Comments on: How To Shave Like Your Grandpa

By: The Ultimate Straight Razor Shaving Guide | The Art of Manliness

The Ultimate Straight Razor Shaving Guide | The Art of Manliness — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:18:40 +0000

[...] very first post on the Art of Manliness was a introductory guide to shaving like your grandpa with a double edged safety razor. Since then, we’ve received requests to do a similar article [...]

By: Gaz

Gaz — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:55:00 +0000

This past week I picked up a Merkur safety razor, after 20+ years of shaving frustration with various and sundry cartridge and electric razors. It took a bit longer than normal because I’d never done it before, I hadn’t shaved in a week or so, and my face was pretty dry. It went well, though – no nicks or cuts or any of that nonsense. My face was considerably less irritated than it has been in the past (even with the lack of prep and the long facial hair), and I had the closest and most comfortable shave in my life. Now that I’ve seen this article, I’ll apply these tips and see how much better it can be.

By: Shaving Brush Set » Learn How to Shave Like Your Grandpa | The Art of Manliness

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:11:48 +0000

[...] link: Learn How to Shave Like Your Grandpa | The Art of Manliness AKPC_IDS += "587,";Popularity: unranked [...]

By: Pleasant Distractions from the Everyday » Blog Archive » Shaving For Real

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:03:40 +0000

[...] If you’re fed up with cheapo plastic value razors and the highway robbery of cartridge razors, read The Art of Manliness post How To Shave Like Your Grandpa. [...]

By: shaving « i am bismark

shaving « i am bismark — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:32:19 +0000

[...] how to shave like your grandpa [...]

By: Carl

Carl — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:03:53 +0000

Just a few comments from the other side of the pond. Here in the UK it isn’t always easy to find good shaving products as many small pharmacies no longer stock them. I suppose that the demand is relatively low and the big chain stores only sell the disposable razors and multi-blade cartridges. However I always end up with a good quality shave by getting good products when I can and using them appropriately.

Kent make a range of badger hair shaving brushes with wooden, ceramic, or plastic handles. It doesn’t matter what the handle is made from, so chose plastic for ease of cleaning. The quality is excellent and will probably last me the rest of my life.

Woods of Windsor produce an excellent shaving soap. It comes in a shaving mug and lasts me around 2 years. I shave at least once a day, so that’s not bad. It’s quite hard to come by the Woods of Windsor product, so I buy it when I can. Some supermarkets stock a shaving soap by Wilkinson Sword. It’s pretty dreadful stuff, but when needs must…

If you prefer a shaving cream, then Palmolive do a very good product and I use this when I’m away from home as it avoids me having to take a fragile ceramic mug in my suitcase.

It’s very hard to come by double edged razor blades and I really can’t tell the difference between my old double edged razor and a Gillette Mach 3 in terms of quality; though I can in cost. Used properly, I can get between 2 and 3 weeks worth of good shaves from a cartridge.

Here are my tips for a good shave using the above products.

Always shave when your skin has been wet for some time, i.e. after a shower. This softens the hairs and makes it much easier for the blade to cut them.

Never let your beard get too long. If you know that you won’t be able to shave until noon, have a shave on the previous evening to keep it short enough to be easy come the noon. Indeed, if you haven’t shaved since morning and are going out for a long evening, you’ll look and feel much better if you shave before going out.

Rinse your razor under really hot water before using it. It kills the bacteria. Wet your face with warm water before using shaving soap. Rinse your brush under really hot water and shake off the excess before applying the soap; this gives you a softer brush and warm soap which helps soften the beard. Brush the soap in very well using a circular motion and then leave it on your face for a couple of minutes before shaving. If using a double edged razor, shave with the grain of the beard. If using a multi blade cartridge, shave against the grain. Either way, you’ll need to finish off with a variety of shaving directions to get the last stubborn areas done.

Regards.

By: Rich

Rich — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:38:11 +0000

Really excellent article. I know this is usually not recommended under any circumstances, but I’ve found out recently that dry shaving with a safety razor works best for me. Common sense says that wet shaving is supposed to reduce irritation, but for me, I’ve found that I get absolutely no irritation or nicks/bumps from shaving totally dry. I’ve used electric razors, both wet and dry, as well as the normal wet safety razor technique and I’ve had terrible irritation with all of these methods, no matter how carefully I shave.
With my dry technique, it does take longer to get a super close shave, but avoiding the irritation is totally worth it. I begin shaving with the grain a few times, pulling the skin taught to get closer, then I go sideways, then against the grain. It may sound crazy, I know, but if nothing else works for you, it may be worth a try. Note: It will hurt a bit at first because the hair gets pulled a little bit, but that has never been an issue for me.

By: Barba na navalha é o que há. | the brain is a machine

Barba na navalha é o que há. | the brain is a machine — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:09:47 +0000

[...] se barbeava usando aqueles aparelhos antigões, que usam lâminas. O blog tem até um guia “How to shave like your grandpa“, que inspirou o Marco Aurélio do Jesus me Chicoteia a fazer algo parecido e criar uma [...]

By: Shave Like Your Great Grandpa: The Ultimate Straight Razor Shaving Guide | Organic Skincare and Shaving

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:00:36 +0000

By: Rob

Rob — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:39:17 +0000

another way to practice is to blow up a balloon, lather it up and “shave” the lather off. If you can do that without popping the balloon you are ready for your face.

By: Who knew shaving was such an important topic? « Fillingim.com

Who knew shaving was such an important topic? « Fillingim.com — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:10:12 +0000

[...] whole websites devoted to shaving and millions of words written on the subject. This blog post: http://artofmanliness.com/2008/01/04/how-to-shave-like-your-grandpa/ led me to this blog post: [...]

By: Learn How to Shave Like Your Grandpa on The Art of Manliness « Fillingim.com

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:12:23 +0000

[...] Learn How to Shave Like Your Grandpa on The Art of Manliness via artofmanliness.com [...]

By: Marton

Marton — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:03:15 +0000

To Fred
I have a mole on my face, and it never got cut while I was shaving. I’ve been using a Double Edge Safety Razor for about 6 months and used a straight razor for a few months before that. Even before, I always used cartridges and none of those blades cutted me (at least not my mole =P).
Just don’t begin with a very sharp razor, find one that’s better for beginners, and do it gently, slowly and, most importantly, without preassure. Hold your hand really steady, but don’t apply preassure. Then you should be fine.

By: gmletzkojr

gmletzkojr — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:23:49 +0000

Has anyone tried the shaving products from Lehmans (http://www.lehmans.com/)? They offer safety razors, straight razors, etc. I’ve found other items from the company to be good quality.

By: Fred

Fred — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:57:24 +0000

This may seem like a strange question, but I’m only accustomed to an electric razor (well jeez, I’m 16…). I have some moles on my face, and not all of them are the flat kind. They’re not like warts, but they’re slightly raised. Are these going to be cut in the shaving process? I’d like to begin using a REAL razor, but I’m not sure if those moles are in danger or not.