Monday, October 31, 2011

Starting Straight Razor Shaving & Sharpening

Straight razor shaving is the most manly way to shave. Rooted in tradition and surrounded by mystique, shaving with a well sharpened straight razor has become a shaving method reserved for the select few brave enough and steadfast enough to embrace the challenge. Straight razor shaving is not for the faint of heart. It requires dedication and no small amount of skill. Yet, with time, patience, and help from ASharperRazor.com, you too can partake in the manly art of straight razor shaving.

Joining the select straight razor shaving club not only adds a notch to your manliness post, but it has many benefits as well. Not only does straight razor shaving provide the user with the closest possible shave, but shaving with a straight razor reduces irritation and razor bumps. In addition, users report better skin and inexpensive shaves compared to cartridge or electric shaving. One person crunched the numbers and determined that shaving with a straight razor was less expensive than shaving with a double edge razor.

The first question people ask themselves before they take the plunge into straight razor shaving is: "Isn't it really hard and won't I cut myself?" The answer to the first question is that it's no harder than learning any other new skill. Some people master straight razor shaving within the first few shaves. Some people take a little longer. The answer to the second question is that it's no more dangerous than using any other blade to shave with. If you think back to when you first learned to shave with a cartridge you might be surprised to remember how often you cut yourself learning to shave. It is the same way with a straight razor, you need to learn a new skill.

Concerning the issue of safety, shaving with a straight razor is just as safe as shaving with any other bladed instrument as long as it is used as intended. That is not to say you won't cut yourself, but you were just as likely to cut yourself using a double edge or cartridge based razor when you first started learning to shave. A straight razor will not cut you that badly either. No more than a surface nick. Unless you intentionally try to cut yourself or really slice your skin.

The second question most people ask about straight razor shaving is whether they need a sharpening stone for their own straight razor sharpening. The answer is no. In fact, you might not even want one. Unless you wish to be completely self reliant, it is better and less expensive to rely upon a professional straight razor sharpening service to sharpen and hone your razor. A Sharper Razor offers a re-honing service for your straight razor costing only $10. Taking into account the fact that a straight razor does not need to be sharpened if stropped properly for up to an entire year, $10 for re-sharpening is even cheaper than buying DE blades!

Hopefully, this article has convinced you that shaving with a cut throat razor is not hard or dangerous at all. And with a straight razor sharpening service, you can enjoy straight razor shaves for less than the cost of disposables.