Best way for a beginner to shave and maintain his head?

[baldingguy23]

My hairline went to hell and I'm 21 so yeah, I want to go bald and keep my scalp clean. I also don't want to dish out a lot of $$ for constant razors. What's my best bet? Buying a clipper or going with a razor? And if so, what's a good razor that lasts a long time before I have to change the blade? Or just use disposable razors?

Also, with a razor, are razor burns/cuts common? I don't know about my head, but my skin is definitely sensitive.

And off topic, but any recommendations for a good beard trimmer? Not one of those that just lets you keep a stubble? Thanks in advance!

[reddog]

I use a mach 3 sometimes, but I use a Remington 3 head foil electric shaver a lot. It gets almost as smooth as a razor, but no irritation. I wash my head first, let it dry, and put on some pre-electric lotion, let it dry, and shave away. Costs almost nothing to shave daily!

[baldingguy23]

With a regular razor like the Mach 3, how often do you need to change the blade? After every 3-4 times of usage?

And razor bumps are rare with a razor as long as you don't rush?

Edit: Actually I feel like I'd be annoyed as hell constantly buying new blades. So I should acquire an electric razor where I never have to change a blade or buy anything new? And it's just as effective as a regular razor?

[Goatee]

You probably wont get as smooth a shave as with a razor

[reddog]

My shaver was only about $40, I buy new cutting heads once a year($20). The mach 3 razor lasts me about 4 shaves. My scalp takes about 2 weeks to toughen up. After that I was less likely to get bumps. I also use Bump Patrol to prevent bumps. There is a lot of talk about saving $$$ on shampoo, haircuts, etc, but with all the products I buy to keep my head shaved, shiny, and conditioned, and the extra time I invest shaving daily, you have a bit of a commitment. BUT... the payoff is having a smooth bald head. I am BBC, and just love it. I would shave it twice a day if I could!

[Aussie Sly Guy]

Electric is not as effective as a blade. And if your sensitive I would suggest only shaving with the grain at least to start with. As for cuts well we have all been there, but over time you will develop better technique. And as Reddog said I also invest possibly more money into maintaining a shaved head as I would if I had hair, I guess it depends on how much you want it.

[Cave Dweller]

I change the blades in my Gillette Fusion every Sunday after shaving seven times each week. If I buy them at the grocery store, they run about $15 for a four pack. I strongly recommend against disposables unless you are into bleeding.

And you never are going to get as smooth as a blade with an electric.

[baldingguy23]

So basically, if I want my hair completely bald, my best bet is the Mach 3, shaving every 2 days, and if I only shave every 2 days, change my razor every 2 weeks if I want to save my money? Main reason I'm shaving my head bald is so I can hide my hairline, I don't want the outline to be there.

What other materials should I be buying? Or a razor and aloe vera or something similar will do?

Edit: Just curious, if you shave every day or every other day, how long does shaving take you usually?

[mrzed]

Edit: Just curious, if you shave every day or every other day, how long does shaving take you usually?

I usually shave every day. I love the very smooth feel.  But some days, like Saturday, or a very early morning, I'll skip a day. It takes longer on the 2nd day as there is more hair to shave off.  In those few times when I skip two mornings, I really notice the increased time to shave smooth.  It's just faster over all if I shave my head daily. Once I got into it, I was down to about 3-4 minutes to shave on the first morning.

[Sir Harry]

Welcome aboard! A good way to make your razors last longer is to clean them and then soak them in baby oil between uses. Check out some of the other threads for more tips. Good luck!

[baldingguy23]

But shaving w/ a razor is easy and completely safe? Chances of any scarring are extremely slim?

[Sir Harry]

Maybe you could have a barber either shave it for you or no guard it to the skin. Then go home and shave with the grain until you get used to it.

[baldingguy23]

Maybe you could have a barber either shave it for you or no guard it to the skin. Then go home and shave with the grain until you get used to it.

That's what I plan to do. Letting the barber cut it for me the first time, then taking care of it myself from there on.

[TSE]

like you I was worried about the cost of blades. 

I started with clippers.  but they seemed to get dull every 3-6 months. I'd buy new clippers or parts when they got dull and found myself spending about $80 for clippers each year.

I figured I was shaving my face with the mach 3 turbo so why not shave the head with it too.  But I burned through mach blades quickly (cartridge every 1.5 to 2 weeks). On a good day, I could get mach 3 turbo blades for about $2 per cartridge.

I finally turned to the headblade sport. my experience is that I found I got a better shave with the sport than I did with the mach 3 (but YMMV). I shave my head every day except weekends and each cartridge lasts me about 3 weeks to a month.  especially since there's deals out there (like the headblade power pack), Tripleblades can be as low as $1.80 a cartridge.  So I'd spend about $22-$25  a year on headblade cartridges that gave me a better shave than the Mach and was cheaper than the clippers (for me anyway). 

[Aussie Sly Guy]

If you're really worried about costs, look into a safety razor. Very cheap but takes a lot of practise.