Shaving With A Safety Razor

If you have previously shaved with a plastic cartridge razor then unfortunately you need to unlearn everything you currently know about the way you use a razor. Plastic cartridge razors have recessed blades meaning you need to mash the razor down onto your skin to get a close shave. The handles are also angled in a certain way meaning you are usually holding the razor almost parallel to the skin.

The two most important things to consider when shaving with a safety razor are maintaining zero pressure and using the correct blade angle.

With a safety razor the blade is exposed and directly touching the skin. The idea is to use the blade to slice through the beard like a sickle rather than to drag through the beard and scrape the blade across the skin. This means that you need to use the absolute lightest touch possible so that the blade is almost not touching the skin but is instead gliding across the surface. It also means that you need to hold the razor in such a way so that the blade is hitting the skin at an angle of about 30° so that the blade is closer to being parallel with the skin than to being perpendicular. Due to the design of most safety razors, with the blade being at a right angle to the handle, this means that you need to hold the razor handle almost perpendicular to your skin in order to get the blade angle with the skin to be about 30°.

Before applying the razor to your face you need to take the time to learn the direction of your beard growth. By shaving in the direction of your beard growth you are shaving 'with the grain'. If you shave in the opposite direction to your beard growth you are shaving 'against the grain'. Shaving against the grain is very aggressive on the skin and can lead to irritation, razor burn and ingrowing hairs which is why it is advised to only shave with the grain or 'across the grain' - at least while you are learning anyway.

After you have mapped out the direction of your beard growth you can begin to shave. Hold the razor at the very end of the handle using only your thumb and first (and possibly second) finger. Never grip a safety razor as this can lead to you using too much pressure. Glide the razor across your skin in the same direction that your beard grows (with the grain). Shave with short and slightly overlapping strokes to start. As you become more comfortable with the razor you can increase the length of the stroke.

It is very important to never go over the same area more than once. After the first stroke the skin will no longer have any protection from a lather and going over the same area again will lead to irritation.

When you have finished rinse your face with warm water.

This completed process is known as a 'pass'. The aim of a pass is to reduce the beard gradually and to repeat the process until the beard is reduced sufficiently. After you have finished your first pass, lather up your face again and begin a second pass. The second pass can be different in that you can go a different direction if you desire. For a new shaver it is recommended to stick to a first pass with the grain and then a second pass either with or across the grain.