What do you use for shaving?
- Thread starter mladja3
- Start date
TheVigilante
Banned - Multiple Rules Violations
- Aug 31, 2010
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I'm italian / sicilian and have to shave everyday.
So naturally, I have tested most razors on the market. And I'm very obsessive about using the "perfect" razor.
The schick quattro, gillette fusion, mach 3 are all great razors. By "great" I mean you will get the fastest, smoothest shave with those razors.
The downside is, these blades are so sharp they lose their "edge" very fast. Plus the lubricant reservoirs are designed to empty out quick which forces you to buy more expensive blades.
One thing I always do after I shave, I rinse the razor in water, shake it off very fast and pat it with a towel.
You always want to dry a razor after you use it rather than let the water dry itself which will degrade the blades faster. And I also dip my finger in coconut oil "hair food", it's a very thick white gel, I push the gel and smear it across the blades. So the gel squeezes between the blades and coats the top/sides of the blades blocking them from air and moisture. Then I snap the cap back on.
This gives you about double the amount of shaves. Sometimes I can get 14 shaves before the blades start "plucking" my hair. On average it's around 10-12 shaves with added lubricant.
The cheaper ones don't shave as quick. And a lot of these cheaper blades do in fact suck. Some of them "pluck" right out of the box on first shave. Many of them position the blades too close together which makes the blades clog. So you have to smash these things so hard (in water) to get the hair out & sometimes the tops of the razors break right off.
However, there is 1 brand specifically that has impressed me A LOT. It's the disposable "Schick ST2".
They don't look very fancy, but I've compared these razors to at least 10-15 other types of disposable razors, and these are the absolute best.
Here's a few reasons why:
1) They are cheap as fuck. My shoprite sells them for $7.99 and many times they're on sale for $6.49. When they're on sale it's almost $.50 / razor (12 razors).
2) They are built extremely well. The lubricant strips are nothing like the "reservoirs" you see on the premium blades. Instead they use the good old fashion "sponge" pad. Which is really just a thin piece of sponge. When it gets wet it gets slippery, and the good news is they last much longer then reservoirs do.
3) They shave really well. You can't do 1/4 of your whole face before you rinse off like the premium blades. Since the ST2 only have 2 blades it means more rinsing off. But they unclog VERY FAST. Literally 1 smack against the sink and all the hair drops out quick.
4) They last very long. Without any added lubricant they last same as premium razors do. With the coconut gel they can last 10 shaves easily before they start to pull and pluck your hair.
5) One package of the ST2 generally lasts me 3 months. So that's $2.60 / month on blades.
With the gillette fusion, it's $10 for the initial blade + 2 blades. Then >>$16.99 for 4 measily blades ($4.25/blade). Or $27.99 for 8 blades ($3.49/blade). For 3 months, I would need at least 10 blades, so that's $37.99 / 3 = $12.63 / month for blades.
In the end, premium blades are 5 times more expensive.
So you're paying 5 times more for a blade that is only slightly sharper, and you don't have to smack it against the sink as often.
To sum up, 90% of the time I use the ST2. 10% of the time I use the Gillette Fusion (for special occasions, meetings, holidays, b-day parties, dates, etc).
And one last thing. Make sure you get a really thick lather on your face.
I actually use 3 different "lathers" before I shave.
1) I soap up my face with hot water and rub the soap bar all over my face. I do NOT rinse. I leave the soap on my face.
2) I spread the coconut hair gel on my face and mix it into the soap. This gives you a dense, but slippery layer underneath the gel or cream.
3) I put gel/cream over the gel and soap.
THEN I shave. This was a habit that started in prison of all places cause we had these shitty razors that would tear your face up. But we had hair gel, soap, and cream, so a lot of guys would use this lather before shaving to make these blades work and you'd get a much better shave.
Once I got out and started using better blades, I kept using the same lather and was AMAZED how good it feels. I dare you people to test this. Shave 1 day with your regular water based gel or foam. The next day put some soap on your face, than some oil based petrolatum hair gel (mix the gel around into the soap on your face), THEN foam up your face and shave like normal. It'll be the smoothest, fastest, closest shave you've ever gotten in your life.
Just think about it. Why don't barbers put shaving foam on clippers before they cut your hair? Cause it does NOTHING to lubricate the blades while they cut your hair. Same thing with a chainsaw. You always use a petroleum based, non-polar oil to lubricate. The only purpose foam serves is to create more surface area which stops hair from clumping. But as a lubricant they are shit. They do very little of anything to prevent the friction of the blades going through your hair. But a thick oil based gel will make the blades cut right through your hair like butter.
/end rant
I always use cold water for shaving...what makes you use hot water?
ShadeDream
BANNED
- Nov 27, 2008
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However, there is 1 brand specifically that has impressed me A LOT. It's the disposable "Schick ST2".
I don't know who copied who but Wilkinson's have the exact same ones. I recently bought them just to give them a go as I've heard that 2 blades can be even better than 3 in certain areas but I would not recommend them, well at least the Wilkinson brand ones because they were complete crap, the only reason I got them was because they were dirt cheap and I thought why not give them a go. For a moment I thought these were the same but it seems like the two are different brands so I would definitely not recommend the Wilkinson ones but then again results may vary from person to person.
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ShadeDream
BANNED
- Nov 27, 2008
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I always shave with warm water, this sort of stuff is passed on from man to man. But for those of you who don't know:
http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/men/shaving-tips/how-to-prevent-shaving-rash1.htm
Trepanated
Supreme Member
- Sep 18, 2010
- 1,390
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I use sandpaper.
For a closer shave on those special occasions I use Wet and Dry
For a closer shave on those special occasions I use Wet and Dry
hatblackguy
Regular Member
- Jun 8, 2011
- 257
- 64
Me a can of hair spray and a lighter gets the job done fast..
i use disposable ones. sometimes i wonder why we keep shaving everyday ? technology is very much advanced now. why cant companies get rid of traditional shaving methods and introduce a permanent solution for this problem. i assume companies are greedy and they will lose if they do it.
prab1996
Elite Member
- Jan 8, 2013
- 3,492
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pm me i can ship you Gillette blades with 2 blades /3 blades .or try amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Gillette-Mach3-Cartridges-Count-packaging/dp/B000XVTYYY
http://www.amazon.com/Gillette-Mach3-Base-Cartridges-Count/dp/B0039LMTHE
-=-
ChrisX
Regular Member
- Oct 8, 2011
- 307
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Had the same problem when moving to a safety razor. What worked for me was buying high quality blades (Feather), spending more time on prep and generally being more careful.
MoneyIsTheGod
BANNED
- Oct 26, 2013
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Give me these girls then. I didn't know you were a member of this forum too. How did you make that big money, you IM'er too?
NoGameNoLife
Regular Member
- Jun 21, 2014
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Adworksmedia is the pretty good one
somedevil
Senior Member
- Sep 9, 2009
- 1,120
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Ok so here is what you do.
Keep beard.
Go to barbershop- get them to clean off neck beard, trim beard very little.
Buy black rimmed spectacles.
Wear boring clothes, preferably with suspenders and a bow tie.
Listen to only mumford and suns and wear flip flops
Close your BHW account coz you will be drowning in pussy and will have no time for IM.
Keep beard.
Go to barbershop- get them to clean off neck beard, trim beard very little.
Buy black rimmed spectacles.
Wear boring clothes, preferably with suspenders and a bow tie.
Listen to only mumford and suns and wear flip flops
Close your BHW account coz you will be drowning in pussy and will have no time for IM.
GreyWolf
Elite Member
- Aug 17, 2009
- 1,862
- 5,847
So you're just waiting for that day where you can "save the day"? Keeping a trimmed beard, cause you just never know when you're "call to action" might happen?
That sounds like something a psych major could use for topic on a master's thesis.
It's Just waiting to be written... lol
j/k :ranger: