[HEADING=2]
Shaving, just about everybody has to do it in some form or another. We will be discussing the various ways that facial hair can be shaved. This mostly applies to men, but women are welcome to give their opinions. Let's begin.
Most people today shave with either a disposable safety razor or with some form of electric razor. While these tools may get the job done, they often leave us with razor burn, ingrown hairs or "razor bumps". We also get stuck constantly buying new heads for our disposables because nobody knows how to take care of a blade anymore. The solution to all of this is to man up and learn how to shave like your ancestors did, with a straight razor. Yes they are dangerous, yes it takes time to learn how to use one but that's part of the experience. It's sort of like how gamers always decry so called "casual" games. Disposables are Modern Warfare 2 and straight razors are Dorf Fortress. I'm going to cover some of the basics of straight razor shaving, but I would advise anyone interested to head to this site [http://www.straightrazorplace.com/] and give the guys there a hello.
After the materials comes the design of the blade. Larger blades allow you to wait longer before the blade needs to be wiped but often prove difficult to control when doing precision work. Thicker blades also tend to be harder to sharpen, though when properly sharpened and cleaned they can last along time. You should also pay attention to the end of the razor and what shape it is. Squared points are helpful for delicate work but can greatly increase the chances of an inexperienced person cutting themselves.
Since most of you will be beginners, I don't recomend that you go out and buy a brand new high quality razor. Head to the website I previously mentiond and get a pre-sharpened razor from those guys and save yourself a lot of trouble. If you don't feel comfortable buying used blades, then try a company called Classic Shaving [http://www.classicshaving.com/Home.html] and they can hook you up with pre-sharpened blades. There is a lot more I can get into about the blades but I don't really feel the need to go into that much detail. I'm just writing a sort of introduction.
First off, you want the water as hot as possible. Use that water to fill the bowl you use for shaving cream and then go about your normal washing routine. Rinse repeatedly, it takes like 4-5 minutes for the water to get your hair really soft. You may want to use conditioner or oils at this point to help with the shave, but I don't personally do that.
To start the process, you should leave your brush inside whatever bowl you wnat to use for lather. Let it sit bristle down while you wash your face. You can make the lather either in the bowl or on your face, but for this I'll go over hard soap made in the bowl (cause that's what I do). You'll first want to drain both the brush and the bowl of water until they both stop dripping. Drop the soap in and work the surface gently with the brush until it gets stiffish, you'll know what I mean when you see it. Each soap behaves differently and may require different amounts of water to work, experiment.
Use gentle circular motions to work the lather into your facial hair. At this point, you should have probably noticed that your brush smells like ass, this is normal. It will eventually go away with the use of scented soaps or you can wash it a few times before hand to sidestep this. Apply it thick enough that you can't see your skin but don't try to play Santa, you should still leave some in the bowl for subsequent passes of the blade.
I won't go much further than this, but I will finish off with a quick run down of how to hold the damn thing. You've got it in your dominant hand. Place your thumb on the underside of the shank (neck of the razor) and keep your index, middle and ring fingers on the top. The pinky should be on the tang so that the handle sticks up between your fingers. The blade should be held at around 30ish degrees from the skin, but you'll have to get a feel for your razor and your hair. It's also important to note that you should never stop moving the blade. A properly sharpened blade is so damn sharp that it will cut you if you let it rest against your skin.
Rinsing your face with cold water will stop the bleeding from any small wounds you inflicted. A styptic pencil will take care of larger wounds, but know that it will burn.
Warning:
[/HEADING]Edit: Portions of information were taken from another site on request. However, much of the wall of text is my own doing.
Shaving, just about everybody has to do it in some form or another. We will be discussing the various ways that facial hair can be shaved. This mostly applies to men, but women are welcome to give their opinions. Let's begin.
Most people today shave with either a disposable safety razor or with some form of electric razor. While these tools may get the job done, they often leave us with razor burn, ingrown hairs or "razor bumps". We also get stuck constantly buying new heads for our disposables because nobody knows how to take care of a blade anymore. The solution to all of this is to man up and learn how to shave like your ancestors did, with a straight razor. Yes they are dangerous, yes it takes time to learn how to use one but that's part of the experience. It's sort of like how gamers always decry so called "casual" games. Disposables are Modern Warfare 2 and straight razors are Dorf Fortress. I'm going to cover some of the basics of straight razor shaving, but I would advise anyone interested to head to this site [http://www.straightrazorplace.com/] and give the guys there a hello.
[HEADING=2]Part One: the Razor[/HEADING]
There are a ton of different types of blades out there for you to choose from and each has it's distinct weaknesses and advantages. Most of the blades I've seen were either carbon steel, stainless steel or rarely damascus steel. Carbon is a bit easier to sharpen than stainless steel but tends to rust faster. Damascus is the bee's knees but is a little out of the price range for a beginner.After the materials comes the design of the blade. Larger blades allow you to wait longer before the blade needs to be wiped but often prove difficult to control when doing precision work. Thicker blades also tend to be harder to sharpen, though when properly sharpened and cleaned they can last along time. You should also pay attention to the end of the razor and what shape it is. Squared points are helpful for delicate work but can greatly increase the chances of an inexperienced person cutting themselves.
Since most of you will be beginners, I don't recomend that you go out and buy a brand new high quality razor. Head to the website I previously mentiond and get a pre-sharpened razor from those guys and save yourself a lot of trouble. If you don't feel comfortable buying used blades, then try a company called Classic Shaving [http://www.classicshaving.com/Home.html] and they can hook you up with pre-sharpened blades. There is a lot more I can get into about the blades but I don't really feel the need to go into that much detail. I'm just writing a sort of introduction.
[HEADING=2]Part Two: Prep Work[/HEADING]
By now everybody should know that wet hair is easier to cut than dry. If barbershops still existed, the barber would most likely use a hot wet towel to prep you. I don't know how you feel about microwaving a wet towel, but it's not for me. For this section, I'm going to treat it as though you haven't taken a shower yet just so I can give a clearer picture of what's involved.First off, you want the water as hot as possible. Use that water to fill the bowl you use for shaving cream and then go about your normal washing routine. Rinse repeatedly, it takes like 4-5 minutes for the water to get your hair really soft. You may want to use conditioner or oils at this point to help with the shave, but I don't personally do that.
[HEADING=2]Part Three: The Brush and the Soap[/HEADING]
Right off the bat I'll tell you to go with Badger hair brushes. Fuck Boar bristle and the only reason you'd want synthetic is if you're a vegan. With Badger brushes, you only need to concern yourself with those classified as best or super. Any type will do fine though. The size of the brush will be up to you. Your face is unique and each person will need to figure out for themselves just how big a brush they need.To start the process, you should leave your brush inside whatever bowl you wnat to use for lather. Let it sit bristle down while you wash your face. You can make the lather either in the bowl or on your face, but for this I'll go over hard soap made in the bowl (cause that's what I do). You'll first want to drain both the brush and the bowl of water until they both stop dripping. Drop the soap in and work the surface gently with the brush until it gets stiffish, you'll know what I mean when you see it. Each soap behaves differently and may require different amounts of water to work, experiment.
Use gentle circular motions to work the lather into your facial hair. At this point, you should have probably noticed that your brush smells like ass, this is normal. It will eventually go away with the use of scented soaps or you can wash it a few times before hand to sidestep this. Apply it thick enough that you can't see your skin but don't try to play Santa, you should still leave some in the bowl for subsequent passes of the blade.
[HEADING=2]Part Four: The Cut[/HEADING]
Everyone's face is different, so take the time to study your facial hair and the way it grows. I can't go step by step since everybody will be different, but I can provide a little info. Most people will either make one, two or even three passes. Don't do a one pass unless you're hurting for time. Most people settle on two passes, one with the grain and one against. Three passes involves going with the grain, then across and then finishing with against. Each step up provides a closer shave but some faces just can't tolerate three passes. Learn what works for you.I won't go much further than this, but I will finish off with a quick run down of how to hold the damn thing. You've got it in your dominant hand. Place your thumb on the underside of the shank (neck of the razor) and keep your index, middle and ring fingers on the top. The pinky should be on the tang so that the handle sticks up between your fingers. The blade should be held at around 30ish degrees from the skin, but you'll have to get a feel for your razor and your hair. It's also important to note that you should never stop moving the blade. A properly sharpened blade is so damn sharp that it will cut you if you let it rest against your skin.
Rinsing your face with cold water will stop the bleeding from any small wounds you inflicted. A styptic pencil will take care of larger wounds, but know that it will burn.
[HEADING=2]The End[/HEADING]
Rinse and drain the brush with cold water and the razor in warm. Be careful that you don't knock the blade against anything, it will break very easily. Finish by applying a balm or other such thing, I won't get into all that.
