Head shaving techniques

[High Plains Drifter]

I am a Wet/DE face AND head shaver....... Over the past weekend I accidentally tried something that worked..... I do not know why...but it did.....

After a nice 3 pass on my face I lathered my scalp..... For some unknown reason I took a swipe across my head with the ole Futur set to 1.5 ** yikes** ATG !!!!! (what was I not thinking??) mmmm not so bad so I did it again ! and again ! I followed with an across the grain pass just to pick up what I may have missed.

The results were/are outstanding or maybe even better......Probably the best results ever. A quick check w/ alum block...... just cool and smooth !:D :D


Any ideas why this works on my scalp.....but would be universal disaster on a face ????? :confused: :confused:

Thanks for being here !!!!!

[Queen of Blades]

What type of blade were you using?

The info might be helpful to other head shavers.

[qhsdoitall]

What type of blade were you using?

The info might be helpful to other head shavers.
Ditto, plus what cream/soap?

[PalmettoB]

Maybe because the hairs on your head aren't as thick as beard hairs? (Sounds weird, but my beard is coarse, and what little hair I have left is very fine.)

[Queen of Blades]

Maybe because the hairs on your head aren't as thick as beard hairs?

This is the thought I had.

[High Plains Drifter]

Ditto, plus what cream/soap?


I am using a Feather in the Futur..... First Soap Was Mama Bear's Dragon's Tears.....Also tried Gentlemans Refinery cream with the same results !

Your feed back is really appreciated !


Kevin

[Mottern Man]

I am using a Feather in the Futur..... First Soap Was Mama Bear's Dragon's Tears.....Also tried Gentlemans Refinery cream with the same results !

Your feed back is really appreciated !


Kevin

I also hope you put something with SPF on your head too. Any other AS you use on your head?

I know a lot of head shavers and they use aloe vera gel and sunscreen, maybe i can suggest something else to them, any thoughts?

[High Plains Drifter]

My scalp tends to be a little on the slightly oily side....I have found MB's Summer Aftershave to work best.... Equally good results from Thayers Rose witch hazel and Gentlemens Refinery ASB also.

I am still looking for the ultimate sun screen.....any help here would help ! However I have found Neutrogena Ultra Sheer dry touch SPF 30 to work best so far !

Kevin

[fritz]

<snip>
I am still looking for the ultimate sun screen.....any help here would help ! However I have found Neutrogena Ultra Sheer dry touch SPF 30 to work best so far !
Kevin

Well, I don't shave my head (quite yet) since I still have a little hair. But it's thin enough I have to worry about sun burn. You probably won't like this answer, but I have found the Ultimate Sunscreen. They come in several different brands, but I like Stetson best, followed by Resistol. Some of the ones imported from Panama are pretty good on really hot days. :rofl

[j_meyrs]

This sounds familiar. There is a new product called the Dry Shave by Bold For Men that is specifically made for head shavers.

[caveman3]

I also shave my head in addition to my face. I have a mustache and goattee but everything else is smooth. After MUCH experience (been shaving my head for just over 12 years now and DE shaving for just over 2) I have come up with a method that works wonders for me. I always shower first and leave my face and head wet. I use a quality brush that has been soaking in hot water plus 1 teaspoon of glycerin while I showered. I used to use creams almost exclusively, but now I am an absolute Tabac shaving soap addict! I lather my face and head with the Tabac and then do a 4 pass shave of my face, relathering between passes. I do a bottom to top pass on my head beginning at one ear and working my way all the way around my head. I then relather and do a "front to back" pass, by which I mean I start just in front of one ear and then move backward and move up toward the top of the head with each successive stroke.

My technique is now consistent enough that I can do this nearly BBS most of the time with nary a nick nor even a weeper as long as I use laserlike focus and remember to use NO PRESSURE whatsoever. I use Feather blades almost all of the time and I use a Merkur Vision, Classic, HD, Slant Bar, and also a Gillette 59 Fat boy and 40's SS with fantastic results. I usually use one razor an entire week and then change to another for a week.

All this is followed by a hot and cold water rinse, Alum Block and rinse, Aqua Velva, Nivea ASB, then Proraso ASB. I find it is easier when shaving my head to use multiple short strokes and never to get in a hurry.

I hope at least some of this is useful, and not just complete overkill!

[Queen of Blades]

Great post Dave! :happy088

[SSLSTudio...]

Dave since your the best expert here with 12 years of head shaving would you say the skin of the head is less sensitive then your face ?

That would resut in a different feeling of the blade on the skin ? less feeling of being able to tell where the blade is I dont know how to put it but maybe you understand what im grasping at.

I would think the head skin is less prone to razor burn but does need a good SPF protection and a good moisturiser.

How often do you need to shave your head Dave if you live your life as Kojak ?
I know one guy at my dojo well no two who are baldies. my Sensei actually is one and his best student is one aswell.

What intrigues me is why or how did you find out you would look good when bald? some folks really look cool when bald and you cant imagine them with hair..:rolleyes:

[caveman3]

Rene,

I certainly wouldn't call myself "the best expert", but I do agree that the skin of the head is somewhat less sensitive than that of the face. You are quite correct in surmising that this makes it more difficult to locate the blade by feel. That is why I ALWAYS use a mirror and use the short strokes I referred to earlier with literally as little pressure as possible.

You are correct on the razor burn, but that lack of feeling makes it much easier to get the occasional nick, or at least it did for me in the beginning. I have fairly dry skin anyway, but SPF and moisturization do help.

I shave my head every time I shave my face, which is usually every day, with perhaps one day off per week.

I am 40 years old and began this when I was 27 or so. I did it because my hair had been thinning and receding for years already at that point, and because it was just beginning to become somewhat fashionable and accepted. I am not sure what one should look for before taking that plunge other than hoping one doesn't have an overabundance of bumps, depressions, etc. I certainly wouldn't say that I look "good" (perhaps I will get brave enough to post a photo to the appropriate forum one of these days) bald, but 2 different girlfriends that had never seen me with hair commented on how funny I looked in old photos (with hair) and that I am one of those people who just really should be bald. It is a look I have come to accept and it definitely feels fantastic from my perspective.

[caveman3]

Great post Dave! :happy088
Thanks, JoAnna! ;)

[Kenrup]

I've been a head shaver for four years. I started with an empathy shave when my wife lost her hair from chemo. I didn't have much to start with but I have continued to head shave as a boycott on why should I pay full barber chair fare when I'm getting only half the flight? Anyway, I do shave in the shower, I use a straight razor on my face and I am venturing to ascend to the summit with the straight. Now you know why styptic pencil stock is on the rise. Actually my face is the far tougher shave, it has nothing to do with topography. I use a Col. Conks amber glycerin soap with a lush badger hair brush. I find that it is a lightly held razor and attention to the "feel" of the razor angle that makes the shave on the noggin. I spend half the time on my head as I do on my face. My goal is to eventually not have to use any disposable razor blades or (gasp!) plastic shavers.

[caveman3]

Wow! I used a straight razor ONCE sometime in the first month that I began shaving my head back in 1994 or 1995. I cut myself something fierce (LOTS of blood vessels up there on the old noggin) and never worked up the courage to try it again. I also used to shave in the shower, but now I am very much into the ritual of doing it at the sink after showering. To each his own, and I assume your method is working well for you. That is one of the things I love about this hobby; there is no one correct way that trumps all others. As to your subject line, I will have to give you kudos and go with brave! LOL

[Jimbo]

Hi guys,

I've been shaving my head for a while now (started going bald in my mid-late 20s :sad024). I started with the disposable mach3 type things (or whatever was around back then).

For the past year/eighteen months I've been using a straight to do my head. The first couple of times were a bit hairy (:ashamed001) but it quickly becomes a lot easier. I agree with Kenrup that it's about the feel, especially on the back of your head where you can't see anything. I only do front-to back with the straight - I tried back-to-front once and still haven't emotionally recovered :eek: As a consequence I shave my head daily to keep it feeling smooth.

I prefer bigger blades (6/8 or higher) or wedge grinds for the head. They seem to run smoother across the dome.

James.

[PalmettoB]

I have been intrigued about this idea of shaving the dome with a straight since I started with straights back in March. I started going bald in my early 20s and have usually just kept "the remains" at crew-cut length or shorter. But I have contemplated more than a few times just getting rid of the rest. I may have to try a str8 head shave!

[Jimbo]

I have been intrigued about this idea of shaving the dome with a straight since I started with straights back in March. I started going bald in my early 20s and have usually just kept "the remains" at crew-cut length or shorter. But I have contemplated more than a few times just getting rid of the rest. I may have to try a str8 head shave!

I'd really recommend it. Just divide your head up into bits - top, sides, and back, left and right. You can see the top and sides, so they're pretty straightforward (but you need to be careful around the ears). For the back, I make sure I start the stroke where I can see it - at the crown usually - so I get the angle right, then zip on down. Being able to use both left and right hands helps a lot too.

Stretching the skin is just as important on the head as it is on the face, for me at least. On the sides you can pull the skin up and away from the ear a bit to get that hair. On the top you can stretch at the crown either forwards or backwards. For the back of the head I stretch forward from the crown and also rest my chin on my chest - you can't see that part anyway, so there's no point watching yourself in the mirror. With your chin on your chest you can turn your head either left or right so your neck muscles are stretching the skin at the back.

There's only one really tricky part for me, and that could just be a personal thing. My hair grows right behind the top of my ears - I need to pull my ear forward and use the tip of the razor to get those few bits. I haven't nicked myself for a while, but if I do it's always there.

But if you can do your face with a straight, you can most definitely do your head. After all, your head has less sharp angles and direction changes than your face.

James.

[PalmettoB]

Capital idea! I may just try it!!

[mrcleanhead]

There's only one really tricky part for me, and that could just be a personal thing. My hair grows right behind the top of my ears - I need to pull my ear forward and use the tip of the razor to get those few bits. I haven't nicked myself for a while, but if I do it's always there.

I agree!!! I was thinking of trying to find a longer straight blade. My arms are short so behind the ear is a pain. Literally sometimes.

Any suggestions?

Also, if anyone is thinking of shaving their head and want to know how it might look? Check out a bald Uncle (mother's side?), brother, etc. That's how I knew my head would look pretty good. And yes I started developing MPB (male patterned baldness) in my 30's and at 47 it hasn't changed much. But that wasn't why I shaved it. I have always thought it looked cool. :ashamed001 I had a hair stylist clip me to the nub initially. She wasn't a "barber" so no shaving. I took it from there and haven't had a haircut since 1999.

I love the way it feels when I'm done shaving. Smooth and clean. Feels better than my face. And during summertime you can throw some water on it to cool off and just wipe it down. And in winter prepare to wear a hat.

Fortunately my scalp is tight so I don't need to pull the skin when I'm shaving. My face on the other hand isn't.

John

[Kenrup]

I am fortunate that my str8s are extremely sharp so they glide over my scalp. Sharp is the key for me which translate into no pressure, no irritation and rarely a nick little lone a cut. To each his own.
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