Thread: Straight razor = softer stubble?

+1 to what Lynn said. With a Mach 3 I had to shave a second time if SWMBO and I were heading out in the evening.

Now I get a full day with a straight.

And yes, my stubble is much softer than with the M3.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Yes same here

My theory has always been the the hair is cut at less severe of an angle and therefor feels less sharp, it is not actually softer...

I could of course be way wrong but it sounds good

I'm with you Glen. The throw away things only let you shave on a certain angle. Safety razors can be a bit restrictive too

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Yes same here

My theory has always been the the hair is cut at less severe of an angle and therefor feels less sharp, it is not actually softer...

I could of course be way wrong but it sounds good

I think Glenn is on to something.

I suspect that in some cases a str8 is just sharper
and can slice the bark off a whisker. So the "stump"
is more like a beaver cut it rather than a chain saw.

But some folk have microscopes.... why should we
guess we can look at the stubble on the razor, in the
lather that we wipe off as well as on the face?

A lot may depend on the shave prep. I do know that
if I rush my prep the first half of the shave is not the
same as the second lathering and second pass.

Another +1 to what Lynn said. My stubble feels about the same, but when I get a good straight razor shave it definitely lasts longer.

I did not notice softer stubble, but one thing I remember surprised me when I made my switch was the duration of the BBS. If I do a thorough BBS it may last as long as 20 hours before stubble is noticeable. On the other hand, if I do a quick 2-pass (which I often do if I shave before going to work in the morning) I get the regular growback and must shave every morning.

It is no doubt in my mind the straight razor is capable of a much smoother shave than my old multi-blade cartridge, as well as providing a gentler treatment to the face.

I wonder if softer stubble is possibly cuased by the products you switch to making your hair softer when you start straight shaving as opposed to the razor itself.

so please, just in case this is true, what products are you using?

I'm convinced that the stubble doesn't come out as fast because it is psychologically affected by the brutal attack it previously received from the straight.

My results are a little strange. When I use a straight, I get the closest shave I have ver had but when the stuble comes back, it comes back angry! The Mach 3 keeps things a little tamer for some reason but doesn't give as close of an initial shave. No idea why or how that works..

Originally Posted by TheBaron

I wonder if softer stubble is possibly cuased by the products you switch to making your hair softer when you start straight shaving as opposed to the razor itself.

Definately softer in my case and I have switched up my shaving method using the same product and prep. So for me, it is related to the razor itself although I am not exactly sure why.

I only have two straight razors, but very different from each other. One is a Dovo 6/8" honed for me on a Naniwa succession; the other is a mirror-polished 1840's Greaves Sheffield smiling wedge finished for me on a Oozuku Asaghi. I keep them both "up to scratch" on a seemingly random (but hopefully makes sense to me!) permutation of high quality chamois leather + newspaper + newspaper/8b graphite pencil + tallow-tanned 3"wide strop (+8"x3"Guangxi for as rare as humanly possible).

It is not necessary for me to feel shaved as close as a billiard ball, I'd rather have a slightly lighter shave. Using identical stropping, and the same soaps, even though the new Dovo gives a closer, more efficient shave than the old wedge can match, the funny thing is the whiskers grow out, how would you describe it - rounder tipped, SOFTER, kinder to women, with the Sheffield blade. Magical.

Incidentally, I have stopped taping the spines with black electrical tape, in favour of "Transpore" medical tape by 3M. It's exactly 1/2"wide with a much nicer gum that doesn't come off on the steel.