Thread: Merkurs aren't for people of color?

Today, I was talking to one of my buddies. After I told him that I wanted to purchase a Merkur, he went on to tell me that those type of razors aren't for black folks because we would get bumps.

Does he have a point?


I told him that they don't sell razors according to race. We use the same over the counter razors without getting bumps.


Any thoughts?

Yer, that's bull IMO.

Originally Posted by inquisitive

Today, I was talking to one of my buddies. After I told him that I wanted to purchase a Merkur, he went on to tell me that those type of razors aren't for black folks because we would get bumps.

Does he have a point?


I told him that they don't sell razors according to race. We use the same over the counter razors without getting bumps.


Any thoughts?

I remember some guys in the Navy who used this awful smelling paste and then used a butter knife to scrape off their whiskers so that they would avoid those bumps.
I say if you don't get the bumps normally you wont get them with a merkur...but what do I know? I never got shaving bumps and am not black.

The general opinion is that the worst razors for causing razor bumps are multi-bladed cartridges.

DEs (Double-Edge razors) such as the Merkur are better. Especially since it is easy to "tune" the closeness of the shave. Shaving so close that the cut hair tip is below the skin surface is what causes razor bumps. DE razors work by a process of stubble elimination. First pass gets rid of the bulk. Next gets closer, and so on. Changing direction each time gives further control.

A 5-blade cartridge on the other hand takes away your choice. Wherever you shave you just did 5 passes worth of shaving. Some hairs will get cut real short and can cause bumps.

If you use a DE and avoid against the grain passes you are unlikely to get bumps.

I have heard many times (including from at least one dermatologist) that DEs are the best way to avoid razor bumps for people of color. Of course, individual experience can vary, but I'd say you're probably ok with a Merkur.

Keep in mind, though, that it might take a couple of weeks before you're really used to it--and those first couple of weeks can be rough for some people.

NO! any razor that is not a straight razor will give you the worst bumps ever!!! Just kidding... The DE is a fantastic leap in shave confort. Forget about the myths... if you don't get bumps anyway, you'll get even less with a DE. I could, however be wrong... but it would be a strange thing, a DE giving a worse shave than a cartridge razor.
But since you're here... can we interest you in the fine art of straight razor shaving?
Welcome aboard our own freaky little world! SRP is the best!

Using a single-blade razor is a great way to
avoid in-grown hairs. Stiffer blades such as
a straight, injector, or even a Bic sensitive
will be even better than a DE. Always shave
with the grain only, using no pressure.

I'm not sure about shaving `bumps' in the
general sense, but combating in-growns is
as simple as not shaving the hair below the
surface of the skin.

- Scott

I am not a person of color, but I believe that if a blade does not cut the hair beneath the skin it should not create a bump. When I was in the Army I always felt sorry for you guys and the things you had to do to avoid the bumps. Bumps arent fun in the least. Give it a try, if it works, great, if it dont, drop it like a hot rock. God bless and good luck!

I suffer from ingrowns if i'm not ridiculously careful. I went from a vintage Gillette to a Merkur Futur & found i got far more ingrowns with the Merkur. After lots of experimenting i found that two passes on an aggressive setting got the best results, rather than more on a gentler one.

Inquisitive;

I, too, have suffered a bit from ingrown hairs and razor bumps.

My dermatoligist once told me that black people on the average tend to suffer a bit more from these problems because their hair/whiskers have more curl which makes it slightly more likely that the cut off whiskers will dive into or below the skin line rather than growing out as one would wish.

His advice to me (and for others who suffer these problems) is to try NOT to shave terribly close to the skin, but rather to go for the slightly rough 'Don Johnson look' (à la Miami Vice).