Having trouble getting top smooth. Advice needed!

[Bremner1]

Hi gentlemen,

I've been reading the board for quite a while now, and some of the things I have picked up on have been invaluable. Before I go into the issue that I am having, let me first tell you a bit about myself. I am a 22 year old bald by choice shaver. My head hair is extremely dense and very, very coarse. I have had a bit of receeding on the sides at the top, I think it might be called a widows peak, not too sure, but it's not that bad (unfortunately as I want to be naturally completely bald). I have pretty pale skin and dark brown hair.

When I first started shaving I was getting a little down as I could not seem to get rid of the shadow, but I have learnt that due to my pale skin and dark hair it will always be there though I do plan on trying to get a tan on it in the summer.

When I first started shaving I used a mach 3 and canned gel. I also had a fusion as well. While these gave a pretty close shave these razors were causing me a lot of irritation and redness. When I read on here that DE razors give a good shave with less irritation and did some reading and bought myself an Edwin Jagger DE89L razor. It came with Derby blades, but I ordered some astra sp's as I read they were good. The first few shaves I was cutting myself a lot but the cuts seemed to have reduce a lot now.

The problem I am having, and also had with the mach 3 and fusion, is that for the life of me the top will not get totally smooth like the sides and most of the back. If I ran my hand atg on the top it still feels like sandpaper. With the gillete razors I got a lot of bounce on the top, and I read that this could be due to me having such coarse hair. With these razors it struggled to cut the sides and back too, I had to really give it some pressure just to cut the hair. The double edge seems to cut it better and easier with any pull or bounce except on the top, and a little on certain areas of the back. I have ordered some feather blades as I have read on here and various other sites that they can give a closer shave and are better for coarse hair and should slice the hairs off effortlessly. I look forward to receiving them!

Its just the top is so darn difficult to get smooth, does any one have any suggestions?  I have a pretty good pre-shave routine so I don't think that is a problem. Also, another pain in the backside is that the growth of my hair goes in all different directions and changes even on the same parts of the head. So against the grain for me can mean going in different directions in the same region.

Sorry if this all sounds a bit jibberish. It is nearly 3am where I am (England) and I can't sleep for some reason, so I though I may as well try and make this time a little useful. ( Oh and for anyone who shaves with a mach 3 or other cartridge razor and get a lot of irritation, definitely consider trying a safety razor as my skin is getting very sore and painful after shaving atg, but now 95 per cent of that irritation has gone!)

Bremner

[warhawk]

Hi Bremner:  Glad that you are going with the safety razor head shaves over the
razors such as the Fusion and Mach3.  As a former cartridge head shaver, I get better
head shaves with DE and SE razors.

I have thick hair on my face and dome and my safety razors are the ultimate tool.
Since you state that you have a good prep routine.  Do you use a brush?  You don't have
to spend a lot.  A good boar brush such as a Semogue and Omega brush will do fine.  It will
help boost up your shaves while using a quality shave soap or shave cream.  Since you live
in England, may I suggest the Taylor of Old Bond Street Shaving Creams.  It is made in
England.  It provides great lather, protection, and glide.  My favorite Taylor of Old Bond Street
is the Sandalwood.  If you go with shave soaps, may I suggest Mike's Natural Soap, TIKI Bar Soap,
Mystic Water Soap, Cold River Soap Works, Barrister and Mann, Cella, Speick, and Palmolive shave soap.
You can get a great deal from the Palmolive shave soaps in England.

As far as razors, you got a great one in the Edwin Jagger.  I think you chose well by picking the Feather blade.
The Derby blades are average in my opinion.  If you are looking for another DE razor, may I suggest a slant
razor such as the Merkur 37c.  Slant razors provide great head shaves also. 

Anyways.... hope this helps and I wish you luck in your journey to safety razors.  Enjoy your journey. 
I know I am.

WARHAWK

[Bremner1]

Hi warhawk,

Yes, I'm really enjoying the double edge shaving so far. It is unbelievable in how reduced my irritation is now compared to use cartridge razors. As for a brush I bought an average priced badger hair brush and as for shaving creams I have proraso (the green tube) and a tube of palmolive. What is the difference between a slant razor and the EJ I am using now?

ALso do you have any recommendations how I can get the top of my head completely smooth, as this is the part of my head which I can't cut close enough for some reason. Its not the EJ though as it happened with cartridge as well. I have lots more questions that I wish to ask at a later stage but hopefully you don't get fed up of answersing them lol!

Hopefully you can help me find a solution for getting the top completely smooth!

Bremner

[Goatee]

I think that everyone has parts of the dome that is hard to get super smooth. I know i have.

I used to use a DE to shave but have been using a Mach 3 for a long time now. I love my shaves now!!

Use a good cream / soap. Lather well. Go with the grain, across the grain and against the grain and then touch up! Dont press too hard.

I used all different blades with the DE's i had. Now, i love the Mach 3. No cuts or nicks. Press as hard as i want. Nice smooth shaves even though there are a couple of places that refuse to go completely smooth! So this proves that it is not the razor as same with DE as with Mach 3. Still, dont worry too much as nobody would notice!!

Enjoy your shaves. Give it time.

Its all about technique. You will soon realise that whatever razor you use only experience will give you the shave you  desire.

Of course, some hairs will refuse to be cut extremely short!!

[Bremner1]

Hi Goatee,

Thanks for the reply! What made you switch from using a DE and going to mach3?

It's weird how some areas ares refuse to go totally smooth. What is your theory on it? I think it is just the contours of the head and the angle these hard to get hairs lie at.

Bremner

[warhawk]

Hi Bremner:  I mentioned trying a sharper blade on your EJ like the Feather.  It will get your troubled spots better.  One thing about "troubled spots" is that every shaver has them.
One simple method  to eliminate it is to take numerous passes.  In your case, I think it might be the blade since you mentioned that you use the Derby blade.

As far as slant razors. . . I can talk forever about slant razors.  So.... I will leave it up to you to do a "search" on slant razors.  Go to the famous wet shaving site. . . www.badgerandblade.com and do a research on slant razors.  Matter of fact. . . you should join.  The membership is free and BadgerandBlade is a great site that is dedicated to the traditional way of shaving.

WARHAWK

[Bremner1]

Hi Warhawk,

The blades I am currently using are Astra SP. Waiting on the feathers to arrive though! Hopefully they will come shortly.

With the slant razors, do you find these give a closer shave on the head, and are they relatively easy to use? I am seriously considering the slant razor you mentioned (Merkur 37c). Can't find many people talk about using it for the head though on badger and blade, just about using it for face shaving. Could you tell me the benefits of using the Muhle 37c rather than the EJ89 on my head. Please note that my head hair is extremely dense and coarse!

Thanks

Bremner

[Goatee]

Hi Goatee,

Thanks for the reply! What made you switch from using a DE and going to mach3?

It's weird how some areas ares refuse to go totally smooth. What is your theory on it? I think it is just the contours of the head and the angle these hard to get hairs lie at.

Bremner

I used a Cart first then tried a few DE's with various blades. I used a slant too. For me i found that even after quite sometime using them i usually ended up nicking myself and i was very careful! Plus i just could not relax shaving with a DE. I was always on edge with them.

Since using the Mach3 i have not looked back! So relaxed shaving now and i can press hard if need be with no nicks or cuts and no irritation!

Hard to shave areas are there for everyone. Its just the fact that these areas are just slightly different to others and the blade cannot get deep enough to cut tightly! Going over the same spot again and again to get it smooth can have make the area sore or red etc! I dont go over those parts often as i know through experience that only a skin graft would get it down smooth!!!

[gwsmallwood]

You might need to experiment with different razor and blade combinations.  My situation sounds very similar to yours, but my trouble spots are around the crown of my head and some areas in the back.  If you have the means, and your shaves have room for improvement, I would highly recommend trying each of the following types of razor (each for a solid 30 days before forming an opinion and moving to another):
-Straight Bar - covered by your DE89
-Open Comb - Gillette NEW, Cadet, etc.
-Adjustable - Fatboy, Slim, Progress, Futur
-Slant- Merkur 37c is probably the most economical option.

I tried about 6 different razors over the course of about 6 months before I had my A-Ha Moment.  Different people will get along better with different razors.  That's why it's so hard for us to give hard and fast advice.  I like my 37c, but it wasn't magical for me the way it is for so many others.  I actually get a better shave from a shimmed DE89.  I would do a search on shimming DE razors and give that a try if you haven't already.

What finally started to give me close, irritation-free shaves was more blade exposure.  I still remember rubbing my hand over my head after the first pass with a Fatboy set on 9.  I was amazed.  It was finally the type of shave I had been hoping for when I switched.  Not sure if it's just the way I hold the razor, or something about the shape of my head, or what.  After 7 months of experimenting, I just know that I get better, more comfortable shaves from an aggressive razor. 

My favorites right now are a Fatboy set at 9+2 (I have a custom blade gap that is two levels higher than a standard Fatboy), a Muhle R41 (which I wouldn't suggest until you have 3 - 6 months of working on technique) and a 1924 EverReady Shovel Head Single Edge.

[Bremner1]

Hi gwsmallwood,

Thank you for posting on my thread! I'm waiting on a bulk order of feather razor blades which are taking their time, but hopefully once I get them they will also help to provide me with a better close shave. I also have a merkur 37c on the way to add to my Edwin Jagger 89lbl so possibly that may be suited for my head.

My skin color is similar to yours, and I also have dark hair like yourself. Do you get annoyed with shadow even when your head feels BBS? It really winds me up for some reason. As I am bald by choice, the shadow is also on the top which is irritating to me. I see some guys on the board and they have no sign of shadow, but they appear to have either blonde or white/grey hair.

Also, only being 22 I feel having a shaved head makes me appear a lot older, and often people have no idea what age I am. Also I don't really get anybody trying to mess with me with a bald head. Do you find this too?

Thanks,

Bremner

[gwsmallwood]

Yeah, I would prefer no shadow, but the only way to get rid of it is waxing or makeup.  I'm not doing either so I'll live with it.

[leesdiddy07]

Does anyone know if it's possible to shim a twist to open type razor?

[gwsmallwood]

I've heard that guys have done it with some success.  It's harder to predict what the effect will really be than with a 2 or 3 piece, and over time it could damage the door mechanisms as the non-adjustable TTOs were not made for anything thicker than a modern DE blade.

[Bremner1]

hey gwsmallwood,

Could you give me some information on what it's like using the muhle R41 for the head? Does it give you a closer shave than the other razors. I plan on using my EJ89 and Merkur Slant 37c until the end of May and then on my birthday I will ask for a r41 as a present if you find it ok to use on the head. Doing searches on the web you can only really find reviews for using it on the face and the r41 is not discussed much on sbg.

Bremner

[gwsmallwood]

hey gwsmallwood,

Could you give me some information on what it's like using the muhle R41 for the head? Does it give you a closer shave than the other razors. I plan on using my EJ89 and Merkur Slant 37c until the end of May and then on my birthday I will ask for a r41 as a present if you find it ok to use on the head. Doing searches on the web you can only really find reviews for using it on the face and the r41 is not discussed much on sbg.

Bremner

I like the R41, but I like a lot of blade exposure, as it allows me to use a steeper angle to shave, which feels more natural and more comfortable to me.  That's one of the benefits of the R41.  For me, that makes it easier to get a closer shave with the R41 than with the EJ or the 37c.  That won't be true for everyone.

I picked up the Grande version, which has a longer, thicker handle.  I haven't decided with that particular razor whether I like that better or not.  You'll have to decide what handle lengths you prefer.  My sweet spot seems to be around 3.5", but it can vary depending on the razor.  I think if you use the EJ and the 37c for 2 or 3 months before picking up an R41, you should be fine.  It does require a light touch, but other than that it's really not much different than using any other safety razor on your head.