Chris Boyle ([info]shortcipher) wrote,
@ 2007-12-20 23:18:00
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Current mood: annoyed
Current music:Seabound - DoublePlusUngood
Entry tags:lazyweb, rant

Shaving (a rant)
Dear Lazyweb,

I wish my facial hair would go away. Recommend/disrecommend an electric shaver for me? I've never had much success with wet/manual shaving without cutting myself, by which I mean I think the number of times I've achieved a good, blood-free result can be counted on one hand. I realise this may be down to matters of technique, but I have a fundamental problem with the method itself: it's always going to require some degree of due care and attention to avoid injury; this does not sit well with my usual weary state first thing in the morning or last thing at night. As long as my face is going to keep doing what it's doing, my ideal device, in rough order of priority, is one I can operate perfectly safely (including considerations such as ingrowing hairs, something I've been warned foil shavers can cause; is there any truth to this?) and effectively, with zero effort/time, self-cleaning; replacement parts should be cheap and needed approximately never. My current device, a Remington R330, falls woefully short of this. The blades now need replacing, but even when new, its effectiveness has never been exactly stellar. It's never rendered my face as smooth as I'd like, no matter how many times I go over it. I'm happy to buy one of the nearly-200-quid ones if someone'll tell me it'll work that much better and have sensibly-priced replacement blades which will still be available in N years' time.


(38 comments) - (Post a new comment)


[info]lizzip
2007-12-20 11:18 pm UTC (link)
Er. Have you considered the obvious electrolysis-or-laser-removal? If you're a) sure of not ever wanting facial hair and b) devoid of any use for stubble argharghmyeyesmentalimageargh?

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[info]shortcipher
2007-12-20 11:24 pm UTC (link)
*hides in a corner* Scary options. Do you know anyone who has tried either of these?

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[info]lizzip
2007-12-20 11:37 pm UTC (link)
Apart from transwomen? No.

([info]gerald_duck considered it briefly, but I told him off. I think I remember hearing one or two men sort-of-maybe talking about it, but I don't think they went through with it, or if they did I don't know them well enough to have noticed/have it be relevant.)

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[info]nunfetishist
2007-12-20 11:49 pm UTC (link)
I suspect the only reason he doesn't want to grow a beard is because then he'd look like RMS.

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[info]gerald_duck
2007-12-21 12:16 am UTC (link)
Yeah, 'cause the beard would be black and I'd suddenly start wearing polo shirts if hirsute. And clearly I'd start foaming at the mouth if I had a beard.

I am semi-reliably informed that Philips CoolSkin shavers are very good.

I've always been fairly happy with Philishaves in general. I'm now on the second set of cutters for my second shaver, so… um… a set of cutters lasts about five years and a shaver a decade. My one doesn't give a great shave (certain people who shall remain nameless are eager to point out when I've missed a bit…) but it's good enough that beard doesn't accumulate and it never injures me.

Well, not unless I try to shave my scrotum, anyway.

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(Anonymous)
2007-12-21 12:17 am UTC (link)
certain people who shall remain nameless are eager to point out when I've missed a bit…

That's you being useless, not any problem with the shaver, AFAICT.

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[info]nunfetishist
2007-12-20 11:34 pm UTC (link)
Don't be a Lazyboy. Wet shave. Much better.

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[info]shortcipher
2007-12-20 11:37 pm UTC (link)
I direct your attention to the first part of the cut. :-p

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Ahem
[info]lizzip
2007-12-20 11:38 pm UTC (link)
the first part of the cut

As it were...

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Re: Ahem
[info]shortcipher
2007-12-20 11:40 pm UTC (link)
That thought did cross my mind. :-)

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[info]nunfetishist
2007-12-20 11:48 pm UTC (link)
The trick is to give more attention to shaving, and less to cuts ;-)

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[info]mobbsy
2007-12-21 12:08 am UTC (link)
If you ever get tempted to re-try wet shaving, I entirely recommend King of Shaves Kinexium shaving oil. Silly name, over-hyped, but extremely effective.

A few years ago, I tried a variety of shaving products, and decided the most important factor was a really good oil on the skin. It stops you cutting yourself nearly so much, whether wholesale nicks or just razor burn. That one is the best I've found. Superdrug usually have it in stock.

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[info]gerald_duck
2007-12-21 12:26 am UTC (link)
mathew had some vaguely retro thoughts on the subject of effective wet shaving back in January.

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[info]emperor
2007-12-21 08:55 am UTC (link)
I've never even tried wet-shaving; my father has a beard (and uses an electric razor to trim it), and it looked like a) faff b) continual need to replace blades c) time-consuming d) likely to lead to blood-loss on a regular basis. Now I am too old to admit I've never tried :)

To address [info]shortcipher's question, I have a Philishave hq 7850, which is doubtless now an obsolete model. I like the 3-round-heads bit (this is my second Philishave razor); other useful features are that you can clean the heads under the tap (thus extending the period of time you can get away with between dismantling it to clean it properly), and it has a low-battery indicator. By the time my last Philishave wasn't shaving me terribly well, I decided to buy a new one rather than go looking for new blades.

[as an aside, I used to shave operation sites on cattle using a bare razor-blade with some success, but we did that post-regional-anaesthetic, so they didn't kick if cut slightly]

(Reply to this) (Parent)
The simple answer
[info]si1entdave
2007-12-21 12:10 am UTC (link)
is to just shave at the end of showering. I only ever bother to shave in the shower (I'm lucky in that my facial hair doesn't grow that fast) and I do it towoards the end, after I've finished washing my face. The steaminess and moisture of the shower mean that the hairs are moistened and softened, and I just scrape a razor round my face until it feels smooth. No shaving foam, just recently washed skin. Try it with a razor with wires in front of the blades and see how you go. I've been using a Quatro razor solely on the grounds of it being given away with a copy of FHM about two years ago, with no complaints. Never underestimate the importance of a decently sharp blade. Also, there is no mirror in my shower and I'm blid without my specs anyway. Experience teaches me that the best way to get a decent shave is to hack off most of it yourself as best you can, and then hand your razor to your woman who is also showering with you and declare, 'I suck at this, and it is in your interest that my face is smooth when I kiss you. Try not to cut me.' works very well for me at least :-D

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Re: The simple answer
[info]si1entdave
2007-12-21 12:12 am UTC (link)
In other news, I can't type, and apologise unreservedly for the non-word 'towoards'.

SD

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Re: The simple answer
[info]gerald_duck
2007-12-21 12:19 am UTC (link)
You see that new-fangled [Edit] icon hovering over your botched posting? That's the magic way to fix typos.

Though I still prefer deleting the comment and re-posting, which is actually pretty easy 99% of the time…

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Re: The simple answer
[info]crazyscot
2007-12-21 09:58 am UTC (link)
Only paid and perm accounts get to edit comments.

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[info]gerald_duck
2007-12-21 10:41 am UTC (link)
Bah! I forgot that. And forgot [info]si1entdave is a cheapskate.

In Soviet Russia, comment edits you!

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Re: The simple answer
[info]lizzip
2007-12-21 12:13 am UTC (link)
Mmm, steamydave.

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Re: The simple answer
[info]shortcipher
2007-12-21 12:18 am UTC (link)
*eyeroll* :-)

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Re: The simple answer
[info]lizzip
2007-12-21 12:19 am UTC (link)
Are you trying to claim that the idea of a hot, soapy dave doesn't do it for you? :p

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Re: The simple answer
[info]shortcipher
2007-12-21 01:08 am UTC (link)
I'm still a zero and he's still male. :-p

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[info]gerald_duck
2007-12-21 12:31 am UTC (link)
Steamy Dave and Jenny, no less!

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[info]emperor
2007-12-21 09:03 am UTC (link)
blade-play, too!

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[info]lizzip
2007-12-21 11:18 am UTC (link)
YKINOK.

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Re: The simple answer
[info]shortcipher
2007-12-21 12:26 am UTC (link)
This is interesting; manuals and my own experience have told me that for electric shaving, it's best if I haven't just showered (possibly oil good but water bad).

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[info]gerald_duck
2007-12-21 12:36 am UTC (link)
Well, quite. Electric shavers and razors work completely differently; you're supposed to have a thoroughly dry face when using an electric shaver. Indeed, in stupidly hot weather I use Boots pre-shave lotion, which is basically some kind of highly volatile water-displacing stuff that's not too explosive, carcinogenic or fattening.

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[info]lizzip
2007-12-21 12:37 am UTC (link)
Ooh ooh ooh what is it?

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Since you insist
[info]gerald_duck
2007-12-21 12:42 am UTC (link)
Alcohol Denat., Isohexadecane, PPG-14 Butyl Ether, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, superfluous stinky volatiles Parfum, BHT, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexenecarboxaldehyde.

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Re: Since you insist
[info]lizzip
2007-12-21 12:44 am UTC (link)
Oh, okay. They're mostly sticking to IUPAC naming schemes. That all makes sense.

Cool.

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Re: The simple answer
[info]emperor
2007-12-21 09:05 am UTC (link)
I find that post-showering and drying-off is easier than mornings I haven't showered.

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[info]hairyears
2007-12-21 01:30 am UTC (link)


I always dry-shave: wet-shaving with a blade leaves me looking like a pepperoni pizza with sweetcorn. No matter what blade, no matter what lotion...

So. Shavers. My instinct is always to go for small devices, not hulking great things like hand grenades - I travel a lot - but all the major manufacturers are withdrawing from lightweight shavers you can fit in your pocket. No profit margin, I guess, but the Chinese 'travel shavers' that pushed them out of the market are appalling: they yank the hairs out rather than cutting and will destroy your skin.

Details. Phillips make the best rotary-head shavers by far, and the 2HD is a compact battery shaver with the same cutting heads as it's more expensive cousins. It is also sold as the Philips Micro Plus HQ40 in Boots. The disadvantage with all rotaries is that they are slow - several passes are required to give a clean shave - but the Phillips ones are very, very gentle on your skin.

At least, Phillips are; other manufacturers just don't get it. The drawback is their appalling build quality: the on-off switch will always fail - often before the guarantee expires, but not always.

For a fast shave, you need a foil shaver. With the demise of Ronson (who used to supply Boots branded shavers) there is no truly sharp cutting blade out there, and all the manufacturers rely on the quality of the foil itself. Braun are the best at that game, and they used to make superb slimline pocket shavers with a tiny head that you could control and turn into the contours of your face. They still do a 'travel' shaver and it's probably worth a look - if you can find it in the shops.

None of the high street majors carry a full range of pocket-sized shavers: too small and cheap to justify the shelf space.

I use the smallest battery razor available on the High Street, a Boots knockoff of a discontinued Braun 'Contour' model; the cut is fairly good, and I get no redness if I wait for my skin to 'wake up' and become less puffy and sensitive, in the morning, exposing dry hairs to the blade. Like much that is sold in Boots, it is marred by an unnecessary and badly-placed 'extra' - in this case, a beard-trimming second head that is placed too high on the casing and always gets in the way, stopping me turning and rolling the shaver into the contours of my chin.

If the switch hadn't stopped working on the third Phillips in a year, I'd still be using it. But the Boots shaver is at least usable

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[info]emperor
2007-12-21 09:07 am UTC (link)
MMV on the build quality of Philips - I've not had the issues you describe with the two I've owned so far.

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[info]gerald_duck
2007-12-21 10:48 am UTC (link)
Agreed. My first Philishave was from the bad old days of memory-effect rechargable batteries so needed a battery change after the first four or five years. (You weren't supposed to do this, but a distant uncle worked for Philips and tipped me off that their staff shop just off Tottenham Court Road in London would sell me the spare part if I asked nicely. It needed soldering, but that didn't worry me, of course.) Eventually, the quite crude early-generation cutters also wore out, and I was aware from my brother that newer models had improved considerably, so I bought a new shaver instead of just new cutters.

My second Philishave is now on a second set of cutters. So, basically, I've had twenty years of shaving with minimal fuss for about a penny a day plus electricity. (-8

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[info]meihua
2007-12-21 10:21 am UTC (link)
I'm always knackered in the morning but now have a good regime that means I don't get sliced and diced by a wet shave. It's undoubtedly far better at getting rid of stubble than a dry shave is.

Happy to demo some time, as I think that makes more sense than explaining?

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[info]Daniel Silverstone [scurf.org]
2007-12-21 11:40 am UTC (link)
Grow a beard!

s'easier

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(Anonymous)
2008-01-06 04:48 pm UTC (link)
I agree. If only because it would be interesting.
-- John

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