?
Not REgon, but I just use a Wilkinson Sword I've found in Rossmann and it does me well real nice. I've been shaving with it for a few years now. This one specifaclly:
ShowIgnore the name
The more important choice are the razors themselves, sadly I've only used generic ISANA (Rossmann in-house brand) and DM ones. They're okay for what I need, but they dull very quickly. But from guides I've read, Astra Greens are rather okay but I've only seen them for bulk online in actually good prices.
INLINE EDIT: [I've found the video from The Gentleman's Gazette about razors]
For soap I just use Nivea, and my brush is also some generic DM one. I get a very smooth shave with it, jak pupa niemowlaka. (how the fuck is that an idiom in Polish I don't know)
If you want better help with shaving, I recommend the video series by The Gentleman's Gazette. For example here's a video on how to best shave with sensitive skin.
Also if I'm triggering any dysphoria I'm sorry, I'm just trying to help and have also tried to help this way my trans girl friends as I believe the sensory feeling of extremely smooth skin might something they'd like :(
You're good, most shaving tutorial did is gonna be male coded for facial hair.
I'm happy to help, maybe I should write a shaving master post guide thingy or something
I could contribute as well. I switched years ago and never looked back. But a lot of the online resources try to convince you you need expensive boutique items, because a lot people treat it as their hobby
You can spend a ton of money on fancy razors, shaving soaps, brushes, scented aftercare products and so on, but if you're frugal, you can save a ton of money over time
The cheapest setup I can think of, would run you like around 35zł. Here's the shopping list:
Show
Show
Show
And get yourself an empty jar for stirring the foam, that's literally all.
I found YouTube links in your comment. Here are links to the same videos on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
Link 1:
Link 2:
Edwin Jagger and Merkur are two brands that are often recommended to beginners because they are reasonably priced, but still decent quality. There are lots of fancy brands and models, but don't worry about those. I've been using my Edwin Jagger for over a decade at this point. Just don't buy the garbage ones they sell at the chain drug stores or the mall (Art of Shaving for instance. Overpriced trash)
Buy a sampler set of razor blades to try some different ones. Different brands have different sharpness and one kind may work better than others for your particular hair
Buy a brush if you would also like to stop buying shaving cream forever. Omega makes quality brushes, including synthetic ones (traditionally they are made from badger hair). I've had my synthetic again for over a decade and it's still in great shape
I've found the cheap Chinese razors are just fine if you pair them with a better quality blade. The one I have is functionally a copy of a 60's Gillette Superspeed. Maybe I've just been lucky.
I recently upgraded to a Mühle companion. It’s marketed as unisex because it’s mild, has a long handle and has covered blade tabs which make it great for shaving both face and body. I’m really happy with it.
I use Voskhod. I haven't tried many brands but I know it was indefinitely better than what I had found for a higher price in a supermarket. Ordering them by batch of 100 for 10€ on the internet
I have actually. Maybe I'm doing it wrong or I got a bad brand, but I couldn't get a close shave.
It might be that you have the wrong blade. You can buy sampler packs of different brands to see which works best. Also, I find it works best to screw and unscrew it a couple times to get the blade seated in the right place.
Completely agree with the sampler pack. Different blades work best on different hair types.
I spend maybe $10 every 1-2 years on razor blades. It’s much cheaper and less wasteful of plastic.
I will warn you that I only get about 10 uses out of a blade, but they're like 5 cents each. And despite the name, it's very easy to slice yourself with a safety razor.
It’s “safe” in comparison to a straight razor lmao
I use a single blade safety razor, I get a really close shave by shaving with the grain, across the grain, and against the grain with plenty of soap each time
Oh darn I meant double edge, I can never keep my shaving terminology straight. All I know is that I can get a years worth of blades for less than a single crappy multiblade razor (gillette etc) and it gives me a really close shave
So just throwing this out as a possibility. Depending on the type of handle you buy, it's very possible to put the blade housing together incorrectly when you load a blade in. I actually did that myself when I first switched and couldn't figure out why it wasn't shaving well. I looked up an online tutorial and immediately realized what I did wrong. Depending on your facial hair, you might have to take an extra pass or two with a safety razor. It is a bit slower of a process. I have to shave against the grain to get close no matter what type of razor I use.
it takes a bit of practice, but in my experience they're miles better than multibladed razors. specifically i went from a gillette mach 3 razor to a henson aluminum razor because i was convinced by youtube promos. idk what brands might be better or worse.
Do have to order them? Because none of the stores around me sell any of them. They only have those razors that follow the printer-ink model, where you spend a huge amount of money for the replacement of their non-standardized heads.
I'm considered not hairy even for a Chinese person, I can easily get multiple uses out of a single use razor hotels provide you.
Hairier friends can't get a single shave out of those.
Yeah i am a safety razor guys for shaving my face, but i use a cartridge razor for my undercarriage. I swap the cartridge out at the start of the month because it becomes dull and rusty by then.
What the fuck. It never even occurred to me that razors could be not vegan. Looks like I'm switching brands.
Ya I literally had the same reaction when somebody told me.
It feels like veganism comes in stages. Like one day I learn that zoos are bad. Then leather. Then honey. Oh and then a friend tells me that my soap isn't vegan 😤
My sensitive face is screaming from the thought of using a razor to shave... I tried even straight razor, but notjing gets the job done without a week of suffering afterwards... What am I doing wrong comrades :(
Milder razor, smoother blades, better shaving technique, shaving only with the grain, better cream, better lathering technique, proper skin preparation and care, etc.
There’s tons of stuff you can do to keep irritations to a minimum but it takes time and practice to figure out what routine your skin really needs.
My routine so far has been forgoing razor shaving in favour of electric. Maybe I really should wet my beard for prolonged time before shaving, as the saying says. "Cuando las barbas de tu vecino veas cortar, pon las tuyas a remojar"
Yeah, softening your hair before helps a lot. A proper prep is half the shave.
Hot water was the solution for me. Only shaving after a hot shower and using hot water to warm up my blade
Yes, and makes the skin more elastic, and makes the soap more slippery, at least in my experience. When I shave with a cold and dry skin I'm almost guaranteed to irritate and hurt a lot more
If you go to a barber and they put a hot towel on your face and use a soothing shaving gel (as opposed to shaving foam) and a mostoisturizing aftershave, it can apparently make a huge difference, but that's not an economically sound solution.
You can recreate some of this at home but it's also not practical to have a hot steamed towel esp if you're running late.
Epic username
Also, the hot towel idea sounds good, I have super thick facial hair and I guess making it softer could help the overall process. Also, "let's steam the towel" sounds sexy af
There's also pre shave oil which softens the hair, makes it easier to cut and less likely to pull. I have to use it if I go more than a few days without shaving.
Some people have a bad reaction to shaving in general. If I recall correctly, black people have a stronger predisposition to having that issue, but I have no idea the mechanism behind it. I assume it's something with the hair being different since head hair is often texturally different from what white people have. I'm not familiar with it happening in other ethnic groups, but I don't know much about it, so it's possible.
Yeah coarser hair with tighter curls means a higher chance of ingrown hairs and razor burn
For anything shaving related, The Gentleman's Gazette has the best and most straightforward series I've seen on Youtube, so I hope their videos can help you.
That's exactly the type of resource I was looking for, except possibly for the "manly man" format I'm guessing by the name "gentleman's gazette". Thank you very much, I'll def give it a watch
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
i normally shave while i shower, i use a double edge razor and put that conditioner for your hair (letting it soak for a couple minutes, where i lather my body in soap in the meanwhile) on my face, but then again i don't have alot of facial hair. i heard the conditioner makes the hair softer to cut?
That does make sense, conditioner also lubricates a lot (from my experience with long hair) thanks comrade!
i just use an epilator. it hurts a lot but im a freak and i dont really care. ripping it out is the only way to get it totally smooth, to have it take more than a day to come back, and its also by far the cheapest hair removal method long term, very eco friendly too.
Oh my fucking god, that's the most cursed advice I never expected. I'm NOT putting an epilator EVER near ANY body part of mine, I tried once and I swear it's gotta be more painful than getting tased
omg 😂 my mom bought an EpiLady shortly after those hit the scene in the 90s. she and my sisters and I had a great time taking turns trying it on ourselves and laughing our asses off at each other's reactions.
I tried the epilator attachment that came with my electric beard and hair trimmer set once, it was a "never again" moment lol.
I have a Harry's razor for traveling and from my experience the blades are dull well before 40 uses.
I'm weird and will use razors when dull. They still work. But no shame if you don't like dull razors.
Honestly it isn't. But I have mates that swear they need to change blades every few days. Who am I to tell them that they're lived experience is wrong?
That's the reason I stopped shaving as soon as I finished high school (dress code mandated being clean shaven). By the end of grade 12 I was shaving at least every morning, it was terrible.
Yeah i get it on legs. It's a nightmare. Need ultra sharp razors and tonnes of foam and water to avoid irritating it. Any amount of dullness is very bad for causing it.
The lubricants often come from leftovers from pig and cattle carcasses. Major brands will use that because it's nearly free. I think it's related to gelatin but I'm too lazy to look it up.
consider a foil razor. they're electric but they cut flush with the skin just like a blade. i love mine, i don't know why they're not more popular.
yeah that damned ageing
glad I switched to clippers years ago
