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Straight Razor Shaving

JR

JR

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Anybody here do this? I have been thinking about investing in a decent entry level wet shaving kit for a while now, but really don't know where to start. Any tips?
 
I have them done a lot, but dont do it myself...
 
My barber used to do my neck with a straight razor but I stopped going to him because I realized he wasn't putting it in Barbasol (sterilizer).
 
Are you going to go all Sweeney Todd on us?


I feel like Gillette, Norelco, etc came out with disposable razors to save time and offer a safer shave. My barber used to do my neck with one, but I don't think I would want to shave myself. I'd probably cut my head off.
 
Safety is not a huge concern of mine. I have spent enough time with knives in my sharpening "business" to know how to handle such things without major risk of harmful injury. Closeness of shave, however, is. I am simply not satisfied with the shave my Gilette is giving me.
Dirtydawg67 said:
Are you going to go all Sweeney Todd on us?


I feel like Gillette, Norelco, etc came out with disposable razors to save time and offer a safer shave. My barber used to do my neck with one, but I don't think I would want to shave myself. I'd probably cut my head off.
Click to expand...
 
They are the PBR of shaving.

You can get a close one without going hipster, JR.

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Back to the OP. I have had it done many times. I also have a side of me that likes the nicer shaver creams and old fashioned brush to whip them. However I have worked with a lot of the old fashioned style razors in the past and the new versions just offer a better shave. I shave against the grain which is not always an easy thing to do, so I do it carefully to avoid issues such as burn, cuts or nicks. The new razors just offer more lubrication and less issues for me, while providing a closer and better shave overall.
 
There is a place here that offers a first class barber experience. It looks like something out of a Western move. Wingback reclining leather chairs, wood floors and wall panels, a library, ect. It's like going to an exclusive club or something. Now a normal hair cut in Thailand runs you between two bucks and six bucks. Here they charge 30. But for that you get a proper straight razor shave. While that is happening you can also get a foot massage and when the experience is over, you can sit in the little library they have there and have a glass of single malt whiskey.

Wouldn't go every time I needed a cut- but its a great way to spend some time.

The straight shave was great. But I would never do one myself.
 
Never used one and never had one used on me.
 
Whats a razor? Havent seen one of those in a long time.
 
Been looking for a barber that can give a straight razor shave. I've wanted one for a long time, but have never come across one that offers the service.

What are the advantages of doing it yourself? I cut myself with a Gillette, I can't imagine what I'd do with a real weapon.
 
I did a lot of research last night, and while I appreciate all the responses, I have decided to go with a nice DE razor instead. Some of you asked why I am wanting to switch, so here are my reasons:

1. I have extremely coarse, fast growing hair, especially along the jaw line. As such, I want a blade with a more aggressive cut.
2. Replacement blades for a DE razor are less expensive than that for my disposable razor.
3. A good razor will last a lifetime.

I shave against the grain already, and am just not getting the results I want.

Something like this.

merkur39R.jpg
 
I will ask my barber next week. He always cleans me up with a strait razor and gives strait razor shaves if you want one.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I find it interesting that you get a closer shave with a disposable, as I have shaved/been shaved with both and I always prefered the closeness of the straight.
JB said:
Back to the OP. I have had it done many times. I also have a side of me that likes the nicer shaver creams and old fashioned brush to whip them. However I have worked with a lot of the old fashioned style razors in the past and the new versions just offer a better shave. I shave against the grain which is not always an easy thing to do, so I do it carefully to avoid issues such as burn, cuts or nicks. The new razors just offer more lubrication and less issues for me, while providing a closer and better shave overall.
Click to expand...
 
Double edge. Think of it as a high end disposable with a more aggressive cut. See pic above.
biggsy said:
DE? I missed the acronym key.
Click to expand...
 
Jacob Robertson said:
Double edge. Think of it as a high end disposable with a more aggressive cut. See pic above.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Looks like something used in a hospital. I like the latest gillettes (not disposable), they work well for me.
 
guys, what disposables are you all using. I use a Mach 3, but I may need to get a newer model.
 
I like the Gillette Fusion. It gets a close shave for me.
 
 
My dad was a barber, and when he passed away a few years ago at the age of 92, we shared some of the tools of the trade among his children (various manual and electric clippers, shaving cream brushes, etc.) However, no one wanted his collection of straight razors, strops, and sharpening stones that he had accumulated over the years - many of them 50+ years old. I kept them for a while before selling them to an antique dealer. The razors were things of beauty, but one slip and ... When I was old enough he would often finish up my haircut by giving me a shave using his razors, and they were CLOSE, but I'll take today's technology any day!
 
I am with JB on this one Jacob. I use a good soap and good brush and then a Gillete disposable. Like JB said, be sure you get a good badger hair brush. The fake ones and the junk that they sell at walmart just don't cut it. I use Col Conk Amber Glycerine shave soap and a pure badger hair brush. What ever soap you use it is in my opinion a better shave than the foams and gels can produce any day of the year. when you are lathering up the brush in the cup I run some hot water over the soap fisrt as i find this produces a thicker cream.
As for a straight razor my grandfather used one and here are some things he taught me abut a straight razor. You need to allow lots of extra time. You need the razor a leather strop and a stone. You don't have to use the stone everytime but working the razor on the strop is about necessary daily. The trick to the straight razor that he always stressed is have plenty of time to take your time and make slow smooth strokes with the razor. I tried his a few times and if you have lots of time they are a great shave but for getting up in the morning and shaving before school then a disposable might be a better answer.
 
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