I find it so funny that they used to just put a hole in the wall and you would shove old razors in it. A hazard for renovators 60 years later.

Next time (in like 30 years when you finally fill up yiu current can, use the church key method (one medium sized, triangle hole on one side, a smaller on the opposite side) and then after draining/rinsing, use a Dremel to cut a thin slot towards the top.

When you fill that can after 30 years, you just hammer the top down and seal the hole that way.

I did two passes, the same as I did with my plastic Gilette. It's a skill issue for sure, I have shaved with the same razor for about 16 years, and this shave isn't that far off from my previous shaves.

What razor blades do you use? I started off years ago with Astra ones. They gave a good shave, and I like that I could get 2-3 shaved out of each side (so 4-6 in total per blade) before they became too dull. But they are made in Russia, and for moral reasons I switched to Feather (which are made in Japan). The Feather ones give a great shave, but they are really only useable once per side.

I get much closer shaves with my Merkur 33c safety razor than I did with cartridges.

I'll suggest another order: go 1. with, 2. across, then 3. against the hair. Against is the most skin irritating and largest risk of nicks, so may well be done with the least amount of work.

Also, warming the area to be shaved with warm water (or shower as you mentioned) does a lot for the closeness of the shave, don't skip out.

I find brush and lather mostly to make shaving smoother and lessen skin irritation, not make for closer shaves, but your mileage may vary. Also consider warming your blade (I run it under the warm water) between passes, I find it also helps for the smoothness although can't say why.

If you have to apply force to the cutting (rather than letting "gravity" do the work) you probably need new blades. They are supposedly single use, but I can typically get 2-3 shaves in on a regular blade, and even up to six shaves with some blades (Korean Dorco platinum is my favorite).

Adding force is the only way I get nicked nowadays, but it goes fast when I do, so I make sure to switch blades even between passes if need be.

Also, depending on your face and skin, you might want to try a safety razor with a different blade angle, there are handles that give a (slightly) more aggressive shave — meaning closer shave but (slightly) higher risk for nicks and irritation.

Best of luck!

I'm about halfway through my second box. It took me about 10 7 years to get through the first box.

I agree about not knowing why people keep using the plastic disposable ones. Best I can see is a reluctance to change a habit and/or a fear of safety razors. But it's well worth the switch.

I honestly don’t understand why people buy the plastic razors when it is neither more convenient or cheaper.

Exposure is definitely a big part of it. The only reason I'm using one is because some podcasts / YouTubers I liked were extolling them and I looked into it. I can't recall ever seeing a safety razor for sale at any big grocery or drug store. I guess I could have just missed them. But they stock what gets advertised most, and by an immense margin: The dodeca-bladed monstrosities in either pussycat pink or blackout tacticool gunmetal. AFAIK, that's what everyone I know uses. I get asked every now and then if I can recommend my barber for a shave, then I mention the safety razor, and most guys have no idea what I'm describing to them.

Also, no matter the design, safety razors have an air of "old fashioned" that I think most people just cannot appreciate now. The notion that they'd ever have to do anything besides use the product and send it to the landfill is enough to make most people nope out immediately, and here you've got disassembling, reassembling, replacing parts, proper disposal... All that takes time and attention that most people can't reconcile.

Yeah, I had looked into safety razors years ago, but as the price gap was bigger back then I dismissed them.

Now I paid the same price for this handle, and the blades cost next to nothing. Only a bit of a learning curve.

So you just don’t shave then?

That's a real thing for some. And I feel sorry for you! That's got to cause issues with more than just shaving I would think.

Yeah, good blades make a ton of difference. +1 on Feather brand

another +1 on Feather. I got a pack of different brands, 5 razor blades of each, and Feather was the sharpest and lasted a fairly long time too.

I tried one of those Dollar Store razors for fun. I would recommend buying a better quality razor personally. There are good inexpensive 3 piece razors on Amazon.

I'll look into the replacement blades, as of now I'm using the blades that came with the handle.

I mentioned a brand of handle above and don't want to come off as a shill, but my personal experience with the Henson is that I can shave anything with minimal irritation. I thought they used to have models that are more or less aggressive (how wide the gap is that the reveals the blade, and probably the angle of the blade), but I can only find the standard model on their site now.

I shave my head every time I shave my face and my favorite razor is an old Schick Injector. At my age, it was time to give up the past glory of hair. So now I save big money on shampoo and hair cuts!

I personally don't think I get any more nicks on my head than I do on my face which only happens if I get clumsy. That said, It DOES take some practice.

I did try all the razors in my small collection and even Bic 2 blade disposable, (there ain't no shame in it if it works for you). My favorites are the Injector, my Slim Adjustable, a Lord L6, and oddly enough, a copy of single edge 3D printed razor I downloaded from thingiverse. (look up the Stoll JR) I did need to make a longer handle for it though.

I found I like lighter weight razors with longer handles for head shaving. But a good slick and cushioning lather matters just as much as the razor and blade. I use Arko stick for soap because it makes the best lather for me period.

As far as technique goes, the same rules apply to head as your face. Take your time and go slow. I find that for me, my head shaving got so much better when I figured out I needed to "Use the Force Luke". I literally close my eyes and just shave. No stress and no worries.

Head shaving with a safety razor does need to end up in a bloodbath. Just take you time to learn and remember: It's all a YMMV thing.

I can get a "baby bottom smooth" shave with a DE. Is it better than what I could get with multiblade plastic razor? I don't know.

What I do know is that those multiblade heads cost around $4 each, and my preferred DE blades cost about 8¢. Not to mention that there is no plastic in sight, and the amount of waste is minimal.

your beard thickens as you age if you are a normal caucasian.

check back with the safety razor once you hit your mid 30's and you lose the twink beard of your 20's.

I did too until I was shaving too much with it. So we headed to town one Saturday morning and went to the drug store and I bought my own Gillette Slim Adjustable razor. And while I have bought other razors over the years, I have and use that Slim regularly. Best damn razor I own.

A lot of the move away from safety razors was the introduction of cheap plastic razors. After that, razor blade companies stopped making cheap blades and went to selling razors that needed to be replaced regularly and making them more money.

That’s why I don’t let my children shave.

Also for those concerned, you can easily find shaving cream that doesn’t contain those like you do with your shampoo’s, etc.

besides shaving cream, what other sources of these chemicals should we watch out for?

Fell into that rabbit hole about fifteen to twenty years ago. For me it became a proper hobby and I honestly looked forward to shaving for a long time. But since having kids I have shortened the routine a lot. Over the years I have tested out a bunch of straight edge and safety razors. Stopped with the straight edges after cutting off a little chunk of my upper lip before the first date with my now wife due to nerves. Still have the scar.

I am on my second high end badger brush after wearing the last one out a few years ago. That said, I had to borrow my brothers cheaper synthetic brush a couple of weeks ago and it honestly lathers up quicker. So the fancy stuff isn't necessarily always better.

I agree that it is better to just jump into it and start with just a safety razor and canned stuff. You don't need to research/buy all the parephenalia. If you get more into it you can look up what you want to add on to your routine/gear later if you feel like it, but what I think is the most worth it out of the bells and whistles is pre shave gels or pre shave oils. And getting a good moisturiser to put on after shaving. After that it is switching out the canned stuff and getting a brush and soap.

It was tight, I cut myself during my second pass when I went against the grain. The shave is definitely close enough, just not as close as I'm used to, but my beard growth is really slow so I only need to shave once or twice a week.

This was my first shave, so I can't really blame the cuts on a dull razor 😅

I think you should ask yourself why you keep using the razor if you nick yourself every time?

You face is fine, you handsome devil you.

Technique matters. Head angle and how hard you press with the razor matters. The brand of razor blades also matters. And even the shaving soap/cream matters too.

Yeah, I barely used any pressure, I think the reason I cut myself was because of the angles as it was against the grain in tricky areas for me.

Best advice here so far.

I have a collection of vintage DE razors and they are all different. My favourite is a 1951 Gillette Tech. It's just the right level of blade gap for me. Others may like different razors, everyone's face and beard are different.

In general, I have found that newer DE razors tend to be more aggressive than older razors. So someone getting nicks with a modern razor may just have one that is too agressive.

It might be worth getting a late 50's - early 69's Gillette adjustable to learn what works best. You can probably get one cheaper than a new Merkur on eBay, or at a flea market or antique shop.

Blades also vary widely between and within brands. Do you need the sharpest blades on the planet??? Probably not. You have to experiment. Get a sampler pack from some online store and try them out.

Soap is a big factor. Don't just go with what's on the pharmacy shelf. Buy a tube of a premium brand like George Trumper to set a baseline of how a really good, slippery soap works. Then find a cheaper brand that performs as well.

Technique counts, obviously. I find that a 3 pass shave is overkill personally. Once with, then once against the grain with some spot touchups works fine for me. Just don't skip the "with" pass if you don't like razor rash.

Safety razors are the ones with a removable two-sided blade. They're quite the style these days, since everyone is getting sick of overpaying for gilette blades.