The Art of Manliness is a big proponent of the classic wet shave. There’s something almost ritualistic about a traditional shave. Between lathering up with a badger brush and guiding a double-edge safety razor across your face, it’s possible to reach a state of zen. Unfortunately, most men shave with cheapo disposable crap that costs an arm and a leg and gives you a crappy shave. Safety razor shaving, on the other hand, is much cheaper and provides a far superior shave.
So when the fine folks at West Coast Shaving approached us and asked if they could give away a complete classic shaving set to an Art of Manliness reader, we said hell yes.
The Prize
West Coast Shaving is giving away a complete classic shaving set valued at $115. It has everything you need to get started with safety razor shaving:
- Merkur HD Safety Razor $29
- eShave Fine Brush $55
- Taylor of Old Bond Street (winner can choose the fragrance) $14
- Extended DE Blade Sampler Pack $21.50
How to Enter
- Leave a comment under this post sharing your best shaving tip
- Sign up for email or RSS updates. A secret code will appear at the bottom of the RSS feed or email update. Email us what the secret code is through our contact form and you’ll be entered.
- Share this post with your friends using the “Email this post” to a friend link at the top of the page (You have to use this link or I can’t see if you shared the post). For each friend you email this post to, you’ll receive one entry in the contest. This means the more friends you share it with, the more entries you get. You can only send 10 at a time, but feel free to come back and send some more.
Remember, you can increase your chances of winning by doing all of the above, so get cracking gents. And ladies (we know you’re out there) feel free to enter as well. This is a great chance to score a FREE manly Christmas gift for the man in you’re life.
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My shaving tip:
Wipe the mirror after you pour the hot water, or else…
If you want to know anything about shaving, and I mean anything, you’ve got to check out Badger and Blade:
http://www.badgerandblade.com/
It’s the best shaving site on the web.
No shaving tips…but I’ve never shaved w/ a straight edge or Safety Razor so this would be very cool to have!
completely drying the blade of the razor after each use will extend life of the blade and provides a cleaner, smoother, shave
Prep! Prep! Prep!
Beard preparation is perhaps the most important item for successful wet shaving. This holds true for guys who use DEs, straights, or even cartridges, with anything from the highest $ soaps and creams to the $1 canned goo from the drug store. A better prep will give you a better shave.
Start with either some of your lather, or rub your shave soa/shave stick/shave cream on your face and then massage it into your skin. Wait a few minutes and either rinse multiple times with lots of hot water, or use a hot towel for 3-5 minutes (re-heat as needed) to soften the hairs. Then re-lather and shave.
Rub your face and whiskers with a small amount of the shaving cream, kind of gives a facial massage and helps the whiskers stand up. After, apply Witch Hazel to get rid of any razor burn,
Make a killer Superlather by mixing soaps and creams.
Eddie
I have no tips. I obviously suck at shaving because my neck is always broken out. Any tips would be appreciated. Otherwise I may have to drop over $100 to try to cure it.
@Clark – You might be accidentally going against the grain. Hair on the neck does not necessarily grow in a uniform direction. Figure out how to shave WITH the grain first, and see if that helps. ALso, shave in shorter strokes and keep your razor clean. A clogged razor pulls and drags hair instead of cutting it, aggravating the pore and causing redness.
I shave in the shower. Its the last thing I do, so I get the benefit of the hot steam.
Everyone tends to forget that Your Mileage May Very (YMMV).
After shaving most people know that you should rinse with hot water (to remove residue) then rinse with cold water (to close pores).
YMMV!
Since I have sensitive skin I rinse with just warm water and then use only cool water to help close my pores. When I first started Double Edge shaving I used Hot/Cold water. As a result my face would be flushed red after I was done. My girl friend was concerned about what had gone wrong while I was shaving!
I feel that the best is preperation for a true DE shave. Not only do you need quality to have a well moistened beard, you also need to know what you’re doing. I’ve easily spent 3 hours watching videos on Badger and Blade…. and all have made a marked difference in the shave. Keep the beard wet, hot, and well informed!
@Clark –
I used to have the same problem…what I found worked best was to get a proper safety razor, make sure that your neck is as wet and warm as possible (try a warm towel, or shave after a shower). Get a good lather going (have a look at the videos by Mantic on lathering on YouTube), then when you shave, use as little pressure as possible. I would recommend just a single pass the first time you try, to get your neck used to it (you’ll probably still have some stubble, and may nick yourself). Leave it a day or two then try again, adding a cross-grain pass. Keep this up until you’re ready for an against-grain pass as well, and you’re home free.
One last thing – remember, you’re not scraping the hair off, use the blade like a scythe and cut through that stubble – you shouldn’t need any pressure at all doing it this way.
Good luck!
When using a classic Twist To Open Razor, such as a Gillette Superspeed, Weishi, or Parker, you can adjust the aggressiveness slightly by fiddling with the tightening screw a bit.
I find that around the moustache, opening it up ever so slightly gets me a micron closer.
Another option is to get an adjustable
Without looking at all the awesome tips, mine is always always always use a hot, steaming hot washcloth to soften it all up.
A set of sharp, pointed tweezers (such as those available by Cross Brand) should be in every man’s shaving kit. Razor bumps often appear after shaving when small curved hairs grow back into the skin or pores. After shaving, give yourself a quick once over and make sure that no such hairs are left on your neck. They often are just slightly longer than the others and may have grown back into the skin where your razor can’t get to them. To solve this, simply drag the tip of the tweezers across the hair (perpenticularly) to free up one end and then pluck being sure to grab the hair as close to the skin as possible.
This little tip can really save your neck (pun intended) especially if you have to shave in a hurry or with a dull blade every so often.
Cheers.
JPF
I don’t really shave all too often… maybe 2-3 times a week. And my beard is fairly sparse. So, I just shave in the shower with plain soap! I lather up my face and shave whatever whiskers I may have away.
Pretty sad, I know.
I searched out and old safety razor and the kit from a local store after reading your AOM article on the subject. You got me hooked. Now a new and not $5 kit would feel so much better than the cheap set I had to settle for. Great work, keep it up.
There’s one big tip I need to share, always shave slowly, and if the area doesn’t have lather on it, don’t shave it. Even if it’s a tiny patch that you didn’t quite get last pass, relather before you go back over it.
I have a mustache goatee combo type beard sometimes referred to as a VanDyke. I find that if I measure my face in multiples of the width of the razor I can keep things nice and even.
Eg. the distance from my side burns to my beard is 2 razor widths. The width of the sideburns is 3/4ths of a razor width.
Not to revolutionary but most every possible tip has been covered!
dry off your wet razor before putting it away. just a little dab on a towel will do.
start by shaving the easy parts of your face. let the shaving cream take effect longer on the harder to shave parts.
My best advice for doing a good shave is to take your time. Most cuts that i have had was when I was in a hurry before i left for work. I recommend setting some time aside in the morning for your shave. If you know you need to shave the night before then wake an extra 15 minutes.
I work with several people with allergies to many fragrances. I use aloe vera after shaving to keep my skin healthy since most after-shaves contain fragrances.
Exceptional blog—thanks.
I love the smell of Williams Mug Soap, but I could never get a good lather from it until I tried this: fill your mug up to the top of the puck with your hottest tap water. Let it stand there for just a minute or two. Before working up your lather, pour all the water out of the mug, and use a brush full of hot water to whip up a decent lather.
This tip is good for cheapskates like me who don’t want to pay for expensive soaps and creams, and who love the smell of Williams.
Slow and steady.
Forget a shaving cream bowl to create a lather. I found that going straight to your face with the soap filled brush works just as well. It also saves time by having yet one less thing to clean each morning.
If using a non-safety razor (ie Mach3 etc.) thoroughly dry the razor between shaves to keep it sharper longer. It’s been said that microscopic pieces of rust form and that’s what leads to cuts.
Try it, it works!
i love this. i want one now
I may have overlooked it in the very long list of replies but – without a doubt the saving grace, Williams’ Lectric Shave.
[image: http://4imgs.com/313/x/22151_FULL.jpg ]
127 years ago, I used this back in college with my electric razor and figured it may work for razor-shaves. It is great. The razor glides on your face like it is on ice. Aaaaaah.
For beard-wearers, trim daily. I use a set of hair-cutting shears sourced from Sally Beauty that were about $25.00 to my recollection. These shears make short work of beard trimming.
If you have never tried wet shaving it is amazing the difference it can make. My skin feels and looks so much better and it is rather manly picking up a metal razor with an actual razor blade to shave every morning.
The best shaving advice I can give is check out http://badgerandblade.com/ the amount of experience and knowledge about shaving on this forum is amazing. Not to mention there are a lot of really standup guys who go out of their way to help new people.
I’ve found that I get the best results when I go one round with lather and razor, pat my face dry and repeat a second time, works great for my personal trouble area under my jawline.
For a truly rewarding post-shave treatment, I offer the best post-shave treatment I have found:
COCOA BUTTER.
I use the stick form. I apply it sparingly immediately after shaving (don’t dry), and then massage/spread in with my fingers. On cold or extra dry days, I might apply it a second time after dressing.
Cocoa butter locks in moisture, provides nutrients (including antioxidants), and helps elasticise the skin. Its soothing skin-healing properties will keep you looking glowing and youthful far beyond your actual youth.
Remember, a man takes care of what he has. So consider using cocoa butter to take care of your one and only face.
Most of the major points have been stated several times…but one that’s worth stating slightly differently is take a day or two off every week. I have to shave for work, and by Friday, I feel like the skin on my face is….well, razor thin.
Weekends should be a break from as much of your weekly routines as possible, and shaving is no exception on my end. No shaving Saturday or Sunday–gives my skin a break, and allows a much closer shave on Monday than what I got on Friday. You’ll look extra sharp when you come into work Monday morning, when looking sharp is most likely to be in short supply at your workplace. And isn’t looking sharp the whole idea?
Map your stubble before you go a-hacking. Take your fingers and run them all around your face, and then back again, taking note of which direction the hair seems rougher. That’s against the grain. Note that this direction can vary greatly from inch to inch around the ol’ mug, and you don’t want to start off shaving against the grain anywhere. That’s a sure way of getting razor burn.
I switched to a higher quality shaving cream, move the razor only in a perfectly straight line, and re-lather from the brush between every pass — and it has made an enormous difference in reducing the time to shave and simultaneously reducing the number of cuts i get.
Shaving advice? Disposables never worked for me, so I’ve been using an electric for a long time.
I’d love to try a wet shave, sign me up!
K
Don’t forget to add more water while creating your lather. The more you can get in there before it turns into bubble water the better.
I’m not sure how much of a tip this is, but it’s something I definitely do that makes my shaving life easier: Give your face a break! I don’t shave on weekends (unless my there’s a wedding, funeral, etc…). Shaving can be harsh on your face (especially if you don’t have the wonderful prize offered in this post) and I find that my Monday morning shaves are always my most pleasant.
Have the right attitude. Lock the wife and kids out and enjoy the shave. It’s the one time a day when a man can truly have time to himself.
Awww, guys. I agree whole heartedly about the wet shave, but come on. The only blade to use is a single edge razor. Proper preparation of your face (heat, oil, cream), a cool steady hand with a well kept and sharpened razor… nothing better. With practice, by far the smoothest shave. Just ask my wife. She can’t keep her hands off my baby-butt smooth cheeks after a morning shave. Though she does make me late for work several times every week. Oh well.
My best is just patience. Once you lather up, let it sit on your face for two-three minutes. The lather softens your beard further than shower steam alone will. Run the hilt of your brush quickly under the water and re-lather without getting more cream on the brush to re-wet the lather on your face. Works great.
I enjoy a nice splash of aftershave after shaving with a dull razor. Feel that pain!
Logan
Just pay attention to what you are doing. I wet shave when I have time, and use an electric when I don’t. If you pay attention to it you’ll be fine.
Hey, using a good ol fashioned bar of soap and an inexpensive soap shaving brush works well for me. I hate to give money to big corporations so that I can use their canned gummy shaving cream products that gunk up the cheap razors anyway. The Safety Razor looks like a good bet that I would put money on!
Well, that is about all I can say as i MUST get back to working on my cans for law school exam.
take your time, dont get in a hurry
Some great tips here. A few of mine are:
* In the UK (don’t know about the US) Palmolive shave sticks are a fave of mine. They cost pennies, can be found everywhere and being small are great for travel. Also bars of Palmolive soap are cheap (4 pack for a £1 in most places) and great for prepping your face. Rub and load a wet brush with soapy-goodness . Then either proceed to your shave cream/soap or scrub your face with the loaded brush to get rid of any dirt/dead skin before you shave.
* For shaving the back of my neck between visits to the hairdressers I use a hand/shave mirror (I have a plastic, plate-sized one), stand with my back to the bathroom mirror holding my hand mirror in my non-shaving hand, get my angles right and use an over-hand action and a south-to-north stroke.
* Not sure if they have them in the US but in the UK charity shops like Oxfam, British Heart Foundation etc…are great for finding makeshift shave bowls such as large coffee ’soup bowl’ mugs or ornamental bowls. My shave bowl is a gorgeous dark red ceramic bowl I found for 10 pence in an Oxfam shop.
Think of shaving less as a task to accomplish than a situation to temper. Before shaving, prepare yourself: wet your face with warm water; apply a hot towel, apply a pre-shave oil, then lather liberally. Shave with the grain, across the grain, across the grain in the opposite direction, and then shave against the grain (if necessary). Each pass shortens the hair follicles, causing less irritation and producing a closer shave. Once done shaving, wash your face with warm water (no soap), then wash again with cold water to close the pores. Then apply a non-alcoholic, rather simple after shave balm to help heal your skin. Wait a good 15 minutes, then apply a more preferred after shave product. Be sure to take equal care with the rest of your grooming.
I should add, I know the right way, but I want to try the brushes and razor. I use disposal Gillettes, Barbasol cream, Nivea after shave balm, then Bumper Stopper 2. No matter what I do, I always get razor burn/skin irritation of some sort. Bumper stopper 2 is the only cream that has worked the best for me.
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