DE wetshaving 101, for women and anyone else who want to shave parts of their bodies

urotsukidoji said:

First and foremost, let’s talk about all the reasons why the “standard” (read: most common) shaving options these days are so terrible. First and foremost, the cost. Cartridge razors are insanely expensive, canned shaving foams even more so. Secondly, quality. No arguments that disposable plastic crap doesn’t suck, please - I know I dropped my Gillette-Whatever in the shower and broke it too many times to entertain the notion that those cartridge razors are made to last. As for the quality of the shave, I know I ALWAYS dealt with razor burn and lumps and bumps and rashy red spots, on my legs and other bits. Canned shaving gels and foams do nothing - LESS than nothing, really, since they’re quite drying - to protect your skin and cost a bundle per shave. Thirdly, the environmental impact of disposables. Seriously! Think of all that packaging and waste. So, basically, I wanted a better shaving result that cost less money and wasn’t leaving a ginormous carbon footprint with every shower. The answer: traditional wetshaving!

To begin, you need four things: a DE (double-edged) razor, razor blades, a shaving brush, and shaving soap/cream. These things are not created equal, and nobody agrees on what’s best, because everyone has different shaving styles and needs and ends up liking different stuff. Here are some things to consider:

Your razor: Most women prefer a longer handle, and many experienced shavers direct females to razors like the antique Lady Gillette or the extremely posh Edwin Jagger Chatsworths. I’ve also seen Lord razors frequently recommended - evidently, they shave well and the cost is attractive to beginners. My thoughts? I bought myself a Parker 84 off eBay for less than $20 with a packet of blades as my first razor. Now, the Parkers get trashed out a lot by menfolk, and probably rightly so, it is NOT an aggressive razor (there are many things that make some razors more aggressive than others - space around the blade edge, angle, etc, but suffice it to say some razors are bitier than others) and is probably frustrating as hell to dudes with extremely tough beards (who should probably be shaving with Merkur Slant Bars, but I digress). My leg hair - heck, my PUBIC hair - is nowhere near that tough to shave, and the Parker 84 is nicely long-handled, it’s pretty, it has a nice grip when wet in the shower, and it’s still one of my favourites now that I’ve collected a few different razors. I have no problem recommending it as a beginner’s razor for that reason. I do have a Lady Gillette, and that thing, I am convinced, is possessed by a demon spirit. It is the bloodthirstiest goddamned razor I have ever used. I keep shaving with it once a week or so out of sheer stubbornness, hoping I figure out the magic angle to make it work well for me, but yeah. Not my favourite!

Razor blades: there are about a million choices. My favourites, in order of preference: Number-one-with-a-bullet, Feather platinum coated. These are hands-down the sharpest blades you can buy, and I’ve never used anything that gave me a finer shave. #2, Astra superior platinum. My third favourite are the 7am platinum coated razor blades. What’s with the platinum coating? It makes the blade corrosion resistant, and they last a lot longer in the shower, which if you’re me, is where you’ll probably keep your razor. The whole bathroom’s humid, anyway. What am I NOT recommending? Those terrible Wilkinson Sword blades that they commonly sell at grocery stores and the like. They’re not very sharp (and therefore drag across instead of cut the hair, causing skin irritation, which is one of the very things we are trying to avoid, yes?), they’re about a dollar each at the shops where I live (as opposed to maybe $0.10 - $0.20 each, for better blades bought online), please don’t waste your time. You can get razor blades super cheap off eBay (and any number of other websites!), and lots of sellers do sampler packs if you want to try lots of different types of blades to see what you like best. I’d suggest picking one and going with it for awhile when you’re first working out the finer points of your technique, because you’re not going to be in any position to evaluate your razor blade when you don’t really know how to properly shave yet.
Also, most razor blades are sold in little plastic containers that work as blade safes to safely dispose of your used blades. No sharps container required. You can make a Leisureguy-approved fully-recyclable blade safe out of small evaporated milk can - use a can opener to cut a small slit under the edge, drain the milk out, rinse it thoroughly, pop your used blades into it. Bang the edge down with a hammer when it gets full (in a few years) and recycle the whole shebang. However you choose to go, please don’t just throw your used blades in the rubbish - your friendly local garbage collector doesn’t need a scare like that.

Shaving brush: You want something that holds a lot of water to make a decent lather, and there are a lot of guides around telling you what to buy, but please, for the love of Maude, don’t go out and spend a hundred bucks on a super high quality silvertip badger brush for your beginner brush. I say get a basic “pure” or “best” badger brush - mine was $15 at my local pharmacy in the shave aisle - or a good-quality synthetic if you’re non-animal inclined. You are probably not going to notice the difference in delightful lofty softness between a silvertip and a best badger brush when lathering your legs or armpits, and I find lathering easier with a moderately stiffer brush, anyway. I don’t bother with a shaving mug or cup, I lather on my body, which I’ll discuss in a minute.

Shaving soap: this differs from regular soap because it creates a richer lather that protects better. I've tried a few, from basic Palmolive Shave Stick (about $2 from my local supermarket and it works a treat) to delightful artisan shaving creams and soaps from various Etsy sellers and shaving websites. My A+ #1 favourite shave cream ever is Corrynne’s Shaving Soap, which has lots of clay in it and protects the skin very well and smells delightful and creates gorgeous rich lather with the merest dab on my brush, and at $20 a tub (that lasts months and months), it’s still cheaper than canned shaving gel. Don't be afraid to experiment to find one you like!
Oh, and this isn’t required as such, but you may also want to pick up an alum block as an aftershave skin treatment - I use an alum crystal deodorant, it’s mildly styptic and astringent and helps prevent any irritations and bumps when applied to wet skin post-shave. Lots of people rave about witch hazel as an aftershave, too, but I haven’t tried it and I don’t have any dramas just using my alum crystal.
OK, still with me? The rest is EASY!

Technique: obviously, your skin needs to be nice and warm and wet to soften the hairs for shaving, so the shower’s just fine. I tend to wash my hair, put conditioner in, and shave while my conditioner’s doing its thing. I point the water away from me so it’s hitting the wall, wet my badger brush, dab it in my shaving cream, and lather one whole leg. If I’m using a hard shaving soap or shave stick, I actually rub it right on my wet skin, then lather it all over with the shaving brush.
Now, two things to remember here, beginners: shave WITH THE GRAIN at first and use SHORT STROKES. None of those big long sweeping whole-leg against-the-grain strokes we know and love. Also, do not put ANY PRESSURE ON THE RAZOR WHATSOEVER. You’ve probably noticed that your new razor is considerably heavier than a plastic disposable, and the blades are ridiculously sharp. Let the weight of the razor do the work. You’re also wanting about a 30 degree angle between the razor and your skin, but that works itself out pretty naturally if you’re taking your time and not rushing. Use extra caution around anklebones and knees. Rinse the razor under the running hot water after every other stroke (flip the razor over to use both sides for two strokes). And when you finish that first pass on the first leg, feel it - it probably feels pretty smooth. I say leave it at that and do the other leg, and we’ll do against the grain strokes in a few days when you start to get the hang of it. If you do decide to do another pass (against the grain or otherwise), LATHER UP AGAIN. Your skin will soon get used to the new regime and your technique will improve over time and with practice, and doing multiple passes will not irritate your skin in the future. These days, as a seasoned pro, I shave against the grain in big long strokes, just like I used to, and it takes me no longer to shave than it ever did. If I did that in the beginning, I would've carved myself up like a Virginia ham.

Underarms, you ask? Just the same. I actually do mine in about four passes in all directions, re-lathering for each pass. Haven’t had a bump or ingrown hair since I started with DE razors.

Genital bits? Yep. You bet. Obviously, be careful, but there’s no reason why not, and again, I get so much less irritation than I used to. It’s a safety razor, not a danger razor, just be careful and you’ll be fine.
When you’re done, rinse your razor thoroughly and hang it or stand it up somewhere outside the direct path of the water to dry (I have a suction-cup wall basket off to the side of my shower that's my dedicated shaving stuff holder). Rinse all of the soap out of your brush, squeeze it gently, and give it a good shake to remove most of the water, then stand it up or hang it to dry. Then, rinse all of your freshly shaven parts in cool water, finish your shower, and when you get out, rub that alum crystal on your still-wet shaven bits. It might sting a little, especially if you’ve nicked yourself, but only for a second, and it will stop the bleeding and prevent bumps. Dry off as normal, moisturise as you will, and go about your day. You’re awesome!

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