Or for half the price, what Iāve been using for years (and I mean the same container - this stuff seems to last forever, unlike these use-and-toss items). Just 3 bucks.
Neat.
I use an alum block, (50c or so from your local Indian grocer or $15 from upmarket shaving boutiques) which will outlast me and likely All Human Life As We Know It.
That said, those styptic swabs look awesome. Can see those being very useful for small first-aid purposes.
Itās because your travel razor is blunt. Try plenty of hot water and a sharp blade. Works for me every time.
Stop shaving. Even cheaper.
Iāve been meaning to get a styptic pencil for years; maybe I should start with one of these.
I usually shave in the shower and hardly ever cut myself; but when I do, Iāve been doing the dumb old tissue paper thing.
My Nik is Sealedā¢ is a stupid name for a great product. Highly recommend it. Itās packaged in a mini roll-on deodorant style applicator and like Art says it lasts forever.
Yep.
In my experience, these are the things that reduce the likelihood of cuts:
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Exfoliate. A razor clogged with dead skin cells means a razor with less room to effectively cut hair.
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Soften your facial hair before you shave. For most men, facial hair is very stiff. Take a shower or apply a steaming hot terry cloth. Of all the tips on this list, this one will do the most to prevent nicks.
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Use a multi-blade razor whose blades are studded or otherwise designed to give you a spatial buffer to spare your skin grief. One example is Schick Hydro but Iām sure there are others.
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Use a shaving cream with maximum glide, regardless of its lathering ability. I use Vanicream, but thatās because my skin gets irritated by anything less benign than water.
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With the blade set flush against your skin, drag it at a 45Ā° angle while shaving. This will more effectively slice the hairs and reduce pulling on them.
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Dry your razor immediately after shaving to prevent oxidation from blunting the edges. I recommend using cotton swabs.
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Donāt store your razor under humid conditions. This is really a corollary to (6) but most people seem to forget it.
Iāve even taken it with me, when I go Geocaching. You can get pretty cut up by the thorny vines weāve got around here, and this does the trick.
Youāre supposed to snap the end on those things? No wonder they never did much for me.
(Oh, and electric razor every time, quick and easy, and doesnāt eat my face)
The Artisanal-Shaving-As-An-Avocation crowd, which is probably getting ready to move to the next level (shaving with flint knives you chip yourself) likely has a bloody to bloodless shave ratio of about 50x compared to those of us who have discovered well made cartridges like these which are cheap enough that we can use a new one every week.
Yeay! Disposable products! Consume more!
Seriously though, I use a āsafetyā razor from the 1930ās It doesnāt clog like cartridges, the blades stay sharp for longer, and somehow I manage to only nick myself once every year or so when Iām clumsy and in a hurry.
I know someone who spent upwards of $200 on a couple of vintage safety razors, uses Scots-made shaving soap that costs $15 a bar, and he once told me that I was a fool for spending $.90 a week on cartridges.
I got the sense that @lolipop_jones was referring to the self-described āshave geeksā who spend up to half an hour getting their faces baby-butt-smooth (aka BBS; yes, this is an actual acronym used by said geeks).
I tried DE shaving with a short-handle Merkur Heavy-Duty. I guess I never got very good at it, because I nicked myself constantly. My sensitive skin was visibly angry. After several months, I gave up and went back to multi-blade cartridges.
Later I discovered guarded multi-blade cartridges (the ones that give a tiny space between the blade and skin) and hypoallergenic, non-lathering cream. My skin has been very happy since.
Yep, thatās the bunch. A slightly cheaper addiction than stereophilia or collecting Leicas, but also more likely to draw blood.
Me, I like to get a 96% clean shave in five minutes, with zero skin slicing. Like anything else in life, that law of diminishing returns kicks in big time when ya try to get to 99.96 percent.
Oh, so thatās what it means.
So why are the forums here baby-butt smooth then? 
I got mine for 15 bucks.
I use a 3-blade razor in the shower, or a good electric when Iām traveling or lazy.
In 20 or so years of keeping my cheeks and neck shaved AND 15 or so of shaving my head, Iāve cut myself approximately twice, and both times involved pimples. Iām honestly baffled as to how someone who isnāt using a straight razor or something can have such a problem with shaving.
Amateurs. Takes about 5-10 minutes.
If you donāt hang out at places like this:
youāre not part of the group I was mocking.
