Using a straight razor offers the closest shave you will ever experience. That explains why most expert barbers love using them.
Men who use these tools often feel manlier and have a sophisticated value about themselves. Other than that, there are many more benefits of shaving with a straight razor.
Benefits of Shaving with a Straight Razor
However, shaving with a straight razor is less recommended to other modes of shaving, particularly to the newbies. The possibilities of having nicks and cuts while using a straight razor are quite high since using them requires skills that take time to learn and master.
A straight razor is like a whole new experience of learning a new language, which may turn some people into losing hope in it and focusing on the use of safety razors.
Let’s take a deep look at the benefits of using a straight razor for your shaves.
1) Gives Closer Shaves
Anyone who has used a straight razor for a shave before will support this undoubtedly. Straight razors, when used, provide the closest shave you can ever get. You do not have to agree to this just because it’s said. Find a barber in your locality that does straight razor shaves and get yourself one. After that, we can set up a debate on whether your cartridge razor is better than a straight razor.
2) Challenges You to Learn a New Skill
Challenging yourself regularly and learning new skills is healthy. Shaving with a straight razor is not hard; it only demands patience and dedication to fully master the skill. Challenge yourself to learn something new and difficult by and learn how to use a straight razor. It will be frustrating at first and you may be tempted to quit. If it were easy, everyone would do it. Stand out from the rest and work yourself to know the skill. No matter how small the progress might look, having a straight razor cut makes you proud of yourself.
Learn how to shave with a straight razor here.
3) Reduces Skin Irritation
Having skin irritations after a shave is a normal feeling. However, with a straight razor, it only takes one stroke to get a silky shave that will leave you a smooth skin without razor bumps. This also reduces the chances of you cutting yourself and chances of missing patches. You need to shave every other day, which gives your skin a fresh breath of the blade whenever you are shaving.
4) Complete Control
One of the drawbacks of a straight razor is the steep learning curve. Depending on commitment, the time taken to learn the skill varies from one person to the other. It is not like picking up a razor and starting to use it. You need to study how to use it and go through the techniques one at a time. Having a game plan on the ways you’ll use to learn is an advantage on your side.
Having said that though, once you are conversant with its use and are comfortable with all the technicalities, you will find out that you have full control over your shave. Whether good or bad, the performance and outcome of the shave are on you. With the cartridge razor, you do not have the flexibility to adjust the tool to your needs but rather need to settle for the performance it gives. However, with the straight razor, you have complete control over the angles you curve, the pressure you exert and other factors needed for a quality shave.
5) Saves You Money
Purchasing a straight razor is quite costly initially but on maintenance and upgrades, lesser costs are incurred as compared to the cartridge razors. You will need to continue buying shaving soap or cream but you’ll have cut down on the costs of replacing razors each month or every time you shave.
With proper care and maintenance, straight razors can last a lifetime. Buying a straight razor will have you incurring only re-honing costs about three times a year. You can learn re-horning and save money by doing it yourself. There are vendors who offer free re-honing if you purchase from them, consider such sellers when purchasing.
6) Saves the Environment
A lot of the products we buy and use are disposable nowadays. However, all these disposable stuff must end up somewhere. Tens of toucans of cartridge razors are disposed of every year. Most of which fill landfills and turn hazardous to the environment. Sanitation workers working in such fields are thereby put at risk. Do your part in saving the environment, buy a straight razor.
Don’t miss our guide to finding the perfect straight razor! Read more here.
7) Have Fun
You may not be a fan of shaving all through. Even the enthusiasts of the skill at some point get fed up with the shaving routine. It gets boring gradually waking up knowing it’s another day like yesterday. That is why you need to set your shaving routines to your hobby and free hours. Weekends are ideal since you are relaxed and shaving is a reward of the hard work done during the week. Following such a routine makes you anticipate for the weekend and makes the whole shaving routine fun. This makes you experience more benefits of shaving with a straight razor.
8) It’s Relaxing
One of the main benefits of shaving with a straight razor is relaxation.
Taking a shave on your face and neck using a straight razor is relaxing. Yes, relaxing. Since you have to concentrate on the procedure, the process keeps your mind focused when you are using a straight razor. This moment takes you into a meditative zone where you have to free your mind and focus on the shave while applying your learned skills for a perfect shave.
You have nothing else to think or worry about apart from that exact moment. In this world where we are surrounded by noise, both necessary and unnecessary, it’s hard to cut off, it’s so relaxing and healthy to get yourself away and lose your thoughts into something you love doing. Since straight razor shaving requires concentration, those 10 minutes you spend shaving will force you to clear your mind off your jobs, chores, and oncoming exams to relax and focus.
9) Gift Your Future Generations
Think of all the gifts you have received since your childhood. Those given at your birthdays, Christmas and during graduation ceremonies, most of them give you memories of the occasions. How are they memorable to you? Do you get mind-blowing memories when you see or use them? Probably yes.
Think of getting your future generations a straight razor as a gift. This is a tool that a man can use for the rest of his life and will have it in your remembrance. A straight razor is not something that will lose value after some months but rather its use is for a lifetime. Giving a straight razor as a gift also makes you a mentor. You will need to spend some time to teach them how to use it.
Browse how to clean a straight razor with our guide here.
10) Prevents Ingrown Hairs
Ingrown hairs are quite frustrating. A lot of factors cause this to happen, one of them being the use of multi-blade razors. This type of razors pulls hair up leading to you cutting the hair follicle beneath the skin. This causes the hair to grow back as ingrown hair at unpredictable angles.
Ingrown hairs can be prevented from surfacing by the use of a straight razor. It is impossible to cut hair beneath the skin since you cannot lift the hair at the time of shaving. Therefore, you get a closer shave with no risk of having ingrown hairs. That’s a double win. However, ingrown hairs can be a genetic issue too, if you still experience ingrown hairs after using a straight razor, then it’s a genetic issue.
While you’re here, why not check out our guide to the anatomy of a straight razor?
Get One and Enjoy Benefits of Shaving With a Straight Razor
Do you feel you need to learn this new skill and experience more benefits of shaving with a straight razor?
Visit your local barber and get a straight razor shave. Order your straight razor today and experience the benefits of shaving with a straight razor.
However, note that straight razors are not just for every man but a few who try it out and take time to learn how to do it well. More men start learning but end up losing hope and abandoning the use of a straight razor altogether. Take a bold manly step and try straight razor shave.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our guide to the benefits of shaving with a straight razor.
If you want to look stylish and feel comfortable, check out this guide to stylish menswear here!
