I find it so funny that they used to just put a hole in the wall and you would shove old razors in it. A hazard for renovators 60 years later.

What razor blades do you use? I started off years ago with Astra ones. They gave a good shave, and I like that I could get 2-3 shaved out of each side (so 4-6 in total per blade) before they became too dull. But they are made in Russia, and for moral reasons I switched to Feather (which are made in Japan). The Feather ones give a great shave, but they are really only useable once per side.

Next time (in like 30 years when you finally fill up yiu current can, use the church key method (one medium sized, triangle hole on one side, a smaller on the opposite side) and then after draining/rinsing, use a Dremel to cut a thin slot towards the top.

When you fill that can after 30 years, you just hammer the top down and seal the hole that way.

I get much closer shaves with my Merkur 33c safety razor than I did with cartridges.

I'll suggest another order: go 1. with, 2. across, then 3. against the hair. Against is the most skin irritating and largest risk of nicks, so may well be done with the least amount of work.

Also, warming the area to be shaved with warm water (or shower as you mentioned) does a lot for the closeness of the shave, don't skip out.

I find brush and lather mostly to make shaving smoother and lessen skin irritation, not make for closer shaves, but your mileage may vary. Also consider warming your blade (I run it under the warm water) between passes, I find it also helps for the smoothness although can't say why.

If you have to apply force to the cutting (rather than letting "gravity" do the work) you probably need new blades. They are supposedly single use, but I can typically get 2-3 shaves in on a regular blade, and even up to six shaves with some blades (Korean Dorco platinum is my favorite).

Adding force is the only way I get nicked nowadays, but it goes fast when I do, so I make sure to switch blades even between passes if need be.

Also, depending on your face and skin, you might want to try a safety razor with a different blade angle, there are handles that give a (slightly) more aggressive shave — meaning closer shave but (slightly) higher risk for nicks and irritation.

Best of luck!

I'm about halfway through my second box. It took me about 10 7 years to get through the first box.

I agree about not knowing why people keep using the plastic disposable ones. Best I can see is a reluctance to change a habit and/or a fear of safety razors. But it's well worth the switch.

I honestly don’t understand why people buy the plastic razors when it is neither more convenient or cheaper.

Exposure is definitely a big part of it. The only reason I'm using one is because some podcasts / YouTubers I liked were extolling them and I looked into it. I can't recall ever seeing a safety razor for sale at any big grocery or drug store. I guess I could have just missed them. But they stock what gets advertised most, and by an immense margin: The dodeca-bladed monstrosities in either pussycat pink or blackout tacticool gunmetal. AFAIK, that's what everyone I know uses. I get asked every now and then if I can recommend my barber for a shave, then I mention the safety razor, and most guys have no idea what I'm describing to them.

Also, no matter the design, safety razors have an air of "old fashioned" that I think most people just cannot appreciate now. The notion that they'd ever have to do anything besides use the product and send it to the landfill is enough to make most people nope out immediately, and here you've got disassembling, reassembling, replacing parts, proper disposal... All that takes time and attention that most people can't reconcile.

I can get a "baby bottom smooth" shave with a DE. Is it better than what I could get with multiblade plastic razor? I don't know.

What I do know is that those multiblade heads cost around $4 each, and my preferred DE blades cost about 8¢. Not to mention that there is no plastic in sight, and the amount of waste is minimal.

your beard thickens as you age if you are a normal caucasian.

check back with the safety razor once you hit your mid 30's and you lose the twink beard of your 20's.

I did too until I was shaving too much with it. So we headed to town one Saturday morning and went to the drug store and I bought my own Gillette Slim Adjustable razor. And while I have bought other razors over the years, I have and use that Slim regularly. Best damn razor I own.

A lot of the move away from safety razors was the introduction of cheap plastic razors. After that, razor blade companies stopped making cheap blades and went to selling razors that needed to be replaced regularly and making them more money.

That’s why I don’t let my children shave.

Also for those concerned, you can easily find shaving cream that doesn’t contain those like you do with your shampoo’s, etc.

besides shaving cream, what other sources of these chemicals should we watch out for?

another +1 on Feather. I got a pack of different brands, 5 razor blades of each, and Feather was the sharpest and lasted a fairly long time too.

I tried one of those Dollar Store razors for fun. I would recommend buying a better quality razor personally. There are good inexpensive 3 piece razors on Amazon.

Yeah, good blades make a ton of difference. +1 on Feather brand

You face is fine, you handsome devil you.

Technique matters. Head angle and how hard you press with the razor matters. The brand of razor blades also matters. And even the shaving soap/cream matters too.

I think you should ask yourself why you keep using the razor if you nick yourself every time?