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How to Choose a Safety Razor
Safety razors can be used to shave beards / pubes / hair on legs / armpits or bikini line, and so much more. Their use is limitless so you have to know how to choose a safety razor, otherwise, you might end up with a poor quality razor. Many times, first time users of these Double edge manual razors (beginners) find it challenging to choose what is good for them, because one simple query on Amazon can yield thousands of results and a beginner can easily get lost within those results, and sometimes they get carried away by cheap prices and offers, forgetting that the quality of a safety razor matters too. But, let’s not waste too much time beating around the bush; let’s see what you should do to get the best safety razor.
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- Price:- Much as you want to opt for the best safety razor, pricing is a very important factor to consider, sometimes marketers use high pricing as a catch, they target people with low self esteem, so that know that these people will spend as much as they can to get what they want. Many times I have compared highly priced items with average priced ones, and the difference is always too thin. So, don’t get carried away by highly priced safety razors, look out for more features.
- Performance:- Without doubt, a double-edge safety razor can give you a close shave, it does not matter who makes it, but some of these brands might be difficult to use, so you have to do some little practice to master how they work. However when you look at them, they look pretty simple and easy to use. When choosing a safety razor, you have to consider its handle length and size, for example, men with short hands, you will like Merkur 34c HD razor, and then men with large hand, you should use Merkur Long Handled razor. These two have a better performance and the gap between the blade & the head is good and well curved, so the blade with not cut your skin, unless when you apply too much force while shaving.
- Popularity: This is a factor you might consider when choosing a safety razor, the popularity of a product is a clear indication that it performs well. It’s plain white, but, how do you measure the popularity of a safety razor? , it’s very simple. (1st) – look at the ratings if the razor, online shopping sites like Amazon use a very simple rating system used by customers, it is not easily gamed / scammed by vendors so I trust it very well. If a razor has a rating above 4 out of 5, that is a good razor. (2nd) – look at reviews posted by customers, don’t mind about the number of reviews, but look at the total of positive reviews and what exactly people say about that particular razor, that information will give you a clear insight on how it works.
- Handle Length & Size: Safety razors are not like electric razors, these are manual shaving tools, so their design and shape if very essential. The length of the handle will determine how close your shaving will be. But at the same time, these handles are crafted for specific size of hands. For example, if you have short hands, you need to use a short handled safety razor. The size and weight of the razor will add on its grip, the more weight the better, because you don’t have to use too much force when shaving with a heavy weight safety razor.
- Shape and Design: – Don’t confuse this with length of the handle or weight as we saw in the point above. This time we shall look at the actual shape of the razor keeping the other factors constant. You have to look at the shape and design of the head, if it’s too big, you might get issues shaving certain areas like the neck / below the nose. Opt for a slimmer design; this will excel in all areas including the neck and bikini area.
- Handle Texture: Popular brands like Edwin Jagger DE89Lbl & Merkur 34c HD have rough textured handles; this roughness improves on the usability of the razor even when in the shower. Once you use a smooth handled razor, you will find it difficult to shave while in the shower especially when you have soap / shaving gel in your hands.
- Blade Exposure: – When shopping for safety razor, you have to look at the Space between safety guard and blade, this space is supposed to be even and consistent. However, this space will vary from model to model, that is to why I can’t be specific on the actual size. If you buy a high quality razor from big brands like Edwin Jagger / Merkur and parker, the possibility of getting a standard razor is very high, because these companies have standard controls on all products they release to the market.
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IN CONCLUSION:
Now that we have covered some of the basics you need to follow to choose the best safety razor, I’m sure you know how to use them, if not, I advise you to practice slowly, you can start by shaving your legs, this are hardly gets razor burns or ingrown hairs because the skin is tight. On the other, when it gets to sensitive parts like your pubic hair / beards / armpits and bikini line, I suggest you leather up these areas with a good shaving cream / soap, this will make the beards / hair very soft and easy to shave hence preventing razor burns / nicks / cuts and ingrown hair. The first time you get things right, you will enjoy the best close shave which you might never get with any shaving tool on the market. Their many benefits of using a safety razor, but shall discuss them on their own in another post. If you don’t get impressed by results, you can opt for electric shavers.