Wet Shaving, Done Properly
I swapped disposable cartridges for a safety razor and never looked back, and wished I'd had something to learn from at the start. This is it: picking your first razor, building a proper lather, working up to a straight razor, and keeping your skin happy along the way. A master barber checks the technique.
All guides
- Wet Shaving for Men and Women: The Same Tools and Technique on Face, Legs and Body
How wet shaving works the same for men and women: one kit and method for face, legs, underarms and body, with grain mapping and care for sensitive areas.
- Wet-Shaving Mistakes Beginners Make (and How to Fix Each One)
The common wet-shaving mistakes beginners make: too much pressure, wrong angle, against the grain too soon, thin lather, dull blade, and rushing, each fixed.
- Is Wet Shaving Cheaper Than Cartridges? The Real Cost
A barber-reviewed look at whether wet shaving is cheaper than cartridges: upfront kit, blade cost per shave, refill prices, and how long soap really lasts.
- Switching From a Cartridge to a Safety Razor: What to Expect
A barber-reviewed guide to switching from a cartridge to a safety razor: what to expect, unlearning pressure, your first weeks, and the kit types to start with.
- Head Shaving With a Safety Razor: How to Shave Your Scalp by Feel
How to head shave with a safety razor: map the grain, work by feel over the curves, use two mirrors, go slow, and care for the scalp afterwards.
- How to Store and Dry Shaving Soap So It Lasts
How to store and dry shaving soap: lids off to dry the puck between uses, preventing mush and mould, and getting the longest life from a tin or tub.
- Travelling With a Safety Razor: Flying Rules, Cases, and Packing
How to travel with a safety razor: pack blades in checked luggage, carry the empty razor, and choose a case, soap, and routine that survive the trip.
- How to Care for Your Razor and Brush: Rinsing, Drying, and Storage
How to care for your safety razor and shaving brush: rinse well, air-dry, stand the brush bristles-down, descale hard-water deposits, and make the kit last.
- How Often Should You Shave? Frequency, Skin Recovery, and Stubble
How often should you shave? A barber-reviewed look at skin recovery, daily versus alternate-day shaving, stubble, and sensitive or ingrown-prone skin.
- The Perfect Wet-Shave Routine, Step by Step
A barber-reviewed wet-shave routine, step by step: prep, lather, your passes, rinse, and aftercare, built into one repeatable ritual that protects your skin.
- How to Shave the Neck and Tricky Areas Without Irritation
A barber-reviewed guide to shaving the neck, jaw, chin, and under the nose: map the swirling grain, stretch the skin, go slow, and avoid razor bumps.
- How to Stop a Shaving Nick Bleeding: Fast Fixes That Work
A barber-reviewed guide to stopping a shaving nick bleeding fast: cold water and pressure, styptic pencil and alum, why nicks happen, and how to prevent them.
- Shaving Acne-Prone Skin: How to Shave Around Breakouts Gently
A barber-reviewed guide to shaving acne-prone skin: working around breakouts, blade hygiene, a sharp blade, light pressure, and when to see a dermatologist.
- Wet Shaving for Sensitive Skin: A Gentler Routine
A barber-reviewed guide to wet shaving for sensitive skin: prep, milder blades, fewer passes, with-the-grain only, soothing products, and patch-testing.
- Razor Bumps vs Razor Burn: How to Tell Them Apart
A barber-reviewed guide to razor bumps vs razor burn: how to tell irritation from ingrown-hair bumps, what causes each, and how to treat and prevent both.
- How to Prevent Ingrown Hairs From Shaving
A barber-reviewed guide to preventing ingrown hairs from shaving: why they form, how exfoliation and with-the-grain passes help, and when to see a doctor.
- How to Prevent Razor Burn: Causes and Fixes
A barber-reviewed guide to preventing razor burn: the real causes (pressure, angle, dull blade, thin lather) and the prep and aftercare that fix them.
- Alum Block and Styptic Pencil: What Each One Does and How to Use It
What an alum block and a styptic pencil do after wet shaving: how alum soothes and flags over-shaved skin, how styptic stops small nicks, and how to use each.
- Pre-Shave and Aftershave Explained: Oils, Balms, and Splashes
What pre-shave oils and creams actually do, the difference between an aftershave splash and a balm, and how to choose alcohol or soothing for your skin.
- Shaving Soap vs Shaving Cream: How to Choose
Shaving soap vs cream, compared by a wet shaver and barber: lather, longevity, ease, and cost, plus how to choose the type that suits how you shave.
- Shaving Brushes Explained: Badger, Boar, Synthetic, and How to Choose
A barber-reviewed guide to shaving brushes: badger vs boar vs synthetic, knot size and loft, how to choose, breaking one in, and caring for it day to day.
- DE Blades Explained: Sharpness, Smoothness, and When to Change Them
A barber-reviewed guide to double-edge razor blades: sharpness vs smoothness, why brand sampling matters, when to change a blade, and how to handle and dispose.
- Safety Razors Explained: Aggressiveness, Combs, and How to Choose
A barber-reviewed guide to safety razors: aggressiveness, open vs closed comb, adjustable heads, handle weight, and how to choose by your skin and beard.
- How to Hone a Straight Razor: Whetstone Grits and the Basics
How to hone a straight razor: how honing differs from stropping, when an edge actually needs honing, the whetstone grits involved, and when to send it to a pro.
- How to Strop a Straight Razor: Technique, Leather vs Linen, and Common Mistakes
A barber-reviewed guide to stropping a straight razor: why you strop before every shave, leather vs linen, the spine-led technique, and the mistakes to avoid.
- How to Shave With a Straight Razor: Grip, Angle, and Technique
A barber-reviewed guide to shaving with a straight razor: how to grip it, the roughly 30 degree angle, keeping skin taut, short strokes, and the learning curve.
- Types of Razors Explained: DE, SE, Straight, Shavette, Cartridge, Electric
A barber-reviewed guide to the main types of razors: how the DE, SE, straight razor, shavette, cartridge, and electric each work, and who each one suits.
- Safety Razor vs Cartridge Razor: How They Differ and How to Choose
A barber-reviewed comparison of safety razors and cartridge razors: how each works, irritation, closeness, running cost, the learning curve, and waste.
- Shaving With the Grain vs Against the Grain: Direction, Closeness, and Irritation
A barber-reviewed guide to shaving with the grain vs against the grain: how to map your beard, why WTG goes first and ATG last, and the irritation trade-off.
- How to Get a Close Shave With a Safety Razor
A barber-reviewed guide to a close shave: build closeness with multiple light passes, re-lather between them, and buff for touch-ups, never with pressure.
- How to Build a Shaving Lather with a Brush
A barber-reviewed guide to building a shaving lather: loading the brush from soap or cream, adding water gradually, face vs bowl lathering, and judging foam.
- How to Use a Safety Razor: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners
A barber-reviewed, step-by-step guide to using a safety razor: how to load a blade, hold it, the right angle and pressure, and shave without nicks or burn.
- Wet Shaving: A Beginner's Guide to a Closer, Kinder Shave
A barber-reviewed beginner's guide to wet shaving: what it is, the kit you need, the technique step by step, and how to avoid razor burn while you learn.