Thread: Shaving In The Shower?

I have made the decision to try using a straight razor and am now waiting for my new Dovo straight razor to arrive. While I'm waiting I have been pouring over this forum and the internet to get as much information as possible on how to make the switch successful. Here are some of the questions I still have:

1. Does anyone have experience using a straight razor in the shower? This is how I've been shaving for over twenty-five years with disposables. What are the down sides for this?

2. I have been shaving my head for the past fifteen years. Since I will be a total newbie to this I'm thinking I will need to keep shaving my head (at least in the back) witht a disposable for a while. Can anyone speak to their experience on the switch on shaving their head?

3. On average how many shaves do you get out of your straight razor before you strop your razor? Does a "dull" straight razor feel similar to a dull disposable on your face?

Thanks for any and all feedback. I'm really hoping that this turns our to be a great experience.

Dropping a straight razor in the shower can have much more dire consequences in comparison to dropping a cartridge razor. You could lose a good friend that way.

Showers are for bathing not shaving, learn how to master a staright razor shave on your face before shaving your head. Shaving with a straight is nothing like shaving with plastic razors, be carefull. Juan.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Dropping a straight razor in the shower can have much more dire consequences in comparison to dropping a cartridge razor. You could lose a good friend that way.

Change from tenor to soprano

You need to strop your razor every time before you shave. This does not take long once you get the right stropping technique.

TxDeuce;

The short answer is: "Don't!"

Shaving with a straight razor in the shower is a bad idea for many reasons.

First of all, keep this rule in mind:

"Wet face, dry razor, dry hand."

Subjecting the handle (and pivots) to a constant flow of moisture is never a good idea. It can aggravate rust issues for the blade and also pose potential problems for the scales if they be made of anything other than micarta, acrylic plastic or metal. The best approach when shaving with a straight is that the only part of the razor that should contact anything wet (water, shaving cream, etc.) is that part of the blade from the tang on forward to the point. Getting water in the pivot pin area or on the scales should be avoided as much as possible.

Second of all, although a warm, soapy, moist environment might be just the thing for softening your whiskers it is also just the sort of environment in which you can easily lose your grip on the razor. It would be bad enough if your expensive razor falls and shatters on the floor of the tub or shower stall, but if that sharp blade (or broken pieces of same) should happen to contact certain body parts on the way down you will not be a happy camper.

A third point is that applying shaving cream in a wet evironment will also lead to issues. If your face is too wet, the shaving cream is going to run. Wet, runny shaving cream is what you do not want - falling off the razor or the whisker cutoffs running down your face getting in the way of your shave. And what will you wipe your razor off on? Are you going to hold it under running water? We also have the potential for other objects to be slipping out of the hand and falling (brushes, shave cream, scuttles, you name it).

No, in my opinion shaving in the shower is definitely not advised.

Originally Posted by TxDeuce

1. Does anyone have experience using a straight razor in the shower?
I'm really hoping that this turns our to be a great experience.

Using a cutthroat in the shower could be a novel way to reduce the dilution of the gene pool. It might be an experience, that's for sure.

On a more serious note; wet hands, exposed privates and a cutthroat razor is not a good idea.
Most of us strop before every shave, some also strop a few strokes after, to clean the blade and reduce the chance of edge corrosion.

Okay, you guys have convinced my that shaving in the shower with a straight razor is a BAD idea. Now I just have to handle the fallout from the wife on a messy sink. Oh well what's a guy to do!

Originally Posted by TxDeuce

Okay, you guys have convinced my that shaving in the shower with a straight razor is a BAD idea. Now I just have to handle the fallout from the wife on a messy sink. Oh well what's a guy to do!

Keep the sink cleaned up?

When I started out, I shaved in the shower, but I don't miss it at all.

I found with a straight the sink stays much cleaner that with cartridge razors. I got water happy the first time i used my straight since I was rising the hair/lather off as I shaved my razor got a little discolored at the hinge. So I stole 7 of our old hand towels and just wipe the razor on the towel while shaving to remove the hair/lather. This keeps your hands dry and the sink clean and (swmbo) happy. If you use rubbing alcohol on the blade after you are finished this cleans the blade for next time. Then all there is is a few more towels to wash.