Fact or Myth: Pressure affects your shave.
Here's a pop quiz for anyone who has shaved with a razor:
True or False: The more you press with your razor - the closer your shave gets.
We'll wait. Think about it.
Ready? Alright, we are too.
Drumroll please ...
FALSE. Using pressure during shaving is a relatively new (& terrible) habit brought on mainly by the multi-blade, cartridge razor era. It’s as if we forgot that our razors have sharp blades, the same piece of metal used in swords, knives, etc. Why would we press sharp blades into our face?
To illustrate what happens when pressure is used, (hey there, visual learners!) we made a fancy chart. When you press down on your skin, it causes skin bulging, which creates a very accessible target for cuts and irritation during your shave. As you can see in the picture below, the displacement caused by pressure can also get in the way of a close shave. Whoa - bet you didn’t see that coming.
Let's take a closer look at our fancy chart. The first diagram starts with pressing down on the razor, pushing up the area that comes next. The razor, represented by the dashed line, is trying to move along the surface of the skin, but the skin bulging makes it much more susceptible to nicks, irritation and the works.
Add three to five blades to the scenario and basically add three to five times as many opportunities for a painful shave. Sure pivoting heads may help, but they will not stop the razor cutting and shaving below the surface of the skin. Whether you’re using safety razors or cartridge razors, your skin will suffer.
Now, the bottom diagram depicts your razor gliding at the surface of your skin. When you don’t press, you get a simple line to follow. This reduces and sometimes even eliminates the chance of razor bumps, irritation, cuts, and ingrown hairs. Who wouldn't want that?
Whether you're using a disposable razor from your local convenience store or you're using our Single Edge, the truth is pressure is not your friend. It may seem “convenient”, but the damage being done to skin isn't worth it.
Shameless plug - if you're needing a better shave than your current one, try out the Single Edge. The weight of the stainless steel razor does all of the work for you and requires zero pressure, giving you a close, comfortable shave with zero irritation.
