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Comment by mirimir | Hacker News Reader

I've typically had a beard, because I hate shaving. Or rather, because I have both a bristly beard and sensitive skin. And no, shaving every day for years didn't "toughen up" my face.

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Safety razors tend to be quite rough, and the canned foam offers little protection. Consider using a double edged razor and better cream (my personal usage is a merkur handle w/ feather blade, and cremo cream; a fairly cheap and effective set)

Thanks. But that ship has sailed.

I do not want to see what my face looks like, now.

You'd be surprised. I've seen tons of men shave beards and instantly look 10-20 years younger. And my personal experience is that the years spent shaving my face and then applying balm means I was getting carded well into my late 20s until last year.

If you ever did want to shave your beard, have a professional do it first and then maintain it with your own razor. And try different blades if you go with a double-edge safety razor. GP uses Feather, but Feather blades cut the crap out of my face. I've also used Gillette Silver Blue, which irritate my neck but work pretty well otherwise. And I've settled on Gillette Platinum which work really well for my face even dull.

Another tip is getting the water hot enough to make a good lather. A lot of modern apartment buildings set the water heaters low enough that I can't get a good lather, so I usually have to boil water in an electric kettle and then mix it down to a good shaving temperature.

It's totally worth it.

For me, it'd be the jowls. I know that they're there. But I just don't want to see them.

If I did shave, I'd probably go with an electric razor. For some years, I just used an electric clipper. I kept both head and face at 2-5 mm.

+1 on the hot water. Also, use it on your face. Wash your face thoroughly to get rid of the dirt that can cause the razor to slide unevenly. Then try to wait to let that warm water soften the skin. Drag the razor gently across the face. A sharp razor blade should be able to cut without you applying pressure. A 30 degree angle is best for safety razors.

Finally, rub your stubble to get a sense of which direction your hair grows. Shave with the grain before shaving against it.

I had the same problem. A double edged razor is better than a safety razor, but still problematic. I finally said fuck it and keep it trimmed to about 1/8 inch. As an added bonus, several women have complimented me on it.

Yeah, that's the simplest solution. You can miss a few days, and not see the difference.

I think safety razors and double edged are the same thing.

But yeah those multi blade cartridges are rather bad, not to mention expensive. I've seen a pack of cartridges with 6 or 8 blades each for $7 a piece recently. Not sure how much they last, but my DE blade lasts for months and costs $0.10 a piece... That "investment" in a $15 DE razor will keep paying off forever...

EDIT: that life time estimate is on the basis that I shave like one a week though, if you shave daily you'll go through a few $0.10 blades in a month maybe :)

My uncle shaves twice a day and gets a single day per $0.10 Feather blade. That said, only the Feather gets 2 shaves in before it gives up, so it's worth the slightly higher cost.

How frequently do you shave? Months from a blade seems pretty atypical.

I get about the same lifespan from a good safety/double edge blade as I used to from a Mach III blade, but with less irritation and lower cost (though my safety razor was unnecessarily expensive so it took a while to actually pay off). I would guess I get 5ish shaves out of a blade before it’s worth it to me to replace it.

I get more than five per blade, but it is hard to keep track, since I shave once a week or so. Probably depends a lot on hair type and tolerance for dull blades.

Another point for DE, they don't clog on a week's stubble, I had to whack the cartridge I used before on every move. I actually broke the handle eventually.

I've had a beard continuously since December of 2005, which is when I went on leave prior to separating from the military. Being required to shave (essentially) every single day, under the threat of the UCMJ, was sufficient motivation to forego shaving for the last ~14 years. I'll probably wear a beard for the rest of my life. I still say to people frequently, "No, it's less a beard and more that I just stopped shaving." Yes, indeed, I also genuinely hate shaving.

Have you tried an electric razor?

Yes. That was best for me. Although I had to replace the blades every few months.

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