Essential when starting out

Posted by Lisa on 25th Oct 2009

This review is intended to be helpful to women learning how to shave their legs with a safety razor.

If you haven't used a safety razor in the past, consider starting in the fall/winter when you can spread out your learning over several shaves. It's taken me a month to go through blades & techniques. I've given up several times in frustration, midway through a shave. There's a LOT more real estate on a leg than the face! The guides are not exaggerating about it taking time to get comfortable with the difference. A razor is a tool, and a safety razor definitely works differently than a cartridge razor.

It is well worth working through all the blade brands in this pack to figure out which works the best on your hair. For the record, my legs have thick/coarse hair, while my thighs have baby-fine hair.

The Merkur blade worked just as if I'd tried to shave by scraping my leg with a piece of wood. I thought if a blade was sharp, then it should cut hair. NO. I called the store in frustration and was set right.

With the Persona blade, I learned that scraping the skin with the blade does not cut the hair. The guys all write about a 30-degree angle for cutting ... on a leg you need maybe a 5 or 10-degree angle. Almost straight up on the razor top. Actually if you follow the shape of the razor top, you'll be almost exactly where you need to be.

The Derby allowed me to perfect my underarm technique. But ... there was that one spot on the shin bone that *would not* cut, no matter what angle I went at it. And I felt like I needed to shave every couple of days. Shaving the thigh is a bit tricky because you cannot really get the skin tight. I found my fine hair is difficult to see, also. Finally, the Derby taught me that yes, shaving cream is better than soap.

For me, the Feather left me feeling like I'd finally had my first REAL shave. I had hair to clean out of the tub! The spot on my shin: bare. And that nice smooth sensation afterward. As for the danger of cuts from the Feather, I haven't noticed. Maybe the time I spent practicing with the other blades made a difference.