Wet shaving can be pretty intimidating when you first get started. When I first started using a safety razor, I had no idea what I was doing.
Sure, I had read a few articles on how to use a safety razor and related articles about how guys were starting to go back to the classic safety razor because it saved them a lot of money and delivered great results. But I really had just scratched the surface when it came to actually understanding the fundamentals of wet shaving.
And if that's where you're at right now, I want you to know that is perfectly normal. You shouldn't expect yourself to pickup a safety razor and become an expert wet shaver overnight. It takes time and learning from mistakes to get good at it.
So today I wanted to cover 8 of the most common wet shaving mistakes I hear guys (including myself) make. This way, maybe we can help speed up the learning curve for some of you beginners. Also, I think this will be a good little refresher course for veteran wet shavers because although some of you have been using a safety razor for a while now, you might be making some mistakes that you don't even think about.
Mistake #1: Not Adequately Preparing
Your Beard Before You Shave
If you don’t properly prepare your skin and beard prior to a shave, you are setting yourself up for failure. The problem is most guys have no idea that they aren’t preparing their beard sufficiently because they are more worried about shaving as quick as possible instead of slowing down and getting a good shave. I made this mistake for years.
Before I was a wet shaving convert, I used to just splash some water on my face and then apply some shaving gel to my beard with my bare hands.
It’s extremely important that you clean, hydrate, moisturize and soften the beard before a shave. Otherwise, your safety razor is just going to pull and tug at your facial hair instead of cutting them off.
I have already written a guide on how to improve your pre-shave routine to get a closer shave with less irritation you should check out, but essentially you have 3 goals when prepping your beard for a shave.
- Clean your face, neck and beard
- Hydrate and moisturize your skin and beard
- Lubricate
There’s a lot of different pre-shave routines men use to achieve these goals, but just make sure whatever your pre-shave routine is you’re accomplishing all of that.
Mistake #2: Not Using a High-Quality Lather
It’s extremely important that you use a high-quality lather when shaving. Unfortunately, most men aren’t even aware that there are better options out there besides the stuff they have been buying in aerosol cans at the drugstore.
Can I make a suggestion? Please stop buying any type of lather that comes in an aerosol can. They may be convenient to buy and easy to apply, but they kill the performance and are not good for your skin and beard. Take a look at the ingredients on the can and you will understand why.
You see, products in those aerosol cans need a propellant to get them out. And propellants will dry your skin out. So the manufacturers of these shaving gels and creams have to make up for it by adding artificial lubricants and a whole bunch of other products that should not be on your face because they will either dry it out or could cause some different reaction on your skin. Why take the chance?
I don’t want this post to turn into a product post, but I just want to say I recommend using high-quality shaving soaps and creams that are made from natural ingredients. They make a huge difference.
The lather from a good shaving soap or cream does two things. First of all, it acts as a barrier between the razor and your skin to protect the skin from razor irritation. It’s essentially a lubricated barrier to prevent too much friction from occurring.
Secondly, good lathers will also help soften the beard. They usually contain some type of potassium alkali and this is what helps really soften up the beard and make it easier to cut.
So just make sure you’re putting a little more effort in researching your lather and what is in it. It can make a huge impact on the quality of your shave.
Mistake #3: Shaving With An Inferior Blade
If double-edge blades didn’t have a brand or logo on them, it would be pretty much impossible to distinguish between different brands because they all look really similar.
But don’t think for a second that just because all double edge blades look similar that they all have the same characteristics and deliver the same performance. They don’t. If you want to get a great shave from your safety razor, you need to use high-quality double-edge razor blades.
Mistake #4: Shaving with the Wrong Blade
You need to make sure you are buying good quality blades, but you also need to make sure you are buying the right blades for your features. You could buy the most expensive DE blades on the market, but if it’s too aggressive or sharp, it’s not going to be a good shave.
Like I just discussed, safety razor blades all look really similar, but they can have dramatically different characteristics. They can vary significantly on things like how sharpness, durability, comfort, etc.
What do you need out of your razor blade? Don't go for the sharpest most aggressive blade just because you think it might give the closest shave. It also might nick you up pretty good and give bad razor irritation.
There are lots of great blades out there that other wet shavers recommend that are not going to be right for you. You need to find the right blade, not what works best for someone else.
And unfortunately, it may take a little trial and error to find out what DE blades work best for you. That’s why I recommend getting a DE blade sampler pack when you’re first starting out.
Mistake #5: Shaving Against the Grain
Shaving against the grain is just asking for trouble. It leads to ingrown hairs, razor bumps, razor irritation and overall just a poor quality shave.
Most men actually know it’s not smart to shave against the grain but still accidentally make the mistake anyway. How so? They don’t really understand what direction the hair on their face and neck actually grows.
If you have never taken the time to map your beard, I highly recommend you do so before shaving again. I guarantee it will improve your performance at least a little.
Mistakes #6 & #7: Applying Too Much Pressure AND Holding the Razor at the Wrong Angle
I lumped these 2 mistakes together because they are often made at the same time. Why? Because if you’ve been using a cartridge razor or electric razor your entire life before switching to a safety razor, you have probably developed some poor habits when it comes to shaving technique.
There’s definitely a learning curve to using a safety razor because and you are going to have to break some bad habits. Unfortunately, cartridge razors and electric razors are really easy to use because they don’t require any skill or adjustments from the person using them.
With most cartridge razors, you can shave at just about any angle because the razorhead pivots, and you need to apply pressure because they are so light and flimsy. But guess what? This is exactly what you’re not supposed to do with a safety razor.
First of all, the angle of the razor should be held at about 30 degrees to the shaving surface.
Second of all, you really shouldn’t be applying any pressure. You want to let the weight of the razor do the work for you.
Bad habits are hard to break so it takes some practice to really learn the right technique. So be patient because the cartridge and electric razors you’ve been doing your whole life didn’t do you any favors in preparing you for a safety razor.
Mistake #8: Not Having a Good Post-Shave Routine
It’s really important that you take care of your face and neck after shaving. Shaving is incredibly rough and abrasive on your beard and skin. And if you don’t take care of you face afterwards, it will come back to get you.
I have a post-shave routine that I think is pretty awesome and highly recommend. But what all do you need to try and accomplish to consider it a successful post-shave routine?
- Treat any nicks and cuts
- Apply an antiseptic to kill bacteria
- Moisturize
Those are the main three things every wet shaver will need to do after a shave, but if you get ingrown hairs, razor bumps or razor burn, you may need to add some more steps to your routine.
I do want to make a note of recommending you stay away from traditional aftershaves that contain alcohol. Your skin is probably dry and inflamed after a shave and putting a product with alcohol on it will just exacerbate it even more.
Don’t Expect to Become an Expert Wet Shaver Overnight
Like I said earlier, don’t expect to be an expert wet shaver that gets amazing results right out of the box. It takes some time to really learn how to use your safety razor, shaving brush and other wet shaving products. I’m still learning new things all the time when it comes to safety razors. But stay patient and continue to work on your technique and you'll be there in no time.
All you veteran wet savers out there: do you have any other advice for beginners? What mistakes did you make when you first started out?
