Here at King of Shaves we do make our own razors, however we wanted to give you some honest advice about which type of razor you should be using. Single blade or multi-blade? Branded or un-branded? 3, 5 or more blades...?
In this video we share our top tips, knowledge and experience on how to pick the right razor for you and, with some great shave prep, how get a great shave every time.
How to Choose Your Razor Video Transcript
So we at King of Shaves, we do make razors, but we wanted to try and give you some honest, open advice about the razors that you might choose look at or use yourself.
Unless you’ve been hiding away in a cave for the last 20 years, you probably realise that razor blades have moved on from the days of double-edge. So we’ve got a choice out in the market now – you can use a single-bladed razor or a razor with multiple blades. Theory says that a multi-blade razor will shave you closer with more comfort.
Thinking about your shave plan and what you want to shave like is important in understanding how many blades you want to use. Here’s my bristle, here’s my blades coming through…
The first blade hits the bristle, pulls it out of the skin slightly, snaps through the other end. Due to the nice, elastic nature of your skin (called hysteresis for those that are interested), the bristle starts to retreat into the skin, but oop – the second blade’s hit it, pulls it up out again, cuts through it, it starts to fall back into the skin. The third blade comes along… and if you believe all of the marketing, the fourth and fifth blades do something similar.
Your bristle will be sub-skin, so in theory you’ve got a closer shave, because it will take some time for that bristle to grow up through the skin to get to the same place as a single edge razor would’ve shaved you. If you’re somebody that suffers from razor bumps – for a lot of Afro-Caribbean guys this could be a really big problem, or anybody with a slightly curly stubble – you’re probably going to want to avoid multi-blade razors, because bringing the bristle down like this is going to encourage ingrown hairs even more. Just bringing the bristle down to surface level means that it’s much easier for that bristle to grow up through the skin.
So I’ve got two products here that are kind of two ends of the spectrum: a single blade; and then we’ve got one of the state of the art products from our friends at Big G. It’s probably got forty or fifty components in it. Three components and a blade [single blade razor]. This product [single blade razor] will probably require you to invest in the handle £20 or £30, but each blade will cost you pennies. They virtually give you the handle for free [multi-blade system razor], but each time you replace this cartridge they are going to take you for £2.50 maybe £3.00 depending on where you buy it from.
Used properly – you’ll get a great shave [multi-blade system razor]. Used properly – you’ll get a great shave [single blade razor].
The real, main difference between these two products is that the skill level to use this product [multi-blade system razor] is so much lower than the skill level to use this product [single blade razor]. For the guys who love this type of product [single blade razor] they find it hugely rewarding.
Both these products share one thing in common: for a great shave you need a great shave prep. Whatever shave prep you choose to apply, take some time to massage it properly into all of your beard. This’ll really soften the bristles, and mean that when you come to apply the razor to your face it’ll feel more like a hot knife through butter.
Obviously there’s Wilkinson Sword Energizer who make a five-blade and three-bladed razor. Bic – who make sort of disposable and hybrid-disposable razors. And you’ve also got a lot of supermarket own-brand label or Boots or Superdrug own-brand label. These products can be really good as well – so don’t discount them just because they haven’t got a brand on them. With good preparation and a good shave prep, they can still give you an excellent shave and you might find they’re excellent value for money.
Once you’ve finished with your razor blade, just rinse it in some clean water, shake it dry – don’t ever be tempted to try and wipe the blades, you will damage them so, so easily. Store them with the blades in a safe manor, ideally not resting on a hard surface and you’ll get extra value out of your blades.