Shaving your Head with a Straight Razor

For most people getting started in wet shaving, using a straight edge razor can be tricky, but after some practice it becomes much easier. Using a straight razor to shave your head is even trickier – primarily because it is more difficult to view and the shape is curved as opposed to the two flat surface on the face of the cheek and the neck. However a few simple tips and more practice can make shaving your head with a straight razor just as easy and turn this chore into an enjoyable experience. 

So its time to put down the electric head shaver and begin honing your straight razor skills! 

1. Focus on angles

Different to your face, your head is curved, which means that you will need to continually adjust your razor’s angle to achieve the closest shave. The best way to do this at first is to do a lot of small passes so that each pass has minimal requirements to change the angle. However after some practice you will be able to do long passes with small changes in angle throughout.

This will need a lot of concentration on your part, but like any skill practice makes perfect.

2. Get to know your head

Every head is different and can have imperfections, bumps, slopes, and loose skin. Get to know the changes in your head and recognise how this will impact on your shaving technique. Start by feeling with your fingers before every pass. This will take time but will result in a significant reduction in any cuts and nicks.

3. Learn to shave both sides

Shaving both sides of your head using only one hand means that you will be using a very different technique on the right side of your head compared to the left. Unless you are ambidextrous and can switch it up I suggest that you start slowly and use a sharp razor. The more passes you need to do the higher the likelihood of cutting yourself, and a blunt razor will force you to apply more pressure.

4. Get a shaving mirror and good lighting

Another difficulty in shaving your head is that you simply cannot see where you are shaving clearly with a normal mirror. An adjustable shaving mirror can eliminate this problem, and if you make sure that the lighting is bright you can help to shave those problem areas such as being your ears and the back of your neck.

5. Remember to strop and hone more often

If you consider the increased amount of surface area you need to shave when shaving both your face and head, then think of the increased work that your straight razor has to do. It could be as much as three times as much area to cover, and all of that means that your razor will lost its edge much more quickly meaning you'll need a Strop & Honing Stone.

Remembering that a straight razor’s primary benefit is that you can keep it sharp, so shaving your head as well means that you will need to strop and hone your razor much more often to keep it in prime condition.