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How to Use a Safety Razor

The Basics

Maintenance

Glossary

Preface: So you're over the marketing appeal of the Fusion Proglide Razor, Fusion Power and Mach3 Turbo? And you're through charging your electric shaver in your car's electronic cigarette lighter socket? You're just in time.
  • Grab your gear - We recommend changing the blade in your razor about once a week. This will obviously vary from person-to-person, but you'll be able to feel when the blade is starting to dull, so you can adjust accordingly. Remember, shavers can have completely different experiences with different brand razor blades, so pick yours carefully (or try out a ton). Note: It's not worth it to try to stretch out the life of your blade. The goal here is to get the best shave possible - you're already saving a ton of money on blades now that you've made the switch to double edge shaving, anyways!
  • Lather up - Use whatever your skin feels comfortable with. If you don't have the time for a shaving brush and soap, then stick to a gel or foam. We'll go in depth with this here.
  • Make a pass - Remember when you used to dig and drag your multiblade razor across your face for it to cut? Erase those memories completely. A good safety razor has good weight distribution, so when you put razor to skin, the blade should just glide across the surface of your face with very little force. The angle that you hold your safety razor should be around 30-35 degrees depending on your comfort level. The first pass should be with the grain and will remove most of the hair and shaving product from your face. Generally, if you have thick or coarse hair, the strokes will be shorter than light or fine hair. To avoid niks and cuts, place the safety bar against the skin and then adjust your angle to allow for the blade to rest on your skin rather than going for immediate contact.
  • Clean up - Some experienced shavers will be able to get a clean shave with one pass, but if you're just starting out, 2-3 passes is completely fine. You don't want to use more than 3 passes because it may cause skin irritation. You'll want to relather your face and this time, go against the grain of your hair - this will give you the closest shave. Be careful going against the grain of your hair, if not done properly, it could cause skin irritation. Some parts of your face will require stretching out the skin to achieve a flat surface which gives a closer shave.
Remember: This isn't a race - The goal here is to get the best shave you possibly can with whichever tactics works best for you. Please use this as a brief guide to get you started, you will soon discover and be able to channel your inner wet shaver.