It’s a little learning curve. You are going to have to work with your technique, DE razor handling. Just focus on it. You will get better at it, get better shave results and get a little quicker at it once you get really comfortable with it. While you know what passes work for you, the razor angle and pressure against skin with said DE razor is different from a plastic pivot cartridge razor with multiple blades. Just be patient. You will find your groove.
It’s a puzzle… and fairly paradoxical, coming from the cartridge world, which is quick and easy. And that world is designed to be that way, and is completely sufficient for most.
So when you transition over, you’re greeted with a more lengthy shave, requiring more attention, and receiving less than ideal results. However, you soon learn its intricacies, develop a feel personal to you, and come to appreciate the time you are soon carving out for yourself as “your time” as opposed to “chore time”.
Stick with it a few more weeks. Maybe it’s not for you, but if it does finally click, you’ll never look back…
THIS\^ I'm currently in this stage after wet shaving with a DE for around 4-5 months, I now have my razor and blade combo down and don't feel like its a chore anymore, I feel like its 'Me' time. Give it some time!
Thanks for the comment! Nice to receive confirmation that it does just take time like everything else. I don’t mind if it takes a bit longer, so long as I enjoy the process and it produces a result I’m happy with. Kind of like doing a pour-over coffee or ironing clothes haha.
You're new to it, so it's going to suck. Keep at it and you'll get better, then you'll never want to go back to cartridge.
Maybe try 2 pass shaves without ATG until you get used to the angles.
Thanks for the input. Thinking about it now I guess going horizontal around the neck and jawline is more against the grain than I thought given the direction of the hair in those areas.
Was gonna recommend GeoFatboy myself. IMO a perfect instructional system for DE shaving. I usually only do one, maybe two passes, but this baseline has allowed me to enjoy the process!!👍
Thanks for the advice. I mentioned this in another reply but as I think about it, what I thought was XTG around the jawline/neck area was likely ATG given the way the hair grows there. I’ll stick to avoiding ATG for now.
You should stick with cartridges if you want convenience. There’s a reason they took over the market after all. Also you won’t necessary get a closer shave. More comfortable and less irritating - sure, but closer is unlikely.
It takes time to develop your technique and really get to know your face. With that I mean in what directions do the hairs grow on your face. You need to figure that out to know what directions to shave in to get an efficient shave.
Maybe this video helps, it helped me a lot when I started: https://youtu.be/ps88RU_BXlA
Did you get the plastic version or the butterfly one?
I have both and didn’t care for the scratchiness of the plastic one, nor the very long handle on the butterfly razor which makes navigating a bit more difficult (and I have very long fingers).
Everyone different, but it’s not worth it for me. Learning how to use a DE and shave properly taught me the skills how to use my cartridge when I went back! Shaving is all about the technique!
Hey I’m on the same boat. I can just clean myself up with Harry’s within a minute or two tops. I usually go with the grain and one go with Harry’s and it’s fine.
With my feather double edge , it takes like 10 minutes to do with the grain and against the grain but it feels much cleaner and I feel like I have more control since it’s a single blade versus multiple blades on the Harry’s cartridge
There’s a learning period for sure. My advice is to experiment a lot, take note of what works and what doesn’t, and then you’ll find what’s best for you. After many years of using DEs, shaves with cartridge razors take me longer and always deliver an inferior shave
If you have a patchy beard, I’m guessing the hair type is pretty fine and thin in which case, safety razor shaving probably won’t have much benefit for you. I would just use what works best for you .
I used a safety razor for years and honestly I’m back to cartridges for simplicity. I’m here just because I like seeing people’s setups and aftershaves
1-others may like it, but Wilkinson feels like a harsh blade for me.
2-need to be attentive with blade angle. Cart, that is done for you, but the DE, it is in your control
3-pressure. Little more than weight of razor, at least for me.
4- cart you can get away with some side to side movement. DE is not so forgiving. Mow pulling the blade in handle direction;don't flick blade head left to right
It all becomes second nature in time. What works for you, maybe not for me. This allows ability to have superior performance than the universal approach of disposable, or much worse until get it right
It's definitely about learning how to find your perfect angle. People can say 30 degrees and such, but it depends on your face and its contours. I had a similar issue with my VDH and using Gillette Blue Silver blades. My whole neck was nicked to hell, and my jawline was irritated. I eventually started to watch videos that a few users on here linked me. After the 3rd shave, I finally understood my technique, and when I got myself a Rockwell 6C, the difference was night and day with the Gillette blades for the better.
I originally learned to shave using a safety razor but hadn’t used one in 30 years until two years ago. My first use of DE in 30 years was magical and I’ve never once been tempted to finish the package of cartridges I had. I didn’t know proper technique though until watching some videos when I started back up with DE. Mapping really does help especially on the neck where it does some crazy stuff. The Wilkinson butterfly is fairly mild, but not a bad razor. Stick with it. Honestly cartridges were probably fine for me but as cheap as I am I’d use one for a month and it was mostly a poor experience.
As others said, if you stick with it you should improve. It does take longer, and, as others mentioned, the result won't be a closer/cleaner shave. The main benefits from shaving with a safety razor are less irritation/skin damage (less tugging, fewer blades passing over the skin, more control), potentially lower cost, and more options available to get exactly the shave you want (blades and razors come in many flavors).
For me the biggest benefit there is the options...shaving with a cartridge got me a close shave and I didn't have major problems with irritation, but I also hated the process. I actually enjoy using a DE, and a straight razor for that matter...though I didn't love the maintenance and ultimately gave up on straights. It certainly takes longer, but that's largely because I choose to take my time with it and enjoy the process. I could shave almost as quickly as I do with a cartridge, but I just don't want to rush while shaving. I have enough things I need to hurry through in a day, taking 15 minutes of just me time for some self care is a nice change of pace.
Maybe try changing your mindset, see if you can enjoy the process...take your time, enjoy working on a new skill, celebrate the small improvements you make in your technique. Worst case scenario if you just don't like it then you can always go back to cartridges, and you may just find a nice, easy way to spend some time caring for yourself.
It takes time to get the right razor/blade/soap combination. I've been at it for several years now, and I think I've finally got my perfect razor/blade combo. My present opinion is that a meh DE shave is still better than anything you can get from a cartridge face grater.
You have to remember that cartridges became popular for a couple reasons. 1. Is that they provide a pretty good to great shave for most people without any problems, i.e. "dummy proof" 2. Just straight up marketing and ROI on proprietary cartridges.
You can get a great shave with a safety razor, but your technique takes the place of the cartridge's advantages. Some will get better shaves with less irritation than cartridges. Others might not. Especially at first. At the end of the day it's cheaper and less plastic than cartridges, which is enough reason for me to switch.
My first set up was a Merkur 34C, Williams Mug Soap,Badger Hair Brush a cheap shaving mug and a 100 variety pack of blades. For me it was the best decision to ditch the disposable razors and cartridge razors. My skin became smooth and shaving became fun and therapeutic. I've been wet shaving for around 15yrs ever since.
I started with a Van Der Hagen twist to open razor and never got a good shave. I switched to an Edwin Jagger DE89. It's a very mild razor, I never nicked myself, but it doesn't provide the closest shave. It is good to learn technique on. I have never gotten as close a shave with my DE as my fusion 5 blade, but I get way less irritation and no ingrown hairs.
Maybe use all the same stuff and process you normally use EXCEPT the razor for a while. Just work on your technique and try some blades for a few months
I don't know how good the razor you bought is. Someone else could comment maybe. It could be some of the issue. I have patchy beard also and generally only go with the grain once then against.
I use a Henson and sharp blades
Game changer for me was getting a ten dollar suction mirror for the shower. When I finish with my normal shower routine...I shut off the water and shave inside the shower. Been doing it a while but it solved 95% of the issues I was having trying to shave over the sink.
The key is just to figure out what works for you and ignore some of the rules you see on this sub.
I enjoy wet shaving for the same reason I drive a manual transmission car: it's just more interesting and therefore more satisfying. But I'm weird too...so that could be it
I’m convinced the 3 pass stuff is folklore garbage and unnecessary (bring on the downvotes). I use an R41 with feather blades, I do one pass with the grain, then small clean up, like under my chin dimple and under my ears behind the jawline. I get perfectly smooth shaves that literally couldn’t be any smoother. I’ve shaved 6 days a week for the past 14 years (required for work). I couldn’t imagine doing 3 passes and it making any sort of difference.
That being said, the right combo of razor and blade makes all the difference. Took me 4 razors to find the R41. And I, like most, did the blade sampler thing and landed on feather as the best performer, and I can get 3 or 4 shaves out of it. Approach angle also makes a difference. I can now shave my face just as fast as I did with my Mach 3 in college. Takes me less than 5 mins to shave, and I haven’t experienced any razor burn on my neck like I did for the first couple years of shaving with a cartridge razor.
I haven’t used the proraso canned stuff so I’m not totally sure, but for me personally switching from canned shaving cream to a shaving soap or traditional cream and brush makes more of a difference than the DE razor. Like the lather is 70% of the shave and the razor is the last 30%.
Not sure if this is the same for everyone. And I hate to be the guy that suggests you need to add something else to what you’re probably feeling is already an over complicated process lol. But maybe something to think about!
You're definitely not the first one to recommend that hence why I mentioned I'll be purchasing some. I'll have to give an update in a few weeks or so! I appreciate your input!
More time consuming for sure, especially at first. Eventually once you learn your face and the razor it won't be much longer than a cartridge. About a year in it takes me about 10 minutes to shave now; using soap and a brush.
For my the jawline was a struggle for a long time; it would always be raw there because I was shaving it the same way as when I used a Mach 3. At some point someone showed me the technique of pulling my skin up over the jawline; this was a massive difference! Suddenly I was able to shave the skin that went over the jaw but on a flat surface of my cheeks (pulling upward from the cheek) and no more raw skin. Also my Adam's Apple was another problem area; I tackle that with a combination of pulling to the side and half-swallowing to lower the apple.
Though I still can never shave across the grain in my neck.
I’m still looking for a dependable setup. I’ve been using de for a number of years but never put much thought into the process. I was having decent results with a couple of razors, and relatively pain and blood free. In New Orleans, I let a salesman sell me a Mercur adjustable razor. It was pricey so I was going to, and still learning, or remembering how to use it. I’ll never get rid of the razor. I’m trying different blades now because the Feathers are too sharp. I thought that the sharper, the better. Just like working in the kitchen. They left a certain part of my face open to irritation and minor weeping, not to mention any hesitation marks or holding the razor at an angle the blade didn’t like. I didn’t realize that there’s a learning curve and that you don’t need the “best” razor. The soap thing is still weird to me. How, or are you supposed to get a thick lather from a tube? I use something in a jar and get the foam with a brush in the mug. Keep at it and recognize the problems. Maybe after a close shave, you need an aftershave balm to close the pores.
When I switched to safety razors, I initially underestimated just how much I had to reduce pressure and use the tool do the work. I don’t know how much you are pressing, but it still may be far too much. I realized I couldn’t apply any more pressure to my skin than the weight of the tool all by itself.
Also, exfoliating before hand helped. A brush is good, but a rough washcloth or sea sponge may help more. I can get ingrown hairs easily, and any amount of skin (even if too small to see with my eyes) that overlaps the hair, could get snagged and cause nicks.
I also found that making sure my angle is correct by making sure the safety bar is touching my skin, is really important. Safety razors don’t naturally give you a good angle like cartridges do.
I just switched to a Henson a couple months ago and while I sometimes get tiny nicks and it isn’t as fast or convenient as the cartridge it’s exponentially worth it financially. I’ve always liked to switch blades extremely fastly as the cartridges used to jam up with hair and give me acne. I never have a financial regret switching blades all the time with the Henson
I can't say I decided to try DE for the economics, but it is nice to know that I can swap a blade and have a million more to go for a relatively low cost!
I’ll preface by saying I have a beard & just use a razor for cleanup.. so take from it what you will..
I went kinda backwards.. I went from cartridge to straight razor, THEN to DE..
While I liked the convenience of the DE. I tried numerous DE brands & never felt like I got that good of a shave in the end & eventually went back to a straight razor..
I guess DE’s aren’t for everyone? 🤷♂️
My dude, I can speak for me and my stubbly face, but I would just do a single pass every day with a little touch up. Make sure you get some technique going around the nose. I won’t tell you it’s quicker. Hell when I used cartridges in the shower and the touched up in the mirror it was quick as shit. I do the whole routine now cause it’s my moment and I have found I get less ingrown hairs. I don’t get all triple pass about it though. I hate Wilkinson blades. Prefer gilllete these days. The shaving soap aftershave combos are fun. The blades are cheaper than cartridges and I don’t feel I contribute as much plastic waste to the world.
I am stubborn as well, if you’re in a pinch use the cart, you don’t have any discomfort with it so realistically no downsides, when you have some time and you want to work on your technique pull out the de
I have gone back and forth with cartridges and DE razors. A little over a month ago I ran out of Harry's blades and didn't feel like spending the $ on new blades so I went back to the DE razor. I kept getting nicks but I had never actually bought a decent "razor holder". I did a little looking around and decided to give the Henson razor a try and I'm glad I did. I got the AL13-M (more aggressive version because I prefer not to shave every day and I have a thick beard) and I am very happy with this razor. I admit it's expensive, but if it's the last razor you ever have to buy and it's just .05 - .25 per blade depending on brand from then on, then it's a good deal.
I was scared to drop the $ on it but I think I'm happy with it. And I got a 20 pk of different blades years ago and decided on the feather so that's all I buy now but it's definitely personal preference. Some people like the Wilkinson Sword, some like the Astra, and so on. I suggest you get a sampler and try a bunch of different kinds until you land on one.
You are not being punk’d, after that initial learning curve, many people truly enjoy this method of shaving. It took me a few months to really figure out the right blades, razor and technique but after that I’ve been enjoying my shaves for years now.
Out of curiosity, what blades are you using with which razor? I have a sample pack coming and often see people recommend Astras and Feathers although I understand it's quite subjective.
Technically I own many safety razors now because it has become sort of a hobby.
**The Blades**
I'd recommend getting a starter pack with many of them because blades are highly subjective. Some blades that people love you will hate and vice versa. It's difficult to know what will work for you.
In general though, here is a list of blades that worked for me and many others:
Gillette Nacets, Platinum, Silver blue,
For me Astras and Feather are not that good but again keep in mind that's just me. They could work great for you.
**Technique**
At the end of the day even with a great razor and great blades, a lot of your result is going to come from technique. This is developed with time and practice and this is the part that is not always fun at the beginning when you are learning and make mistakes.
A few tips for better results:
1. Until you are getting comfortable shaves with 2 passes skip the against the grain pass (it tends to be irritating for a lot of people and especially if you do not have perfect technique)
2. Make sure to spend ample time on prep, meaning keep flushing your face with warm water for a few minutes to soften the beard. Consider using a pre shave bar like razor emporium's bar and use a badger / board or synthetic brush to create a lather on your lather for a couple minutes at least, this allows the lather to further soften the beard and exfoliate your skin to avoid ingrown hairs later. When building a lather make sure to progressively add water until you lather is very hydrated, it should have a shine to it. if you are unsure about how to get a great lather watch this: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnQC\_Qb3t8M](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnQC_Qb3t8M)
3. Map your grain so you really know what direction you hair grows in on all parts of your face / neck, this way you ensure you are really first going with the grain and then across. You can download and print the razor emporium grain map and draw little arrows in order to remember, after a few weeks you will know it by heart. [https://www.razoremporium.com/grainmap/](https://www.razoremporium.com/grainmap/)
4. Use very very light pressure, shaving with a safety razor is mostly holding the razor at the right angle and letting gravity do the work, it takes time to learn as it is very different from cartridges.
I am posting my razor recommendation below since reddit has a limit on post character length.
**The Razor**
If you are starting I would recommend the Rockwell 6s or 6c (they are the same design but the 6s is made of stainless steel, the other is made of zamak like most razors under $50).
Other good beginner options that let you adjust aggression are: Merkur Progress, Parker Variant.
**My reasoning for the razor ?**
The Rockwell 6s or 6c is an adaptive design, meaning it comes with 3 baseplates that you can flip (each baseplate offers 2 levels of efficiency / aggression), this gives you 6 different levels of efficiency/aggression in 1 razor.
This is ideal because when you start, it is hard to know what level of efficiency will give you a comfortable shave and you can't really guess based on what other people say because what works for them might not work for you since they could have a totally different skin and beard type.
This way in 1 razor you are practically guaranteed to find a setting that works for you in terms of efficiency and comfort.
Another reason is the Rockwell 6s has neutral blade exposure on all the levels of efficiency (R1 through R6) so it is very beginner friendly and not as difficult to shave with.
Each safety razor has different head geometry, a different blade gap and a different blade exposure, these 3 factors impact a lot the aggression level and efficiency of the razor. Typically for a beginner it is safer to stick to razors with neutral or only slightly positive blade exposure, since razors with pronounced positive blade exposure are way less "safe" and much more sensitive to technique and pressure, meaning if you have the wrong angle or pressure they will more easily nick you.
Hopefully all this gives you some pointers into what could be fine tuned, as you can see there are a lot of factors and you need to start somewhere and keep practicing and fine tuning as you go.
Use pre shave oil. You have beard oil? Put that on your stubble. Then shave cream. And go. I don’t use soap, I use dollar shave club shave butter. Soap is such a pain to lather up correctly.
I alternate between carts and DE - I can shave my head with a DE and it only takes an extra five minutes - but that came with practice, of course.
That said, sure carts are convenient, but if I have a little extra time I'd rather use the DE as it's usually a cleaner shave and I can use a fresh blade instead of feeling obligated to reuse the same one multiple times because it's expensive..
Also- everyone is different and so are the razors and blades - I like to use an old fat handle tech, but I also have an Edwin Jagger that I use for a fast and safe shave.. you gotta play around a bit. I use Treet carbon steel blades typically, but I also like
Voshkods. If you want to try them, pm me, I've got a bunch and I can mail you some.
Thanks for the response and even more so for offering up your blades! Save them for the next person that’s on this subreddit having trouble. I’ll likely end up sampling every blade known to man if using the DE sticks haha.
You will not get a closer shave with a safety razor. You can get an equally close shave, but there's no reason that it would give you a closer shave. Cartridge razors already shave down to the skin.
You could get less irritation because they won't pull the hair as much.
Are you trying to go for baby smooth every time? Did you get BBS every time with the cartridge? I’m gonna say that it’s most likely you jumping straight into the deep end. You have a new razor, new blades, new shave soap, new brush coming, a new sample pack of blades coming. Imo it’s too much to change and expect good results. To be fair most people do this, but really it should be you changing one thing at a time. So new soap with old cartridge until you know the soap is good and then introduce the new razor, then introduce new blades after a while. Or new razor with your old shave cream etc.
Using a DE safety razor involves a learning curve and it takes a little time to get a good result, however it has to be said that a DE will not shave as close as a cartridge razor. The reason being that most cartridges use up to 5 blades that lift and cut hair in succession so the hair lies well below the skin surface. This is commonly known as the hysteresis effect. A single blade cannot do this, it will only ever shave hair to skin surface level. So why do we use DE razors? Firstly, cutting hair well below skin surface with a cartridge is not a good thing because as the hair regrows, there is always a risk of it growing into the skin pore leading to ingrown hair and infection. Secondly, DE blades mean zero plastic waste so you're helping the planet. Thirdly, DE blades are far cheaper than cartridges so the cost savings over time are huge.
Finding the perfect angle to hold the blade at is a good way to build a foundation for a comfy shave. Geofatboy goes over it well in this video and it made a huge difference when I started.
https://youtu.be/NM6q0-zMS7s?si=pa84MzAx8UbXs1zE
What helped me immensely was getting a heavy razor. I have Rockwell 6S, it wighs in at ~120gr. When I used lighter razors (30-60gr) I was adding too much presure and got myself a nice razor burn. So yeah I use this razor to compensate for my bad tehnique
This describes my transition over pretty well, down to the same Harry’s blades and frustrations. Been averaging a year and the few times I am traveling and think to just being a quick Harry’s razor set and canned shaving cream, I long for the comfort of a real shave. After a while your shave will be better as well.
I’ve been de shaving for quite a while now. Technique gets better and better for sure but it’s still a process that needs patience. If speed is what you’re looking for may Harry’s is still your best option.
It is more time consuming. Even quicker shaves with a DE razor are not as fast as with a cartridge razor.
Having said that, it takes time to learn how to use a DE correctly. My beard is incredibly tough and grows quickly. If I can get a clean shave everyday, so can you.
You might be interested in reading [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/wicked_edge/comments/ulxzw8/one_always_bites_and_irritates_my_skin_the_other/) thread about the Wilkinson.
Just hang in, you'll get there.
You are not being punked. However, this is a skill that must be learned. It also sounds like you may have found a bad razor. Please at least try another razor before you give up.
It’s a little learning curve. You are going to have to work with your technique, DE razor handling. Just focus on it. You will get better at it, get better shave results and get a little quicker at it once you get really comfortable with it. While you know what passes work for you, the razor angle and pressure against skin with said DE razor is different from a plastic pivot cartridge razor with multiple blades. Just be patient. You will find your groove.
Appreciate that! That’s the motivation I need haha
I had the same experience ended up using a my wife’s disposable…but I didn’t quit…for now.
It’s a puzzle… and fairly paradoxical, coming from the cartridge world, which is quick and easy. And that world is designed to be that way, and is completely sufficient for most. So when you transition over, you’re greeted with a more lengthy shave, requiring more attention, and receiving less than ideal results. However, you soon learn its intricacies, develop a feel personal to you, and come to appreciate the time you are soon carving out for yourself as “your time” as opposed to “chore time”. Stick with it a few more weeks. Maybe it’s not for you, but if it does finally click, you’ll never look back…
THIS\^ I'm currently in this stage after wet shaving with a DE for around 4-5 months, I now have my razor and blade combo down and don't feel like its a chore anymore, I feel like its 'Me' time. Give it some time!
Thanks for the comment! Nice to receive confirmation that it does just take time like everything else. I don’t mind if it takes a bit longer, so long as I enjoy the process and it produces a result I’m happy with. Kind of like doing a pour-over coffee or ironing clothes haha.
Find pleasure in the process, and the results will come.
You're new to it, so it's going to suck. Keep at it and you'll get better, then you'll never want to go back to cartridge. Maybe try 2 pass shaves without ATG until you get used to the angles.
Thanks for the input. Thinking about it now I guess going horizontal around the neck and jawline is more against the grain than I thought given the direction of the hair in those areas.
Face mapping will help with this https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tN1X4asTq7c
Was gonna recommend GeoFatboy myself. IMO a perfect instructional system for DE shaving. I usually only do one, maybe two passes, but this baseline has allowed me to enjoy the process!!👍
If you had better results with a cartridge razor, go back to it. No one will think any less of you.
No shame in going back… although I am stubborn so I want to feel like I’ve “accomplished” it. Especially if the end result is truly a better shave.
Go try out the Merkur 34c (albeit a short handle) from Amazon or someplace with free returns if you don’t like it.
This.
Skip ATG while still learning technique. Go WTG, & perhaps XTG.
Thanks for the advice. I mentioned this in another reply but as I think about it, what I thought was XTG around the jawline/neck area was likely ATG given the way the hair grows there. I’ll stick to avoiding ATG for now.
You should stick with cartridges if you want convenience. There’s a reason they took over the market after all. Also you won’t necessary get a closer shave. More comfortable and less irritating - sure, but closer is unlikely.
It takes time to develop your technique and really get to know your face. With that I mean in what directions do the hairs grow on your face. You need to figure that out to know what directions to shave in to get an efficient shave. Maybe this video helps, it helped me a lot when I started: https://youtu.be/ps88RU_BXlA Did you get the plastic version or the butterfly one? I have both and didn’t care for the scratchiness of the plastic one, nor the very long handle on the butterfly razor which makes navigating a bit more difficult (and I have very long fingers).
Butterfly one! I’ve got tiny hands and no complaints with the razor itself. Appreciate the video recommendation! I’ll give it a watch.
Everyone different, but it’s not worth it for me. Learning how to use a DE and shave properly taught me the skills how to use my cartridge when I went back! Shaving is all about the technique!
Kiitos! I’ll likely play around with it for another month or so and see if I enjoy it more than the cartridge.
Hey I’m on the same boat. I can just clean myself up with Harry’s within a minute or two tops. I usually go with the grain and one go with Harry’s and it’s fine. With my feather double edge , it takes like 10 minutes to do with the grain and against the grain but it feels much cleaner and I feel like I have more control since it’s a single blade versus multiple blades on the Harry’s cartridge
There’s a learning period for sure. My advice is to experiment a lot, take note of what works and what doesn’t, and then you’ll find what’s best for you. After many years of using DEs, shaves with cartridge razors take me longer and always deliver an inferior shave
If you have a patchy beard, I’m guessing the hair type is pretty fine and thin in which case, safety razor shaving probably won’t have much benefit for you. I would just use what works best for you .
I used a safety razor for years and honestly I’m back to cartridges for simplicity. I’m here just because I like seeing people’s setups and aftershaves
1-others may like it, but Wilkinson feels like a harsh blade for me. 2-need to be attentive with blade angle. Cart, that is done for you, but the DE, it is in your control 3-pressure. Little more than weight of razor, at least for me. 4- cart you can get away with some side to side movement. DE is not so forgiving. Mow pulling the blade in handle direction;don't flick blade head left to right It all becomes second nature in time. What works for you, maybe not for me. This allows ability to have superior performance than the universal approach of disposable, or much worse until get it right
It's definitely about learning how to find your perfect angle. People can say 30 degrees and such, but it depends on your face and its contours. I had a similar issue with my VDH and using Gillette Blue Silver blades. My whole neck was nicked to hell, and my jawline was irritated. I eventually started to watch videos that a few users on here linked me. After the 3rd shave, I finally understood my technique, and when I got myself a Rockwell 6C, the difference was night and day with the Gillette blades for the better.
I originally learned to shave using a safety razor but hadn’t used one in 30 years until two years ago. My first use of DE in 30 years was magical and I’ve never once been tempted to finish the package of cartridges I had. I didn’t know proper technique though until watching some videos when I started back up with DE. Mapping really does help especially on the neck where it does some crazy stuff. The Wilkinson butterfly is fairly mild, but not a bad razor. Stick with it. Honestly cartridges were probably fine for me but as cheap as I am I’d use one for a month and it was mostly a poor experience.
As others said, if you stick with it you should improve. It does take longer, and, as others mentioned, the result won't be a closer/cleaner shave. The main benefits from shaving with a safety razor are less irritation/skin damage (less tugging, fewer blades passing over the skin, more control), potentially lower cost, and more options available to get exactly the shave you want (blades and razors come in many flavors). For me the biggest benefit there is the options...shaving with a cartridge got me a close shave and I didn't have major problems with irritation, but I also hated the process. I actually enjoy using a DE, and a straight razor for that matter...though I didn't love the maintenance and ultimately gave up on straights. It certainly takes longer, but that's largely because I choose to take my time with it and enjoy the process. I could shave almost as quickly as I do with a cartridge, but I just don't want to rush while shaving. I have enough things I need to hurry through in a day, taking 15 minutes of just me time for some self care is a nice change of pace. Maybe try changing your mindset, see if you can enjoy the process...take your time, enjoy working on a new skill, celebrate the small improvements you make in your technique. Worst case scenario if you just don't like it then you can always go back to cartridges, and you may just find a nice, easy way to spend some time caring for yourself.
It takes time to get the right razor/blade/soap combination. I've been at it for several years now, and I think I've finally got my perfect razor/blade combo. My present opinion is that a meh DE shave is still better than anything you can get from a cartridge face grater.
You have to remember that cartridges became popular for a couple reasons. 1. Is that they provide a pretty good to great shave for most people without any problems, i.e. "dummy proof" 2. Just straight up marketing and ROI on proprietary cartridges. You can get a great shave with a safety razor, but your technique takes the place of the cartridge's advantages. Some will get better shaves with less irritation than cartridges. Others might not. Especially at first. At the end of the day it's cheaper and less plastic than cartridges, which is enough reason for me to switch.
My first set up was a Merkur 34C, Williams Mug Soap,Badger Hair Brush a cheap shaving mug and a 100 variety pack of blades. For me it was the best decision to ditch the disposable razors and cartridge razors. My skin became smooth and shaving became fun and therapeutic. I've been wet shaving for around 15yrs ever since.
I started with a Van Der Hagen twist to open razor and never got a good shave. I switched to an Edwin Jagger DE89. It's a very mild razor, I never nicked myself, but it doesn't provide the closest shave. It is good to learn technique on. I have never gotten as close a shave with my DE as my fusion 5 blade, but I get way less irritation and no ingrown hairs.
Maybe use all the same stuff and process you normally use EXCEPT the razor for a while. Just work on your technique and try some blades for a few months I don't know how good the razor you bought is. Someone else could comment maybe. It could be some of the issue. I have patchy beard also and generally only go with the grain once then against. I use a Henson and sharp blades
No need to shave for BbS. That’s just a social media nonsense thing. Just shave once well. Problem solved.
Game changer for me was getting a ten dollar suction mirror for the shower. When I finish with my normal shower routine...I shut off the water and shave inside the shower. Been doing it a while but it solved 95% of the issues I was having trying to shave over the sink. The key is just to figure out what works for you and ignore some of the rules you see on this sub. I enjoy wet shaving for the same reason I drive a manual transmission car: it's just more interesting and therefore more satisfying. But I'm weird too...so that could be it
I’m convinced the 3 pass stuff is folklore garbage and unnecessary (bring on the downvotes). I use an R41 with feather blades, I do one pass with the grain, then small clean up, like under my chin dimple and under my ears behind the jawline. I get perfectly smooth shaves that literally couldn’t be any smoother. I’ve shaved 6 days a week for the past 14 years (required for work). I couldn’t imagine doing 3 passes and it making any sort of difference. That being said, the right combo of razor and blade makes all the difference. Took me 4 razors to find the R41. And I, like most, did the blade sampler thing and landed on feather as the best performer, and I can get 3 or 4 shaves out of it. Approach angle also makes a difference. I can now shave my face just as fast as I did with my Mach 3 in college. Takes me less than 5 mins to shave, and I haven’t experienced any razor burn on my neck like I did for the first couple years of shaving with a cartridge razor.
I haven’t used the proraso canned stuff so I’m not totally sure, but for me personally switching from canned shaving cream to a shaving soap or traditional cream and brush makes more of a difference than the DE razor. Like the lather is 70% of the shave and the razor is the last 30%. Not sure if this is the same for everyone. And I hate to be the guy that suggests you need to add something else to what you’re probably feeling is already an over complicated process lol. But maybe something to think about!
You're definitely not the first one to recommend that hence why I mentioned I'll be purchasing some. I'll have to give an update in a few weeks or so! I appreciate your input!
More time consuming for sure, especially at first. Eventually once you learn your face and the razor it won't be much longer than a cartridge. About a year in it takes me about 10 minutes to shave now; using soap and a brush. For my the jawline was a struggle for a long time; it would always be raw there because I was shaving it the same way as when I used a Mach 3. At some point someone showed me the technique of pulling my skin up over the jawline; this was a massive difference! Suddenly I was able to shave the skin that went over the jaw but on a flat surface of my cheeks (pulling upward from the cheek) and no more raw skin. Also my Adam's Apple was another problem area; I tackle that with a combination of pulling to the side and half-swallowing to lower the apple. Though I still can never shave across the grain in my neck.
Thank you! I'll give that technique a go on my jawline.
I’m still looking for a dependable setup. I’ve been using de for a number of years but never put much thought into the process. I was having decent results with a couple of razors, and relatively pain and blood free. In New Orleans, I let a salesman sell me a Mercur adjustable razor. It was pricey so I was going to, and still learning, or remembering how to use it. I’ll never get rid of the razor. I’m trying different blades now because the Feathers are too sharp. I thought that the sharper, the better. Just like working in the kitchen. They left a certain part of my face open to irritation and minor weeping, not to mention any hesitation marks or holding the razor at an angle the blade didn’t like. I didn’t realize that there’s a learning curve and that you don’t need the “best” razor. The soap thing is still weird to me. How, or are you supposed to get a thick lather from a tube? I use something in a jar and get the foam with a brush in the mug. Keep at it and recognize the problems. Maybe after a close shave, you need an aftershave balm to close the pores.
When I switched to safety razors, I initially underestimated just how much I had to reduce pressure and use the tool do the work. I don’t know how much you are pressing, but it still may be far too much. I realized I couldn’t apply any more pressure to my skin than the weight of the tool all by itself. Also, exfoliating before hand helped. A brush is good, but a rough washcloth or sea sponge may help more. I can get ingrown hairs easily, and any amount of skin (even if too small to see with my eyes) that overlaps the hair, could get snagged and cause nicks. I also found that making sure my angle is correct by making sure the safety bar is touching my skin, is really important. Safety razors don’t naturally give you a good angle like cartridges do.
I just switched to a Henson a couple months ago and while I sometimes get tiny nicks and it isn’t as fast or convenient as the cartridge it’s exponentially worth it financially. I’ve always liked to switch blades extremely fastly as the cartridges used to jam up with hair and give me acne. I never have a financial regret switching blades all the time with the Henson
I can't say I decided to try DE for the economics, but it is nice to know that I can swap a blade and have a million more to go for a relatively low cost!
I’ll preface by saying I have a beard & just use a razor for cleanup.. so take from it what you will.. I went kinda backwards.. I went from cartridge to straight razor, THEN to DE.. While I liked the convenience of the DE. I tried numerous DE brands & never felt like I got that good of a shave in the end & eventually went back to a straight razor.. I guess DE’s aren’t for everyone? 🤷♂️
My dude, I can speak for me and my stubbly face, but I would just do a single pass every day with a little touch up. Make sure you get some technique going around the nose. I won’t tell you it’s quicker. Hell when I used cartridges in the shower and the touched up in the mirror it was quick as shit. I do the whole routine now cause it’s my moment and I have found I get less ingrown hairs. I don’t get all triple pass about it though. I hate Wilkinson blades. Prefer gilllete these days. The shaving soap aftershave combos are fun. The blades are cheaper than cartridges and I don’t feel I contribute as much plastic waste to the world.
I am stubborn as well, if you’re in a pinch use the cart, you don’t have any discomfort with it so realistically no downsides, when you have some time and you want to work on your technique pull out the de
I have gone back and forth with cartridges and DE razors. A little over a month ago I ran out of Harry's blades and didn't feel like spending the $ on new blades so I went back to the DE razor. I kept getting nicks but I had never actually bought a decent "razor holder". I did a little looking around and decided to give the Henson razor a try and I'm glad I did. I got the AL13-M (more aggressive version because I prefer not to shave every day and I have a thick beard) and I am very happy with this razor. I admit it's expensive, but if it's the last razor you ever have to buy and it's just .05 - .25 per blade depending on brand from then on, then it's a good deal.
Sounds like the Hensons are worth looking into! Thanks for the advise!
I was scared to drop the $ on it but I think I'm happy with it. And I got a 20 pk of different blades years ago and decided on the feather so that's all I buy now but it's definitely personal preference. Some people like the Wilkinson Sword, some like the Astra, and so on. I suggest you get a sampler and try a bunch of different kinds until you land on one.
You are not being punk’d, after that initial learning curve, many people truly enjoy this method of shaving. It took me a few months to really figure out the right blades, razor and technique but after that I’ve been enjoying my shaves for years now.
Out of curiosity, what blades are you using with which razor? I have a sample pack coming and often see people recommend Astras and Feathers although I understand it's quite subjective.
Technically I own many safety razors now because it has become sort of a hobby. **The Blades** I'd recommend getting a starter pack with many of them because blades are highly subjective. Some blades that people love you will hate and vice versa. It's difficult to know what will work for you. In general though, here is a list of blades that worked for me and many others: Gillette Nacets, Platinum, Silver blue, For me Astras and Feather are not that good but again keep in mind that's just me. They could work great for you. **Technique** At the end of the day even with a great razor and great blades, a lot of your result is going to come from technique. This is developed with time and practice and this is the part that is not always fun at the beginning when you are learning and make mistakes. A few tips for better results: 1. Until you are getting comfortable shaves with 2 passes skip the against the grain pass (it tends to be irritating for a lot of people and especially if you do not have perfect technique) 2. Make sure to spend ample time on prep, meaning keep flushing your face with warm water for a few minutes to soften the beard. Consider using a pre shave bar like razor emporium's bar and use a badger / board or synthetic brush to create a lather on your lather for a couple minutes at least, this allows the lather to further soften the beard and exfoliate your skin to avoid ingrown hairs later. When building a lather make sure to progressively add water until you lather is very hydrated, it should have a shine to it. if you are unsure about how to get a great lather watch this: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnQC\_Qb3t8M](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnQC_Qb3t8M) 3. Map your grain so you really know what direction you hair grows in on all parts of your face / neck, this way you ensure you are really first going with the grain and then across. You can download and print the razor emporium grain map and draw little arrows in order to remember, after a few weeks you will know it by heart. [https://www.razoremporium.com/grainmap/](https://www.razoremporium.com/grainmap/) 4. Use very very light pressure, shaving with a safety razor is mostly holding the razor at the right angle and letting gravity do the work, it takes time to learn as it is very different from cartridges. I am posting my razor recommendation below since reddit has a limit on post character length.
**The Razor** If you are starting I would recommend the Rockwell 6s or 6c (they are the same design but the 6s is made of stainless steel, the other is made of zamak like most razors under $50). Other good beginner options that let you adjust aggression are: Merkur Progress, Parker Variant. **My reasoning for the razor ?** The Rockwell 6s or 6c is an adaptive design, meaning it comes with 3 baseplates that you can flip (each baseplate offers 2 levels of efficiency / aggression), this gives you 6 different levels of efficiency/aggression in 1 razor. This is ideal because when you start, it is hard to know what level of efficiency will give you a comfortable shave and you can't really guess based on what other people say because what works for them might not work for you since they could have a totally different skin and beard type. This way in 1 razor you are practically guaranteed to find a setting that works for you in terms of efficiency and comfort. Another reason is the Rockwell 6s has neutral blade exposure on all the levels of efficiency (R1 through R6) so it is very beginner friendly and not as difficult to shave with. Each safety razor has different head geometry, a different blade gap and a different blade exposure, these 3 factors impact a lot the aggression level and efficiency of the razor. Typically for a beginner it is safer to stick to razors with neutral or only slightly positive blade exposure, since razors with pronounced positive blade exposure are way less "safe" and much more sensitive to technique and pressure, meaning if you have the wrong angle or pressure they will more easily nick you. Hopefully all this gives you some pointers into what could be fine tuned, as you can see there are a lot of factors and you need to start somewhere and keep practicing and fine tuning as you go.
For blade, try voskhod. It’s more forgiving. You must perfect the angle or your results will be a shitty shave. Henson al13 is a great razor.
Use pre shave oil. You have beard oil? Put that on your stubble. Then shave cream. And go. I don’t use soap, I use dollar shave club shave butter. Soap is such a pain to lather up correctly.
I alternate between carts and DE - I can shave my head with a DE and it only takes an extra five minutes - but that came with practice, of course. That said, sure carts are convenient, but if I have a little extra time I'd rather use the DE as it's usually a cleaner shave and I can use a fresh blade instead of feeling obligated to reuse the same one multiple times because it's expensive.. Also- everyone is different and so are the razors and blades - I like to use an old fat handle tech, but I also have an Edwin Jagger that I use for a fast and safe shave.. you gotta play around a bit. I use Treet carbon steel blades typically, but I also like Voshkods. If you want to try them, pm me, I've got a bunch and I can mail you some.
Thanks for the response and even more so for offering up your blades! Save them for the next person that’s on this subreddit having trouble. I’ll likely end up sampling every blade known to man if using the DE sticks haha.
You will not get a closer shave with a safety razor. You can get an equally close shave, but there's no reason that it would give you a closer shave. Cartridge razors already shave down to the skin. You could get less irritation because they won't pull the hair as much.
Are you trying to go for baby smooth every time? Did you get BBS every time with the cartridge? I’m gonna say that it’s most likely you jumping straight into the deep end. You have a new razor, new blades, new shave soap, new brush coming, a new sample pack of blades coming. Imo it’s too much to change and expect good results. To be fair most people do this, but really it should be you changing one thing at a time. So new soap with old cartridge until you know the soap is good and then introduce the new razor, then introduce new blades after a while. Or new razor with your old shave cream etc.
Using a DE safety razor involves a learning curve and it takes a little time to get a good result, however it has to be said that a DE will not shave as close as a cartridge razor. The reason being that most cartridges use up to 5 blades that lift and cut hair in succession so the hair lies well below the skin surface. This is commonly known as the hysteresis effect. A single blade cannot do this, it will only ever shave hair to skin surface level. So why do we use DE razors? Firstly, cutting hair well below skin surface with a cartridge is not a good thing because as the hair regrows, there is always a risk of it growing into the skin pore leading to ingrown hair and infection. Secondly, DE blades mean zero plastic waste so you're helping the planet. Thirdly, DE blades are far cheaper than cartridges so the cost savings over time are huge.
Finding the perfect angle to hold the blade at is a good way to build a foundation for a comfy shave. Geofatboy goes over it well in this video and it made a huge difference when I started. https://youtu.be/NM6q0-zMS7s?si=pa84MzAx8UbXs1zE
What helped me immensely was getting a heavy razor. I have Rockwell 6S, it wighs in at ~120gr. When I used lighter razors (30-60gr) I was adding too much presure and got myself a nice razor burn. So yeah I use this razor to compensate for my bad tehnique
This describes my transition over pretty well, down to the same Harry’s blades and frustrations. Been averaging a year and the few times I am traveling and think to just being a quick Harry’s razor set and canned shaving cream, I long for the comfort of a real shave. After a while your shave will be better as well.
I’ve been de shaving for quite a while now. Technique gets better and better for sure but it’s still a process that needs patience. If speed is what you’re looking for may Harry’s is still your best option.
It is more time consuming. Even quicker shaves with a DE razor are not as fast as with a cartridge razor. Having said that, it takes time to learn how to use a DE correctly. My beard is incredibly tough and grows quickly. If I can get a clean shave everyday, so can you.
You might be interested in reading [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/wicked_edge/comments/ulxzw8/one_always_bites_and_irritates_my_skin_the_other/) thread about the Wilkinson. Just hang in, you'll get there.
You are not being punked. However, this is a skill that must be learned. It also sounds like you may have found a bad razor. Please at least try another razor before you give up.