I swapped to Harry’s a few years back as they’re one of the few vegan brands. But this shit is frustrating. Those little rubber side pieces are load bearing and made thin enough that they’re gonna break after a while.

I literally can’t remember the leftist word for a product that’s designed to break after some time.

No shame directed at the bearded comrades, but damn shaving helps get a tight seal with N95s.

  • PM_ME_YOUR_FOUCAULTS [he/him, they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
    331·
    9 days ago

    I recommend all hairy comrades buy an actual double edged safety razor and some razor blades. There’s a bit of a learning curve and an upfront cost, but you will get a better shave, for much cheaper, without a ton of disposable plastic waste.

    I bought a razor and a decent brush over ten years ago and the only shaving supplies I buy now are the blades which are definitely vegan and cost almost nothing

      • PM_ME_YOUR_FOUCAULTS [he/him, they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
        7·
        9 days ago

        I have an Edwin Jagger and use Voshkod blades comfy-cool

        But yeah, the multiple blade razors pull at the hair and cut it at an angle so that its tip can can get caught below the surface of the skin and start to grow in on itself

    • CloutAtlas [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      111·
      9 days ago

      I can also recommend not getting a cutthroat razor. Should have gone safety a long time ago.

      Cutthroat straight razor pros:

      • Vegan (unless you’re a weirdo who wants ivory handle or leather grips or something)

      • Environmentally friendly (very little if any plastic, no need for replacement razors)

      • Cheap in the long run (probably decades) due to not requiring replacement blades

      Cutthroat straight razor cons:

      • Upfront cost

      • Maintenance (manual sharpening requires a whetstone, which you may not already have. As a cook I owned one for work anyway)

      • Danger (I did lose a fair amount of blood because I sneezed while shaving drunk before a shift, took ages to stop bleeding due to thin blood. Didn’t scar because it was very sharp though)

      • Time (sharpening takes time, stropping takes time esp if you’re using an old faux leather jacket as a strop)

      Don’t do this unless you inherit an old straight razor and are dextrous enough to not cut yourself regularly.

      • PM_ME_YOUR_FOUCAULTS [he/him, they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
        10·
        9 days ago

        Yeah, I looked into straight razors when I first started wet shaving and my conclusion is that it’s more of a hobby than a practical way of shaving. It’s easy to see why people immediately switched to safety razors as soon as they were invented. Also, as you imply above, most of the ones you can buy today are mass produced trash

        My razor is all metal, lasts forever (over ten years at this point), and razor blades cost practically nothing. Straight edge razors are cool though and will give you a a really good shave if you have a quality blade and are skilled with them

    • ChestRockwell [comrade/them, any]@hexbear.netEnglish
      7·
      9 days ago

      Do you shave your head with it? If so, send links to brand etc. I’m a baldie and thus have to do a shave every few days, and find it easier in the shower. I just don’t want to cut myself - I once shaved off a flap of skin (granted it was ironically with a Harry’s, had to switch back to Gillette after that sadly because the Mach 5 never cut me like that).

  • AbsoluteChicagoDog@lemm.eeEnglish
    291·
    9 days ago

    Why anyone doesn’t just use a double edge safety razor is beyond me. You’re just throwing money away.

    • underwire212@lemm.eeEnglish
      7·
      9 days ago

      $10 for literally an entire fucking box of razors that will last me years. Can’t even remember the last time I’ve paid for a blade.

      • Bobson_Dugnutt [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
        14·
        9 days ago

        It might be that you have the wrong blade. You can buy sampler packs of different brands to see which works best. Also, I find it works best to screw and unscrew it a couple times to get the blade seated in the right place.

      • FALGSConaut [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
        13·
        9 days ago

        I use a single blade safety razor, I get a really close shave by shaving with the grain, across the grain, and against the grain with plenty of soap each time

      • you_are_dust@lemm.eeEnglish
        10·
        9 days ago

        So just throwing this out as a possibility. Depending on the type of handle you buy, it’s very possible to put the blade housing together incorrectly when you load a blade in. I actually did that myself when I first switched and couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t shaving well. I looked up an online tutorial and immediately realized what I did wrong. Depending on your facial hair, you might have to take an extra pass or two with a safety razor. It is a bit slower of a process. I have to shave against the grain to get close no matter what type of razor I use.

      • HumanBehaviorByBjork [any, undecided]@hexbear.netEnglish
        6·
        9 days ago

        it takes a bit of practice, but in my experience they’re miles better than multibladed razors. specifically i went from a gillette mach 3 razor to a henson aluminum razor because i was convinced by youtube promos. idk what brands might be better or worse.

    • Zorothamya [she/her, he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      3·
      9 days ago

      Do have to order them? Because none of the stores around me sell any of them. They only have those razors that follow the printer-ink model, where you spend a huge amount of money for the replacement of their non-standardized heads.

      • BakerBagel@midwest.socialEnglish
        2·
        9 days ago

        I already have a baby face, but trying to grow facial hair makes me look 10 years younger in the worst way.

    • Palacegalleryratio [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      11·
      9 days ago

      Seconding this. Much cheaper (the blades are dirt cheap and last well) and I used to get a closer shave too with less irritation. I have a beard these days, so I’m not shaving, but before for work I needed to shave daily for n99/ffp3 masks and the irritation (or lack of) mattered for my sensitive skin.

      Buy a decent handle like an Edwin Jagger or a Merkur and it will be good for your lifetime and probably your grandkids life too, then buy a pack of decent DE safety razor blades, like Feather or something, and you’re good to go. No plastic waste from all the heads or handles. No bullshit marketing. No subscritions. No chemical lubricants that may or may not work (or contain animals). Just recyclable metal.

      • REgon [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
        7·
        9 days ago

        I just wish it wasn’t so tricky to shave more intimate areas.

        I’m still searching for a good shaving foam/cream though. Nobody has taught me to shave, so I’m just learning as I go along.

        • Palacegalleryratio [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
          7·
          9 days ago

          So I used just a bar of olive oil hand soap which our friend makes - which is odd because I can’t normally use proper soap on my hands regularly without drying them out. It lathers really thickly which gives all the lubrication you need.

          I don’t think it’s much harder shaving with a safety razor than a cartridge one. I think it just comes with practice. Keep the skin taught if you can. It’s just a little more complex as you need to keep the angle correct over a complex surface rather than relying on the articulation of the head. The upside of this is a safety razor is better at getting a close shave in a tight spot.

          I guess the alternative is wax for more intimate areas but I’m no expert there.

          • REgon [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
            3·
            9 days ago

            Do you apply the oil to the zone you shave, or was that just a tip for keeping hands moisturized lol?

            Thanks for the advice!

            • Palacegalleryratio [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
              2·
              9 days ago

              No, no olive oil. Just olive oil soap.

              To make soap you take a fat and an alkaline and mix them (to put it simply) e.g. olive oil and sodium hydroxide. One of my friends hand makes bars of soap, and it’s really good for shaving with, though I can’t use it all the time for my hands as real my skin dry! Other soaps will work just as well, I just mentioned that soap specifically as it was vegan.

      • Łumało [he/him]@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
        7·
        9 days ago

        Not REgon, but I just use a Wilkinson Sword I’ve found in Rossmann and it does me well real nice. I’ve been shaving with it for a few years now. This one specifaclly:

        Ignore the name

        The more important choice are the razors themselves, sadly I’ve only used generic ISANA (Rossmann in-house brand) and DM ones. They’re okay for what I need, but they dull very quickly. But from guides I’ve read, Astra Greens are rather okay but I’ve only seen them for bulk online in actually good prices.

        INLINE EDIT: [I’ve found the video from The Gentleman’s Gazette about razors]

        For soap I just use Nivea, and my brush is also some generic DM one. I get a very smooth shave with it, jak pupa niemowlaka. (how the fuck is that an idiom in Polish I don’t know)

        If you want better help with shaving, I recommend the video series by The Gentleman’s Gazette. For example here’s a video on how to best shave with sensitive skin.

        Also if I’m triggering any dysphoria I’m sorry, I’m just trying to help and have also tried to help this way my trans girl friends as I believe the sensory feeling of extremely smooth skin might something they’d like :(

      • AntifaSuperWombat [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
        5·
        9 days ago

        I recently upgraded to a Mühle companion. It’s marketed as unisex because it’s mild, has a long handle and has covered blade tabs which make it great for shaving both face and body. I’m really happy with it.

      • PM_ME_YOUR_FOUCAULTS [he/him, they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
        5·
        9 days ago

        Edwin Jagger and Merkur are two brands that are often recommended to beginners because they are reasonably priced, but still decent quality. There are lots of fancy brands and models, but don’t worry about those. I’ve been using my Edwin Jagger for over a decade at this point. Just don’t buy the garbage ones they sell at the chain drug stores or the mall (Art of Shaving for instance. Overpriced trash)

        Buy a sampler set of razor blades to try some different ones. Different brands have different sharpness and one kind may work better than others for your particular hair

        Buy a brush if you would also like to stop buying shaving cream forever. Omega makes quality brushes, including synthetic ones (traditionally they are made from badger hair). I’ve had my synthetic again for over a decade and it’s still in great shape

        • TrashGoblin [he/him, they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
          2·
          9 days ago

          I’ve found the cheap Chinese razors are just fine if you pair them with a better quality blade. The one I have is functionally a copy of a 60’s Gillette Superspeed. Maybe I’ve just been lucky.

      • lil_tank [any, he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
        4·
        9 days ago

        I use Voskhod. I haven’t tried many brands but I know it was indefinitely better than what I had found for a higher price in a supermarket. Ordering them by batch of 100 for 10€ on the internet

    • CloutAtlas [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      5·
      9 days ago

      I’m considered not hairy even for a Chinese person, I can easily get multiple uses out of a single use razor hotels provide you.

      Hairier friends can’t get a single shave out of those.

    • BakerBagel@midwest.socialEnglish
      2·
      9 days ago

      Yeah i am a safety razor guys for shaving my face, but i use a cartridge razor for my undercarriage. I swap the cartridge out at the start of the month because it becomes dull and rusty by then.

  • vovchik_ilich [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    12·
    9 days ago

    My sensitive face is screaming from the thought of using a razor to shave… I tried even straight razor, but notjing gets the job done without a week of suffering afterwards… What am I doing wrong comrades :(

    • AntifaSuperWombat [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
      16·
      9 days ago

      Milder razor, smoother blades, better shaving technique, shaving only with the grain, better cream, better lathering technique, proper skin preparation and care, etc.

      There’s tons of stuff you can do to keep irritations to a minimum but it takes time and practice to figure out what routine your skin really needs.

      • vovchik_ilich [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
        4·
        9 days ago

        My routine so far has been forgoing razor shaving in favour of electric. Maybe I really should wet my beard for prolonged time before shaving, as the saying says. “Cuando las barbas de tu vecino veas cortar, pon las tuyas a remojar”

    • AHemlocksLie@lemmy.zipEnglish
      9·
      9 days ago

      Some people have a bad reaction to shaving in general. If I recall correctly, black people have a stronger predisposition to having that issue, but I have no idea the mechanism behind it. I assume it’s something with the hair being different since head hair is often texturally different from what white people have. I’m not familiar with it happening in other ethnic groups, but I don’t know much about it, so it’s possible.

    • CloutAtlas [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      9·
      9 days ago

      If you go to a barber and they put a hot towel on your face and use a soothing shaving gel (as opposed to shaving foam) and a mostoisturizing aftershave, it can apparently make a huge difference, but that’s not an economically sound solution.

      You can recreate some of this at home but it’s also not practical to have a hot steamed towel esp if you’re running late.

      • vovchik_ilich [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
        5·
        9 days ago

        Epic username

        Also, the hot towel idea sounds good, I have super thick facial hair and I guess making it softer could help the overall process. Also, “let’s steam the towel” sounds sexy af

        • Ithorian [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
          2·
          9 days ago

          There’s also pre shave oil which softens the hair, makes it easier to cut and less likely to pull. I have to use it if I go more than a few days without shaving.

    • Clippy [comrade/them, he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      5·
      9 days ago

      i normally shave while i shower, i use a double edge razor and put that conditioner for your hair (letting it soak for a couple minutes, where i lather my body in soap in the meanwhile) on my face, but then again i don’t have alot of facial hair. i heard the conditioner makes the hair softer to cut?

    • mudpuppy [it/its, she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
      4·
      9 days ago

      i just use an epilator. it hurts a lot but im a freak and i dont really care. ripping it out is the only way to get it totally smooth, to have it take more than a day to come back, and its also by far the cheapest hair removal method long term, very eco friendly too.

      • vovchik_ilich [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
        4·
        9 days ago

        Oh my fucking god, that’s the most cursed advice I never expected. I’m NOT putting an epilator EVER near ANY body part of mine, I tried once and I swear it’s gotta be more painful than getting tased