The Truth about Wet Shaving:

I seen a post not long ago in one of the face book groups and his comment was true about what he posted. It was a news based video segment was posted along with this member's comment and it was a very one sided video. The video itself compared the differences between cartridges used by professional barbershops and to no one's surprise, the Gillette Fusion cartridges won. But the member posted a very solid and honest comment that is very true about the video. Not one comparison was made between the costs of straight razors versus the cartridge and no one even mentioned the double edge safety razors that are now available at most retailers and supermarkets around the world today. Another problem I had with the video was the numbers that they posted about the costs of the cartridges. There's no way you can get 4 Gillette Fusion Pro glide cartridges for $18 U.S. Dollars. They're about $6 U.S. Dollars short. The last time I bought cartridges was about 5 months ago and they were nearly $25 dollars at a local supermarket. Here's the real truth that everyone should know. A straight razor shave is the cheapest and in my humble opinion, it's the best shave you will ever have period. Unlike the cartridges, once you buy your straight razor that's it basically because it's not disposable like the cartridges are and it's a lifetime investment. There is a learning curve and it's not a short one either. It can take month or longer before you become proficient at it. The only other things you will need with a straight razor are a strop and possibly a stone and jeweler's loop if you plan to go that route. Other than that, you can really get buy with just a strop which I have been for quite some time. So let's see a one time razor/blade investment versus a cartridge which doesn't last pretty much says it all to me. Part 2 of the equation is the double edge or DE safety razor. Right now it's costing me .08 cents per shave with a DE safety razor. There's no way you can get any cartridges for that price at all and like I stated earlier, a straight razor's costs become even cheaper because you are not buying replacement blades either. Here's another problem with the cartridges that you don't have with a straight razor or a DE safety razor. You can't remove a heavy beard growth like you can with a straight or DE safety razor without using clippers. The canned gels and foams are horrible and they contain a massive amount of chemicals that are known to cause skin problems. I call it canned goo, but they have zero slickness and no cushioning ability. Now the foam is not that bad if you are using a hot lather machine, but sooner or later that machine will quit heating and then you are back to square one. Now the brush part of the equation does more than look elegant. It removes any lose dirt and oil from your skin and it also gently exfoliates which is basically removing any dead skin cells and raises the hair that's to be shaved off more cleanly. Now what about convenience? Once I got use to shaving with a double edge safety razor which was about 2 weeks, it took me longer to clean up my shave area than it does to shave so that should tell you something. And there are some people I know that are the exact same way with straight razors. So before you "buy into" the general cartridge marketing B.S. that the manufacturers want you to, think about how fast you can become and how much money you can save with wet shaving. Don't dismiss the double edge safety razors or the shavettes that you see in various markets and for sure, don't dismiss the real deal straight razor that you see on the internet.