Sly Bald Guys Forum
Head Shaving, Grooming & Care => Safety Razor Head Shaving => Topic started by: Mike E. P. on February 15, 2014, 11:13:32 AM
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On a whim, I ordered the EJ89 from Amazon the other day. I had been thinking about regrowing my beard, but when it came, I was excited to try it out, so no beard, at least foe a while.
I had a couple days growth and was pretty nervous starting out. At one point, I pulled the razor away from my face as I thought I was feeling the sharpness of the blade, but realized it was just the heat of the blade after I had run it under very hot water.
Turns out, it was a really enjoyable experience. I found shaving my neck a bit awkward and I ended up with two small nicks. Not sure how I did that. I was probably a little too confident at that point, maybe I was going too fast, but after the nicks, I lost a bit of that confidence! And the shave I got was not the best, but I guess that will come with practice and the right equipment.
The blades that came with the razor were Derbys. I am using some crappy shave cream from Target and a lousy synthetic brush. I have a steep learning curve ahead of me, I think, and I need to upgrade my stuff. That razor is one beauty, though.
I would like to eventually attempt a head shave after some practice. The front of my head and the sides seem do-able, but attempting the back is a bit scary.
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I have one of those myself.....It's pretty sharp and gives a good shave, but if you use it on the head, I would make sure to lather up good first, and make sure you have very little stubble. That canned stuff is okay, but shaving soap is so much better. Thanks for the review, and enjoy!
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Mike, it does sound like a learning experience... but you have the rest of your life, right? lol
Did you shave off the goatee too?
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Mike, it does sound like a learning experience... but you have the rest of your life, right? lol
Did you shave off the goatee too?
Mike,
I still have the goatee, but I'm tempted to shave that off, too so I have more space to practice!
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Mike, it does sound like a learning experience... but you have the rest of your life, right? lol
Did you shave off the goatee too?
Mike,
I still have the goatee, but I'm tempted to shave that off, too so I have more space to practice!
You know, clean shaven and sly is not that bad of a combination....Once you get the face down pat, you can graduate to the head eventually.
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The EJ89L is what I use for my head shaving needs. Derby blades don't work for a lot of people so I recommend that you buy a blade sampler pack and find a blade that works best for you. A good soap and for me, badger brush is where its at. Pressure and the angle you hold the razor is the toughest part of using a DE razor. I suggest you google Mantic59 and watch all of his videos, that's how most of us on the wet shaving forums learned how to use the traditional shaving methods.
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@Mike EP: Congrats on a fine DE razor. Keep us posted on your DE journey by posting your results in the SAFETY RAZOR SOTD section of the forum. O0
WARHAWK O0
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Mike EP, have fun with the new razor, and practice on your face. But I have to say I like your full beard better than the goat. Once you have eough practice, do you have any plans to go back to the full beard?
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Thanks, Slybeard. I did like the beard, but had a shaving mishap and shaved the whole thing off. That was the first time I actually had a full beard. The goatee is back because that is what's most familiar to me. I get bored and often change the goatee a bit and often I'm clean shaven. I will probably be clean shaven for the summer, but I definitely am going to try the beard again - probably in the fall.
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+1 for the beard. Thought that was a good look for you.
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Ditch the crappy shave gel, invest in a good soap/cream such as Taylor of Oldbond Street.
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Ditch the crappy shave gel, invest in a good soap/cream such as Taylor of Oldbond Street.
Since I've only just started, I've been using what I could pick up at the drug store. I used a Van Der Hagen soap a few days ago that was just okay. I don't have a decent brush yet. I'm using a synthetic one from the Body Shop. Tonight I used a cream from the Real Shaving Company that I though was way better. But I am a novice and don't really know what is good and not good!
I'm still not getting a great shave on my neck. I think because I'm a little afraid since I had a wicked razor burn the first day. It is getting better though. I only did two passes on my neck today. No burn or cuts, but not a close shave. I definitely need another pass, but I'm not sure if I am ready. The face way very smooth though!
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You don't need to drop major coin on a brush. I prefer to get my supplies online via Amazon & eBay. Soaps creams and blades I get on Amazon. DE handles I get on eBay sometimes for half the retail price.
I recommend trying different brush types to see which you prefer, don't jump straight to the expensive priced models, snag a low to mid range model (about $10-20) first.
Badger brushes are generally good to go right out of the box and provide a quick lather, and have softer bristles.
Boar brushes can take some time to break in before providing a consistent rich lather. But once broken in, you won't need to break them in again.
You can do this with a properly lathered brush
(https://www.slybaldguys.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv11%2Fgreatnessinc%2F4F5868DD-6708-436E-9F1B-90B92839A467_zpsmgb1iitw.jpg&hash=1191604ba2e1a319038ab40c281e7043e4d1caac)
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Love that photo, greatness!
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I've been face shaving with the EJ 89 for 5 years using astra and gillette yellow blades, both blades give a lovely smooth close shave. I'm a newbie head shaver and the combination of the razor/blades are great. Dont apply any pressure and lather up well, I use arko or palmolive soap stick :)
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I've been using my safety razor for over a month now and I have gotten pretty good at shaving my face and I really do enjoy the process. I worried about it taking too much time and so I have been shaving at night which doesn't exactly keep me smooth during the day. But I've gotten to the point where I can shave in the morning without spending too much time.
I also got pretty good at shaving my head with the the safety razor, but it takes me significantly more time. Today I went back to using my Mach 3 on my head only to find that it really gives me an inferior shave compared to the EJ. So maybe I have to suck it up and just spend the extra time.
I shaved off my goatee today and so I have a larger canvas to work with! It was a bit of a challenge shaving parts of my face that were previously covered. I hardly ever cut myself but today I cut two beauty marks (moles?) that are usually covered by hair.
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Hello Mike:
Why did you shave off the goatee? I thought it looked good on you - especially because, unlike me, you haven't gone gray yet!
This coming Thursday is currently planned to me my "Baldday" I have grown a full beard because I am nervous about being totally hairless, and now I don't know what to do because it has come in all in an uneven gray! I don't know if I should keep it or not once I get the bald head?
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Hello Mike:
Why did you shave off the goatee? I thought it looked good on you - especially because, unlike me, you haven't gone gray yet!
This coming Thursday is currently planned to me my "Baldday" I have grown a full beard because I am nervous about being totally hairless, and now I don't know what to do because it has come in all in an uneven gray! I don't know if I should keep it or not once I get the bald head?
I shaved off the goatee just for a change. I know that it grows back really fast so I don't mind taking it off every now and then. And I like it best short, so in about a week or two I can have it back. When I grow it longer, the gray starts to show, but I like the gray.
What made you decide to go bald and why Thursday? I'm sure the beard looks good. Do you have a photo? A lot of guys worry about the gray or that it is uneven, but I think the gray looks distinguished. I wouldn't worry about it. And if you don't like it, there's nothing wrong with totally hairless, as my head is right now!
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Grey doesnt bother me. It can look good on a guy.
Was you scared using the safety razor on the head? How much longer did it take?
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Get a microtouch one DE razor, it's light weight so you only get nicks or cuts if you're being careless. It's not in stores yet and I've heard it takes forever to get it from them. I got mine on Amazon, it's my favorite purchase of the year so far.
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I was really scared using the safety razor on my head. The first couple of times I had to finish with my Mach 3. I eventually got pretty good at it with no cuts, but I am really slow because I know if i am quick or careless, I'll hurt myself!
Since I only shave my head twice a week, I think I'll just put in the time and go back to the EJ89. I'll have to pay attention to how long it took. It seemed like forever because I had to do many passes to get totally smooth.
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Greatness - I've been wanting a second razor to keep in my other bathroom. Maybe I'll pick up the Microtouch. I think I've seen it advertised in one of our local drugstores. Maybe Walgreens.
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It's been about two months for me wet shaving. I'm enjoying it more every time. I've been experimenting with various blades and up till today, the blade I liked best was the Astra.
Today I tried a Feather. Reading other guys' comments, I was a little afraid to try one since they have a reputation of being extremely sharp. Well, I got through shaving both my face and my head unscathed! And now I have a new favorite blade.
Usually, no matter what I do or which blade I use, I can see the shadow of my hair even right after shaving. I don't know if it is my imagination, but after shaving with the Feather blade, my scalp looks pretty white. I can barely see the shadow. This definitely is the bast and closest shave I've gotten since using a safety razor.
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Hi Mike: Glad that you are enjoying your DE journey, my friend. I encourage our other SBG brothers to try the traditional way of shaving.
WARHAWK O0
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I use an EJ89 Barley grip handle with Feather blades which I love
Shaving soap try Cella it's beautiful
My brush is EJ Beat Badger didn't cost heaps and it is so nice to use with the Cella!
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Crowbar, I haven't used my Cella in a while. Think I'll have to dig it out again. I can imagine the scent and wonderful lather now!!
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Crowbar, I haven't used my Cella in a while. Think I'll have to dig it out again. I can imagine the scent and wonderful lather now!!
I only got it back out too recently after a long break, so nice :)