Merkur Safety Razor shaves

I got a Merkur HD-34C safety razor for Christmas; this is a video of my first and sixth shaves as I learn to navigate using a Safety Razor.

Gift Ideas available at http://BestGifts2011.blogspot.com/
Razor available on Amazon at http://amzn.to/oqrJqM
Badger Hair Brushes at http://amzn.to/nRPUxg

I highly recommend a steamy shower before shaving, to soften the hairs on your face. I didn't do that for the first shave in this video, and my face pays the price.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• shave
• merkur
• safety
• razor

[w0033944]

Your lather here is too dry and you've not got enough on your face. Plus, your angle is far too steep. When doing the cheeks, the handle should be around 30 degrees from horizontal. You're using it at about 20 degrees from the vertical.

[2427BeatStreet]

@w0033944 yeah thanks for the tips; I've learned a lot since I started and backing off on the aggressive angle of the blade is certainly one major lesson!

[cadnyc]

haha.,.. and you're still bleeding. i wonder since this video was posted back in jan, if he still bleeds now.

[2427BeatStreet]

@cadnyc yes, since I started shaving at age 9, I bleed almost always. The safety razor has helped that in some ways but it is much sharper so I get cut even easier now, so in some ways it is worse...

[cahubble05]

Oh that was flippin painful to watch. I hope you've since learned that is actually NOT how to use a safety razor ... it is possible to have a pleasurable shave free of nicks and cuts! Check out Mantic59's training videos ... and good luck!

[2427BeatStreet]

@cahubble05 I find the shaves quite pleasurable, but I am faar faar far away from being free of nicks and cuts.

[egarrulo]

Hahaha! And I went here because I saw a pic of a lady, and wa expecting a lady to show a DE shave of her legs or something. Bad luck! ;-)

[fjl05]

@2427BeatStreet Its obvious that you are putting pressure on the razor. Don't. It has to almost float on your face as you move it across your face. Also what's the point of using a shaving cream if you keep doing second and third passes with no shaving cream on your face? Like Cahubble said, watch Mantic59's videos. You'll learn a lot.

[mesa401]

Try some pre-shave oil. Also let the lather sit on your face a couple of minutes before starting. Rinse with warm, then cold water to close the pours. Also try a feather blade.. Don't let anyone scare you about them.

[IAmAlwaysRight11]

@2427BeatStreet your stroking your facing using long strokes with the razor and that's why your cuttin your face up. you are literally scraping your skin off with the razor blade. you need to hold the head of the razor flat to your cheek with the handle parallel to the floor then lower the handle while hold the head to your cheek until you feel the razor on your skin then pull down using very light contact with your skin. you say in the video "dont apply pressure" but YOU ARE!!

[IAmAlwaysRight11]

@2427BeatStreet my friend, you need to hold the razor blade to your face at a 30 degree angle and pull or drop the razor downwards at about an inch or two at a time, shaving across the flattest parts of the face at a time, rinsing the razor regularly. and you need to build thick, creamy rich lather lick whipped cream and apply it to your face vigourously massaging your whiskers in circular motions and shaving using 3 passes, down, across and across.

[IAmAlwaysRight11]

@w0033944 What you've wrote hear is exactly what i was thinking. it's so sad and painful to watch some who is lucky to have such good quality goods but not using it like they should. it's just like seeing an old lady driving a ferrari or a fast sports car, it's just in the wrong hands. i don't have a brush as good as rooney, i have a £25 badger brush and merkur 34c is one of my razors but my shaves are i would say maybe 210 times better than this guy in the video. He has no clue!!!! :/

[Spikesfeet]

You should get a soap bar from Speick. It's a german soap maker. You can order it online.

It makes for the world's best lather. It's a glycerine soap made from natural oils. The foam is real creamy and rich. Minimizes skin irritation. My hubby has been using it for 4 years now. Even I used the scented ones for showering. ;)

[MrPaulRevans]

Possible use tea tree oil + virgin olive oil mix (6 drops into the oil then shake and apply a little all over the face after you have heated your stubble up with hot water. Then lather this will help the blade glide plus its anti bacterial and will help prevent razor burn.) Another great help is Geofatboy's videos on youtube.

[clarkcolt45]

get an alum block

[tzlifts]

The lather is very thin, even for the second shave. Also, you should have enough lather on your brush for multiple passes. That way when you've finished your 1st pass you can reapply and go at the whiskers from a different direction. Last thing is you might want to try a Derby blade instead of Merkur blades. They are known for being more forgiving (and a bit cheaper).

you might want to check out the "how to make great lather from a soap" tutorial on badgerandblade (google it), hope it helps.

[exhalesolutions]

1. this video is hilarious.

2. famous last words "no yeah, go to town, we'll see" hahaha