Shaving every day?

[kingfisher]

I, too, shave every day (probably at least 345 days/year). I do two passes plus touch-up.

No problems so far.

I started shaving in 1974, and I have shaved everyday the whole time. I found B&B in March of 2009 and changed the methods over time to full DE now. Even with cartridges every day was OK for me, but with carts I only shaved WTG one pass.

[PugslyCat]

Welcome to B&B, Don.

I have been a daily shaver since getting an electric razor on my 13th birthday. I switched to disposables a decade later, carts a decade after that and DE not quite 15 years after that. My face survived all of that.

You will find that using soaps with moisturizers, as most shaving soaps do, will be better for your skin than spraying it with canned foams and gels. Even if you don't stick with the DE razor I would recommend that you stick with the mug, brush and soap for shaving. Using the real soap is just that good of an experience.

I usually recommend that new guys start with the mug, brush and soap for a week or two before getting out the DE razor, assuming they aren't currently using an electric. That gives you some time to learn your lathering and discover any allergies before introducing a razor that has it's own learning curve associated with it. Conversely you can use the DE with canned goo to get your shaving technique down before learning to lather, but I believe going with the soap first gets the most gain for the least effort.

The DE razor should decrease the number of ingrown hairs and razor bumps that you incur. It's just the difference in the way the razors cut:

A DE depends on a sharp blade chopping or slicing through the whiskers on each pass.

The twin-blade carts depend on the first not so sharp blade not cutting through but simply snagging into your whisker and tensioning it. The next not so sharp blade will have an easy time chopping through the straining hair. Your whisker then supposedly snaps back into place having been cut off below what is now skin level. This make it not uncommon for the hair to grow out at an angle, thus causing an ingrown hair.

I don't know what 1-3 additional blades are good for other than abrading your skin and causing razor burn, especially if you try multiple passes with them to get those trouble spots...

[jpipes3]

When I was using cartridges and goo, I used to only shave 3x per week because I needed to give my skin that extra day to heal. Since making the switch, I now shave every day AND my skin is in much better shape. The key for me is to not chase BBS on my neck. A WTG and XTG pass is plenty down there. No irritation on my neck means I can shave every day.

[pipskicks]

Welcome to B&B!

Your skin is more resilient than you give it credit for. If you ever manage to nick yourself bad or experience unusually strong irritation or razor burn, then it would be a good idea to rest up a day or two between shaves. Other than that, hack away.

Good advice, I DO shave every day, but I have taken a day or two off since starting wet shaving when my razor burn was REALLY bad. That or I will just go reallllly easy over the irritated parts if it is just a specific area.

[shep12]

I shave at least 6 days per week. I usually take Saturday off, but not as much since converting to DE shaving. Enjoy it too much!

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

I shave everyday (except Saturdays...my shaving day off unless I have a event to attend).

“A razor [blade] can’t be sharpened on a piece of velvet”. Author Unknown

[RayH]

First it depends on how sensitive your skin it. Secondly how often you nick yourself while shaving. Get yourself a mild razor, Gillette Superspeed or a clone of one and go from there. Many guys who started shaving said that they had sensitive skin but came to realize that it wasn't their skin that was the problem but the products they were using. The multiblade cartridge and canned goo being the reasons for such skin problems.

[DaveL]

Back when I was using carts I would only shave when necassary. Now I will usually shave daily.

[fccexpert]

I shave six days a week with a straight, but it's not because I think my skin needs the one day break it's just how the schedule works out. I shave every morning Monday-Friday for work and Saturday evening before I go out. Given this, I don't really need to shave on Sunday morning so I don't.

[thatsilverguy]

I think the days I shave are better for my skin than the days I don't. My skin feels very good after a shave. I didn't realize how much better my skin had gotten though, until my Wife pointed it out.

It may be more from the products than the shave itself but I wouldn't have started using the products if I wasn't Traditional Wet Shaving.

[gus1942]

Hi there,

I'm new to the forum and also wet shaving. I just started using a DE razor and brush and I was wondering, will shaving every day hurt or damage my skin in any way, if doing so over a longer period of time? How often do you guys shave?

I have shaved daily for over 50 years, except for occasional fishin or camping trips.

[DonWerner]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the warm welcome and all your replies. I'm glad to know that shaving every day won't hurt my skin and I will continue doing so, with great pleasure. :-)

[adpena]

I started wet shaving every two days back in February last year and now I have to shave daily, mainly for work but it gets better and better every time. Just don't go crazy like I did and buy 500 blades, 5 DE razors, 4 different types of soap, and 10 aftershaves...well try not too! lol it gets addicting.

[Kevan]

Depends on your skin. I can't shave every day. Impossible. Others can.

YMMV

[Cannata]

Welcome! I shave 5 or 6 days a week. I started DE shaving about 6 months ago. Either my technique has gotten better or my skin has become tougher because my face doesn't burn like it used to. And I keep telling myself "don't use too much pressure, don't use too much pressure". And if I don't get a BBS shave after 3 passes I don't sweat it.

[The Kiwi]

+1 but 52 years for me (I'm a "vintage" member). since joining B&B and using the proper shaving implements and procedures once again my skin has never been better. Enjoy your shaves.

I first was told that I had to shave about 58 years ago. I was 14 then, and the dress code at school prohibited mustaches. I didn't shave every day until I was 17, and the fuzz changed from pale wheaten color to a dark mahogany shade. Being pale-skinned, I looked like I had five O'clock shadow by three PM if I didn't shave closely at 7:00 AM. I shaved five days a week, six when I went to church, from age 17 through about age 67, fifty years.

Admittedly, from 1993 until late 2011, the primary use I had for my Super Adjustable was keeping the sideburns from either creeping downward, or becoming unbalanced, left to right. I was using a Sensor most days. But my whiskers are totally white, unlike the sides of my head, which are gray. After having been involuntarily put into the "retired" category for a couple of years, I started skipping some days. I shave slightly more often than every other day, and the frequency depends on whether I have much of anywhere that I have to go away from my house and yard.

Generally, my skin is firmer and better toned than a great many men ten to 15 years younger than I am.

[Mspec]

I shave daily, from my initial shaving journey with cartridge razors till now using de razors, if anything shaving everyday with a de razor has really been good for my skin, plus its so so much fun

[gdollard]

I don't shave every day, mainly down to time constraints (if I'm in a rush I simply don't shave).
If I were to shave every day I'd have to use something mild like my Edwin Jagger razor. If I used my
Progress every day there would definitely be nicks.

[Daiku]

Shaving every day is generally GOOD for your skin. Just make sure and use good skin care products, too. I suppose taking a day off on the weekend is a good idea, in order to give your skin a break, but I like to shave every single day.

[jdo]

As others have already said, I also shave everyday and have not had any problems with skin irritation. I used to shave with a cartridge razor and didn't shave on the weekends. But that changed once I switched to a DE razor.