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"I tried the double edge safety razor. Got the brush, shaving cream, big pack of Astra blades. Watched a bunch of YouTube videos on technique. Spent way more t

"I tried the double edge safety razor. Got the brush, shaving cream, big pack of Astra blades. Watched a bunch of YouTube videos on technique. Spent way more time shaving. Nicked myself an ungodly number of times." Maybe it's the blades? I started with Derby Extra blades[1], and without using any special technique I've nicked myself only maybe once a year with them. The weight of the razor might also figure in to it -- I got a Parker 66R razor[2], which has a nice heft to it, which means I don't have to press in to my face with the razor -- the weight of the razor itself is enough. If you had a plastic and/or light-weight razor maybe you had to press in to your face, which could account for the nicks. [1] - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032Q41LS/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032Q41LS/ [2] - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0141BGDLI/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0141BGDLI/

yojo 5y ago
I got a vintage Gillette handle off eBay - it definitely has heft. Could be worth trying a different set of blades. The Astra Platinum were the Reddit hive mind recommend at the time, but this was ~8 years ago. I’m also wondering if it might be a hair thing. My facial hair is thick/coarse, particularly on the upper lip, which is where I consistently nicked myself. Short of a several pound handle I can’t imagine cutting it with the weight of the razor alone.
- pmoriarty 5y ago
  You probably don't need to be told this, as it's pretty obvious, but just in case: you should curl your upper lip in to your mouth when you shave to make the skin taught and decrease the odds of nicks. Also, before starting to shave you should wet your facial hair with hot/warm water for a few minutes to soften it up. I usually wet my face as soon as I get in to my shower and shave inside the shower a few minutes later.

yojo 5y ago

I got a vintage Gillette handle off eBay - it definitely has heft. Could be worth trying a different set of blades. The Astra Platinum were the Reddit hive mind recommend at the time, but this was ~8 years ago. I’m also wondering if it might be a hair thing. My facial hair is thick/coarse, particularly on the upper lip, which is where I consistently nicked myself. Short of a several pound handle I can’t imagine cutting it with the weight of the razor alone.

pmoriarty 5y ago
You probably don't need to be told this, as it's pretty obvious, but just in case: you should curl your upper lip in to your mouth when you shave to make the skin taught and decrease the odds of nicks. Also, before starting to shave you should wet your facial hair with hot/warm water for a few minutes to soften it up. I usually wet my face as soon as I get in to my shower and shave inside the shower a few minutes later.