BSS and The Trade Offs:

People in the wet shaving world often ask "How can I get a baby smooth shave?". Getting a BSS or Baby Smooth Shave is not really hard to do, but it's extremely uncomfortable to say the least. I got a BSS today using my wet shaving routine with my Gillette Fusion cartridge system, but I'll pay for it in spades. Getting a BSS involves making anywhere from 4 to 6 passes during a shave instead of the usual 3 and stretching the skin will be involved as well depending on your age and the area to be shaved. The trade offs is in these forms:

#1: Severe Irritation:
This is the first trade off you will come across because it happens almost immediately especially with a cartridge system. While those extra passes remove the left over stubble, they also remove the top layer of skin and a result is severe irritation during the shave.

#2: Nicks and Cuts:
Getting that B.S.S. weakens your skin very badly and has been known to make it easier to get nicks and cuts while you make those extra passes. This also can carry over to your next shave as well because your skin does need time to heal up from that BSS and can often take days.

#3: Severe Razor Burn:
While those extra passes may sound like a good idea, the post shave will say differently. It will feel like your shaved area was set on fire and and was exposed to the sun for too long.

#4: Ingrown Hairs:
These will drive you insane and often occur within a day or 2 after the shave is finished. This occurs more often with a cartridge system than with a DE safety razor, shavette or traditional straight razor.

There's stuff out there that can help with these problems after achieving that BSS or baby smooth shave, but they often ruin the post shave results that you achieved. So in the end it boils down to 1 thing. Do you want that BSS and the problems that come with it? Or do you want a close, clean comfortable shave that doesn't break the bank with a hint of stubble left over? The choice is yours.