Top products from r/ladyshavers

A Venus Swirl razor has 5 blades. That's 4 too many.

You need a razor with a single blade. I would personally suggest a DE razor but there are other options for those who are uncomfortable with safety razors.

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Your options are an old school double edge or single edge razor as suggested, a single blade pivoting cartridge razor like the Gillette Guard or Waterless by Venus, a pivoting single blade razor like one of these , or finally a single blade disposable like a BiC Metal or Sensitive - but these last are not really a good choice & should be considered a last resort .

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You also need a shaving cream or soap, & a large shaving brush or a small washcloth to apply the lather. Avoid shaving products that come from a can.

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I would suggest that you start off step -by step so as to reduce the learning curve & expense.

1. Use a small washcloth to lather up with your current bath soap. The washcloth helps with exfoliation too. You already know that your current soap suits your skin, so you don't need to experiment with shaving soaps & creams to find the one that suits you just now. This postpones the need to learn to lather with a brush as well. At a later date, you can consider getting a large brush & shaving cream or soap. Use your current razor while you are waiting for your ordered razor to arrive.
   
2. Get yourself the Waterless by Venus razor for the time being. It is a single bladed razor, similar to safety razors, but has a pivoting head & is easy to use. IGNORE the gel in the handle-it's one of the worst shaving products in existence, & should be used only if you actually have no access to water. You could get yourself a Gillette Guard razor from Amazon instead - it's essentially the same as the Waterless by Venus, though it has a different handle, & both razors use the same cartridge. Both these razors are available online on Amazon too. Replacement cartridges can be found on eBay & Amazon - search for "Gillette Guard" cartridges. Cartridge cost is under 50 cents per cartridge.
   
3. Start shaving using your single blade razor & the lather from your washcloth/soap. Shave WTG only. Please note that since these are single blade razors, all the pressure you exert comes on a single line on your skin. So reduce the pressure you use on the razor substantially so as not to get razor burn.
   
4. Apply alum after your shave. Wait 2 minutes, then wash off. Apply moisturizer or aftershave balm of your choice.
   
5. See how this regimen suits you for a few shaves. If you find that it is not suiting you, probably something in your skin has changed, & you may need to experiment to find which products suit your skin now.
   
6. If the regimen works for you, consider upgrading to a shaving soap or cream. Many good ones are sold for ladies by Catie's Bubbles, Sterling Soaps & others. A shaving brush should be considered too.
   
7. Next, this is the time to consider moving to a safety razor. The blades are very cheap & though you will have to learn proper technique, that will help you in the long run. Since you started out with a single blade cartridge razor & a good lather, your learning curve will be greatly reduced. All you now need to do is get the correct angle. I would recommend a vintage Lady Gillette razor.

I'm in the same boat and I switched to wet shaving with a single blade safety razor. It's done wonders for me, as I can get a very close shave without hardly any irritation. If I want to leave the house, I need to shave, and shave CLOSE, or I don't feel comfortable. When I'd use Mach3s or Sensor Excels, in the past, I'd have to set aside at least 45mins to let my face calm down, from being raw, red, and blotchy.

Now, I'm good to go in 5-8 mins (generally), no 'cool down' time needed. It's lovely.

My current shaving setup:
Merkur 42C Safety Razor
Gillette Silver Blue blades
Kiss My Face Moisture Shave lotion (I also have a collection of shave soaps and creams, but this is my general go-to)

YouTube is great to watch tutorials on wet shaving, and it'll prepare ya a bit. It did for me. My two fav YT shave enthusiasts are these two fellas; they essentially taught me how:
Paul H
Nick Shaves

I've kinda-sorta turned what used to be a hated chore that made me angry ("ugh, why do I have to even DO this shit?!"), into something that's kinda relaxing. If I have the time and mood, I go all out. A nice hot towel, a soothingly scented shave soap wonderfully lathered with a brush a friend made for me, etc.

Hey! I've been DE shaving for about 2 years or so and I can definitely say it saves money. I didn't get into it as a hobby so it's still been pretty cheap. In fact, I'm using the soap I started with. I've linked everything I bought when I started (I can't find the blades though).

soap
razor
brush

I would then suggest getting a variety pack of razor blades. That way you can figure out which one really works best for your skin. I used to get red bumps/razor burn whenever I shaved with a Venus. That never happens to me now. I had learned that the more razor blades, the higher the chance of irritation. Now, some days I get a ridiculously smooth shave and some days I don't. However, I think that's a reflection of my skin, not this method of shaving.

Let me know what other questions you may have! I really love this way of shaving! Good luck!

Whal has a pretty great standard of quality for the price. The clippers I use are:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GQ3GEY?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00

There's actually an attachment head to this one that trims short hairs even shorter, pretty much to the bare skin. It's the big one with two curved rows (shown in the middle here).

Here's my method:
Use the clipper flat on your skin without a guard to trim hairs short (1-3mm), then take the big head to finish the job. The big head can't pick up long hairs, but it's a pro at short hairs. The big head works in such a way that it won't irritate or bite your skin.

Here's what's great about that big head: since it only works on short hairs, you can use it every few days to keep your skin bare, really without even looking. If I let it go too long I have to trim it again.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have questions.

Oops! Well all mistakes I've made I've made on my own. This is the razor I ordered: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CP27F5I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Why is the soap not so good? I heard good reviews of it online which is why I ordered it, would you have a different recommendation?

(This is the one I got https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0031OOHB0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

And for posterity's sake, here's the brush. https://smile.amazon.com/Fento-Badger-Shaving-Safety-Straight/dp/B01EUG393E/ref=pd_ybh_a_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=031MRQJWNV2VPPZHHNSF

Thanks for the advice as well! I really appreciate it.

You could just buy soap in a tub, like this. Or you could buy something like this. I mostly buy soap in tubs. I've found that round is usually the way to go when picking containers for shaving pucks. It's easier to load, and it's how the soap is shaped and how the brush is shaped.

Some sort of stick thing that makes the shave super slick. I use it as a base under the shave cream for extra slip, but I guess with good brush skills it's a soap in itself.

http://www.amazon.com/Geo-F-Trumper-Shaving-Refill/dp/B000IB0G82

Found that ^. Has some pretty good reviews.

I have one of these, and it serves me quite faithfully. Many reviews say that it's lasted them years, I've only had mine for six or so months. I would recommend it, and purchase it again.

Do you get your water from an aquifer? I lived in Iowa for 5 years and worked for the DNR for a while. Most of the state's water comes from limestone aquifers and is really, really hard, especially in some of the smaller towns where they don't treat the water as much. It always made my hair super frizzy, and if I wasn't careful I'd get random patches of eczema all over. Definitely think about a getting a water softener or shaving with bottled water, etc. Also consider wearing pants that are not too tightly fitted, if you're not already doing that. Getting some space between any irritating dyes and your legs means they won't be in constant contact.

Also, in addition to the eczema sub, /r/SkincareAddiction also has a lot of good advice, although more of it is geared toward face care. However, it still applies to legs.

That all said, coming back to shaving, I use a basic fragrance free, high glycerin content shaving soap that lathers well with my DE razor, and it's really helped with irritation from shaving and ingrown hairs. Plus, I'm no longer getting any irritation from those little strips at the top of disposables.

I believe you can get them at Walgreens, yes! They look like this - they're see through. The clear ones for blisters work exactly the same.

I use this one and am very happy with it.

Razor: Edwin Jagger, ~$35, or the Parker 29L.

Brush: Omega 10048.

Soap: I haven't used proraso but it's the only thing I can think of that's available on amazon with the shipping. Maybe someone will chime in who knows. Here's the link to one of them.

Note: you may also want to buy some witch hazel, an alum block and a blade sampler. But, the blade sampler will be cheaper and better if you go through a site like tryablade.com or maggardrazors.com

This is the soap.

I'll use up what comes with the razor then get a sampler, thanks!

How do you exfoliate? That chemical exfoliating cream/soap can be expensive. Maybe before that you could try [Italy Towels](http://www.8.com/ pcs Asian Exfoliating Bath Washcloth - Red & Green https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B004C8DR1U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_YFLPCb0CPP8R1) which are cheap and were a total game changer for me.

I discovered them when lived in Korea, everyone uses these to exfoliate their body weekly. You can go to a spa/bath (jimjilbang) there, and pay someone to scrub you down with one of these. It's AMAZING how much dead skin you'll see come off. They have totally saved my legs and I no longer get little bumps or ingrown hairs. I just use the italy towel once at week at the end of my shower.

Seiko Clean Cut.

[You use this to trim it down](https://www.amazon.com/Cleancut-PS335-T-Shape-Personal-Shaver/dp/B00141DEAC/ref=sr_1_2_sspa
ie=UTF8&qid=1525878991&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=seiko+clean+cut&psc=1&smid=A2CM77HWN0IYKB)

And this to get real smooth

Tend Skin is a game changer! Completely got rid of my shaving bumps!

Here is the desktop version of your link