shaving my head

just started shaving my head today for the first time ever and i think i will continue indefinitely as i have pattern baldness and think taking it all off looks better then being half bald.

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have been into straights and de for months now and while i enjoy those experiences for my face i have started shaving my head using a cartridge until i learn more. it took a long time though since the cartridge gummed up every centimeter along but should be easy hereafter now that it will just be stubble i am guessing.

now here is a real case for cost savings of straight or even de over cartridges since i will be shaving 10 times more hair every other day then i used to and expect to burn through blades and so i hope someday to transition to either de or straight. i have noticed many wet shaving techniques and products to be effective and am glad i learned that first on my face.

interested in anyone else who shaves their head to please chime in with your experiences using the different methods and products. how often do most people shave their head? since it will be difficult angling a blade around where i cannot see, do most people just use cartridges? is using a de easy or does it cause lots of cuts? i didn't get a single nick with the cartridge and it felt very easy and safe but it would be a fortune to use one forever i think.

I head shave everyday,use a headblade shadow,go thru 2 carts/mo.7 bux at walgreens pack of 4,cheap atras also fit.My head stubble is alot finer than my face whiskers by far.

nice, i just bought a headblade sport today by coincidence figuring if i am using a cartridge i might as well have one made for the job. my head hair is way finer then my face hair too, almost too fine to even cut easily I found. are you suggesting this will not damage the blade as much and so i should expect to get more shaves from a blade? do you shave your head in the shower? what do you use for your face, a straight after the shower? do you use the same soaps, lotions, alum, witch hazel? have you noticed any social ramifications of shaving your head, as in the way people react to you? i like it a lot so far but am a little nervous about it still.

lots of questions i have as you can see ;) i appreciate your help.

One would think finer stubble would make a blade last longer,I headshave in the shower,face at the sink after with straights.
I use Cella,P160 or Palmolive gut for everything,witchazel on occasion if I will be using a frag afterwards.Nivia balm or thayers skinfood.I am old,I do not care how people react to me anymore.
Downside of headshaving:Winter is a bitch,I have 4 ushankas and 7 fedoras,Summer,sunburn.
Banging your head into things hurts more.
Upside,no more haircuts $$$$$. The women love it,I tell them all,if you rub my head and buy a lotto ticket you will win for sure,Great sex:)) in the heat of passion you can do tricks like using your head as a pivot to do fantastic 360s on satin sheets,the list is endless,carry on.

I have had my head shaved for about the last 6 years. I shave it in the shower and up untill very recently never used any thing but the water from the shower head. I work as a RT in a catholic hospital here in Colorado and I dont get any static over my head, my tattoo's are a nother story entierly. I use the shick hydro razor for my head and I have a DE and a straight for my face. I would liek to start to use the DE on my head jsut cause it is so much cheaper and I get a way better shave with it. I will experiment a little with it this week end and let you know how it goes.

I've got a couple DE's that may end up being used on my head eventually...But I also use a cartridge type razor for my head. I can't really remember what it was like with hair. In fact, every question you asked, and feeling you have is exactly the reverse thought in my head. lol. Wow, it'd feel weird to have hair. I wonder how it looks? Why are my eyes itchy? I lather my head when I lather my face. I do the head with a cartridge, and face with a straight. I'm way too reckless, and antsy to sit through shaving my head with a straight. After you've been shaved bald for awhile, even having stubble will make your head feel dirty and gross. I shave my head every third day, as there's really not much growing except in the back. And I don't know what it looks like back there.

The red spots I see on the picture are probably from the use of the cartridge? I shave my head every two days with either a straight or a Feather (straight with replaceable blades). A real straight works great but looses it's sharpness rather quickly because of the volume of hairs that need to be removed, I find the Feather the most effective, can get about 10 shaves out of a blade. That doesn't mean I'm saying you should get a Feather because some like these razors and other absolutely don't (they are extremely sharp).

I prepare my head the same as my face (lots of water) and lather my head before I shave my face so the hair can become somewhat softer. I do two passes for a very smooth feeling, ATG and WTG (but one pass is enough to remove any visible hair). I find it much easier then a DE (but that works too) because you can take much longer strokes, a quick rinse in the water and the blade is good to go (no gummed up cartridge or DE). The difficult angling I solved by using a handheld mirror in one hand and facing away from the shaving mirror so I can see the back of my head in that mirror. Takes some getting used to as all movements are reversed. After a few times you'll get the hang of it, use short strokes without pressure. seems difficult but it's not really, a friend of mine who learned lots of people shave with a straight once had a blind man in his class and that worked out fine.

After a few months you won't need the second mirror any more, you'll be able to go with feel. If you want to try a straight for head shaving do the same thing Lynn tells in his DVD, start with the easiest part and go from there. That would be the front middle part, you can go ATG or WTG try and see what feels the easiest. If that works out you can try the sides, from the front to somewhere behind your ears, that might requires a somewhat other stroke (up - down) in the beginning but I go front to back while holding the straight vertical (watch out for your ear if you try it). For the removal of the hairs very close to the ear I remove the shaving cream so that I can see up close what I'm doing, otherwise you'll cut your ear lobe.

The back of the head is somewhat more difficult but after a few times muscle memory will kick in and it gets easier.

You might want to check out Thomas video on head shaving: Straight razor head shave - YouTube
Greets Ron

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Originally Posted by Ducati1198

I have had my head shaved for about the last 6 years. I shave it in the shower and up untill very recently never used any thing but the water from the shower head. I work as a RT in a catholic hospital here in Colorado and I dont get any static over my head, my tattoo's are a nother story entierly. I use the shick hydro razor for my head and I have a DE and a straight for my face. I would liek to start to use the DE on my head jsut cause it is so much cheaper and I get a way better shave with it. I will experiment a little with it this week end and let you know how it goes.

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I already have so many shaving tools I hate to have a few more just for my head, but I am thinking I might drop my DE in the shower and until I get the hang of it probably the headblade cartridge is the best option.

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Originally Posted by groovyd

I already have so many shaving tools I hate to have a few more just for my head, but I am thinking I might drop my DE in the shower and until I get the hang of it probably the headblade cartridge is the best option.

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Keep it simple,is just shaving:)

I have a feather already but am still just learning to face shave with it. It has been giving me pretty rough razor burn using the light blades that came with it, not because of too much pressure but because the blade doesn't protrude enough from the holder to shave using the right angle and I overcompensate by using a too steep angle. I think the pro blades might be better and will definately give this a try after I gain more experience. It would be simply awesome to be able to give myself an entire head and face shave BBS using only a straight. I think I agree with you regarding feather vs normal straight though in terms of blade maintenance. Dropping it is what concerns me most, that and whacking into my ear by accident.

Been shaving my head with a DE for about four years now. Prep is about the same as with the face. Been experimenting with the straight lately but it does take some getting used to. The front of the head is easy enough since I can see that but the back is purely by feel. I really pay close attention and go real slow around the ears and so far I still have both of them. My straight does seem to need a few laps on the leather before moving from my face to the head but I haven't really seen a lot of dulling from the hair on my head. Seems the only thing to do is just keep practicing!

@ groovyd: The head is actually easier to do as you don't have to stretch skin as in a normal face shave. You might be right about the light blades, have never used them so can't confirm that. The guarded ones don't do it for me, the professional and super professional are very good as are the Kai Milds. I know most users advice to keep the feather flat against the face but that doesn't work for me, I have to use the same angle as with a straight. The new Feather SS is another story, this one has a different head shape that allows to keep it flat on the skin and it automaticly achieves the correct angle. Much less chance to cut oneself but personally I prefer the old DX feather razor.

A bit of training and you'll get there ;-)

Just be careful head shaving with a straight! It can get ugly fast.

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Originally Posted by Snuff

@ groovyd: The head is actually easier to do as you don't have to stretch skin as in a normal face shave.

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My experience with head shaving is exactly the opposite. I find shaving my head with a straight far more difficult than my face because I have really coarse hair on my head, and because it is almost impossible to stretch the skin in some areas which need to have the skin stretched.
Maybe it's just 'cause I got a fat head...

I do still shave my head with a straight occasionally, just to be sure I remember how. I spent over a year mastering my technique, but now I usually just use a DE - it's faster and easier.

How does a DE compare to a headblade cartridge? Do you do it in the shower and if so do you use a mirror? One thing about the headblade that attracted me is it appears to be easy to do in the shower without a mirror.

If a headblade is the curved handle that your fingers slips through and it takes mach III blades, I used one one time - for me I didn't find it any better than a mach III, but I was routinely shaving my head without a mirror - I put the handle between my index and middle fingers and kept my thumb near the blade.
Since switching over to wetshaving, I basically use the same technique with a safety razor. I can do it pretty quickly without the use of a mirror.

If need be, I could probably make a video of shaving my actual head with a safety razor (or a straight if it helps)...

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Originally Posted by HNSB

If a headblade is the curved handle that your fingers slips through and it takes mach III blades, I used one one time - for me I didn't find it any better than a mach III, but I was routinely shaving my head without a mirror - I put the handle between my index and middle fingers and kept my thumb near the blade.
Since switching over to wetshaving, I basically use the same technique with a safety razor. I can do it pretty quickly without the use of a mirror.

If need be, I could probably make a video of shaving my actual head with a safety razor (or a straight if it helps)...

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That would be awesome! Thank you! I should probably start with DE. I got the EJ89 which is a smooth shaver and a new Feather stainless DE which is a bit more aggressive, which would you use?

I haven't really experimented a lot with different DE's. All I have are old Gillettes - I don't even know the model names for them.
I never got that into DE's.

I guess if one is smoother, I would start with that one.

i shave my head twice weekly using merkur de s tried few vintage gilettes but cant seem to get them just right for my head . a good shaving cream first then thayers witch hazel post shave seems to work for me .

Definitely looks better. You will never be a handsome man but this is Definitely an improvement. hahahaha
Once you'r used to bare, you want nothing more.
I shave my head every day with a str8. It's easier than with a cartridge, and if you still shave with a straight , then all the way!
have fun

I razor shaved my head for about a month using a DE. Be sure you prep your head very well and you're using a new sharp blade. I tend to use cheap Wilkinson sword blade so I would do a wtg and xtg with one and if I went atg id use a fresh blade. IMHO it was easier to do with a thinner lather than I use on my face. As your parts you cannot see, I just went by feel. Best of luck.

I have been shaving my head for 2 years now and always used the Schick Quattro Titanium. I tryed the Fusion and the Headblade. The Fusion did not get me as close as I like and the Headblade was the worst product I've used in years! I am moving onto my str8 slowly because it will save me some money and I like the fact it takes time to do right.

Ive shaved my head now for going on 8 years now, i used to use a 3-4 blade razor but they would ALWAYS gunk up, i would always have to clean it out with in two little strokes, but i switch to a HeadBlade, took a little to get used to and it kinda had the same problem, until i got the cheap two blade ATRA Auto Plus refills! they worked great, i could get 3-4 long strokes before i had to wash it off under the shower head, and i could get a very smooth shave, i can get two shaves no prob, before changing refills. and with the HeadBlade i can lather up with a bar of soap in the shower, close my eyes and have my head done in 2min, as far as the cartridges go, you can get them on E-bay for like $10 for 50. others don't like it, but i love it. it all depends on what you like,, JR