Although I've always been intrigued by the idea, I never had the guts to do it. Now, my wife is undergoing chemotherapy for ovarian cancer (highly treatable with a good prognosis) and she was told she's going to lose her hair. She had a buzz cut to get used to the idea, see how she's going to look and have less mess when her hair starts to fall out. I did the same as a gesture of solidarity. When her hair starts to fall out, I'm going to shave my head as a symbol that we're in this together and distract half the attention away from her. I have no problems shaving my face, but I have some trepidation about the parts that I can't see. Any advice from those with experience shaving their heads with a straight would be greatly appreciated.
I have no advice, but I do pray all goes well with your wife and she recovers quickly and completely.
Sorry, no advice from me either, but best wishes to your wife for complete recovery, and kudos to you for the show of solidarity.
Sorry to hear about your wife and her challenges ahead. I wish her a speedy recovery! I have been shaving my head daily for the last 15 years, here's my thoughts on the subject I have more or less a full head of hair, so I do not usually use a straight razor, as this is really hard on the straight edges. Instead I use a DE or a Feather artist club.(I still use a straight every so often, just for fun, that does a fine job too) Starting out I used a second mirror to be able to see back there. But after a while I felt that feeling my way around the head was the best way to do it. As you have been using straights for a really long time and have the technique down(I've seen your video, impressive) I would suggest that you just try it out without a mirror. Go slow and really try to feel that you are using the right pressure and angle. And there is really no need for going against the grain, you will look plenty bald with just one or 2 passes WTG Of course, if you want that slick smooth and shiny top, XTG or ATG will be required as well. A good tip is to watch The Pastor's video on shaving the head with a Feather DX( you will find it on youtube and on SRP) Good luck to you both! B
Here's a real good video on SR head shave with a feather razor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq9Y_3uQR0c
First, best of luck to your wife. While I shave my head, I've never done so with a straight. You might check out the link in my signature for some general advice, ignoring the "should you do it" parts for your situation.
Firstly, I hope things work out for your wife and you most definitely fall into the true gentleman club for wanting to shave your head for her! Personally I have still not gotten the hang of shaving my head with a DE let alone a straight! I still use a Mach 3 (the scandal!) This has been the base of my routine for the last 12 years: If you have hair longer than a few CM's I suggest you use a set of clippers to get the hair as short as possible. Then wash your head with shampoo. Lube up with your favourite cream or soap Then starting at the back going against the grain slowly go from neck to crown. Going in strips from center to right, then from center to left. I then go from around my ears area, followed by going from the front of my head back to the crown. Rinse your head. I usually get a BBS shave the fist time round, but I almost always re-lube and repeat. Rinse. Pat you head dry. and this is the critical part... get your favourite moisturizer and slather that over your head! Hope this helps! Best wishes!
Best of luck to your wife. And best of luck to your noodle, I'd just do what the dude in the video Phil posted did, slow, choppy strokes. You know what you are doing, you should be ok.
Chimensch, First, like the others, my best wishes to your wife and yourself. Second, all I will say is that you know your way around a straight razor, perhaps better than most of us. Just trust yourself and take it slowly. Be careful around the ears, and initially only go from top to bottom, not bottom to top. You won't be able to see the back of your head, so you need to go by feel. I would resist the temptation to use a series of mirrors to see the back if I were you - by all accounts it is just confusing and actually can increase the chance of a cut. Confidence is the key. Finally, do not worry if you cut yourself - you do not want to know how many times I have. They bleed a lot on the head, but they also heal well too. Good luck! James.
Thanks to all for your best wishes. Thanks Jimbo, I took your advice to trust myself, go slow and only go from top to bottom at the start. I did the deed this morning and it turned out OK. Not BBS, because I didn't go ATG, but good enough to get all the hair off. I did see a couple of red spots in the lather but couldn't find where they came from and nothing was flowing, so I think it was a qualified success. It did quite a number on my razor. I shaved my face afterwards and didn't get a very good shave. This razor needs to be rehoned. Hopefully, now that the mass of hair is gone, I don't think the wear on the edge will continue to be that bad.
Bravo! Those couple of spots of blood might be where you have knocked the top off a little bump or pimple perhaps. I get that occasionally. The other thing that can happen, especially on the back of the head, is that, in the attempt to get every last hair, you over-shave in places which can cause irritation and small amounts of blood. But anyway, it sounds like your first straight head shave was a tremendous success! James.
Second head shave today. It went a little better. I went ATG for the first time. I also decided not to use the same razor for my head and face. I think a heavier grind does work better on the head and also that the razor needs to be touched up before shaving your face, so it's better to use different razors. I did cut myself twice on the back of my head but the blood was way less than I expected. I also bought my first hat in a long time. It's one of those 1930s paperboy hats and I really like it.
