Wetshaving is technically any shaving that is done where the user creates their own lather using a shaving brush, water, and a soap or cream. Many also include “old-school” razors under the umbrella of “wetshaving”, as this homemade lather is typically best utilized with a good razor.
If you’re curious about starting as a wetshaver and don’t know where to begin, please continue reading before going straight to Amazon to purchase shaving gear. Also worth mentioning, most of the commercial kits from Walgreens and CVS, such as the MicroTouch1, Goodline, Van Der Hagen, etc. are not recommended. Yes, they work, but for the same amount of money (or less), a starter kit listed below will have higher quality products and will be able to grow with you as you learn. As a community, we have also constructed a "Do Not Buy List" of artisans, manufacturers, and vendors who sell products of questionable material and origin.
For the purposes of the beginners guide, the main focus will be on DE (double edged) razors. Single edge and open blade razors also exist and are popular amongst hobbyists, but DE's are the easiest for getting your foot in the door.
Technique is the most important aspect of shaving. Many people find that techniques learned while shaving with traditional razors and shave soaps also carry over into shaving with cartridges. This is important to note, because if you aren't quite ready to start using Double Edge razors and shaving soap, you can still use this wiki to improve your shave.
Using a Double Edge (DE), like all things in life, may or may not provide benefits for you. Though we’re passionate about shaving, the last thing we want is for you to go out and waste your hard-earned money, so please consider the following pros and cons:
Mapping your beard growth is the most important part of making sure that your shaves are not bloody and painful. It is recommended to take a piece of paper and similar to a Wooly Willy, draw the direction that your hairs grow. For most males, the hair grows downward, with slight curves around the chin and jawline. The hair typically has whorls on either side of the adam's apple. This area is the trickiest to map, typically. Why map the beard growth? So that you know what angle to cut your beard growth.
Shaving with the grain means that you're pulling the razor in the direction that the hair is growing. For most men, this is down the cheeks and neck. This is the least aggressive, and least likely to result in cuts/nicks. This alone is recommended for the first 1-3 shaves for beginners, but is the first step in a "proper" 3-pass shave. Re-coat your face in lather before attempting your next pass.
Shaving across the grain means that you're pulling the razor 90 degrees to the direction that the hair is growing. That means that you can be pulling from the left side or the right side, depending on your dominant hand. For those with sensitive skin and beginner-level technique, stopping at XTG will allow for a really close shave. Re-coat your face in lather before attempting your next pass.
Shaving against the grain means that you're pulling the razor 180 degrees to the direction that the hair is growing. This is an aggressive pass that will cut the closest and has the highest likelihood for error, pain, and blood. Take your time with this pass, ensure that there is adequate lather, and only minimal pressure. The greatest risk yields the greatest rewards, however, as this is the pass that gets you a "baby bottom smooth" face.
Double-edge razors can be intimidating. There’s no reason to fear, but if you want to ease into using them, a synthetic brush and tub of soap are a great way to practice building a lather. Building a lather is the first step in wetshaving and doing this alone will make your cartridge shaves better because the brush and lather soften and lift your beard hairs. There are plenty of videos on YouTube of shavers that come highly recommended at the Wetshaving Video Wiki.
The actual process of shaving is not difficult, but again, will take some practice. Take your time, don't rush, play some mood music, and have fun.
Having a proper skin-care routine and pre-shave prep is paramount to trouble-shooting a painful shave.
The old adage holds true, in that order, specifically before your shave. The steam from your shower will soften the your beard hair, making it much easier to cut. For many, this is the full extent of pre-shave preparation. If you find yourself shaving at a time other than your shower, a terry cloth towel, soaked in water, and microwaved for 2 minutes will have the same effect when placed on the face.
While it was mentioned above that pre-shave oils are very YMMV and possibly a crutch for beginner shavers, some people with delicate skin do in fact need to use them. There's no shame in using them and they can add an additional layer of slickness and further soften your beard hairs. Most artisan shaving products don't require any pre-shave prep, as they provide plenty of slickness and protection.
Good lather is dense, slick, and protects your face from your blade. Artisan soap, when lathered correctly has a sheen to it and will maintain shape. When lathered correctly, your lather will not dry out on your face, nor will it have any visible bubbles. Hard soaps, such as those listed above, require more water than creams or "old-fashioned" soaps. The Lathering Section of the Video Wiki has a number of great videos on making lather.
Probably the easiest for beginners, however, is the Michael Freedburg Method
"How much soap should I use?"
There isn't really a good answer to this question, because:
Frequently new shavers are told to "use an almond-sized amount." This is a good amount, but not the amount that you should use for every shave. As a new shaver, it will take multiple shaves to make a good lather. You'll have to experiment with water amount, lathering time, and soap amount, to find how to make a lather correctly (hint: you're not using enough water).
As you get better at making lather, you'll find that you use less, and can load from the tub directly.
" X artisan's soap doesn't lather as well as Y artisan's soap."
Comparing soap bases is really difficult to do when it comes to the top artisans that participate in this community. It takes practice to get a proper lather with just one artisan's soap base, and further, the differences in performance between the top-tier artisans are nearly indistinguishable, even for experienced shavers. While not all soaps perform the same (and there are some that are worse), the soaps that appear in the Daily SOTD posts are nearly all going to provide superlative shaves. While there are differences in soap bases, a vast majority of artisan soaps are still going to provide good, if not great, shaves.
Hold the razor 30-35 degrees to your face. In order to determine what that angle looks and feels like, carefully hold the razor vertically on the back of your hand, and slowly rock the razor down until you can see the blade touching your skin. That's what the angle looks like on your hand, and should look like on your face.
In order to get a good shave, you'll need to be prepared to pull the skin taut on your face. As your hand may be covered in soap and water, an alum block may prove useful in getting a good grip on your cheeks and neck.
Using a very light touch, slowly pull the razor WTG. You should not feel the hairs tugging, but hear them cutting. Wash off your razor as necessary between razor strokes. When you're done fully rinse your face. Prepare for the next Pass.
Using that same light tough, slowly pull the razor XTG. You may start to feel some hairs tugging. During this pass you'll need to hold your skin tight in order to expose hairs and cut yourself less.
As a beginner, the ATG pass should be omitted until you've got 1-2 weeks of shaving under your belt. For this pass, you'll need to use that same light touch, while pulling your skin very taut, in order to get the closest shave possible. Remember that the hair will grow in different directions on your face, so you may need to change the direction your pulling the razor to compensate.
"What do you mean by 'Use a light touch?"
If at any point you find yourself pushing the head of the razor into your skin, you should stop immediately. When you apply pressure to the head of the razor you're much more likely to cut yourself, get razor burn, and other irritation. The weight of the head of the razor should provide nearly enough pressure to cut through the hairs.
You'll feel the resistance and hear the razor as it is cutting the hair. All razors give you some sort of sensory feedback, so pay attention. If you can't hear the hairs being cut, they aren't being cut. If it feels like the razor is tugging instead of slicing through the hair, your blade may be dull.
Don't attribute to soap, blades, or razors, what could most easily be attributed to you. Poor technique is the biggest reason why new shavers struggle to achieve smooth, pain-free, faces.
There are a lot of reasons why you may be experiencing discomfort with your shaves. Here are some tips and general advice for getting the best wetshaving experience possible. Also, watch some videos. Again, here's the Wetshaving Video Wiki. Please try to follow these steps in order.
Sourced largely from a post made by u/itchypooter
, "your lather probably sucks." Chances are that you didn't use anywhere near enough water. Chances are, it's a thin, pasty mess. As a new shaver, you probably need to practice making lather a few times first.
Please refer to the Lather Instructional Wiki for advice on making a thick, creamy, protective lather.
The first mistake that all new wetshavers make is that they rush through their shaves. Even after a month of daily shaves, most users are not good enough to start going fast. It is recommended that new shavers set aside 30 minutes for shaving while you're starting out. This will allow for you to make mistakes with your lather and really pay attention to how the razor is contacting your face.
Dealing with acne can be a pain. Here's some helpful advice to get a better shave for those who have acne. Many wet shavers find that after they began practicing good techniques (wet shaving), their skin conditions cleared up and they had a healthier face.
Leisureguy has a few recommendations:
Use a high-glycerin soap such as Whole Foods 365 glycerin soap with vitamin E (that's one of several glycerin soaps they offer), $2/bar, as a pre-shave beard wash. Wash beard at the sink using your hands, then rinse partially with a splash and apply lather. Some good options for a glycerin pre-shave soap include: Whole Foods 365 glycerin soap with vitamin E, Musgo Real Glyce Lime Oil soap (MR GLO), Dr. Bronner's liquid or bar soap, Neutrogrena Facial Cleansing Bar, or QED’s cleansing bars. Source
Rinse razor head in high-proof rubbing alcohol before and after each shave.
After the final rinse ending the shave, glide a dry alum block over your wet skin, then set block aside and clean up around the sink, put stuff away, etc., with the alum on your beard. After a minute or two, rinse the alum off, dry, and do your usual aftershave. This step is particularly helpful: alum is a mild antiseptic.
Use a fresh towel for every shave. You can buy thin, 100% cotton, lint-free towels called "barber towels" or "bar towels" for under $20/dozen. They're easy to launder and a fresh one for each shave helps a lot. Here's an example. You can also use surgical towels, like these. A wet towel is a microbe incubator.
Buy a bunch of pillowcases from a hotel supply house and use a fresh pillowcase every night.