Thread: Head Shave

First attempt at a head shave was terrible - Had to finish up with the disposable bic. My hair is straight, black, course and thick. you can guess why I either shave it bald or down to stubbles.

the reason I got into straight razor shaving was for my head so today was the dry run. I learned a few things:

1) what is sharp enough for my face is in no means sharp enough for my head.
2) a hollow does not work - it must be a stiff stiff blade to plow through the hairs
3) I have a long way to go before being able to feel comfortable holding the blade and knowing where the blade is on the back of my head
4) applying large amounts of AS to scalp after a headshave can cause possible dizziness and possible blackout due to searing pain
and finally...DAM that was exhilerating.

I have to watch a few more videos on head shaving and improve the sharpness of the turner wedge and maybe even give the Le Grelot 1/4 a shot on my head too.

Andy

Don't worry - a bit of practice and your head will not know what hit it!

James.

Yeah, my first attempt at shaving my head with a straight didn't end to well either. Come to think of it, my second and third attempts weren't much better. The same can be said for shaving my face though. You'll get there in the end!

Normally, if the razor is sharp enough for your face it is for your head too IME. It's more (again IME) a question of technique. Required blade angle is the same but judging that correctly is another thing. As with much of shaving with a straight, it's a question of practice. Keep at it and it will get better. Good luck.

Thanks guys - within the overnight my head already is covered by thick hard stubble - the tough part is I need to give my head most likely 2 days rest at which point I will have more hair than I need -

It's funny when you got it, you want to get rid of it, when you don't have it, you want it back.

I will try again on tuesday night and do some heavy duty prep on the head with hot towels and hopefully Hot Shaving Cream.

Thanks again for the responses - Much appreciated.

andy

I've not tried shaving my head with a straight. I have shaved with a safety razor. Usually I use clippers. In both cases, when I've removed the hair, I found it cuts easier if I wash my hair first. You might give that a try and see if it helps.