Shaving with a Safety Razor
Inspired by Tynan, I've started shaving with a Safety Razor instead of the usual multi-bladed system razors. I've been using the Wilkinson Quattro and the Gillette Mach 3 & Fusion before, of which I've liked the Mach 3 the best. Now I'm using a Merkur razor:
It cost about 30€ from Amazon. The handle screws off and lets you insert the razor blades. Safety blades are very cheap. You get a pack of 10 for 2€ in every supermarket. Those are crap though. I use Red Personna blades. They're very sharp and don't irritate the skin. You get a pack of 100 from US eBay for about 10€. Still super cheap, as a pack of 5 Gillette or Wilkinson blades costs 10€-15€ easily.
You'll need a shaving brush and shaving soap or cream. I tried shaving cream from the supermarket and again it sucked (I used Nivea cream). Then I ordered Proraso Eucalyptus shaving soap for a few Euros off Amazon. Not more expensive than regular shaving cream. 
After about one week of getting used to it and learning the "skill of shaving" a bit, the shave was already a lot better than I'd ever gotten with a system razor. It is a skill, though. You can't just scrape around your face like with the system razors. You need a system. There's some great videos on YouTube, just look for "how to shave". You basically divide your face into several planes that you shave in one go. For example the left cheek, the right cheek, lower neck, upper neck. Try to lock your wrist while on one plane to avoid cutting yourself. I haven't cut myself yet, though. It's really not dangerous. You should try it. It's by far cheaper and you get a far better shave than with a multi-bladed system razor. Play around a bit and try different blades and soaps or creams. You'll find the ones you like.
It cost about 30€ from Amazon. The handle screws off and lets you insert the razor blades. Safety blades are very cheap. You get a pack of 10 for 2€ in every supermarket. Those are crap though. I use Red Personna blades. They're very sharp and don't irritate the skin. You get a pack of 100 from US eBay for about 10€. Still super cheap, as a pack of 5 Gillette or Wilkinson blades costs 10€-15€ easily. You'll need a shaving brush and shaving soap or cream. I tried shaving cream from the supermarket and again it sucked (I used Nivea cream). Then I ordered Proraso Eucalyptus shaving soap for a few Euros off Amazon. Not more expensive than regular shaving cream. After about one week of getting used to it and learning the "skill of shaving" a bit, the shave was already a lot better than I'd ever gotten with a system razor. It is a skill, though. You can't just scrape around your face like with the system razors. You need a system. There's some great videos on YouTube, just look for "how to shave". You basically divide your face into several planes that you shave in one go. For example the left cheek, the right cheek, lower neck, upper neck. Try to lock your wrist while on one plane to avoid cutting yourself. I haven't cut myself yet, though. It's really not dangerous. You should try it. It's by far cheaper and you get a far better shave than with a multi-bladed system razor. Play around a bit and try different blades and soaps or creams. You'll find the ones you like.
