10 Reasons Why You Should Shave With A Straight Razor
The savings
A straight razor may not be cheap, but you have to consider it a one-time investment. When properly cared for and sharpened, a high-quality razor could very well last you a lifetime. In a matter of a couple of months, the higher price of the straight razor can be paid for with the savings on cartridges. Disposable blades, on the other hand, can really rack up a tab: It's estimated that men spend $10,000+ on razors in their lifetime. The cartridges and packaging also generate plenty of waste (over 10,000 tons each year), so making the switch to a single blade would be good for the planet as well.
Helps Prevent Razor Burn and Ingrown Hairs
Instead of having multiple blades coming in contact with skin, the straight razor needs just one. Low-grade multi-blade razors can pull on hairs and cut them below the surface of your skin, often causing ingrown hairs. Similarly, if your skin is sensitive, having three blades run across the skin can cause painful agitation. Every time a blade runs across the skin a small microlayer of skin is removed, that is why a multiblade cartridge only does more damage and irritates the skin. A straight razor counters both of these problems, trimming each hair to the perfect length in a single, easy stroke.
It's Not as Dangerous as You Think
Although it seems very dangerous, shaving with a straight razor isn’t much more dangerous than any other shaving method. However, while the lack of a guard does make it riskier than a safety razor, it's highly unlikely that a careful shaver will suffer more than a nick. Just avoid applying pressure the weight of the blade does the work and ensures that every motion is perpendicular to the blade. Gravity will take care of the rest.
You Get to Use a Leather Strop
If the act of using a straight razor isn't satisfying enough, consider this added bonus: A straight razor has to be sharp to achieve a quality shave, and the way to maintain this precision edge is through the use of a strop. The process brings to mind a medieval blacksmith's whetstone. This can be learned very quickly through youtube tutorials as this skill is more “Easy to learn hard to master”.
It's the Easiest Way to Shave a Beard
If you are one to grow a bushy beard in the winter and cleave it off in the spring, you know how it becomes quite a process. This is where a straight razor really comes in handy. A full beard is much more than a cartridge can handle, getting clogged in a matter of seconds. Requiring external tools such as clippers to do the razor’s primary purpose SHAVE. A straight razor, on the other hand, has no spaces to clog, so you can easily shave off your full mane with a single stroke of the blade.