Switching from Bic Metal to DE, for a lady

[ImTheGluestick]

Longtime lurker here, considering switching to DE from cartridge razors. After reading that many here feel that Bic Metals shave like a DE, I figured I'd buy some and give them a shot. So far no problems.

My question is, how big of an adjustment is it to switch from something like the Bic Metal to a DE? I'm not cutting myself with the bics, but I'm wary since legs are...much further away than faces, and harder to see (at least I assume, I guess I've never shaved my face...)

Has anyone/anyone's significant other made this transition smoothly? Any advice?

[mblakele]

Welcome to B&B!

No experience to share, but if you start with a mild razor you should be fine. The Jagger/Mühle 89-series should work well, or a vintage Tech or Super Speed. Have you read Leg shaving yet?

[KM-instructor]

Welcome to B&B!
Plenty of lather and your legs will be as smooth as silk, just don't get too heavy handed.

[ImTheGluestick]

Welcome to B&B!

No experience to share, but if you start with a mild razor you should be fine. The Jagger/Mühle 89-series should work well, or a vintage Tech or Super Speed. Have you read Leg shaving yet?

I have checked out the article. Thanks for the recommendations!

[Turtledrum]

I like the vintage razors much much better than any cartridge. My favorite cartridge for years was the Personal Touch with the faux tortoise shell handle, but those cartridges, they just kept getting more and more expensive. Then the triple bladed cartridge came out then the Venus quadruple blade cartridge, all nonsense. None of those handled or shaved any differently than the regular two blade cartridge. But DE is much better than all of it, and I am still learning straights. And, I don't want to forget to mention the SE's. Excellent...one sided DE. Perfect. Yet, i probably like the DE blades better than the SE's blades.

What I found to be important when choosing a vintage razor was how did the razor feel in my hand, was it easy to handle, was I able to keep a hold of it when covered with soap and lather. And then lastly, what I learned, although still learning, blades matter. A good blade makes a big difference. Today, I tried a Voskhod, and it really was smooth. The shave was excellent. But I think my favorite are the Feather blades, then Sharks. Astras did not work for me at all.

Welcome ImTheGluestick! :001_smile

[Sunburst]

My wife has only tried her hand twice on her legs. It's not that she isn't capable, she got great, blood-free shaves. She was more concerned with how to make good lather, and then shaving in the shower, and what if I drop one of your razors or brushes... No worries, dear. I'll do it for you.

Two or three times a week she get's the barbershop treatment on her legs. We both love it.

As far as advice: It may be a matter of perspective and the geometry involved, but I prefer to do the ankle/heel area with the grain. The only times I nicked her were from a bad approach angle. Then again, thinking about it, that's probably just a factor of me being at her feet rather than being her and using her arms at the angles associated with, well, human arms. I go XTG for knees and backs of the knees. Treat yourself to a great balm too. She loves a light bit of Aqua Velva followed up by Coral Skin Food.

Enjoy your shaves. They'll be unbelievably smooth.

Edit: I forgot to mention the razors she tried. Muhle R89 and the Wilkinson Sword razor that's sold in nearly every chemist/drugstore in the UK. She liked the Wilky for its handle and ease of grip, but preferred the way the R89 felt. I usually use my Merkur OC with the Muhle handle for her now. Super smooth combo with a Derby or RP Personna in it.

[ackvil]

Welcome to B&B. Can't share any experiences.

[BigFoot]

Welcome to B&B. Can't share any experiences.

Jim you don't shave your legs.......

Back to the OP, my wife enjoys her lady Gillette's. She also likes it when I shave her legs with a custom from CoonCatBob. It has an open comb new style head.

Here are a couple of pics.

The lady Gillette's

http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=27913 (http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=27913)

The custom

http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=28140 (http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=28140)

I almost forgot Welcome to B&B!!

[ImTheGluestick]

I definitely have the Lady Gillette flagged as eventual purchase. I think my plan is to start with something a little more low-budget, though, before delving into the mysteries of vintage razors.

Thanks for all of the welcoming!!!

[Sledgehammer39]

Welcome Aboard!

[DC_MPA]

Welcome! The DE89 Edwin Jagger would be a great way to test the water for your needs. It is a very forgiving razor and is the most common unisex razor that is mentioned for newbies to try.

Keep us updated!

[BigOx]

Welcome to B&B

[ImTheGluestick]

I was thinking about starting with a Lord Premium. I know it's at the low end, but people who buy them seem pretty satisfied, and I don't want to put down a lot of money before I'm sure. Plus they have really long handles!

[redrako]

Welcome to B&B.

Early on my wife realized that there is much more area for a woman to lather when leg shaving. She was also concerned about building an effective lather. What she arrived at was to lather with Arko or Palmolive Shave Sticks using a big, ole Omega Pro 49 brush.

If you've spend some time reading some of the newbie posts or spent some time in the wiki, you'll see that prep in the form of lathering is where much of the magic occurs. I've never used the metal Bics, but I'm sure that if you added using a nice soap or cream lather to your legs immediately after showering, that you'd find a marked improvement to your leg shaving.

[Eric V]

Long handles are good, as well as something on the handle that offers a bit of a grip. If there is a chance of the razor slipping in your hand, use an alum block on wet fingers to get better traction.

[ImTheGluestick]

I've heard a lot about the advantages of a good lather. I actually added a brush and proraso cream to the ever-growing pile of wetshaving stuff that I've gifted to my fiance (AD already and I don't even use the stuff!). I wasn't astounded by the difference when I tried the lather while shaving in the shower, and I think I was doing a reasonable, if novice job of it (thanks manic videos!).

I guess I'm a little skeptical of how much difference the lather makes for legs given that the hair is way less dense/coarse than it is on the face, so a less "adequate" prep might not matter as much. But then again, I gave it maybe two tries, so I might just be justifying lazy habits.

[redrako]

Your right about the difference between female leg hair and male facial hair.

The purpose of a lather is to lubricate, provide cushioning for the blade and moisturize the skin. Because scraping your skin with a piece of sharp metal stresses your skin, a good lather can help with all those qualities. Because there's greater exposure to a DE blade, many of us like the extra protection that a real lather provides. Of course, I've never leg shaved, so can only paraphrase what my wife's experience was.

I do recall an earlier conversation where, BarberElle, the primary author of the leg shaving article in the wiki mentioned that she lathered and shaved a half-leg at a time. This way the greater area of two legs could be shaved in a way that kept the lather from drying out or breaking down.

However as we say, YMMV (Your mileage may vary), in other words, what works well for one person, may do nothing for the next person.

[ImTheGluestick]

Interesting. Clearly I have no issue purchasing shaving-related items, so I'm sure that plenty of experimentation will be on its way shortly.