Thread: Bald guy from Jersey

Brand new to the forum, and looking to get away from my current method (gillette mach 3) of shaving. I have been reading some threads and watching some utube videos. I am considering both straight razor as well as safety razors mainly for the cost, but the more I research the more it appears that what I consider an arduous process can be quite enjoyable. I have not purchased anything yet, but I am looking and this is where I am going to need my first bit of advice. I am considering disposable straight razor to start and then moving up to exellent quality razor. While checking ebay though the prices are all over the place. So where do I even start?
As the title states I am completely bald. That is by choice. I do have male patteren baldness working but decided to take it all off for almost ten years now. Shaving my head with either a straight or a safety razor will have to work in some how. I have a feeling that my cartridge razor will be around for quite a while.

Welcome to the Forum voltage. There's tonnes of info around here to help you with your journey into the world of straights. There's a few head shavers around these parts that can help you with advice on that area. Enjoy.

Welcome voltage. If I was to shave my head, I would start with a DE razor. Edwin Jagger razors are a good place to start, if you want to go new, and a sampler pack of DE blades. The initial outlay seems expensive, but, you quickly recoup the costs, and you can throw those carts away.

Originally Posted by voltage

While checking ebay though the prices are all over the place. So where do I even start?

Good question.
Hello and welcome to SRP,... you've come to right place.

You don't have much to loose with your initial purchase of a DE razor as they are all pretty reasonable pricewise and most all will do the job that you would expect.
When it comes to purchasing your first straight though it is a bit more complicated.
I would suggest you take advantage of the experience at your fingertips and do not buy anything without first running it by a senior member of the forum.
Rule #1, 2, 3 and 4,.......Do not consider any razor that is from China, India or Pakistan that sells new for less than $100.
Right there we've eliminated almost 70% of eBay offerings.
There is a list around here someplace of straight razor name brands to shy away from.
I've got it on file someplace, maybe I can pm it to you.
The main thing to remember is that you have lots of time to educate yourself especially if you start by becoming comfortable with the safety razor first.
You are on the right track Voltage especially if you continue to read and ask questions first.
Enjoy the ride and remember that's half the fun of getting there.

Ralph

Welcome to the forum!!

I don't have experience with disposable straight razors (shavettes) but I've heard they are much less forgiving. At the barber shop, I always get the back of my neck shaved and it always feels so scratchy when they do it, I think this is because they use disposable blades.. Double edge safety razors are a great choice, and I get great shaves from them! Another great thing about them is that blades for them are dirt cheap! I think a double edge would be the way to go if I were shaving my head. I do find shaving with a straight razor much more satisfying than a double edge shave though. Not because the shaves are better (typically I get a closer shave with a DE) but the process of shaving with a straight is very enjoyable for me.

Welcome to the world of wet shaving. As a warning it can be very addictive and enjoyable. Proceed with caution! haha.

Cheers,
Zac

Where in NJ are you? I live in Mercer and can help get you started if you are nearby.

Hi and welcome. There is lots of info in the library (link up top) and the search will help answer lots of questions. A good place to start is probably away from ebay and amazon as there are too many shoddy products on there and starting out many people get caught this way. Any of the site vendors will have quality products you know will be good and perform for you. The classifieds is another good place to look for used items. Good luck with the hunting. Ed

I'm in the far north west corner if the state

I am also bald by choice. The top of my head front to back is very sparse and I shave my head about once a week. I have used cartridges, disposable straight and regular straight. I am thinking about trying my wife's new DE to see how it does, but have not yet. In my experience both straights work better than a cartridge. I had a big problem where the thicker hair (sides of head) clog up the multi blades and ended up running over the hair, not cutting.
Shaving with a straight is very doable. Once you learn how to use a straight you can shave by feel and not sight so the back of the head is not an issue. Plus it is a more consistent shape than your face. The disposable SR gets the job done fine and I use that often. It is easier to get the angles behind the ears because of the shorter blade.
A regular SR feels better to me, is more forgiving but the amount of hair (thickness and surface area) makes the blade need to be touched up faster than just using it to shave a face. I was hitting the strop paste more and more often and finally had to send it out to be professional honed again.

Go very slow the first time, watch the angle. With the regular SR I will touch the back of the blade to my head (almost like laying it flat) to give me a reference where to start the angle where you can't see in the mirror. It is hard to describe unless you do it, you get a sense of where the blade is and your hand will know from muscle memory how far to rotate to get the proper angle.

Thanks Voltage! I am in your exact same situation (Mach 3 + Noxzema Sensitive Skin Shave Cream on my face and bald head in the shower). I too am considering straight razor for the closeness of shave

Looks to be a learning process and there is a wealth of info here!