"Wetshaving" sounds vaguely pornographic, I know, but I'm just talking about old-school shaving techniques. When you're as hairy as me, this stuff is important. I like growing a beard in the winter but most of the rest of the year I need to shave. For years I used the electric razor for my face, with a cartridge razor and some Barbasol afterwards for the neck and general cleanup. And for years I hated shaving and ended up with razor rash and a face that felt like it was on fire. I finally decided to give wetshaving a go a few years ago and it's a whole different experience.
For starters, I'm not spending a small fortune on cartridges anymore because I'm using a safety razor. The double-edged blades I use cost less than 20 bucks for 100, and I get three shaves per side, so that's six shaves per blade. Go ahead and add it up and compare it to the minimum of $14 a month I'd have to spend on cartridges for the Fusion (assuming I shaved no more than three times a week). Granted, I drop some coin on shave cream, usually the GR or the far less expensive Proraso, but when using a badger-hair brush (another pricey investment but one that lasts years) you don't use very much cream so it's not so bad. Then I wind things up with an aftershave balm (whatever you do, don't use anything with alcohol in it - it dries out your skin, which is exactly the opposite of what you want post-shave).
Now, it's not really necessary to use a safety razor to get a killer shave. In fact, the safety razor, while not dangerous (hence the word "safety"), takes a while to master. Unlike the cartridge razors, it doesn't pivot, so you have to develop a deft hand around those tough curves. Plus you can't push down the way you can with a cartridge razor or you'll slice your face up - it can take a week or so to develop the light touch necessary for shaving with a safety razor. Well worth it in my opinion, not only for the money saved but for the satisfaction of shaving like an old-school bad-ass mofo.
But if you don't want to screw around with the safety razor, the Gillette Fusion is a great razor, even if the cartridges are breathtakingly expensive. But what you cannot do without is a kick-ass badger hair shaving brush. A good one, like the Vulfix #2234, will run you around 60 bucks, but it's money well spent. Hot water, a good brush, and a quality cream are the three most important elements of a bad-ass shave.
Most people will tell you to shave after showering - the hot water softens up your beard nicely. And that's great advice, no doubt, but the problem is I don't like shaving after showering. Instead I splash my face with a lot of hot water, and soak my brush (you can soak it in a sink full of hot water or a shaving mug, or one of these nifty Moss Scuttles, which is a shaving mug with an outer chamber that keeps your shave cream warm). (To use the Moss Scuttle, you fill both the outer chamber and the bowl itself with hot water. Soak your brush in the bowl. Then when you're ready to apply the cream, empty both chambers, and fill only the outer chamber back up with hot water. Then lather the brush in the bowl). After 30-60 seconds or so I take the brush out and give it a quick, light flick to get the excess water off - but not too hard, because you want the brush hairs to retain a decent amount of water. I put about a fingertip's worth of shave cream in the center of the brush, then work up a lather in the scuttle (you can do this in the palm of your hand if you don't have a mug).
After splashing some more hot water on my face I work the lather into my beard with the brush and let it sit for at least thirty seconds. Then I shave with the grain. Rinse, apply more hot water and cream, and shave sideways across the grain. Rinse, more water and cream, and against the grain. Three passes might be too much for some guys but with a beard like mine I have no choice. And when I make that final pass against the grain I end up with a face as smooth as glass.
After the final pass I do a little touch up with the razor where needed , then rinse my face with ice cold water to close the pores. Pat dry with a towel, apply aftershave and call it macaroni.
Even if you don't switch to a safety razor, I guarantee your shaves will improve if you use a good brush and cream. Trust me. Quit beating the hell out of your face with that electric thing that pulls the hair out, or that pile of shit disposable razor that's cutting you to ribbons and giving you razor zits up and down your neck. Consider this a PSA, brothers. You'll thank me, and so will your wives and girlfriends.
If you want to learn more about wetshaving, check out Corey Greenberg's kick-ass blog, especially this primer.
Another great shaving resource is the "Ask the Barber" section on the GR site. I love GR's products but most of them are out of my price range. I do buy the shave cream since it lasts so long and if you can get somebody to give you the aftershave as a gift, by all means do it. It lasts forever and it is terrific stuff.
There are plenty of places to buy shaving gear online but my favorite is Classic Shaving. Their prices are great, they always fill and ship orders quickly and their house shave cream is a really nice one at a very good price.
