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.
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 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.
