A cartridge multi-blade razor lets you just jam it into your face and use pressure, it takes care of the angle due to the pivoting head, and there are glide rai

A cartridge multi-blade razor lets you just jam it into your face and use pressure, it takes care of the angle due to the pivoting head, and there are glide rails on the sides that prevent you from digging the blades into your skin. With an old-fashioned safety razor, you have to use a lighter touch to let it glide across the skin, and you have to keep the correct angle yourself. It does take a bit of practice, but unless you drag the blade sideways or put pressure on it, you won't be in any great danger of cutting yourself. Just go slow and don't try to shave long strokes in one go. Safety razor handles come in a lot of different designs, and they vary by how much of the blade they expose and how steeply they angle it. Some people like the really aggressive designs to shave in one pass, but they also tend to grab at coarse beard hairs. I've had a Merkur HD for ages, and I think it's a good starting point. There's a nice heft to it, which feels reassuring.