I [talked previously](http://uwmike.com/articles/2009/09/04/classic-shaving/) about my thought process in moving from cartridges to an adjustable “safety” razor. But having said all that, and discussed the not-insignificant financial incentive, what’s it like to actually use the thing on a day-to-day basis?

### The Preparation

A wet shave starts with lather.

For those much more serious about classic shaving than I am, there are several items which complement the classic razor. These other implements all have to do with the production and application of the shaving lather—special soap, a badger-hair brush, and so-on. Though it’s debated, I see no comfort or convenience advantage to these. Nor is there particularly a financial one, as they are in some cases extremely expensive, especially the brush. For myself, foam out of a can continues to satisfy my needs, in a flexible and economical way.

One thing I’ve found with the Slim is that it’s really necessary to soften the hairs first. Since shaving typically follows a wet steamy shower anyway, this is a non-issue. But for the odd shave that doesn’t, it’s critical to prepare by wetting a face-cloth with hot water and pressing it to my cheeks and neck for a few minutes. I can’t say objectively whether the Slim is a _harsher_ shave, but it definitely has a greater skill component, and as long as that skill is still under development, shaving after softening is more comfortable, and results in a lesser likelihood of injury.

After softening, I apply a layer of foam, and proceed to the first cut.

### The First Pass

Unavoidably, the initial impression of the stainless-steel adjustable razor is that it’s _heavy_. It has significant mass in the hand, and feels fully capable of the damage that it can definitely inflict. More even than this, though, is that it’s _rigid_. The blade is bent parallel to the cutting edge, and the presence of that curvature means that there is absolutely zero give to it. It’s hard, and it stays that way. Where a multiblade cartridge sounds like gentle sandpaper on the skin, this sounds like sharp metal.

I typically make two passes. The first is with the grain: down my cheeks and neck, and forward on my jaw. The objective is not to make a super-close cut, so I take advantage of the adjustable nature of the Slim, and set the blade to either 3 or 4 (of 9). This is a conservative setting, leaving the edge only slightly exposed, quite close to the metal guide that’s behind it.

Shaving is more than just removal of hair. If you use an electric, that’s all there is to it. But for a wet shave, there’s this whole other component: the cleansing effect of dragging that blade across your flesh. It exfoliates, and keeps smooth new skin on the surface. Which feels great, of course, but if it’s a stated objective to be scraping away skin, you have to be careful with your number of passes to avoid a big bloody rash. Keeping the blade to a modest setting—at first—helps with this.

### The Second Pass

The second pass opposes the grain, or attacks it at a right-angle. This is done gently and slowly, with the blade at a much more aggressive setting of 5 or 6. To prepare for this, I splash a little water all over to moisten, and apply a thin second layer of foam (really just the leftovers that are still in my non-razor hand from the initial preparation).

The main injuries that I sustain fall into three broad categories: nicks, snags, and rashes. **Nicks** occur when I’ve gone too quickly, and taken a little chunk out of myself. The blade is wide and flat, which meshes poorly with the hills and valleys that form the the rugged terrain of my face. Nicks generally happen at the corners of the blade, or when the middle slips and digs in for slice. **Snags** happen when the blade catches due to insufficient moisture. The blade can also snag on longer hairs that would have been chopped off in the first pass, if I try to skip it. **Rashes** happen when the first pass was too aggressive—I’ve learned now to tell when this has occurred, and simply abort the procedure after the first pass. A shave doesn’t always have to be super-close, and I’d rather it not be than end up with a bloody mess.

As I’m wrapping up the second pass, I tend to get my left hand fingers involved, checking the known problem areas for a lack of smoothness. For me, these spots are the concave bits, especially my neck under the jawline, and the areas just to the left and right of my chin. These particular spots will often get another splash of water, and one or two more second-pass strokes.

### The Finish

I didn’t used to use aftershave, but the rougher nature of classic shaving makes it pretty essential. Aftershave contains three main components—a moisturizer, an antiseptic, and a slight perfume. I don’t care too much one way or the other about the scent, but the moisturizer is important for comfort, and the antiseptic is _really_ important to disinfect, and numb any damage (even non-punctures, where it’s just worn a little raw).

So the final stage is much as it is with a cartridge shave: rinse off remaining lather, dab gently at any injuries, and splash on a little aftershave.

All in all, it takes 5–10 minutes. Which is a lot longer than it would with an electric, and maybe a little longer than it would with a cartridge, but I don’t really mind making the time commitment to it. As a blonde, I can—at least from an aesthetics point of view—get away with doing alternate days, which reduces the time commitment by half. Once [married](http://openhalfwaythrough.com/), though, the precise schedule will be up to the preferences of my beautiful wife.

Michael

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