Why A Safety Razor

For 29 years - except for a quick fling with an awful electrical wet shaver - I used a multi-bladed cartridge razor thinking that was the best possible instrument for the job. Every few years I might purchase the new model with yet one more blade only to search out it accomplished the job exactly the identical - that is - to depart me with a horrible red rash and irritable skin that would have to be shaved again the following day and rarely allowed to heal.

By probability in the future I stumbled on a safety razor. I used to be instantly taken by it is old fashioned design and high quality appearance. Then I heard that these things were actually supposed to give you a better shave than cartridge razors reminiscent of your Gillettes and Wilkinson Swords, and that the blades value considerably less. I immediately bought one to present it a go however anticipated to be disappointed.

Getting used to utilizing it was a little bit of a studying curve. I might develop into accustomed to having no regard for the angle of the blade and pressing the razor to my face, after three passes with the safety razor my skin still felt slightly irritated and I had a few tiny weeping cuts.

Nonetheless, I nonetheless felt lots less irritation compared to my old cartridge razor so determined to present the safety razor a month's trial, keeping the triple bladed razor handy till I'd made my mind up or was in a rush. Nonetheless, I've still but to use it.

After doing my research, studying the right blade angle and realising that the burden of the razor applies the pressure moderately than my hand, the safety razor was providing glorious shaves. I went from skipping a days shaving whenever I might to let my skin heal to shaving day-after-day with no rash or irritation. I learnt how the hair on my face grows in all completely different directions and the simplest combos of strokes to make use of to cut them. I learnt about right preparation pre-shave which is something I'll go into in a future post. Best of all, shaving turned from a torturous daily chore to be endured into a calming, meditative ritual.

So how can a design that was all however deserted forty years ago provide a superior experience to the trendy design that changed it? Why was the design of the safety razor replaced at all? To reply the first query we must take a look at how the cartridge razor works. In all of the adverts we're told that these products provide the closest shave potential, however how do they do that?

The design is such that the bottom blade in the cartridge both cuts the hair or pulls it. If it cuts the hair it would additionally pull the hair slightly out of the skin and the second blade will cut it once more earlier than it absolutely retracts back into the skin. If it pulls the hair it will do the identical thing, pulling the follicle forward and letting the second (or third, or forth) blade reduce the hair higher up earlier than the hair retreats. This provides a close shave, however can also go away the hair cut beneath the extent of the skin. This is what should be blamed for my day by day discomfort. I wonder what number of men with 'pseudofolliculitis barbae' or 'razor rash' proceed to shave with these razors that worsen or cause their condition.

As for the query of why the safety razor design was abandoned, my view is that it was a intelligent advertising trick by a really large razor manufacturer, maybe the inventor of the 'loss leader' marketing strategy, but I am going to depart it there.

With a safety razor, I discovered that I might get a shave that felt as close, i.e I could not feel that hair was current or make that scratchy sound you get while you run your fingers over your 5 O'Clock shadow, however not so shut that it caused me irritation.