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Razor Burn: A Flood of Fancy Shavers Leaves Some Men Feeling Nicked

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Re: Razor Burn: A Flood of Fancy Shavers Leaves Some Men Feeling Nicked

#61

Post by Qz »

chasingsparks wrote: post #3
RiderOfGiraffes wrote: post #2

I'm seriously considering getting my beard permanently removed via laser hair removal. It's getting affordable, and not having to shave every day, or every other day, seems like a luxury I might now pay for. I'm thinking of asking for next birthday and Christmas getting the cost covered. ADDED IN EDIT: I personally don't like having a beard. Been there, done that, don't like it. Also, my wife would be 100% happy with…

Link? I was under the impression that men could not have laser facial hair removal because the thick, coarse hair would scar under the high energy of the laser. (Although, I'm not sure I would do it anyway. Having facial hair as an older man seems like it would be a rite of passage.)

Laser still works on male facial hair. I've considered it myself to the point of getting a consultation and there aren't any problems.

The thing with laser is that it's technically (according to the FDA) laser hair reduction. When you zap the hair with the laser, it doesn't necessarily kill the follicle, but it does make the hair grow back thinner. Repeated treatments make the hair grow back thinner and thinner and eventually it does stop growing. But it can also later start growing back, so you tend to have to go back for 'touch up' appointments, even after the majority of the zapping is complete.

Re: Razor Burn: A Flood of Fancy Shavers Leaves Some Men Feeling Nicked

#62

Post by acgourley »

mcantor wrote: post #40

The more I read articles like these (they pop up everywhere once in a while), the more I am beginning to see a common theme develop, namely: It depends on the guy. Google around for a while and look at all of the anecdotes, including the ones given in this thread. People say that everything is the best. It seems to me that a man's goal shouldn't be to find "the best" shaving setup, but instead the setup that works be…

He may use 'turbo' blades, which do last several times as long in my experience.

Re: Razor Burn: A Flood of Fancy Shavers Leaves Some Men Feeling Nicked

#63

Post by johnswamps »

JunkDNA wrote: post #29
brk wrote: post #7

I bought a Merkur Futur a year ago and haven't looked back. The initial investment in going to an old-school shaving setup is about $100. Safety razor, some blades, badger-hair brush and saving soap. But the payoff is huge over time. A $5.00 bar of shaving soap can last 6 or 8 months with daily use. High-quality DE blades are $0.50-$0.80 ea, depending on quantity. As the article states, it takes a little more time an…

Can you speak to the additional time commitment? I have been considering ditching the Fusion for a Merkur, but I'm worried about adding more time to my AM routine. Are we talking double the amount of time? Triple? The thought of getting up at 5:30 AM just to get a better shave has been the primary reason I haven't pulled the trigger.

It depends on how close of a shave you want. If you simply want to be presentable you can do one quick pass "with the grain", but if you want a perfectly smooth shave you can do several passes (perpendicular and against the grain). If I'm in a hurry I can shave in 5 minutes (though this is a good way to cut yourself), if I'm taking my time it's maybe 10 minutes.

I also only shave every other day, in large part due to how close of a shave you can get, though I also naturally don't grow hair quickly.

Re: Razor Burn: A Flood of Fancy Shavers Leaves Some Men Feeling Nicked

#64

Post by Goosey »

mcantor wrote: post #40

The more I read articles like these (they pop up everywhere once in a while), the more I am beginning to see a common theme develop, namely: It depends on the guy. Google around for a while and look at all of the anecdotes, including the ones given in this thread. People say that everything is the best. It seems to me that a man's goal shouldn't be to find "the best" shaving setup, but instead the setup that works be…

You are right on the money. It all comes down to the best shave for YOU. It's worth experimenting. After all if you are going for clean-shaven you are going to be shaving about once per day. 365 times per year. Thousands of times before you die. It is worth optimizing this to be as pleasant as possible.

I can absolutely respect people who prefer the 'classic' old straight edge shaves, or the dollar store single blades, or the ultra-manly outback shave with a friggen knife.. I have actually tried all of the above (the knife was a mistake!)

Now I found my personal golden sheep; I got a free one of the new Shtick Hydro's and it is bar none the best shave I have ever had. The first time I used it I was actually startled. It didn't FEEL like I was shaving, just like I was rubbing something smooth over my face and the hair was suddenly gone.

I think a lot of the backlash against the pushing of newer shaving products is legitimate (prices of blades going up.. how many blades do we really need? ergonomic grip? Really?), but I think a large part is also some sort of machismo. Having a really 'fancy' smooth shave just isn't as manly.

Personally I am not shaving for the man-points. I am shaving for utility and comfort.

EDIT: full setup, shave while shower is running so I am in a steamy room, I use shaving gel (the Gillette sensitive skin), and I make sure I change the blade every two weeks. Follow up with the shower and some post-shave lotion after toweling off.

Re: Razor Burn: A Flood of Fancy Shavers Leaves Some Men Feeling Nicked

#65

Post by meta »

JunkDNA wrote: post #29
brk wrote: post #7

I bought a Merkur Futur a year ago and haven't looked back. The initial investment in going to an old-school shaving setup is about $100. Safety razor, some blades, badger-hair brush and saving soap. But the payoff is huge over time. A $5.00 bar of shaving soap can last 6 or 8 months with daily use. High-quality DE blades are $0.50-$0.80 ea, depending on quantity. As the article states, it takes a little more time an…

Can you speak to the additional time commitment? I have been considering ditching the Fusion for a Merkur, but I'm worried about adding more time to my AM routine. Are we talking double the amount of time? Triple? The thought of getting up at 5:30 AM just to get a better shave has been the primary reason I haven't pulled the trigger.

I switched to DE coming on a year ago. I didn't get a new DE but went for some of the older models (available off ebay for cheap).

My favorite one regularly goes for about 5 bucks (They are usually tagged with: Canadian 1932 "military issue" like these: http://cgi.ebay.ca/LOT-2-GILLETTE-SAFETY-RAZORS-3-PIECES-BLA...).

The first week I shaved before bed to get the hang of it. Went slow, paid attention to technique, beard growth direction, etc.

After that I shave almost every morning after my shower. Takes ~10 minutes including Lather, Shave and Cleanup.

For me, I like it. I have a small collection of some cooler looking old DE razors. Buy blades for incredibly cheap. And can enjoy a variety of shaving creams.

Re: Razor Burn: A Flood of Fancy Shavers Leaves Some Men Feeling Nicked

#67

Post by zargon »

subwindow wrote: post #15
brk wrote: post #7

I bought a Merkur Futur a year ago and haven't looked back. The initial investment in going to an old-school shaving setup is about $100. Safety razor, some blades, badger-hair brush and saving soap. But the payoff is huge over time. A $5.00 bar of shaving soap can last 6 or 8 months with daily use. High-quality DE blades are $0.50-$0.80 ea, depending on quantity. As the article states, it takes a little more time an…

Same here. I got a Merkur HD about 6 months ago. The initial investment is a bit high, but I wouldn't be surprised if it has already paid off. The blades I got are ~$0.25 each, and last about 1-2 months if cared for. More than that, though, the shave is just all around superior. It baffles me that people shave with Mach 3s or electric razors.

How do you make a blade last a month? Adamantium-infused skin? I use a new blade every 3 shaves. I can't imagine using a blade for over a week.

Re: Razor Burn: A Flood of Fancy Shavers Leaves Some Men Feeling Nicked

#69

Post by ciupicri »

RiderOfGiraffes wrote: post #2

I'm seriously considering getting my beard permanently removed via laser hair removal. It's getting affordable, and not having to shave every day, or every other day, seems like a luxury I might now pay for. I'm thinking of asking for next birthday and Christmas getting the cost covered. ADDED IN EDIT: I personally don't like having a beard. Been there, done that, don't like it. Also, my wife would be 100% happy with…

What about depilatory cream? It's true that the instructions say not to use it on your face, but I still wonder what can happen and how effective it is.

Re: Razor Burn: A Flood of Fancy Shavers Leaves Some Men Feeling Nicked

#70

Post by ciupicri »

pxlpshr wrote: post #17
gcv wrote: post #14

What, a whole article on traditional shaving methods and no mention of straight razors? A straight razor does take time, care, and practice, but it produces excellent results without too much irritation. (I admit that, when I'm in a hurry, I reach for a Fusion.) I tried double-edged safeties (the aforementioned Merkurs), and didn't like them. They produce a shave quality identical to Mach3 or Fusion, but take quite a…

I disagree about double-edge, razor burns, and quality of shave. This video covers a wet method shaving technique that you might consider. http://www.youtube.com/user/mantic59#p/u/35/_VxFXpdLvG0

That's hardly what I would call a beard.
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