Thread: Frequency question, maybe a stupid one

My question: do I have to use a straight razor for every shave to get my beard and face "adjusted" to it, or can I use my Gillette Mach whatever when I'm in a hurry?

I love the luxury and pampering ritual of my SR shaves, but sometimes just don't have the time to do it right. Admittedly, I'm new and learning and will probably get more efficient, time-wise, but in the meantime, I wanted to know if I'd be sacrificing anything other than the experience and learning time.

thanks in advance for reading this and answering.

Well first off as my Grandfather told me, the only stupid question is the one not asked. And with that being said whe I was first starting off I used the straight for every shave, I started shaving at nights so I didnt have to get up an hour earlier just to shave. But If I am in a pinch or I am recalled to work on my day off I will on ocasion use the multi blade distroyer (If I have to just get up and go) other than that I will use my DEs (I have gotten down to less than a 10min shave).

Not a stupid question at all. You may wish to not shave at all on some days as your skin gets used to straight razor shaving. Shaving with a straight removes some skin, and a DE can be reasonably harsh (compared to a plastic thingy) too. Hopefully you'll have a lot of time ahead of you to build up the skills. I found it took about three months before I was good at it, after a year I was very good. Now, after two years) I consider myself to be well versed in the art...

Part of the fun is switching around between weapons...

Most days I use a straight.. When I a little short on time, I use a Feather Artist Club. REALLY short on time, I use a DE.

Rarely do I go unshaven. In fact, many days I shave twice...

So whatever and whenever it works for you. I don't think skin has a memory, but your muscles do, so more often is better for muscle memory.

I think that we all had the same doubt and we all found alternative solutions like a DE, a plastic cartridge, shaving at night ...
I can tell you that after 6-9 months of regular SR shaving I was able to get an acceptable and risk free shave in 5 minutes.
Go on and with experience your only obstacle will be hand baggage when flying.

[QUOTE=MikekiM;

Most days I use a straight.. When I a little short on time, I use a Feather Artist Club. REALLY short on time, I use a DE.[/QUOTE]

I'm using a modified version of this Multi-system approach. Straight is the method of choice, Feather if I am pressed for time or on the road for long term and a M3 for those short carry-on trips. A travel brush and a shave stick or a small container of something and I can cling to the basics of wet shaving no matter what...

Good luck and good shaving!

I tend to use straights for most shaves, but there are times when the snooze button calls a few times. When that happens, I will use a DE, but I still take the time to make a decent lather, so the only time I'm saving is the drying of the razor and the before/after stropping. Use whatever works for you, experiment and your daily shave will never be boring routine again.

As soon as I seen the word frequency I thought someone else had a big radio like me, damn:-(

Like mentioned above I too shave at nights. I find it more enjoyable, less rushed an the shave will outlast your upcoming work day 99.9% if the time.

I personally choose to shave with a straight all the time, however I find DE shaving acceptable. Multi blades tend to bother my skin so I try to stay away from them all together.

To answer the question in the OP, IMO it's depending. The reason I say this is because if you are sensitive to multi blades like I am you may end up with some blemishes or skin irritation after using them, this means your face will need time to heal from the multi blade shaves and when you do shave with a straight you will always have sub optimal result due to prior blemishes. If you stick with a straight you can usually avoid all the blemishes and just enjoy an ideal close shave.

YMMV when it comes to the result you get with a cart razor, but I have found since I ditched the Mach and DE and became dedicated to a straight the results are better all around.

Skin sensitivity will have a lot to do with it. If your face is not particularly sensitive (abrasion resistant) you'll be fine; the "acclimatization" period will be much of an issue.

In the end you won't know until you try.