Thread: head?

Does anyone shave their head? My razor arrives on Monday, I have never used a straight razor, it will be my first straight razor. I think I'm going to give the head a try. Bad idea?

Yer people do.

Welcome to the forum, which razor did you buy?

Dovo "Best Quality" from Vintage Blades LLC.

and a Vintage Blades Brand 2" Wide Latigo razor strop.

, and 2 styptic pencils.

Originally Posted by jbbushman

, and 2 styptic pencils.

Looks good, enjoy!

Originally Posted by jbbushman

Does anyone shave their head? My razor arrives on Monday, I have never used a straight razor, it will be my first straight razor. I think I'm going to give the head a try. Bad idea?

There are a few of us actually.

I'd suggest you get used to the straight on areas where you can actually see what you are doing first, before tackling your head with one. In particular, the back of the head can be tricky because you cannot see where the blade touches the skin, and must use feel (unless you want to set up mirrors or something).

Having said that, you might be a natural at straights, who knows? But in all frankness, try a straight on your face first. If you have never used one before, it can be a weird feeling. Strange grips and handles dangling about everywhere, etc ...

I made a video of me shaving my head a while back - it may be useful to you. It is in the videos sub-forum somewhere.

Good luck!!

James.

I already love this website.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

(unless you want to set up mirrors or something)

I've never tried to shave my head with a straight, since I stopped shaving my head before I started using a straight. However, I would REALLY discourage trying to shave the back of your head with mirrors unless you've done a lot of work with multiple mirrors and you're very comfortable with it.

It's very easy to feel the stubble on skin that is stretched as tight as the average scalp.

What I always did was soap up, and then I would keep my left hand flat on my head and rub back and forth over the area i was shaving.

This does three things:

1. It continually redistributes the soap, which is good because lubrication is really important on sensitive skin.

2. It really gives you a good idea of where everything is, and how it's all shaped. This is a very rear-brain activity, and that's where the information collected from the feeling in your hands goes.

3. It makes it really easy to find missed spots.


Also, like several other people have suggested, I'd to one thing at a time. IIRC, the guy who went 3 months before his first nick, did it largely by starting slow. I'd get comfortable with a straight first, and then try putting it on your melon. Learning to do both at once seems like a good way to lose an ear.

Jimbo's advice is spot on. Get the feel for it on your face first, it's certainly not a bad idea though.