If I had to guess, you probably stumbled upon this article because you finally got to your breaking point with your cartridge razor or electric razor and want to give a safety razor a shot. After all, what do you have to lose by at least trying one out?
I'm also guessing you probably first heard about wet shaving via youtube or a blog. The wet shaving revival has really taken off the last several years with shaving nerds like me promoting all the great benefits, and you’re probably excited and curious to see what all the fuss is about.
If you are anything like I was though, you might be a little overwhelmed and not real sure what products you need to actually get started. There's so much information out there and it can get exhausting reading guides and product reviews.
So the purpose of this article is to give you a quick guide and some recommendations on how to get started using a safety razor sooner than later.
Don’t Overwhelm Yourself With Product Reviews
Get on any shave forum and you can read dozens of product reviews by experts talking about all the features you “need” and it probably leaves you more confused about what to get than when you started. And this overload of information makes a lot of guys hesitant to pull the trigger on a safety razor because they don't want to buy the wrong one.
And that’s a problem. Because your goal shouldn't be to get the perfect product(s) on your first try. That's pretty much impossible and it is going to take a little trial and error.
So while I do recommend buying quality products that have the basic features you need, your goal as a beginner safety razor user should really just be to make the switch and start learning and practicing technique.
I absolutely recommend reading in-depth product reviews, like my own, to try and get the best products for your needs. But lots of guys get stuck in the process of researching every product out there without actually making the switch.
No more excuses or delaying. Let’s do this.
The 4 Products You Need For Wet Shaving
#1: Safety Razor
Go to amazon.com and search for “safety razor”. The last time I did it, there were 884 results that popped up! How long do you think it would take you to research all 884 of these search results?
The good news is that you don’t have to research all 884 search results to find a good, high-quality safety razor to get started wet shaving.
The truth is, there are a lot of really good safety razors available from a variety of manufacturers in all price ranges. Where beginners go wrong is thinking they have to find the perfect razor to get a good result.
Yes, you should have a pretty good idea of what features to look for, but once you know what features to get (i.e. closed comb vs open comb, fixed vs adjustable and so on), it's pretty easy to find a good razor.
My advice? Don't overcomplicate it. Find a couple popular razors that shaving websites really like for beginners and read a couple unbiased reviews.
Next, go to amazon and make sure it is popular and highly-regarded. In other words, it should have at least 45 reviews and it's star rating should be greater than a 4. If the razor you want passes all of these criteria, you should feel comfortable that it will be a good beginners safety razor.
A few final thoughts on finding your first safety razor.
Keep it simple for your first razor, there's no reason to get an adjustable or open-comb. Go with a fixed, closed-comb that is mild to medium aggressiveness.
You are learning technique, not trying to become a shave expert right out the gate? Oh, and guess how guys become shave experts? By starting with a beginner's razor and slowly progressing to the more advanced razors.
#2: Razor Blades
Most beginners spend weeks researching safety razors looking for the perfect one and then spend almost no time researching razor blades. They just buy whatever blades are available or pop-up as the advertisement.
Well guess what? The quality and design of the double-edge razor blades you use plays a huge role in the overall quality of your shave. Most beginners confuse quality with how sharp a blade is. That is definitely not what we are trying to say.
Some faces respond much better to a sharp blade while others need a more mild blade. And there's no hard rule as to which blade your face will prefer.
So how do you figure out what blades your face likes? Get a variety pack and test some out. After trying out a few brands, you'll probably figure out which ones give you a great shave without being unnecessarily aggressive and leading to bad razor burn or skin irritation
If you don’t want a variety pack, buy some blades than lean more to the mild end of the sharpness scale. Gradually step your way up to sharper blades.
#3: Shaving Brush
I went back and forth about whether or not to include a shaving brush in the required section. After all, you can apply pretty much any shaving cream or soap to your face without a brush. But your results are going to be far superior if you just go ahead and make the switch to using a shaving brush now.
Isn't a better shave one of the main reasons you wanted to switch to wet shaving anyway? Don't just dip your toe in, jump in and commit! Do you really want to go through all the work of switching to a safety razor only to get sub-optimal results just because you skipped on one of the basic tools pretty much every wet shaver uses?
I didn’t think so. There are so many benefits from a shaving brush that you are really doing yourself a disservice if you don't switch.
So what should you look for in your first shaving brush? Again, keep it simple.
There are really good quality shaving brushes available on Amazon for less than $15! Find a simple boar hair brush that is popular on Amazon (more than 40 reviews) with a rating of at least 4 stars and you should be good.
#4: Shaving Cream/Soap
You probably aren’t surprised to see shaving cream/soap on this list. However, you should know that there are some creams and gels you need to avoid: basically anything that comes out of an aerosol can. Just look at the ingredients and you will understand why.
Yeah, aerosol shaving creams and gels may be cheap and convenient to buy at a drugstore or grocery store, but they will cost you in the long run. They will dry your skin out and encourage razor burn and skin irritation.
So what should you buy? A reputable shaving soap or cream that is packaged in a jar, can or tube. No, not all soaps and creams that come in a jar, can or tube are the same. And yes I have my favorites.
But if you’re trying to make the switch to a safety razor asap and don't want to spend a month looking for the perfect soap or cream, I recommend taking the same approach that I recommended for finding a razor.
First, read a few unbiased reviews about soaps/creams in your price range on shave authority websites. Then go to Amazon and see if it has at least a 4 star rating with more than 50 reviews. If it meets all of these criteria and looks like something you want to try, give it a shot. It's the only way to figure out what you like.
There are lots of quality shaving soaps and creams available that differ based on a variety of factors. As long as you are staying away from anything in an aerosol can, it’s hard for beginner’s to screw this one up.
Wait, There’s More! 3 Optional But
Highly Recommended Products
#1: Pre-Shave Oil
One of the biggest mistakes guys make when shaving occurs before they make even 1 pass with the razor: they don’t properly prepare their face to be shaved.
Pre-shave oils may feel like overkill because you are going to be applying some type of lather anyway, but they add 1 more layer of lubricant to protect your face and ensure a smooth shave.
I was getting pretty great shaves before adding a pre-shave oil to my routine. But once I added this small extra step, I noticed a difference in less irritation. That extra layer of protection gives the benefit of moisturizing the skin while also helping to prevent razor burn.
#2: Post-Shave Moisturizer
It is really important that you apply a moisturizer to your face and neck after you shave. This really helps to re-hydrate your skin and prevent irritation the next time you shave. It’s all about thinking ahead…
So what kind of moisturizer should you use? One that is meant to be used on the face!
Yes, there are different types of moisturizers for your hands, face, body, etc. A good face moisturizer should help hydrate your face without being too oily. Good face lotions/moisturizers typically contain menthol, mint or eucalyptus and are much lighter than your typical hand or body lotion.
Your face may feel refreshed and good right after you shave and wash it clean, but applying a good moisturizer will really help later in the day and next day by keeping it hydrated and healthy.
#3: Alum Block
The last tool I highly recommend having in your wet shaving tool kit is an alum block. What is an alum block you ask? Yeah I had never heard of it until a few years ago either.
Alum blocks are typically made from potassium alum and usually look like a crystal bar of soap and come with a closeable traveling case. They are a natural astringent, drying agent and natural antiseptic and really help with softening post-shave razor burn while also helping close up and small nicks or cuts.
How do you use alum? Simply rinse your face after your shave but don’t dry it off. Then, run some water over the alum block and then gently rub the block on your face. Once you have finished running it over your face, leave the alum residue on for around 30 seconds. After about 30 seconds, rinse your face off.
Alum should be applied BEFORE your post-shave moisturizer because it is a drying agent. Applying it after defeats the purpose of using the moisturizer because the alum block will just then dry it out.
When you are applying the alum and feel some stinging, the alum block is talking to you and saying you were a little too rough in that area. This allows you to get great feedback on how you are shaving and what areas you really need to tighten up your technique.
Alum blocks can be bought for less than $10 and can last a really long time, we are talking years, so we think it is a worthwhile investment.
Getting Started Is The Hardest Part
Tom Petty said that the "waiting is the hardest part" but I disagree. Getting started is the hardest part when it comes to using a safety razor.
I know switching to a safety razor can be pretty intimidating but don’t get overwhelmed by information overload. When you’re first looking for what products to use, just keep it simple. Buy good quality but affordable products that will allow you to practice and learn technique without breaking the bank.
Once you get good at wet shaving and start to understand what you like and what you don’t like, then you can start to upgrade to some of the fancier more expensive products. So stop procrastinating! Get yourself a safety razor, shaving brush, some soap/cream and razor blades and start dominating your daily shave routine!
