Head shaving advice

[scdemandred]

Bumping this thread for all the baldies out there!

Last night's head-shave with the Futur was fantastic. I had about 4 days' worth of growth going, so I was a bit worried about snags and bouncing, but the Derby blade has proved more than adequate to the tasks I set it. I completed a slow first pass, then re-lathered and did a second pass on the more densely-forested regions of my head, and got pretty dang close to BBS on my head for the first time ever, no weepers, irritation, or bumps.

 

[matt]

Just had my third head shave so far. It had grown for about 3 weeks so I took a wahl balder to it and then did a wtg and atg to the best of my ability. Still can't get BBS but a pretty good shave. I used a 40's superspeed and Proraso pre shave and cream. MY open comb HD should be arriving from West Coast shaving any day now, maybe I will get closer with that.

 

[Randy Watson]

I agree with the statement about the cartridge being easier for shaving your head. So far (after about 6 years) I've gotten the best results that way. The Headblade worked well for the most part, but it was awkward around your ears and it did leave a little irritation-so I moved on.

 

[mdunn]

Jimbo has a great video on head shaving with a straight

 

[bisbane]

OK. I've been shaving my head for a couple of months now--new to wet shaving for just 3 weeks now. I started off shaving my head with a Mach 3 as that was all I had. I didn't care too much for it.

When I searched the web for better ways, wet shaving caught my attention. I also found this site about the same time. I love DE shaving of my face and head now. I don't think it too very long to figure out the technique. Stick with it, and you will learn very quickly.

If you can manage to NOT buy 6 razors in just a few weeks like I have done, you will do better than I have!!

 

[Hudsy]

I have seen many comments in this entire thread that resemble my same experiences. I started to lose my hair when I was in my late teens. I did the Whal clippers, then eventually went shorter and ended up with a set of Whal balding clippers. Next was down to the wood.

By the time that I decided to go to the wood I had already been DE shaving for a year so when it was time, I really didn't give it much thought and went with my standard Merkur Classic. It gave me a pretty good shave, it would take a couple of passes (WTG/ATG/XTG) and some touch ups to get smooth. Yes, a couple of nicks once in a while but nothing too major (well maybe one when I thought that I had sliced my right ear off).

I recently joined here and it has been an eye-opening week. Last week I was learning about different razors and on the weekend I lucked into finding a red tip at an antique show which I have been using on a daily basis since. This has given me even smoother dare I say BBS shaves on my face as well as my head. So I guess the point that I am trying to make is that don't give up on shaving your head with a DE, you just may need something a little different than what you are using.

I switched to DE shaving for a few reasons, I grew up watching my Dad DE shave, tired of paying the ridiculous price for cartridges, what a waste in the landfills, cool feeling when you talk to others about the fact that you DE shave not to mention DE shaving your noodle.

Don't give up and never grow it back. Hair is overrated!

 

[skiddyrow]

I attempted to shave my head with a DE the same day I started with a DE (about a month back), and its been great. I do three passes, and in general my head is a lot more forgiving than my face so I'm able to get away with some noob technique.

 

[dash]

Just had my third head shave so far. It had grown for about 3 weeks so I took a wahl balder to it and then did a wtg and atg to the best of my ability. Still can't get BBS but a pretty good shave. I used a 40's superspeed and Proraso pre shave and cream.

Just got my hair buzzed off completely for the first time with a no-guard Wahl clipper at the barber's. I was thinking of buying a Wahl Balding clipper instead of going to the barber, but along with positive reviews online, there are negative ones. (Any pressure will yield cuts, unlike other clippers. The blades are sharper than other clippers.)

And I thought when a barber does a full bald clip, what is he/she using? A balder with inherent risks of a cut? No, he wants speed and safety. Then too, the average shop will not spring for a Wahl Balding clipper unless they have a lot of that niche business, I think.

Sure enough, the barber used a Wahl Designer clipper and it did an excellent down-to-stubble job.

I'm considering using either a Headblade or Fusion to go smooth. (The Fusion's extra trimmer blade, I've heard, makes working around your ears tricky.) I'm going to try both. (Why have one razor, when you can have more?)

I can get a decent DE shave on my face with a mild blade, but my skills are not up to shaving the uncharted territory of my scalp that way.

 

[JPM]

I'm with Ogberi. I pretty much don't look in the mirror except for around the ears. I listen to the sound of the razor and can tell if it is at the right angle. Just go slow and let the razor do the work and don't use pressure.

And lathering the area you are working is good advice. I started by lathering my whole head and found by the time I got to the last section, the lather was dry and I would nick myself.

 

[soapbox]

I added an article on head shaving to the wiki this evening. I shave my head with a Tech, in the shower, but I'm trying to provide a balanced view of head shaving.

Comments, criticisms, and edits are welcome. It's your wiki too!

 

[honed]

Most things have been written I think, but here is some quick note, from a somewhat experienced headshaver (8 years)

-Prep is as important as for your face
-Go slow, but with longer strokes than used for your face
-My experience with a cartridge is that they clog up very fast, due to the realtive thinness of headhair. A DE doesn't clog up IMO.
-No mirror, never! Feeeel it & after a pass, your wet hand to feel rough spots.

 

[soapbox]

Most things have been written I think, but here is some quick note, from a somewhat experienced headshaver (8 years)

-Prep is as important as for your face
-Go slow, but with longer strokes than used for your face
-My experience with a cartridge is that they clog up very fast, due to the realtive thinness of headhair. A DE doesn't clog up IMO.
-No mirror, never! Feeeel it & after a pass, your wet hand to feel rough spots.

Noted. I'll make some edits. Thanks!

 

[Baker]

I shave my head regularly; approximately weekly, using a Gillette Adjustable set to between 7 and 9 depending on whether "weekly" worked out to five days or more like eight. Now, if I have a busy "week" and let things get out of hand, and I've enough hair to go back to clippers, I frankly find the whole process annoying. I hate the buzz of the clippers, preferring the peaceful "Shick... shick..." of a bladed razor.

Some time ago, I decided I would take an overgrowth of hair off with a straight razor instead. I have to tell you, I quite prefer this process. For me, it's shave up over and down behind the ears, and shave the back of the neck with CARE. The rest of the head is a snap if you pay attention to the direction of growth. Dress things up by feel thereafter. I consume less time with the open blade than with clippers, and it is very satisfying to go from hair to skin in one pass.

I've used shaving oil, lotion, etc for this purpose, but ultimately prefer shaving soap and brush, just as I use on my face.

 

[dannywonderful]

I'm another one who shaves his head with a straight razor. I do a single ATG pass and I would echo what others have said and do not use a mirror. In fact I even go so far as to close my eyes when I do the back of my head as catching sight of myself in the mirror was throwing me off a bit.

 

[in the know]

Hair and skin on the head is different to that on the face - so it can be treated differently.

You can slap any old brightly coloured gel on and whip it all off again with Fusion or Mach3 in less than a minute.

I've shaved my head for 20+ years (long before it was 'common') and have used everything out there from disposables to straights, DEs to the Feather AC and none - NONE - of them were a match for the later Gillette cartridge razors.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

A cheap alternative to the Fusion for the head shavers that use cartridges is the Personna Magnum M5. Identical to the Fusion at about half the cost. A 4 pack of replacement cartridges for the M5 is $5.88 at Walmart compared to $13.27 for 4 Fusion cartridges. Send Personna an e-mail telling them how much you like the blades and they'll send you a 4 pack free along with a couple coupons.

 

[leeparmet]

I have been shaving my head with a BP Slant for about a year. I was finding the weight and blade gap perfect for this task. I have to say after using a Ikon classic open comb, that it is also a very close shave, even though it is a lightweight razor. The trick is go slow, use the correct angle and a light touch regardless fo which razor you use. Glide seem to be more important then cushion on the head. It takes time for your head to toughen up as well, there are things I can do while shaving my head now that I could not do a year ago.

~Lee

 

[Baker]

You know folks, over Christmas I received a comb-faced razor (thanks Cooncatbob!) and have found a whole new world of wonderful. It may be that I'm still slap-happy about having this new razor, and so use it every chance I get, but I think it is the efficiency and balance of the razor itself - I shave head, face and all with nothing else these days other than Cooncatbob's Gillette new head razor.

I find this razor has a wide enough bite to take in a few day's growth if I need it to, but it is also just as natural to the hand as fingers... makes reaching bbs head simpler than it was with any of my other razors.

Highly reccomend buying a tool from Cooncatbob. You will not be disappointed. I am also the newest devotee of the old combface razor. Lovely tools, those.