At first, using a safety razor can seem so alien and scary. You are suddenly in control, you can even see the blade! You may wonder how running it along your face can ever seem like a good idea, but after a short training period of a few shaves it will seem like the most natural thing in the world. All you have to know is how to hold the razor at the correct angle, how much pressure to apply (hint: none. Let the weight of the razor do the work) and how to make up a thick lather. Once you have practiced a bit it will seem like second nature and suddenly there is joy to be found in your shave.
Wet shaving forces you to learn every bump and contour of your face as you continually improve and find the best ways to efficiently and comfortably remove your stubble. It’s this aspect of moving away from a mindless task into honing a technique, that most find so appealing and transforms shaving into something to look forward to rather than a chore to despise.
What’s more, there is enjoyment to be found in the sheer amount of variety on offer. There are numerous brands of shaving soap out there, each with their own distinct fragrance, lathering and moisturising properties. Due to the relative ease of making soap there are also a lot of small independent artisanal producers that often can create fantastic soaps that are better than their mass produced equivalents. Similarly, there are a lot of pre and post shaving products that can be used to create a more enjoyable shaving experience such as oils and balms that don’t tend to be noticed by cartridge shavers but most traditionalists swear by. This allows for many wet shavers to customise their daily shave, for example pairing complementing or contrasting fragrances together from a soap, balm and aftershave.
Using a disposable razor is perhaps the worst thing you can employ in your shaving routine, not just because of its sub-par performance but also because of how wasteful it is. Something like 2 billion disposable razors are thrown into landfill sites every year and due to them being predominately plastic they are likely to remain there forever. In short; they are taking up valuable space and damaging the environment. Even if you use a cartridge razor with a replaceable head, that head has the same problem of being thrown into landfill as its complicated housing makes it not worth salvaging for recycling purposes.
On the other hand, a double edge safety razor is usually made from stainless steel and with proper care could last a lifetime. The only element that needs replacing is the blade and once used this can be saved up and put into metal recycling. If you were to use a straight razor the environmental benefits can be even higher as nothing is replaced, the blade is sharpened before each use with a leather strop.
Need we say more? Let’s face it, cartridge razors, especially those with the plastic handles look cheap and nasty. They quickly get grubby and in general just look unimpressive. In stark contrast is traditional wet shaving gear. The razor itself is solid stainless steal and looks deadly, many will balk at the sight of it but not you. A good quality shaving brush and shaving soap evokes thoughts of old-world luxury as you imagine the process of manually building up a warm lather and applying it to your face. When you have a sink lined up with a classic safety razor, brush and soaps, you can’t help but feel like a sophisticated gentleman. If clothes make the man then it’s just possible that grooming makes the gentleman.
Plastic cartridge razors and canned foam are all about speed and convenience, they represent the man always in a rush without the time to do things as he should. Traditional wet shaving gear tells you this is a gentleman that doesn’t rush around chasing his own tail, he has time to do things properly and for that he reaps the rewards.
And they’re not just for men! Though they are often seen as synonymous with shaving your face there is no rule that states safety razors must only be used there (although you might want to assign a separate razor for use on your body). The benefits of the traditional shaving method apply anywhere there is hair to be removed, particularly for more sensitive areas such as the armpits, which is why many women are also converting to DE razors.