The Beginner's Guide to Wet Shaving
It’s Time to Make the Switch
If you’ve been looking for the easy solution to finally get away from multi-blade razors and store-bought shaving cream that comes in a can, you’ve come to the right place.
This is all about how to graduate from your 5-blade razor and join the Single Blade movement.
Let’s dive in, all the way in.
What is wet shaving?
Aristotle says that wisdom begins with a definition of terms. So, let’s start with some quick definitions.
Wet shaving is just shaving with water, shaving cream and razor.
You could say that shaving with a multi-blade and canned shaving cream is wet shaving. But that would be like comparing your local flag football league to the NFL.
Real wet shaving is using a safety razor, real shaving cream, a shave brush and if you’re a real pro, a marble shaving bowl.
This brings us to our next term: Traditional Wet Shaving.
Wait, there’s Traditional Wet Shaving, too?
Yes sir.
Traditional Wet Shaving is shaving is lathering up with real shaving cream, loading a blade into your safety razor, and taking slow, smooth passes to sweep the hair right off your face.
This process should be capped off with an aftershave, preferably one with zero alcohol content (more on that in a second).
But what’s a Safety Razor?
These are the “old school” single edge or double edge razors. You might have seen your dad or your grandpa using one when you were a kid.
Double Edge Safety Razors use, you guessed it, a double-sided razor blade. These blades are thin, sharp and allow you to use both sides of the blade. You usually load the blade by hand by unscrewing the top and inserting the blade and screwing the top back in.
Single Edge Safety razors only have edge of the blade exposed at a time. The loading process is the same unless you are using an injector-style safety razor like ours.
Injector-Style Single Edge Safety Razors are obviously our preference. The blades come in injector-packs and load like an M-1 Garand. They were actually inspired by the rifle magazines carried by soldiers in World War I and World War II. These blades are thicker and last longer than double edge blades. The blade load process is also oh-so satisfying.
Check out this vintage Injector Razor ad.
Safety razors have made a huge comeback in the last 5 to 10 years. If you think that’s only because hipster dudes dressed like lumberjacks were trying to stick it to the man by not supporting big razor companies, think again.
Millions of men all over the world have discovered the joy and benefits of safety razors.
Why should you start wet shaving?
This could be a whole other blog post. In fact, we’ve written a few. Check out two of them:
Single Edge vs. Multi-Blade Razors
The quick answer is multi-blade razors cut your hair below the surface of your skin.
How does that even work? Well, we answer that question in the Hysteresis blog above, but here’s the quick breakdown.
Multi-blades use what is called the tug-and-cut method. The blades are so close together that each one pulls up on your hair as it cuts. Before the hair has the chance to fall back into place it’s caught by the next blade and cut again. This process is repeated as the razor quickly passes over each hair until they are cut so short that they fall below the surface of your skin after the last blade passes.
This is bad news for your hair and skin. New skin can grow over the hair leading to ingrown hairs. The process is also traumatic for your skin, which is why so many men deal with razor burn after a multi-blade shave.
So, if you’re ready to do what’s right for your skin and get a surface level shave that leaves you looking and feeling great, keep reading.
What do you need to start wet shaving?
If you’re going to shave like a true wet shaving veteran, you’re going to need the right tools. It all starts with your razor.
The Right Safety Razor for Beginners
We would definitely recommend a safety razor, if that wasn’t already blatantly apparent.
But to be more specific, we would point you to our Supply SE.
It’s a single blade injector razor designed to be your easy introduction to wet shaving.
The fins drive our industry first NickStopTM Technology. They lift and guide your hair to the blade while protecting your skin from nicks or cuts.
So, not only does the single blade save your skin from irritation and ingrown hairs by only shaving at the surface, the fins make sure you have a bloodless intro to the amazing world of wet shaving.
After the razor comes the shaving cream.
There is an almost unbelievable amount of great shaving creams on the market today. We believe ours is one of the best.
Our Ultra Lather Shaving Cream is plant-based and proudly missing any of the harsh chemicals you’ll find in the shaving cream that comes in a can. It will moisturize and protect your skin as you shave.
It also lathers up in the most beautiful way. It’s rich, thick and smells amazing. It creates a protective barrier between your skin and the blade as you shave. You need this layer of protection because the blade on our single edge is so sharp enough to cut your skin. But if you use the right cream, you have nothing to worry about.
Speaking of blades.
The Supply SE can use any injector blade on the market. We made it universal so you aren’t locked into our blades in case you find something else you prefer.
However, we think once you use our Black Label Blades, you’ll never look back.
We partnered with one of the best steel forgers in the world out of Seki City, Japan to make these extra sharp stubble slicers.
They’re so sharp they'll feel like they’re gliding across your face as you shave.
Next up is the shave brush.
You can lather our shaving cream with your hands, but if you want to experience the fullest, thickest lather, get the brush.
Most shave brushes are made from Boar or Badger hair. This was how shave brushes were made for hundreds of years. We didn’t really like the idea of slaughtering animals to make our products, so we went synthetic.
Our fibers are designed to perfectly mimic the quality of animal hair brushes, without all the cruelty. You also won’t have to deal with the gamey smell animal brushes tend to have over time.
Once you’ve got the brush, you can take your lather to the next level with a bowl.
The Shave Bowl
Our Marble Shave Bowl is 100% marble. The inside is covered in micro-ridges, so when you add the cream and use the brush, you can create thick lather in a matter of seconds.
It’s also designed to retain heat. Run hot water over the bowl for 10-15 seconds to heat it up. This will keep your lather warm throughout the duration of your shave. It’ll make your morning shave feel like a trip to the barber.
Let’s talk about aftershave.
Most of the aftershaves on the market are alcohol-based. This is why they burn when you use them.
But the real problem isn’t the temporary discomfort. It’s the long-term effects alcohol has on your skin.
It dries it out and leads to premature aging.
We made our Healing Post Shave with Aloe Vera and Witch Hazel instead.
We understand that shaving is a tough experience for your skin even you use a single blade razor. You need a post shave that soothes irritation, seals in healthy nutrients and smells great.
That’s our Healing Post Shave. Order your own here.
Those are all the tools. It’s time to dive into the process.
How to Wet Shave
Here’s our four quick steps for a stellar wet shaving experience, even if you’ve never used our gear before.
Load
Load the blade into your Supply SE. A clean load is key to a smooth shave. If you load the blade wrong and it’s sitting at the wrong angle inside the head of the razor, you’ll get an uneven shave.
Just insert the key of your injector pack into the head of your SE. Make sure it’s sitting flush with the razor. Then push, pull, *ping*, you’ve got a fresh blade loaded in.
You’re ready to lather.
Lather
There are two easy ways to do this. Start by running hot water over your Marble Shave Bowl. Then run your Shave Brush underneath the hot water. Shake and squeeze out any extra water.
After the bowl is heated and ready to go, get a fingertip of Ultra Lather Shaving Cream and place it in the bowl.
Or you can dip your Shave Brush directly into the jar of shaving cream.
Place the brush in the bowl and start lathering. It should only take about 5 seconds to get a rich, warm lather.
Now rub that lather all over your face and neck.
It’s time for the next step.
Logo
We put the Supply logo on the head of the razor to make it easy for you to find the optimum shaving angle.
All you have to do is make sure the logo is flat against your skin and you’re there. You have achieved the perfect angle for a smooth, safe single edge shave.
Holding the blade at the wrong angle can lead to a shave that’s too aggressive or one that leaves stubble behind.
Just keep the logo flat against your face with every pass you’ll take and you’ll be fine.
Let’s talk about pressure.
Lightly
The Supply SE weighs four times as much as any razor you’ll find in the store. If you’re coming straight from multi-blade razors, you’re probably used to using a lot of pressure to get a smooth shave.
You do not need to use any pressure with the SE.
Just place it gently against the surface of your skin, get the angle right and start taking passes. The weight of the razor and the extra sharp blade will do all the work for you.
After you take your pass, rinse off with warm water and spray on some Healing Post Shave.
You just had your first of many satisfying, smooth single edge shaves.
The Rinse Off
And that’s it. You know the terms. You know the why of wet shaving. You know how to wet shave. You know the tools you need to get the shave you want.
Now it’s time to start wet shaving.
If you’re ready to make the leap and join the Single Blade movement, we’ve got all the wet shaving gear you need in our Supply SE Starter Set.
Welcome to the wet shaving world. You’re never going to look back.
