Sly on the cheap

[DaveDorm]

Hi Sly guys!

I've been doing this head shaving thing for a few weeks now. One of the things that worried me is the amount I would be spending on "product" for my new sly obsession. I am a frugal guy, and always counting nickels and dimes.

It was rough when I had hair. I had a serious dandruf or psoriosis problem. I was buying T-Gel and the like to keep the flakes down. Once I started shaving, it took a few days of serious scrubbing and exfoliating, but I am down to a slick dome every time.

So I thought I would put pen to paper, as it were, and share what I found out so far.

1) Don't skimp on the razor!

Yeah, I tried the cheap ones. Bad call. I also tried the Mach 3. But the best shave I have gotten so far is the HeadBlade. By far!

2) Blades are blades.

The real trick is replacing them often. I have found I need a fresh blade pretty much every week. I have curly and somewhat course hair. So unless I shave daily, I have serious Velcro Effect(tm) which makes shaving harder. So I need to keep blades fresh. That can get expensive unless you know where to look!

So far, I have tried the HeadBlade with Sensor triple blades and Atra doubles. I really have not noticed a real advantage to the triples. And they do seem to cost more. "Generic" Sensor clones I have found three in a pack for as low as $2.

The Atra clones are far cheaper. The local Dollar General store (also, try Family Dollar or other "five-and-dime" stores) for their Atra clones were a six pack of blades for a buck. A buck! That's as cheap as the disposables.

3) What sort of lube?

I tried the HeadBlade HeadSlick when I bought my HB Sport. By far, it's great, but VERY expensive at $8 for an 8 ounce sport bottle. I also tried the simple menthol Barbasol ($1.29 a can, baby) and really found no signifigant advantage. At least for me. I'll use up my bottle of HeadSlick, but I will not be getting any more.

4) Pre-shave routine

Yeah, HeadBlade sells HeadShed, an exfoliant and head wash. Great stuff, I tried a sample. But the St. Ives Apricot Scrub is just as good for half the price. And it gets better, frugal shoppers! Dollar General makes THE SAME THING for $1.50. I checked the ingredients, they are exactly the same as the St. Ives.

5) After shave routine

Yep. Dollar General again! A large (9 oz.) bottle of a Skin Bracer clone was $1. Also add a tube of Nivea Soft for $2.99. I only apply a dab every few days. Don't forget a stypic pencil (97 cents average) just in case of nicks.

6) Accessories

I picked up some of the Bald Guyz head wipes. They were way cheaper than the ones HeadBlade sells, I think I paid $6 for a 16 count box. VERY refreshing, and good for a real hot and humid Florida afternoon. Also, don't forget sunscreen. I picked up "water babies" brand SPF 45 real cheap, like $2 for a sizable tube.

I also keep a ballcap in my emergency bag, I have actually gotten caught out and about in the hot sun. I was out and not in the car, was on the bus and missed my connection. I was happy to have the cover. Saved a sunburn, so a cheap hat is a good plan.

I hope this helps anyone wanting to be sly on the cheap!

[Razor X]

Hi, Dave.

Great post but I disagree with you with respect to the Barbasol.  In my experience, it provides very little lubrication for your dome.  It seems to be mostly air.  The HeadLube is expensive, but a little goes a long way and it lasts a very long time -- for me, anyway.  I don't know exactly how long the last bottle lasted me, but I'm going to estimate it at about four months.  I doubt the Barbasol would have lasted that long, so it's very likely a false economy.

[ice4life]

Hi Sly gu I also tried the simple menthol Barbasol ($1.29 a can, baby) and really found no signifigant advantage.

  I think he's sayin he doesn't like it either brother

[BALDANDRE]

Welcome Dave!

Very helpful and useful introduction bro!

[tlcasedrums]

I use the atra knock offs from walmart....around $3.50 for a 10 pack.  I shave every day and I replace the blades about every week.  I also picked up a new old stock atra handle on ebay so I can use the same blades with both my headblade and my face razor.  I'll have to check my local family dollar for the atra clones. 

As for the barbasol, I usually shave front to back with barbasol and then lather with headlube for the back to front.  Seems to work just fine for me.  When I apply the barbasol to the dome I also do the face and let it sit until after I finish the head and it seems to really help soften up the beard.  A bottle of headlube goes a long way so I really don't cringe too much when buying a $7 bottle every couple of months or so.  It's less than paying for a haircut

I've used the St Ives apricot scrub regularly since I read about it on this forum. (Thanks for the tip by the way) Walmart has equate brand apricot scrub for a little less that the St Ives brand and it seems to be just as effective.  I used the HeadShed for the first time this morining though and I found it to be much more abrasive than the St Ives or Equate brand. 

I'm not familiar with headblade brand head wipes but I'm a religious user of the Bald Guyz headwipes (another find after reading this board).  My local Walgreens has them on sale for 3.99 a box every now and again and I stock up on them.  I don't use them everyday, but I have a stash of them in the glove box of both vehicles and in my desk drawer at work as they are very handy to have around. 

Just my 2cents

[DaveDorm]

The wipes that HeadBlade sells are $9 for a 12 count box. The Bald Guyz brand are under $6 for a 16 count box at Walgreen's and Wal Mart.

Yeah, I guess the Barbasol isn't THAT great, and it is a lot of air. Never really thought of it that way, you know. So maybe the cost/value of the HeadSlick is pretty good after all.

But the rest of the HeadBlade line can pretty much be found with more cost effective replacements. And, so far, all I have found locally is the HB razor itself and HeadSlick in any stores. So I would have to order online and add shipping.

I also point out the adapters, which have an estimated lifespan of six months, are also only available online, too. And it seems to only be the Atra adapters (the yellow) the Sensor adapters (the black) are not listed on the website. What's up with that?

HeadBlade has a cool line, though. All the products I have tried were supreme quality. But I am a cheap bastard.   

[Razor X]

I've used the St Ives apricot scrub regularly since I read about it on this forum. (Thanks for the tip by the way) Walmart has equate brand apricot scrub for a little less that the St Ives brand and it seems to be just as effective. 

I haven't used the Walmart brand, but did you know that the St. Ives also comes in a jar, as opposed to a tube, which works out to be a good bit cheaper?   I've had mine for about a year now (I think) and am not even a third of the way through it -- though admittedly, I should probably use it a little more often than I do.

[stemikger]

Thanks Dave.

From one Frugal fan to another.

Most frugal people are into investing and personal finance.  If you are one of them, pick up the book the Automatic Millionaire by David Bach. 

[KeeperOfTheBeard]

Here is an odd thought - but I was just changing my daughter's diaper - I use a lightly scented Aloe Vera baby wipe from Target -  I get the refill packs for about $6 for 500 wipes.  So I just tried one on my head - and boy did it feel good!  I have the Bald Guyz wipes as well and to tell you the truth, the only difference for me is that they are conveniently packaged.  Nothing I couldn't remedy with a few baby wipes in a ziploc baggie   

Regards,

Matthew

[DaveDorm]

You know, I had thought of that myself. An aloe vera baby wipe may just work, and they are pretty cheap. Though the Balg Guyz wipes have the tea extracts and such, I think maybe that be worth giving a shot.

Not to sound too "fruity" but I am a big believer in the "man purse." I carry a mini-backpack with all sorts of stuff in it. I carry my diabetic test meter (gotta have that), my Leatherman, wallet, keys, PDA, thumb drive, a notebook, a CD case and a small tool pouch (I work on PCs) a spare ballcap (just in case) and sunscreen.

Adding a "travel pack" baby wipe container (the kind you drop in a diaper bag) would not be too much trouble for me. I'll just have to find one that isn't pink or baby blue! 

[no1birdman]

I use carbolic soap, and a bic throaway razor, very cheap no problems.

[IRDSM]

Hey if you wanna go cheapo, you might wanna check out razorlast. I haven't tried it yet, but it has gotten a few good reviews and I am considering it. It supposedly makes your razor last as much as 3 times as long, which seems interesting to me and most reviews say it does significantly affect razor life. www.razorlast.com

Dan

[tlcasedrums]

I picked up some of the Dollar General six pack atra clones for a buck tonight.  Hopefully they work as well as the Walmart ones I have been using.  If so I'll go back and buy the rest of what they had in stock.  If not I'll post a picture of my bloody scalped head

[skiking]

I tried using knock off blades and that was a nightmare( it looked like i got in a fight with the lawn mower, and the blades were scary dull after 3 days, compared to a week with Gillette blades), since I am too cheap to drive to wal-mart, I have been using my fusion for the past 2 weeks, and the blade isn't scary yet.

While I don't mind skimping on other stuff, I have had bad experiences with generic blades.

[Timmay]

i just use the atra's onmy headblade along with the headslick ( cant go wrong there...stuff last for about 4 months) cold rinse...then the ice cube treatment followed up but a lil dab of clear aloe vera gel.  Im good to go until the next morning