I have to shave my whole head when I shave and I have to do it about 2-3 times a week to look respectable. So, Gillette shit-bag 1000% profit margin cartridges - that seem to me to be DESIGNED to clog up with hair that won't wash out after you drag them over any area of reasonably thick hair - are not really a great option for me.
As a result, I switched over to using a double edged safety razor a long time ago. I get a pack of 100 wilkinson sword brand blades for something like 30-40 bucks of which I am still only about halfway through after shaving with them for a long time.
The thing with a safety razor is you have to know what you're doing, actually know your face's hair growth pattern, and you have to be careful. You shouldn't be pressing against your skin even with a cartridge razor, you should always just be holdign the razor against your face as lightly as possible while keeping contact and then just sliding it over gently, letting the blade cut the hair or not at its discretion. However with a cartridge razor, because of its multiple blades you can
sort of get away with pushing if you don't have sensitive skin because the blades and the rubber thing at the front flatten out your skin a little for you. It's still not a great idea though. Most people who get zits or skin irritation from shaving are pressing too hard with their razor on areas of their face that are sensitive or bumpy, and/or are not
preparing their skin properly.
Preparing your skin to shaveWhether you use a DE razor or a cartridge one, wash your face with hot water before you start and make sure it's still wet when you start shaving. Fill up your sink with the hottest water you can get out of your tap and then soak a face cloth in it and wash your face with it while your shaving brush soaks in the water, readying to make some nice warm latter with your shaving soap and mug. Don't use those stupid cold shaving gels. They sort of work, but they use fancy chemicals to achieve what hot water and shaving soap achieve BETTER with just temperature. It feels way nicer too.
Due to the rescent fashion of shaving properly with shaving soap, hot water and old thymey DE razors or straight razors, there's a lot of fancy pants shaving soaps and waxes availiable on the market. In my opinion they are overpriced unnecessary crap. My dad's always used these since he was a kid
and they've never steered me wrong. Despite what they are labled as in that picture, I'm sure they are only $1.50 at Walmart. That's where I've always gotten them.
After you're done shaving, wash your face off thoroughly with cold water. This'll close your pores that the hot water opened at the start and make sure they don't get shit jammed in them during the rest of your morning. You can splash on some aftershave if you like that and seal up any knicks with a steptic pencil, but personally I prefer just using some moisturizer than aftershave, it's better for your skin.
TechniqueIf you're going to use a DE razor over a cartridge one, you've got to go gently and err on the side of not cutting yourself over shaving hair perfectly off on the first attempt. Realistically if you want a close shave with them, it'll take at least 2 latherings and shaving passes. Usually I do one pass with the grain of the hair and then a second pass across or in places where my skin is tougher, against the grain to get a nice close shave. Although on my head where my skin is all pretty smooth and hardy, I sometimes manage to get everything on the first try and just going in almost any direction if I haven't left it too long. But, if I let my hair get too long, it'll take multiple passes to get it shaved without cutting myself.