Like many of you I expect, I am slightly frightened by the thought of using a ‘real razor’. Whilst researching online I came across this company www.Executive-Shaving.co.uk.
Their website is really helpful in explaining the benefits of using a safety razor, with links to ‘For Beginners’, ‘What you really need’ and ‘How to use everything efficiently’.
Here’s a few snippets of advice from the site:
What do you need?
There are so many different wet shaving products available on the marketplace today; it can be a bit bewildering to know where to begin. Just where do you start and what should you really be buying?
To get a close, smooth, irritation free shave all you need are;
a shaving brush
a good quality shaving cream or soap
a razor and an aftershave balm
What type of razor should you use?
They do look quite scary to the uninitiated.
For those shavers who are just beginning to wet shave we always recommend the use of a double edged (DE) safety razor ahead of a cartridge type razor such as a Gillette, Wilkinson Sword or other.
There are several reasons for this:
Using just one, single blade to cut your stubble is far better for your skin than using a cartridge that can have up to six sharp blades scraping across your face.
You do not need to force, or push, a safety razor into the skin on your face when you are shaving to get a smooth finish. You simply hold the razor gently and let the weight of the razor do the cutting.
The single blade is easier to keep clean and doesn’t clog up like a cartridge does.
A single blade will last for anything between four to five good shaves before needing replaced. A cartridge loses its edged after two shaves at best.
Single edge razor blades are much, much cheaper than any cartridge razor blades. You can by a good quality pack of 10 DE razor blades for only a few pounds and depending on how often you shave one pack will last up to two months.
The most popular blade pack is the Personna
For beginners they recommend using a mild razor such as the Muhle R89 , Muhle R106 , Timor or Merkur 34C .
These razors are cheap, easy to use and durable so they will not break after just a few uses. Once you have gained a bit of experience using these razors you could start to think about upgrading them to a more aggressive razor, such as our own Braveheart .
You can read more advice and information on the topic of safety razors by viewing these blog posts:
Recommended Safety Razors For Beginners
A Review of the 34c HD Merkur Safety Razor
Three Reasons Why You Should Use A Safety Razor
You can find a range of suggested safety razors for beginners on their website too.
Using a double-edged safety razor is very simple, once you have taken a few minutes to master the basic technique of using this type of razor.
Below is is one of the Executive Shaving Companies video tutorials on how to shave with a safety razor.
For further information you can read up on their advice pages:
All of these articles contain great hints and tips on how to achieve that smooth finish.
Once you have completed shaving with your razor, it is essential that you apply a post shave balm or moisturiser to your skin. This will help to rehydrate the skin and will protect it during the day.
Executive Shaving always recommend using an aftershave balm.
Competition time
Executive Shaving Company has generously agreed to donate a blade bank for one lucky winner that can answer the following four questions correctly.
1. Where are they based?
2. What is the name of their exclusive facebook club?
3. Which is their best selling synthetic shaving brush?
4. What does Fuar Ach Snog mean in gaelic?
