Head Shaving

What do you know about it? What suggestions do you have? What have your learned? Be it DE, Shavette or straight.

I've only done DE and number 1 is patience is key. Don't use the same technique as a cartridge razor. by that I mean don't use anywhere the same amount of pressure. Let the blade do the work and as you would with your beard. Map the hair growth and take it easy near the ears. That's about it.

I started with clippers, moved to carts, then on to DEs. My DEs have gotten more and more aggressive, and I'm pretty close to using my Parker SR1 barber razor, but haven't yet. The DE isn't really much different from a cart. If you're already used to the DE on your face, moving to your head takes a week or so to get comfortable with, then it's easy.

I've been shaving my head with clippers for about the last 15 years. I had it shaved a few times in India a few years ago when travelling there, but only just started shaving it myself about a month ago. At this point I was about five months into shaving with a straight, having mostly used Sensor cartridges previously (I used an electric for a few years while in my teens, but never had much love for it).

My first head shave was with my Feather AC SS shavette, which demolished a couple weeks worth of growth with ease. I had to touch it up with my cartridge though, as despite not cutting myself I found it hard to do the back of my head just above the neck.

I bought a DE (Fatip Grande) primarily to try out head shaving with. I'd never used one on my face, so I tried it out for a face shave first and found it pretty straightforward to get the basic hang of (shaving with straights and shavettes is good practice for getting a sense of what light to zero pressure really means). Since then I've been using it to start my head shaves, doing the WTG work, and am working up to getting more and more of the second pass done with this before tidying up with a cartridge. I'm using a Feather blade in it at the moment, which is working well. If I'm feeling lazy and there isn't too much growth to deal with I sometimes just reach for my Sensor cartridge.

I am enjoying shaving my head with a blade rather than clippers, and am doing it about twice a week now. Part of the enthusiasm for it comes from having an arsenal of great brushes, soaps and creams now that I never had before getting into shaving with straights - and as with the face, I find that good prep makes a big difference. If I have the patience, sometime I am keen to make a project out of developing my technique with straights on my head!

VW_ninja said:

What do you know about it? What suggestions do you have? What have your learned? Be it DE, Shavette or straight.

Click to expand...

Take my advice for what it's worth, which may or may not be worth anything.

I started shaving my head about a month ago; I had a barbershop strip everything down to bare skin, from the top of the scalp to the neck.

I then went home and used a Wahl beard trimmer, which came with an electric razor attachment that I used to get the stubble down. That worked for, oh, about a week? Then, at that point, I started feeling stubble and my head was getting a feeling not unlike the stiff hook side of Velcro, no matter how much I was shaving with the electric.

So, I went to Target and bought a Mach 3, and proceeded to use that with some shaving gel that my wife had for her legs. I got 3 swipes in on my head before the razor clogged. And when I say clogged, I mean that I had to apply high pressure water from the back side of the blade to get the hair to break loose. Couple more passes, same thing.

I got my head shaved to BBS level that day, or relatively close - but when I woke up the next morning, that coarse, short stubble was back and fighting me when I tried to pull a t-shirt over my head.

So I figured, "Well, a straight razor will take it all the way down, give me a nice close shave, right?"

I jumped online, searched through YouTube and realized it takes some serious skill to be able to use a straight razor and cultivate a BBS shave - plus, a straight was REALLY expensive! But, I came to the conclusion that a good Safety razor could be had for around $50. The next day, the wife took me to the nearest AOS store, and I bought my first DE razor.

Since that day, I've been shaving my head with a DE razor, and with practice, I've finally come into getting down a BBS shave.

For me, what works is to put a hot wash cloth on the top of my head for a few minutes. While that's sitting there, I'm getting my lather prepped. The first several times I attempted the shave, I lathered up something that felt thick - but it was too dry after sitting on my face for a minute. Now I know to make it wetter, since my face and scalp apparently absorb moisture like a sponge. Again, YMMV, so see what works for you.

I'd lather up, and start going WTG for the first pass. I'd start at the old "bald spot" on my head, about 2 finger widths down from the very top of my head, and go out from that point on radiating points. I'd also run my hand across the shaved spot to see if I felt slickness and stubble still.

After the first pass, I'd lather up again, make an XTG pass (being VERY careful around the wrinkle at the back of my neck, so that I didn't nick myself), and then finally, I'd lather up and do an ATG pass. Each time, I'd feel to see if I hit my stubble. If not, I knew I was doing it right.

I've only been DE shaving my head for about a month, but I've been cartridge shaving for almost 15yrs.
If you haven't mapped your hair growth, do that. That way you know which direction you need to shave for your with/across/against the grain passes.
No pressure. Find you blade angle with short strokes before you move up to longer strokes.
Preshave procedures will help avoid razor burn, either shower first to get your head stubble softened up or wash your scalp with a hot washcloth and leave the hot washcloth on the scalp to soften the stubble.
Preshave oil is a take it or leave it, it all depends on you and the quality of soap you use.
Personally, I soak my head with a hot wash cloth for just a couple mins while I'm getting other stuff ready, then I HEAD LATHER. That's the real trick for me when it comes to softening that head stubble up. Head lather for sure. Plus it just feels nice and luxurious. I use the left over lather in the brush to clean up around my beard, and also as beard soap (I shave before I shower).
Last but not least, I prefer a mild razor with a sharp blade. Currently using an Edwin Jagger DE 89, when it comes to "sharp" blade, YMMV. I find Personna Reds or Astras work fine.

All sounds like pretty solid information. What are your feelings on skipping the DE and going to straight or shavette? Thanks everyone.

VW_ninja said:

All sounds like pretty solid information. What are your feelings on skipping the DE and going to straight or shavette? Thanks everyone.

Click to expand...

Take this with a grain of salt, as I've never taken a straight or shavette to the dome. I think learning the DE is easier than the shavette or straight, especially if you already use one on your face. But it's not necessarily a stepping stone. It may help you learn no pressure more quickly, and might help practice skin stretching, but otherwise the technique doesn't translate very well. They are different. Even the shavette, depending on which one you get, will differ considerably from a straight.

gwsmallwood said:

Take this with a grain of salt, as I've never taken a straight or shavette to the dome. I think learning the DE is easier than the shavette or straight, especially if you already use one on your face. But it's not necessarily a stepping stone. It may help you learn no pressure more quickly, and might help practice skin stretching, but otherwise the technique doesn't translate very well. They are different. Even the shavette, depending on which one you get, will differ considerably from a straight.

Click to expand...

I agree, the technique for DEs and straights is quite different. I don't think starting with a DE (speaking about the face here) would have helped me a great deal technique-wise, it would really just have made it easier in the sense I wouldn't have been learning to lather and prep well at the same time I was trying to figure straights out. I would have a go with a shavette on your face first, if you haven't already and are curious about what they feel like to use. They're cheap enough to come by if you get one that takes 1/2 DE blades, and if you hate it you can just use the blades in a DE anyway.

FWIW, I actually prefer shavettes in general to regular straights these days. And people will think you're hardcore if you tell them you use either to shave your own head with...

docjude said:

... when it comes to "sharp" blade, YMMV. I find Personna Reds or Astras work fine.

Click to expand...

I didn't have much success with the Astra SPs, but the Gillette 7 O'Clock Yellow work great for me.

Try a couple blades of one kind for a few shaves each, then move to a different blade. I've not experienced it yet, but the masters say to save those blades that didn't go well, and try them again later. As skill develops, those old blades may work much better than the first try.

foverman said:

I didn't have much success with the Astra SPs, but the Gillette 7 O'Clock Yellow work great for me.

Try a couple blades of one kind for a few shaves each, then move to a different blade. I've not experienced it yet, but the masters say to save those blades that didn't go well, and try them again later. As skill develops, those old blades may work much better than the first try.

Click to expand...

Tried Astra SPs in a DE. I also prefer the Gillette 7 O'Clock Yellow. Have you tried any blades similar to this. Maybe we can trade blade inputs.

Maybe I should have stated this. But, I have a DE, Shavette and Straight available for use.