The Manly Shaving Thread

[unwashed potato!]

this thread is far too long to read it all so this may have been suggested already. what i do is i use a cheap electronic shaver (something like this) which i then can use to shave to a fairly low length every couple of days. i never have to use water or ever suffer from any itchyness afterwards as it doesn't cut too close to the skin. obviously it doesn't leave a perfect clean look and probably isn't great for people with quicker growing hair, but i'm only 21 and it's perfect for me. had one a year now and never had to spend any more money on it

 

[Amnesia]

every time i shaved in the past i got a comment...'oh you've had a shave today' for years it never ended because i hated shaving so avoided it when i could....on average i shaved every month or two month....inbetween just using a trimmer to tidy up and try and make it look like a stubble.

i made the change after reading this thread.

best thing ive done in years honestly....ive always had extremely sensitive skin so i always got swelling/skin burn/redness and general discomfort with a shave...at times my eyes would get really bad bags under them too with dark cirlces making it look like ive just walked out of an operating theatre. god i hated shaving.

now i still dont shave often as my beard just doesnt grow very fast but ive had 3 shaves and all have been pretty pleasant. the last one i used the feather blade and wow that went smooth, im not going to say it was so smooth that i couldnt tell i had a shave....yes i could easily but the difference was massive.
i can repeat strokes over the same part of the face without thinking this is really going to be irrated afterwards.

ofcourse i wouldnt expect everyone to have the same results as me as every guy is different...and i dont know a single person who had skin as sensitive as me.
but my advice.... if you have sensitive skin then ditch those damn expensive bs products which are all about the hype.

 

[Baz]

Got a 34C for Christmas looks sweet.

Just looking for instructions on how to properly use it.

Any recommendations on shaving cream/soap/gel?

 

[footman]

Rash can be provoked by hard shaving against the grain of your beard.
Many men get such a rash on the throat and I'm no exception.
I use a Merkur and usually a badger brush and shaving cream but always avoid downward strokes on the throat.
Have look at this site:
http://badgerandblade.com/
Some of the forum posts show signs of obsession with shaving/grooming but I learned a lot.

 

[GoatBotherer]

I think I'm going to ask for a merkur for christmas. I normally shave every few days to a week, so the blades with a million razors on them just get clogged. I prefer being clean shaved anyway so hopefully it might make me want to shave more often.

 

[RSR]

MERKUR
http://www.mankind.co.uk/src/awin/Merkur-Futur-Brushed-Steel-Razor-PRODMEPS1/

It takes a bit of practice mind, otherwise you end up cutting you face to bits

 

[Zip]

It takes a bit of practice mind, otherwise you end up cutting you face to bits

Why do people keep saying this?

Ive just recently got a Merkur HD and have only given my self the smallest little nick and that was only due to the razor slipping out my hand a bit and sliding side ways. But it was a tiny nick.

With my old fusion and others i seem to cut my self 2 or 3 times per shave.

The merker also just glides straight through thick 2 month growth in just 1 or 2 strokes

 

[ironman]

How easy is it to be precise with the Merkur? I need to line up sharp lines on my beard and need to look where i'm shaving if you like, the single blade head on the Fusion is small enough for me to see where i'm shaving. The Merkur looks quite chunky as if it would block my view?

Anyone with a Merkur comment on this?

 

[RSR]

Why do people keep saying this?

I speak from painful experance with it, mind you ive got the Merkur Futur safety razor not the HD verison.

 

[footman]

How easy is it to be precise with the Merkur? I need to line up sharp lines on my beard and need to look where i'm shaving if you like, the single blade head on the Fusion is small enough for me to see where i'm shaving. The Merkur looks quite chunky as if it would block my view?

Anyone with a Merkur comment on this?

Could be problem I guess. I don't have a beard to trim but trimming the sideburns is a little hit and miss.
Why not try an open razor
http://www.menessentials.com/oxid.php/sid/x/shp/oxbaseshop/cl/info/tpl/straight_razors.tpl
I wouldn't!

 

[I get around]

The fusions terrible, hair just gets caught between the blades, it seems they're designed for kids.
Get a merkur, brilliant razors, much cheaper to run once you've bought the actual razor too, 10 good blades will cost you £2.50-£3.00 and they last ages.
Disposables are almost always crap in my experience.

 

[Deleted member 651465]

Well I've never cut myself using the Merkur.

I suggest that you're doing something completely idiotic to cut yourself. Or you have skin made from wet paper

 

[RSR]

Well I've never cut myself using the Merkur.

I suggest that you're doing something completely idiotic to cut yourself. Or you have skin made from wet paper

 

[gumbald]

Merkur turned up yesterday, not tried it yet!

 

[Kona*]

I know everybody has already said "Merkur!" but I'm jumping on the bandwagon.

I've used a Merkur 34 (Also known as the HD) for a year and a half now after swapping from a Mach 3 and it's the best shaving-relating purchase I have ever made. It costs me £10 for a 100-pack of Derby blades and that lasts me about a year! I also tried Merkur & Feather blades but they didn't suit me although lots of people rave about the Feather ones.

Don't even think about it, just buy it - you save so much money in the long run. Also I'd persevere if you cut yourself the first time, it took me a good 5 to 10 shaves before I got the technique down - shaving is something I enjoy doing now rather than a chore that has to be done quickly before work.

 

[Deleted member 651465]

I shave down, sideways then upwards. Apply soap between "passes".

Try this if you are getting cut to shreds.

 

[jas72]

It sounds like your stubble is too extreme for a regular razor; you need to upgrade to the Gillette Fusion Gamer Power Razor.

Oh my can't stop laughting. I've been looking at that boots page trying to find the hidden joke but it seems like it's a real product. A "gamer" power razor..... lol wonder how the marketing boffins come up with that idea....

Boffin "Mouse manufacturers are calling their mice "razors" so let's call our "razor" a gamers razor.

Marketing Director "great idea but we need something more than just gamer razor"

Boffin2 "Yeah we need the word POWER"

All three "High five" "yeah"

 

[MarcLister]

ANOTHER Merkur thread on OcUK just shows me that I really should take the plunge and convert. Birthday is on Monday so I think it is a bit late to ask for a Merkur set but I notice that Christmas is coming soon so I might ask mother for a Merkur and some blades along with a brush of some kind.

Should I ask for this Merkur 34C to start me off? And is this 10 each of Feather, Derby and Israeli blade set a good one to start with? Would mean I could try three different types of blade and see which one I like best.

Just need some advice on which shaving gel/cream and brush to use. Would like this all to come from the Shaving Shack to make it easier for my Mum.

 

[RizZy]

My friend always tells me how much he rates Taylor of Old Bond St shaving cream, I'm using Mitchell's wool fat soap at the mo - it's ok, but I'll probably try something else next time, as for a Brush - Pure Badger & a drip stand.

 

[Cookie-Monster]

This thread just made me ditch my rip off fusion git for a Murker on Mankind. Even my older Mach3 Turbo gave a better shave then the fusion. Old school style ***!

+1

on the back of this thread I picked up a merker