Thread: Shavettes, the whole truth.

Morning

Let me begin with my experience. I have been shaving with various shavettes for 6 years. I have tried a vast number of blade holders( dovo, focus, wierd plastic no name thing at the dollar store, Feather ss) and blades Single edge (SE) and Double edge (DE).

First off lets dispel some rumors.

Often people claim that these aren't meant for shaving. hmmm they use razor blades and cut hair....That sounds like shaving to me.

The are too sharp and will cause more cuts. Most people I know don't like dull shaving instruments so I would hope the are sharp.

The corners always catch. That is a skill issue and we can get to this later...

This style of shaving is great for the beginner. It eliminates so many variables. There is no honing, stropping required. These 2 things alone have caused many of the curious to walk away from straight shaving. These are very precise movements that are difficult to get right when your blood is rushing at the thought of putting a blade to your face.

For those of you who are currently thinking about jumping in lets start small. Work on your prep and lather first. Buy a brush and some shaving soap/cream. Take a long shower to prep the beard, use a beard softener if you wish Poraso is a good start. Then work on your lather with your fancy new brush. Work on your lathers for a week or two. Continue to use the multiblade razor during this period. You will feel a difference, it will be immediate and will get better over this short time frame.

Also start shaving with your multiblade as if your wrist is locked with your elbow. Think of it like a train conductor pulling the horn, or those kids in the back of a school bus asking the trucker to blow the horn. You wrist is locked and your elbow is moving.

Now that you have mastered the prep and lather it is time to get that first shave. My first shavette shaves were done with a very inexpensive trimming shaver from a local barber supply. Cut or break your DE blade in half load the shavette as per the instructions on the package and lets get to the shaving.

Before we start putting this thing to our face look at the blade. Those corners of the razor are not at the edge of the shavette are they ? There is usually some space between the end of the shavette and the corner of the razor blade. If this is a cheap 8 dollar holder get a sharpie out and mark the edge of the razor on the blade holder. The razor blade protrudes a bit at this spot on both sides. When your shavette is covered in shaving soap you will not see this corner, creating an optical illusion regarding razor location. When trying to get into tight corners this illusion will cause you to guess and then cut yourself.

I cannot stress enough Do Not Use the ends of the razor to shave. The belly or middle does the shaving. The 1/8" on either side should be left out of the major shaving. They will be on your face don't misunderstand, but the part you are looking to shave with is the center.

Lets get to the first shave, in many ways its like straights. See Lynn's post in the beginners forum to understand if this is your first time.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...ead-first.html I will wait ........

Ok thanks for coming back. Now the differances, you will need to pull a little bit. NOT ALOT A little. Many of the shavettes, excluding the Feather clubs, have no weight. This is the biggest difference between Straight and Shavette shaving. This is also why you see those bloody experiences all over the shavette forums. You will need to pull, but not like with your multibladers.

Remember when I told you to go all train conductor with that multiblade, lets put that to use. The motion and angle are what you are learning here. Get that blade on your dominant hand side of your face. For most of us that will be on the right, pull the skin up with your left hand and with that 20 to 30 degree angle of the razor shave that cheek. Woo Woo (train whistle). Now if this is your first time, STOP. You did it. You put a blade to your face and cut hairs. Put the razor down and continue to shave with your multiblade. Why? Because your heart is pumping, you feel alive and you most likely didn't cut yourself.

If your heart is racing by the end of this pass you will most likely have a hand tremor. Shaking means the blade moves wrong and then you cut yourself. I want you to be free from those garbage hunks of plastic. You will get there I promise. Put the shavette down.

After a week or two you will begin to feel more relaxed. Then go for the rest of the face. There are tons of great attack pattern posts all over this forum. Read them all. There is hundreds of years of experience here regarding the paths to shave, direction of hair and number of passes.

You will begin to be so confident with that razor that you will be whipping it out on that 3 day hike in no time. Just remember, watch those corners, lock the wrist and you will be on your way to freedom and a smoother, more comfortable shave.

WoooWoOooO