Shavette Razor - gentlemen are shaving with style

Dovo Shavette Review by Thomas B

Thomas Brenton who works as a professional barber just outside Los Angeles sent us this review of the Dovo Shavette:

I work as a barber, and I am used to handling most types of razors, including safety razors, barber knifes and more recently also Dovo Shavette Razors. I really does not matter which Dovo Shavette you are getting as long as it is made by Dovo. I usually buy this one which includes a batch of my favorite blades.

The reason for using the red (or black if you have lighter skin) blade holder is that it becomes very clear when you hold it to your skin, which prevents accidental cutting even in darker rooms.

The razor is easy to handle compared to the heavier barber knife or regular straight razor. It is so light so it follows every move you make with your hands, and as soon as you learn to master it you won’t let it go. It works great to use with either hand, and the blade holder actually serves for protection from deep cuts.

When I do professional shaving I change blades for every new customer. The blade insertion is a simple process that takes less than one minute and this way I can assure my customers that they are getting really great shaves since the blades are always new and sharp. At home I have started using the Dovo Shavette instead of my old Straight Razor. I just prefer the feel of it, but I only change blades once per week (I shave every other day).

Best blades for a Shavette Razor

The Dovo Shavette Razor uses disposable DE blades. DE stands for Double Edged and one blade usually lasts between five and ten shaves depending on the thickness of your beard, how well you have prepared and the quality of the blade.

Remember, double edged blades are blades that you bend and break in the middle and split into two parts. So each blade is actually two blades for your Shavette. This is good news!

I often get the question: Which blades should I buy for my Shavette?

The answer is: it depends. This is a matter of taste, and if you are a beginner it is hard to know what kind of blade you like. Usually i recommend buying a Razor Blade Sample pack from Amazon. For around $15-20 you get around 60 really nice blades for your Shavette Razor. Then you can test them all and bulk up on the one you like most. If you can not feel or see any difference – go for the cheapest.

7 Reasons why you should use a Shavette instead of a Gillette

You will look cool. By using a straight razor (Shavette or Barber Knife) you will impress most of your friends and probably also yourself.
You will save money. It is true that you need to buy some new gear when you are just starting out, but in the long term it will definitely save you money since the blades are so much cheaper than for normal safety razors.
It is better for your skin. Three or five blade razors irritate the skin much more and you need to press it hard against your skin to use them. Also, traditional style shavers are often using better skin care products than the average shaver. Your face will thank you later, and probably also all the ladies.
Your shaves will last longer. When I use a normal safety razor I need to shave every day. When using a Shavette Razor my skin only needs to be shaven every other day.
It is relaxing. If you live your life in a constant hurry it can be nice to take a break sometimes. Shaving with a Dovo Shavette Razor takes a little more time, but it is time well spent since you spend it on the most important thing in your life: you.
When you have a lot of beard to shave off it is much easier with a Shavette than a Gillette. The beard gets stuck between the multiple blades of the Gillette and you often get a tugging sensation that irritates you and your skin. With a Shavette you can go much closer to your skin without sticking.
It is more environmental friendly. Think of all the plastic tossed away every month by millions of men. You don’t want to add to that.

How to use a Shavette: Technique

Ok, it is time for your first shave using a Shavette. Congratulations! First, I hope you have followed our starting instructions.

Some expectations before we get started: You will probably cut yourself. That is alright, it probably won’t hurt since we are using a very sharp tool. However, you can be prepared to stop the minor cuts by having a Styptic Pencil ready. This is a little pen-formed utility that you dip in water and apply to any area where you have cut yourself. The bleeding will stop within seconds. I always make sure to have one of these ready, they last forever so I guess you only have to buy one.

Great, now you have the shaving foam applied over your face. We are going to start from the sideburns. Hold the shavette very lightly and at an 30 degree angle from your skin. The higher the angle the higher risk you are running of cutting yourself.

Start from the top and use small light strokes to go down. Your cheeks are the easiest part since they are big and flat compared to the rest of your face. That is why we are starting there. Follow the cheek down to the jawline and move towards your mouth.

Many people prefer shaving in two or more passes. This means you lightly shave your face once, and then apply shaving foam again and shave another time. The second time goes much faster than the first but really gets rid of facial hair that you missed the first time and leaves your face very smooth. This is specially great when you have a lot of beard you are getting rid of after a week without shaving.

It helps to stretch your skin with your free hand. It is much easier to shave stretched skin. I prefer using my right (dominant) hand for shaving my entire face because I am really awful at using my left hand. Some people have a hard time reaching all the spots of their face if the don’t switch hand after a while, but you could do as you wish here.

The mouth area are a bit tricky, so I suggest you leave it until you get better with handling the Shavette Razor. The key there is using really small strokes, stretching the skin and be patient. This is the place where you are most likely to cut yourself.

Here is a good Youtube move on how to use a straight razor. This also applies to shavettes, it is the same technique.

Using a Shavette: How to Avoid Razor Bumps / Acne

Razor Bumps are the small red marks that often show on your neck the day after you have been shaving. This looks horrible and feels even worse, it feels itchy and could stay for days or weeks if you don’t take care of the bumps.

Razor bumps could also be referred to as Razor Acne or Razor Zits or Pimples. It is the same thing if you think they are caused by your shaving activities.

So, how do we prevent it? Here are some tips.

Good preparation is key. Before you shave you should make sure your razor is clean. Just rinse it thoroughly in hot water after each shave. You also always need to wash your face in hot water before the shaving, preferably also using a shaving oil about five minutes before shaving. Some like to shave in the shower, but that often results in accidental scars if your are not steady on your hand.

Use a single blade razor. This is why the Shavette Razor is so great. By using one of those three or five blade razors you damage the skin three times or five times more than if you are using a single blade. Part of this is because those safety razors often lift up your skin and shave off the hair too close to the skin. This prevents the skin from healing properly and cause ingrown hairs, which is the worst kind of razor bumps.

After you have been shaving you should clean your face in ice cold water. Yes use as cold water as you can stand, the colder the better. This closes the pores in your skin that has been opened by the hot water and makes it less likely that zits occur.

Use a clean towel after each shave. You don’t want to use the same towel for your hands and for your face. You almost always have more bacteria and dirt on your hands and some of it gets stuck on your towels.

Use a good after shave. After you have cleaned your face with ice cold water and dried your face with a clean towel, use a good after shave. I have been using l’Oréal Men’s Expert with good results on days when my skin is extra sensitive.

The tips above is how to prevent the Razor Bumps. If you already have big problems with Razor Burn you are going to love the TEND Skincare product. It removes the itchy feeling and makes sure you get rid of those Razor Bumps pretty quick.

How to use a Shavette Razor: before starting

Using a Shavette Razor is a bit tricky the first time. You need to be careful, but if you do this right you will probably have the closest shaving of your life. I will try to give you a guide on how to use the Shavette in the best way, and we will start with some preparations before the actual shave.

The most experienced wet shavers always gives one tip to beginners: apply some shaving oil to your beard approximately five minutes before shaving. The oil serves two purposes, first it makes your beard a lot softer and secondly it also softs and protects your skin more. Remember, we are going to use a very sharp blade here, you need all the protection you can get.

There is a nice Shaving Oil called The Art of Shaving – Pre Shave Oil available at Amazon. I personally like the smell of sandal wood, it is a really fresh sensation.

The second one is to always apply hot water to your beard directly before you start shaving. The hotter the better, but don’t get yourself burned. Some prefer always shaving after a hot shower, but just splashing hot water to your face works fine too. The good shaving oils last through a shower, so you could still apply it before jumping in to the shower.

Other things you need to prepare:

A clean towel that you will only use in your face. Using the same towel for your hands/rest of your body is a big mistake. I would suggest getting a small towel that you use only for drying your face after shaving. Using a shavette, or any razor for that matter, will open up your pores and using a dirty towel in your face is just not a good idea.
Shaving foam. The experienced guys is using old style shaving soap, but I would suggest that you as a beginner start with normal shaving foam just to get started with the shaving techniques. You could also get a good shaving cream, like Edwin Jagger’s Shaving Cream.
A mirror. A wet shaver could not manage without a mirror.
Privacy and lots of time. If this is your first time shaving with a Dovo Shavette Razor you should have at least 30 minutes that you are sure no one will disturb you. It will go a lot faster later, but the first time is always slow and getting disturbed could mean a cut in your skin. We don’t want that, so make sure you are alone.

Ok, this is all you need to prepare for now. Apply the shaving foam/shaving soap/shaving cream to your face and get ready. In the next part of this series I will teach you how to use your shavette.

Should I try a Shavette Razor?

Many people ask me if they should try a Shavette Razor. They have been shaving all their lives with other kind of shaving tools. Most common is a normal Gillette Safety Razor or an Electrical Shaver.

I always give the same recommendation: try it for yourself and see.

If you happen to like it there are two big advantages for you.

You will look cool while shaving
You will probably save money

The first one is a given. All your buddies will think you are the coolest guy for shaving with something that in their eyes looks like a real barber knife.
The reason you will save money is because of the blades for a Shavette is many times cheaper than Gillette Blades. It is really expensive to be a Gillette guy, but if you can learn how to shave with a Shavette Razor you won’t have to shell out for these expensive blades.

So, go ahead and try it. Amazon has a good deal on a Dovo Shavette Razor with 100 razor blades (yes, one hundred blades) that I’ll think would be a great starting point. Go ahead and buy one today and you’ll see how great it is.

How often should you change razor blades on a Shavette?

That question gets asked a lot by newcomers to the Shavette shaving technique. I am sorry to say, but it is hard to give a good answer. I could give you a number of shaves after which you should change the blade to a brand new razor blade, but that would not hold true. For some people who have thicker beard they should change more often than people with light beard.

For me a blade is good for about 5 to 7 shaves. This goes for both Shavette blades and safety razors. I change the blade whenever I feel that it is getting unsharp. If you clean the blade really good after every shave and prepare your beard with good shaving oil and hot water before shaving it could extend the life of the razor blade with a couple of shaves.

Some people like to change their blades almost after every shave, but some other report that they could use a blade for more than twenty shaves so I guess this is really individual.

Dovo Shavette Review by Bob Sylvester

Bob writes:
I received a brand new Dovo Shavette today. It was my first Shavette, so with great honor I unboxed the package and found a small plastic packaging with a very stylish Shavette Razor inside.

My first impression was that is was very light. It is made from aluminium and I have learned that professional barbers want pretty light tools since they are using them all day long. Too heavy equipment could make them tired faster.

The aluminium finish makes the Shavette look very professional. I get that some of you like the old style of straight razors, but this is definitely more stylish than a normal safety razor. The Shavette comes with two blades (basically one blade that you break into two pieces) and two different blade holders. I went for the long holder that is designed for the longer blades.

I was struck by how sharp a Shavette really is. If you are not careful you could easily cut yourself on your first try. For comparison I shaved half my face with the Shavette and half of it with a Gillette Fusion Safety Razor. The latter is probably one of the best safety razors on the market today.

The safety razor is easier to use, of course. But the the difference in result was noticeable. The shavette left nothing, but I could still feel the beard where the Gillette razor had been. Since I am not used to the Shavette it took a long time to get the shaving done. I was probably too careful, but i still managed to cut myself just a little bit. Luckily I ordered a small Alum stick that stops the bleeding with in seconds and I never felt any pain since the Shavette was so sharp. No marks left now either.

The Dovo Shavette looks good, it is pretty easy to change blades, and is easy to hold when shaving. That means I think it is a good thing to try if you want to shave like the pros do.

For a quick shave in the morning I will probably still use the Gillette razor, but whenever I have the time or need a really good shave (for the ladies) I will definitely use the Shavette. I just need to get better on how to use it.

This was sent to us by Bob Sylvester, thanks Bob! Please leave a comment if you want to send us a review and we will publish it here on the site.

What is the difference between a Shavette Razor and a Straight Razor?

A Shavette is basically a straight razor, a shaving tool that looks more like a barber’s knife than a regular safety razor from Gillette or Wilkinson.

The first main difference is price. The Shavette is much cheaper than a straight razor. That is good for you, and that makes the Shavette a great starting place if you want to shave more like the pros but don’t want to hand out that much cash to get started.

Another difference is the blade. A shavette razor uses disposable blades (like regular razor blades that you throw away after a couple of uses). This means that you have to replace your blades after 5 to 10 uses, when it gets unsharp. The straight razor works more like a knife that you have to sharpen with special tools. It is hard to get a straight razor to be as sharp as a Shavette, so if you want a really close shave I guess the Shavette should do a better job. Professional barbers also argue that is more hygienic to use disposable blades, but for home use that argument is not worth much.

If you have sensitive skin, I would recommend using a shavette instead of a straight razor.