Ask Aaron Q&A: Safety Razors - Closed Comb vs Open Comb
Sean Chawla-Duggan, from the UK, asks:
“Aaron, I have a very tough thick beard hair, and while when I do have the luxury of time I get a very good shave with a straight razor, I’d like to have a safety razor for mid week quickies. Should I use open or closed comb?”
AARON SAYS
“Mr. Chawla-Duggan,
Thank you for writing in! There is much debate surrounding the safety bar vs. open comb with strong opinions on both sides. Open comb razors do tend to be more aggressive and can give an easier shave for those of us with tougher beards. The shave also heavily depends on how sharp your blade is. If you like the look and feel of an open comb, go for it! There is a great open comb version of the Merkur HD which I highly recommend as well as the Muhle open comb.
Happy Shaving!
Aaron”
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Ask Aaron Q&A: Shaving Creams vs Shaving Soaps - Which are better?
Robert Ashford, from the UK, asks:
“Can you please advise on the pros/cons re: Shaving Cream vs. Shaving Soap. (Also the use of shaving creams/soaps in bowls). Can you use the wet brush against each, and not taint the product? I Currently use a shave cream from tube, but am intrigued by the likely hood of just building up a lather in the self provided cream/soap in a bowl. Thanks in advance.”
AARON SAYS
“Mr. Ashford,
Thanks for you question! On any shaving related forum on the internet you’ll find this discussion: “Which is better? Soaps or Creams?” In my opinion: neither. They both have equally great characteristics and will serve you well whatever you choose. Personally I use both and find great satisfaction with both types of products.
Pros: Soaps generally are considered to have a “slicker” shave due to certain ingredients such as tallow, lanolin, glycerin and bentonite clay that are added to the soap. This provides a smoother and gentler shave especially for heavy bearded gents. Creams have the reputation of being easier to begin learning on, easy to lather and have a more moisturizing feel after the shave is done.
Cons: Soaps generally take more time to learn how to lather well and can be sometimes a bit drying to the skin. Creams have the tendency to dry out a bit faster on your face and not provide as smooth a shave. (Caveat: there are ALWAYS exceptions!)
But which one to pick?? You will get a different experience out of both and both provide good shaves. Honestly I say use both, I do. If you find yourself leaning towards one product or the other you have my blessing! I don’t think you’ll go wrong with either.
Using cream or soap in the tub or container it comes in will not effect the shave, nor will dipping the brush into the container to gain product taint the product. The only exception to this I have heard is there is a possibility if some sort of bacteria is on your brush and you dip it into a cream that does not have any preservative in it that the bacteria could turn the cream. However, I have never had this happen to me, nor have I known anyone that this happened to. The thing about this I will say is that i recommend building your lather in a separate bowl from the one that contains your sap or cream. When you building the lather on top of product you are continuously using more product in the process and the time it will last will be a lot less costing you more money in the long run. For that reason alone I recommend a separate bowl, plus it’s easier to see you lather develope and know when it’s ready for shaving.
This is a bit long winded, but I hope it answers your questions!
Smooth shaving!
Aaron”
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Ask Aaron Q&A: Finding the best double edge shaving products - Is it a case of trial and error?
Charles Singleton, from the UK, asks:
“Hi Aaron, it seems to me that double edge shaving is not as clear cut as shaving with my Mach 3! Now I have a wide choice different blades, razors, creams and brushes. Looking at reviews on websites and forums I get confused as to what to choose because when I find something that has a positive review I usually find an equally negative one! Is it just a case of trial and error as I can see this getting expensive?!”
AARON SAYS
“Mr Singleton,
Yes! I agree the many choices and options can be a bit overwhelming. If I can let me offer some products and advice to help get you on your way.
To start with get a good brush such as a Simpsons, Vulfix, Kent or Bluebeards Revenge. This paired with a good cream such as Bluebeards Revenge, Taylor of Old Bond Street, Proraso, Geo. F. Trumper’s and Truefitt & Hill will increase the quality of your shave a lot, even if you decide to keep going with your Mach 3. Should you take the plunge and go with a safety razor the Blue Beard’s Scimitar, Merkur HD, and the Parker 98 or 99R razors will be great ways to start. The most subjective part of wet shaving is the blade. For blades I really suggest you start by buying a single pack of each brand and figure out which rand works best for your face and hair types. Gillette, Merkur, Derby and Israeli made blades are great to start with. I highly suggest waiting on the Feather blades until you gain more experience. They tend to be *cough* VERY unforgiving of student mistakes.
These suggestions should narrow down the choices for you and I hope you enjoy your journey into wet shaving!
Happy Shaving,
Aaron”
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Ask Aaron Q&A: Would you recommend the Merkur 34C safety razor?
“Hi, I am currently a disposable multi-blade user and am getting very frustrated at the high cost. I started looking for alternatives and quickly realised that there is a lot of recommendations to go back to the single blade safety razor. Having dug deeper it seems that the Merkur HD 34c is highly recommended. Would you also agree with this recommendation for someone who has used a multi-blade razor for years and also has sensitive skin?” asks Paul Neve, from the UK.
AARON SAYS
“Mr Neve,
The Merkur 34c is certainly a highly regarded razor, and for good reason. It’s weight, medium aggressiveness, and relative affordability make it one of the ideal razors to start your wet shaving journey on. I think you will find it to be a great tool and certainly a good razor. I use one myself! Another thing that will help you greatly is to purchase a blade sample pack. Blades are the most subjective part of learning wet shaving and the sampler will greatly help you find which is best for your hair and skin. We wish you the best of luck beginning your journey, feel free to get in contact again with any more questions!
Smooth Shaving!
Aaron”
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Ask Aaron Q&A: I keep cutting myself, am I using the right double edge razor blade?
“I bought a Parker 82R Super HeavyWeight Butterfly Open Safety Razor along with Feather Hi-Stainless Double Edged Razor Blades and to be completely honest have stopped using it after about 6 or more shaves due to the amount of cuts under neck and at corner of mouth. Am I using the correct blade? Why is this happening (I was so disappointed I now use a 150.00 Braun series 9 electric but would love to have carried on using a proper razor, and have always been a wet shaver since 16 so 24 yrs now,” asks Paul Ewing, from the UK.
AARON SAYS
“Mr. Ewing,
Thanks for your question! If you are relatively new to wet shaving I suspect the Feather blades are the culprit. The Parker is a good razor, but the Feathers are extremely sharp and have the reputation of being called “ninjas” on wetshaving forums because of their sharpness. They are great blades but can very unforgiving especially to the beginner. I suggest finding some other blades such as Derbys, Gillettes, or Israelis to use for now. Once you have more experience under your belt revisit the Feathers, they might become your favorite blade!
Smooth Shaving!
Aaron”
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Ask Aaron Q&A: Stropping a straight or open razor
“Hello Arron, I have just purchased a straight razor and I have been very CAREFUL in using it. When I strop the blade, how long will it be before it gets sharp? I have stropped 40 times. I kept the blade flat and delicate when using it but I do not seem to get the shave I want. I did get A TINY bit of razor burn but no nicks,” asks Maxx Buczynski, from the UK.
AARON SAYS
“Mr. Buczynski,
Straight Razor shaving is the ultimate in wet shaving and highly regarded. It also takes the most time to master out of all the options out there. Since you just started I say give it some time. Most of the experts agree that it takes weeks, as in eight to ten weeks, for someone to learn to start shaving well with a straight razor. I think that with practice you will begin to see your technique improve and the shaves that you want start appearing.
If at that time things still are not going to plan, here are a couple of things that I would evaluate. It might be that in your learning process the edge has been accidentally dulled despite your best efforts. That’s okay, it happens to every learning straight shaver. Send it to be honed by a reputable person, this will do wonders for your blade. Also make sure you have a good quality strop, this can make also a big difference in the edge you are putting on your blade.
Kudos to you for taking the plunge into straight razor shaving! I highly recommend you join a wet shaving forum and begin to ask questions and participate there. You will learn great amounts of information from the gentlemen there and by experimenting with your own shaves. I wish you all the best!
Smooth Shaving!
Aaron”
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Ask Aaron Q&A: Is it okay to mix and match different shaving products?
“Dear Aaron, Is it okay to mix and match different shaving products?” asks Glenn Bullough, from the UK.
AARON SAYS
“Mr. Bullough, Thank you for your question! This is a good question, and it is perfectly fine to mix different brands and kinds of shaving products. If you wanted to use all the same brand that is a great option as well. I know many men (including yours truly!) that both use a single product range for one shave and for the next shave will use a conglomeration of different products.
Smooth Shaving! Aaron”
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Ask Aaron Q&A: How long or how many shaves will I get with a double edge razor blade?
“How long or how many shaves will I get with a double edge razor blade?” asks John Francisco, from the US.
AARON SAYS
“Mr. Fancisco, Well, this is may not be the answer you were looking for, but we’ll give it a shot! The general consensus is that you should be able to get three to five days per blade (or cartridge head for that matter). However, this depends greatly upon your home environment and how much humidity is in the air, how coarse or fine your hair is, the type of coating on the blade, and many more other factors. There are also many products out on the market that claim to extend blade life, most do NOT live up to the hype, but a few do actually work. All this to say I really can’t tell you exactly how long your double edge blade will last but 3-5 days is the average for most people. Smooth shaving! Aaron”
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Bluebeards Revenge video review with straight & safety razor
A leading US wet shaving expert has produced a video review of The Bluebeards Revenge shaving cream, post shave balm and ‘Scimitar’ safety razor.
GeoFatBoy, from Shavenation.com, tested our beard-reducing shaving cream with both the ‘Scimitar’ and the very manly looking Thiers Issard “Spartacus” straight razor.
And according to Geo, the cream provided a “great shave” for both shaving techniques, adding that it smelt good and produces a thick lather. He also praised our post shave balm for its smell and hydrating qualities.
You can watch his full review in the excellent video below.
If you’re interested in the art of wet shaving, Geo’s Youtube channel has a number of great shaving tutorials.
Ask Aaron Q&A: Should you ever have a days rest from shaving to give the skin time to recover?
“Should you ever have a days rest from shaving to give the skin time to recover, from being over shaved?” asks David Parker, from the UK.
AARON SAYS
“Mr. Parker, Thank you for your question! In short, yes! If your skin is burned and irritated from an overly aggressive or bad shave experience I certainly recommend giving it time to rest, regenerate and heal. I don’t think it’s necessary to rest the skin if you are not experiencing problems, but certainly do give it some time to rest if you are experiencing discomfort.
Smooth Shaving! Aaron”
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