The Benefits Of Wet Shaving Over Disposable Shaving

The Benefits Of Wet Shaving Over Disposable Shaving

Up until yesterday the only type of shaving I had ever done was disposable shaving. I didn’t realize that I had been robbing myself of the best shave of my life. So I got my hands on a Gold Dollar straight razor, "smolder" shaving soap, a Satin Tip synthetic brush, "smolder" aftershave and "cinder" pre-shave, all from the Classic Shaving website. I was very nervous to do this, my heart was beating fast and I didn’t want to cut myself repeatedly. However, if the shaving started going bad then I could always stop and switch right back to my disposable razor. I was aware of the fact that wet shaving will take longer than the alternative, which means that if it doesn't provide more benefits than I can't afford to use a straight razor regularly.

Step #1 Hair Prep

There are a couple ways to soften your beard before you wet shave. You can use a hot towel to prep your face or simply take a hot shower. I took a hot shower as I usually do at the end of the day and contemplated the task that lay ahead of me.

I got out, got dressed, and placed all my wet shaving products around the sink in front of me. My facial hair was still soft from the shower, so I picked up the "cinder" preshave (which smells incredible) and started dropping the oil onto my hand.

Step #2 Preshave

I applied the preshave liberally to all the hair on my face that I was planning to shave and I could see why a preshave is so helpful. It makes the surface of the skin slick and easy to run a blade across. If your skin is not wet and prepped you are risking cutting yourself.

Next, I opened up my "smolder" luxury shaving soap and grabbed my Satin Tip brush.

Step #3 Build Your Lather and Apply

I filled the sink with water and dipped my brush into it, and then placed that into my soap tin and started rubbing the brush around in small circles quickly. After doing that for about ten seconds, I dipped the brush again and continued. It didn’t take long to build a lather up in the tin, and then I started using the brush on my face and covering all my facial hair with soap.

I was still very nervous, but it was time to shave. I opened my Gold Dollar razor and decided I would start on the right side of my face. In my opinion the 3 most important things regarding wet shaving are prepping your face, the angle of the razor, and making sure the skin you are shaving is stretched. This involves lots of moving of the mouth and some help from your free hand.

Step #4 Shave

So as I began on the upper part of my beard on the right side of my face, my left arm stretched over my head to help stretch the skin on the part I was focusing on. The razor needs to be at about a 30 degree angle, and once you finally start shaving it gets a lot easier. I ran into difficulty on my upper lip, and on my sideburns. The sideburns were the most problematic. My nervousness went away very quickly and I started enjoying this new experience. Small strokes with the razor, and periodically dipping the razor into the sink. Two very tiny little cuts were the only collateral damaged that I suffered in my first time wet shaving, and after I was done and had wiped my face clean with a towel, the cuts weren't visible. I was also left with zero in-grown hairs.

We are all familiar with the Macaulay Culkin scene from Home Alone with the aftershave on his face. This is exactly what I expected when I was opening my "smolder" aftershave bottle.

Step #5 Aftershave

So after spreading a thin layer of the aftershave on my hand I quickly tapped my cheek to prepare for the burn, and felt almost nothing. I proceeded to cover my face with the aftershave which smelled great and felt great. This is some nice aftershave.

One big benefit of wet shaving is a reduced risk of in-grown hairs, far less irritation to your skin, and the cost. It cost significantly less to wet shave. My first experience wet shaving took about 25 minutes, and it's not a race. The final product was so beneficial, my skin isn't dry or razor burnt, it looks great and feels AMAZING. I can't imagine going on a date, a job interview, or anywhere that I need to look sharp without wet shaving before. Totally worth the 25 minutes, and not as hard as I imagined. The result is a much better shave then any electric, cartridge, or disposable razor can provide.

- Brad

The Razor I Used          The Soap I Used          The Pre Shave I Used