Straight Razor - Why You Should Consider and Try it
Introduction
Razors have evolved significantly over the years, and among the plastic, multiple-blades variety, it was easy to forget about the straight razor. Perhaps the single long blade cut too imposing a figure, and men felt it beyond their capacity to handle the dangerous-looking blade.
But we are here to bust all the myths and present you with some compelling reasons why you must at least consider using a straight razor once in a while. You may or may not be aware of it, but a straight razor can offer some remarkable shaving benefits.
However, learning how to use it takes some time because the blade requires a certain expertise level to handle it. A straight razor provides a wholly different shaving experience, and it does something magnificent, which no other razor in the market can do.
Let’s take a look at some of its unique qualities below:
1. Prevents Ingrown Hair
With a straight razor, only one blade tends to your skin instead of multiple blades. The difference between low-grade razors with multi-blades and straight razors is that the former cause ingrown hair when they cut below your skin’s surface. Look at Boker’s Spanish stainless steel straight razor, for example.
Apart from being a thing of beauty, this straight razor helps you shave contour lines and tricky planes on your face quite smoothly. You suffer minor ingrown hairs and razor burns after using this tool.
2. Closer Shaves
One can always rely on the closest shave with a straight razor. This is perhaps why you will find a straight razor at every local barber’s. If you wish to verify this, you can always compare your shaving results from a plastic cartridge razor versus a straight razor.
3. Less Skin Irritation
You are more prone to skin irritation when you use multiple blades in the cartridge razors for cutting below the surface of your skin. A straight razor, in comparison, runs only a single blade to stroke across your skin. Not only does it give you a significantly silky close shave, but it leaves your skin silky and soft, too, without the irritation of razor bumps.
4. Complete Blade Control
You may initially find quite a steep learning curve, just when you’re beginning to use a straight razor. But once you get on to it, you will discover how a little technique with strategic strokes is all it takes to handle the single blade. But the results? You sure won’t be disappointed.
Once you learn how to use a straight razor, you’ll discover how easy it is to have complete control of the performance. This happens because, with a cartridge razor, you lack the maneuverability and flexibility element. As a result, the plastic tools do not allow you to adjust the way you want to during the shaving process.
A straight razor works opposite to this. It gives you absolute control over the pressure, angle, and all other shaving-related factors. The problematic element with a cartridge razor is that it does not allow you to transition with grain each time you encounter a different direction of your facial hair. You have no choice but to keep going in the same direction with a cartridge razor.
5. Easiest Option for Beard-Shaving
Many men love to grow their beards out during the winters but get rid of them as soon as spring sets in. But shaving off a beard is not as easy as it sounds, but straight razors make even that bit easy for you. A multi-bladed razor cannot often handle big and bushy beards. The springy hairs tend to blog up the many blades, and usually, men have first to endure the hassle of using a scissor or trimmer.
With a straight razor, though, it’s just a single session. The straightforward design makes no room for clogging, and you can shave off your thick busy mane with simple single-blade strokes.
6. Little to No Razor Burns
We will not claim that using a straight razor will not result in any cuts and nicks for the first time. When you’re transitioning to the single-bladed tool, the lack of experience may cause slight cuts and nicks till you gain complete control. But you will most certainly experience minor irritation comparatively.
There are several reasons behind this. Firstly, you make several passes across your face with a cartridge razor, owing to the multiple blades. At a time, four to five and even more blades stroke across your skin, and by the time the last bladed passes over, your skin has lost almost all its lubrication. Hence, you suffer more razor irritation after your shaving results.
You have enough lubrication for the single blade during its passing over your skin with the single-blade variety. As a result, your skin feels smoother and less irritated after. The only trick is to pay attention to what you’re doing and refrain from exerting too much pressure on the straight razor.
7. Cost-Efficient
A straight razor is more cost-efficient in the long run, while you have to buy disposable cartridges and plastic razors time and again. The only high cost of a straight razor is the initial investment of purchasing the whole kit. But once you have all the tools that go with a straight razor, you can expect them to last a lifetime.
It is best to buy all you need right initially when you’ve decided to adopt straight-razor shaving. So investing in a high-quality brush, shaving bowl, hone, strop, straight razor, and a couple of other necessary accessories is a great idea.
8. Leather Strop
You will find the act of using a straight razor very thrilling and masculine, but apart from that satisfaction, the leather strap is a bonus. Your single blade needs to be sharp to give you the quality shave you desire, and a leather strop is a way to maintain this.
Leather strop is a genius addition to the fascinating shaving tool, and using it will certainly give you an exhilarating masculine kick. Dovo’s Razor Strop and the brand’s similar products are the best examples here.
9. Eco-Friendly
Consider it this way: with a plastic razor, you have to dispose of the cartridges and plastic razors after every few days. What happens as a result? You end up heaping piles of more trash in our already burden environment.
Straight razors contribute to “clean living.” You reduce a lot of waste and disposal when using straight razors, making a small contribution in protecting the environment. Then consider using a traditional qualitative soap with it instead of the canned-ready foam. When you’re no longer heaping empty cans on the piles of existing trash, you’re taking another step forward in protecting the environment.
Final Thoughts
A straight razor not only feels manlier but has unique shaving benefits that no other razors in the market can beat. From giving you the closest shave possible to reducing skin irritation, ingrown hairs, and wastage, you will indeed find this a better and more satisfactory option.
It may take you a while to get accustomed to gaining absolute control, but once your learning with the straight razor is complete, you will enjoy optimal shaving performances each time.
If you feel that you need to have a smoother transition into using a straight razor, you can start with a Shavette which is essentially a Straight Razor with as replaceable blade. You can use any single edge blade or use a double edge blade by breaking it in half. We have some great Shavettes that you can select from Dovo, Boker,Feather, Parker and our own brand.
