What is the best razor for shaving your head?

Thoughts and input on anything related to wet shaving or men's grooming.
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BlakeOrlando
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Location: Santa Cruz, CA

What is the best razor for shaving your head?

Post by BlakeOrlando »

So I am thinking of taking the plunge and begin shaving my head. I have a receding hairline that I have been maintaining by cutting it shorter and shorter. I am now down to a 1/4'' buzz cut, but now I think its time to just start shaving it. I asked my barber and he said I have the head / face shape for it. Now I have to decide which razor to use. I was doing some research and came upon this article about best razors for shaving your head. It has quite the range of possible options from the ATX head blade, the cartridge and the safety razor. I am wondering which one I should go with. I do currently shave my face with the Muehle R41 Twist safety razor so I am familiar with safety razors but the head is a whole other deal. I guess I could always do with one of the those electric head shavers as well. Just wondering if anyone has any advice? Thanks.
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fallingwickets
Clive the Thumb
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Re: What is the best razor for shaving your head?

Post by fallingwickets »

nothing comes close to a gillette fusion :D

clive
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ShadowsDad
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Re: What is the best razor for shaving your head?

Post by ShadowsDad »

When I was shaving my head I first used a SE Featherweight to get rid of the buzz cut and get it down to skin. After that I decided to use a SE OCMM and it was a fantastic decision IMO.

My head shaving days didn't last long because now my head contacted my eyeglass frames and I seem to be sensitive to the alloy. End of experiment. But I loved the lack of general maintenance; other than shaving it every 3 days or so. If I was to do it today I'd probably use a GEM Clog-Pruf, especially for that first head shave.

There's no way you'd ever get me to shave my noggin with a cartridge. They clog when shaving the face, now multiply that by 3 times the area.
Brian

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Or find it here: Italian Barber, West Coast Shaving, Barclay Crocker, The Old Town Shaving Company at Stats, Maggard Razors; Leavitt & Peirce, Harvard Square
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Big Swifty
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Re: What is the best razor for shaving your head?

Post by Big Swifty »

fallingwickets wrote:nothing comes close to a gillette fusion :D

clive
Blake, I have to agree with Clive here, A good quality cartridge works pretty well when shaving in the shower. I never really had any problems with clogging up but I guess that would come down to the thickness of your hair and if you had decent water pressure it shouldn't be a big deal. I preferred a regular handle as opposed to one of those nifty headblade roller handles but I know some guys swear by them. I would suggest making a really good and thick lather and just taking your time and after a while it will be a piece of cake
~Steve

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TommyDawg
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Re: What is the best razor for shaving your head?

Post by TommyDawg »

I've been head shaving for close to ten years now. I have tried many different razors and blades, with different results. Despite all the great DE 's in my (face shaving) collection, I have settled on the basic Gillette good news, two blade pivot razor. They are sharp, cheap, and glide smoothly over my dome, easily navigating the peaks and valleys, etc. The head is much harder, with fewer flat straight surfaces than the face. I also find my head more tolerant, less sensitive than my face. So while I won't use these on my face (unless in a pinch), they work great. Also, don't confuse this with a general recommendation for any disposable. Many are AWFUL, even for my melon. Good luck in the move to head shaving.

PS. It is a huge confidence boost when you do it. Carry the confidence proudly. Ladies will dig it, men will envy....
gwsmallwood
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Re: What is the best razor for shaving your head?

Post by gwsmallwood »

Depends on your hair and skin type. I have extremely coarse hair, and quite a bit of it. I had a hard time getting even 2 head shaves out of a cartridge before they dulled. I also found it very difficult to shave daily when I needed to with the carts. Cost and comfort led me to the DEs. It took a while to learn, but it was worth it for me. I say if you're already using the R41 you should be find using it on your head too. Just take your time. If you find it too difficult, use a cart for a while and slowly work back up to it.
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ichabod
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Re: What is the best razor for shaving your head?

Post by ichabod »

I have shaved my head with plenty of razors, including straights, GEMs, Feather Cobras, Merkur Progress, Feather two and three blade cartridges, Headblade, and Fusion (on Clive's recommendation).

Fusion gives me the best head shaving experience. Head shaving (for me, obviously) is very different from face shaving as my head is supported by skull (your skull may vary), the skin doesn't need to be stretched, and I can move the Fusion over it very rapidly. My head hair is less coarse than my facial hair, and my scalp is less sensitive. With good prep (lather from a cream or soap and brush, same as I'm using on my face) I can get weeks, indeed months, of shaves from a Fusion cartridge. I usually end up changing them out of curiosity to see if a new one will be better (it usually is, but not life changingly so).

If I'm flying somewhere and want to go carry-on only I use the Feather two blade razor for both face and head.
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