GROOMING

How To Use a Safety Razor to Shave

By Philip Yiga | December 1, 2014

You might be wondering why you have to use safety razors to shave your beards / pubes in that case. The main reason why I give these shaving tools a thumb up is because of the close and clean shave they give. However, it is very essential to know how to use safety razors; otherwise you might get issues like cuts / nicks and ingrown hairs if you use them wrongly. In this post, you will learn how to use and assemble a safety razor correctly.

PART 1: LOADING A SAFETY RAZOR:

”This will be your first step, especially when the razor is new. These shaving tools come in different types so you have to be aware of the type of safety you are buying. For example; we have a two piece safety razor whose head is attached to the handle, three piece razor whose head can be separated from the handle and a butterfly razor which is commonly known as a twist-to-open razor, this type of razor is solid, nothing is detached, but you switch on the knob and the razor’s head opens for you to insert the blade) With that in mind, let’s see what you can do to assemble a safety razor.”

Unscrew the head of the razor: – This option will apply to only two types of safety razors and these include; 2 piece & 3 piece razors. A two piece safety razor comes with two sections, the head and the handle, it is very easy to disassemble this type of razor, and all you have to do is to unscrew the head and insert the blade where it goes and then screw back the head. On the other hand, when it comes to a three piece safety razor, it features 3 parts / section and these include; the head which cover blade, comb which is found between the head and the handle. To assemble a 3 piece razor you have to attach each piece one by one, the good thing everything will seem black and white. See pictures of types of safety razors I’m talking about below:

Three Piece Safety Razors

Fit in a new durable razor blade: – After detaching / disassembling that new safety razor, insert sharp durable blades in between the head and the comb. Please, make sure the razor blade sits very well where it belongs. We have all types of razor blades on the market and some of the best razor blades you can buy include:

You can choose from any of those 5 brands, they have been tested by most men and they have the best rating on Amazon which makes the, Ideal for everyone.

Secure and fasten the blade: – After inserting the blade in your safety razor, you need to tighten the head, screw it back to the handle but make sure it’s not too tight because you might fail to unscrew it after shaving.

PART 2: PREPARATION:

(At this stage, you have to prepare yourself for shaving with a safety razor because you have already set the razor, now it’s time to get on with the shaving business)

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Wash your face / area to be shaved:- If you want to shave beards only, you can wash your face with a smooth soap and clean it with a dry soft cotton towel, however, you want to do a general shaving which might include beards / pubes/ armpits and chest, you have to wash the all body. You can get a cold morning shower, this will leave each part of your body clean. Also the hair will be soft and easy to cut.

Remove dead skin:- This option does not apply to every man. It ‘s very rare to find dead skin on your facial skin, but men with very oily skins and thick beards are more likely to have this problem. You can use glycerin soap to remove any dead skin found on your facial skin or any other place you would like to shave with a safety razor.

Apply shaving cream :- It is very important to leather up before shaving with a safety razor, this will save you from nicks & cuts that might occur during the process. In most cases, aged men tend to have very soft skins, this leaves them with very few shaving options, so if you have a very soft and sensitive skin, you have to apply a friendly shaving cream / soap, this will soften the beards / hair and make it very easy to shave. On the other hand, you can use baby power, this can be use if you want to dry shave with a safety razor. Baby power like ”Johnson Baby Power” can make your beards soft and easy to shade off, but before using it, try it out in small areas like the armpits, apply after shave and wait for the reaction, if all seems right, you can go ahead and use it in your face.

PART 3: START SHAVING WITH A SAFETY RAZOR

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‘’All has been done and the only thing you’re left with is to get a close & clean shave. I will not stress out the benefits of using a safety razor in this post, but I will cover that in another post. So, let us see what you should do at this stage.’’

Wet That Safety Razor: – You have already applied shaving cream, but it’s better you run some warm water over the razor before shaving, this will remove dirt from the blades.

Shave at the right angle:- As a beginner, you don’t have to take so chances, because using a safety razor from a wrong angle can result into problems. So to avoid getting cut, you should shave at a 30° angle. This will ensure you get a safe, clean and close shave.

Follow the grain: – This is the direction to which your hair grows too. If you want to prevent ingrown hairs and bumps, you have to shave towards your grain not against it. I know most you might get tempted to shave against the grain because this method clears more hair than shaving towards it, but at the same time, you get exposed to bumps & Ingrown hair.

Dip That Safety Razor in Warm Water Every after one successful stroke:- I know this might sound like too much work, but it’s pretty important, because when the razor get’s clogged by hair and shaving soap, the blades won’t do the job as expected. That is to why I advise you to put it in warm water every after one stroke, warm water will clear shaving cream & beards hence leaving blades sharp and clear.

Don’t use too much pressure:- Forget about what you see in commercials, safety razors use sharp blades, and most of them have weight on them, so when you apply too much pressure while shaving, you stand a high stand of cutting yourself. This can be avoided by using heavy weight safety razor like ( Merkur 34C / Merkur Long Handled Safety Razor / Edwin Jagger and Parker 99r.) These 4 brands will give you the best close shave of your life. Use less effort and let the weight of the razor do the rest.

Stretch your skin:- This option will work on specific areas, for example, if you want to shave your balls, you need to pull the skin, this will make it easy for the razor go over this soft / wrinkled area. If you also have wrinkles in your face, you might consider using the same option.

Be gentle on Problematic area:- If you have pimples / bumps, be very gentle when you reach infected areas. Remember, the blades in that safety razor are too sharp, once you use force on areas with pimples / bumps, you will end up cutting yourself. Lather up that problematic area and go over it gently. For example, you can make 3 – 4 gentle passes until you get better results. Remember to shave towards your grain.

Clean your face:- After shaving, you need to wash off the shaving cream using warm water, this will ensure that no shaving cream is left on your face. You need to use a soft clean face towel to dry your face. If you notice some beards / hair left, apply shaving cream to those areas and shave them again.

Apply shaving cream: – Conclude this all process by applying shaving cream, do this after drying your face. Use can use a small piece of white cotton or a clean white face towel to apply After shave, don’t use bare hands to put after shave / splash on your face, because, our hands accommodate lot’s of bacteria which might be harmful to your skin. Remember when you use warm water to remove shaving cream, / soap, it opens skins pores, when you use bare hands which are full of bacteria, these tiny rebels will enter your skin and cause you skin infections.

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