Should I Use An Adjustable Razor?

When you read more about razors you might have seen something about an adjustable razor. This is a safety razor that can vary the blade gap, so you can adjust the blade exposure, and have a milder or a more aggressive shave.

Should I Use An Adjustable Razor?

Yes, you should definitely look into using an adjustable razor. With the adjustment, you can change the blade exposure and have a milder or a more aggressive shave. With a little bit of experimenting, you can make it the perfect razor.

What is an adjustable razor?

An adjustable razor can change the blade gap between the razor’s head base plate and the blade’s edge. Its unique closing and opening mechanism has turned it into one of the most desirable, collectible and preferable razors of all ages to come. The blade gap can alter the exposure of the razor blade to the skin of the user, thereby, differentiating between an aggressive shave, close and comfortable shave, smooth or mild shave.

There are two major reasons why an adjustable razor is desirable, collectible and the preferred razor of all times. The first reason is the adjustment dial. The dial is designed to adjust the blade angle and blade edge exposure according to your needs, desires, and preferences.

If you like a mild shave, use a lower setting and if you like to get an aggressive shave, use a higher setting. The second reason is how it opens and closes to alter blade exposure. This was a brand new concept for Gillette and it became the staple for Gillette double edge safety razors back in the 1980s.

At that time, the toggle lever was designed to open and close the head of the razor instantly as opposed to the previous models that would need the user to twist their handle many times to change the blade. This not only made the process of changing the blade a lot quicker, but it also made the cleaning and sanitizing of your razor much easier. A simple flick of the toggle lever will help you rinse it fully under the running water and another flick would open it up, fully.

Benefits of using a standard adjustable safety razor:

● Save a fortune on shaving:

A famous seller of the adjustable safety razors claims that the owner of an adjustable safety razor will save more than $150 per year, as you don’t have to use electricity to charge them. Moreover, modern electric razors are overprized when sold in fashionable barbershops or drug stores.

● Best for beginners:

The first time user of an adjustable safety razor can learn how to wet shave by the dial down method. If you want to learn the art of wet shaving from your grandfather, use an adjustable razor as it is the most user-friendly razor ever.

● Incredibly close shaves:

The Swedish stainless steel blades guarantee the closest and the smoothest shave that you have ever experienced.

● Personalized to the user’s needs:

Unfortunately, some of the modern electric or disposable plastic razors pretend like everyone’s beard hair and skin types are the same, so they fail to give you the most pleasant shave that you deserve. But the traditional adjustable safety razors make you believe that it was specially designed for you alone, for your unique skin and hair.

● No skin problems at all:

Most of the customers of an adjustable razor, almost 99% of them, report a minimum number of bumps and ingrown hairs, as compared to the modern electric razors.

● No plastic:

Make sure you buy the blades that are eco-friendly and 100% recyclable. In this way, you will be able to minimize the harmful landfills epidemic caused by disposable razors. Some cheap disposable razors are made up of non-degradable plastic which is even more harmful to the environment.

● Nothing else is like it:

An adjustable safety razor has no lube strips, no rotating balls, no vibrating handles, and many celebrity endorsements.

● Game-changing comfort:

Since the last 65 years, several manufacturers have designed, engineered, and reengineered the adjustable safety razor. Today, it provides unparalleled comfort to both men and women users on all parts of their bodies.

● Nourishes and improves the skin:

An adjustable safety razor exfoliates your facial skin removing the uppermost dead skin cells. The dermatologists say that the modern multi-blade razors do more harm than good. While the traditional adjustable razors have professionally and masterfully honed blades.

● Single blade:

A traditional adjustable razor causes no irritations at all. You can shave easily without tugging or pulling it along your facial skin line.

● Saves your time and effort:

Some brands sell shave kits that come with at least a two-year supply of blades to get you started. Each blade will last between four to seven wet shaves, saving you tons of your precious time and effort to keep ordering online for a pack of blades every couple of days.

● Your choice with six adjustable shave settings:

By allowing you to precisely adjust the blade exposure and the blade angle between six different size settings, you will love to find that each setting feels like it was precision-engineered only for you. You will notice the difference.

● Zero waste:

An adjustable safety razor is long-lasting and durable, unlike the disposable razors. Most of them are made up of rustproof metals, so you don’t need to throw them away. Just buy one lightweight adjustable razor and it will last your entire lifetime.

What is the proper method of using an adjustable safety razor?

There are three different methods of using a standard adjustable safety razor:

1. The Dial-up method:

You can start your shave at a relatively slow setting for the first pass and dial-up for the successive passes. This method reduces the stubble most comfortably without taking off too much stubble at once. It is the safest method to shave as it minimizes the risk of razor burns, bumps, cuts, rash, irritation or nicks.

At a higher setting, in the later passes, with the maximum blade gap, more stubble is removed much closer to your skin line. You know that the height of the stubble is much shorter later in your shaving process that there is a minimum risk that the blade edge will get captured causing a nick. But there is a higher risk of razor burn.

This concern can only be reduced by shaving carefully without repeated strokes during one pass. This method works best for the men who do three pass shave.

2. The Dial down method:

The dial down method is perfect for beginners when they are holding the adjustable safety razor for the first time.

3. The set and forget method:

Find the best setting that works perfectly for you and stick to it. But this method will not use your tool to its fullest capability but it can prevent confusion.

Historical background of an adjustable safety razor:

An adjustable safety razor was manufactured in the first quarter of 1958 and again in the fourth quarter of 1960. It had one to nine position adjustment dial to adjust the aggressiveness of the shave. The toggle lever on the bottom of the razor had 5 positions; 2 for rinsing its blade, 2 for changing its blade and 1 for locking its blade in its proper place to shave comfortably and closely.

Its original retail price was $10.00 and the wholesale resale price that resellers, such as drug stores or barbershops, would charge was $6.00. Sometime in 1960, the retail price of the F-4 adjustable safety razor was changed to $12.50. Approximately 70,000 of the D-1 adjustable safety razor were produced (they were sold from Christmas 1957 until the stock of these adjustable safety razors was depleted at a time in 1958.)

The D-1 adjustable safety razor is rarer than the F-4 adjustable safety razor. This adjustable safety razor weighs only eighty-seven grams. The adjustable safety razors can be bought in different online auctions.

In 2013, Jack Black, instead of introducing new technology, began selling a 150-year-old tool: the adjustable razor. “You can be using all the best skin-care products, but if you are not using the right razor, you are not going to get your desired results,” said Emily Dalton, a co-founder of Jack Black. “Shaving with multi-blade cartridges is mostly unpleasant.”

Mercer & James, a two-year-old company selling classic razors, appears at the Brooklyn Flea, “people come over and start selling our products for us,” said Michael Schlotfeldt, a founder, who himself made the switch to an adjustable razor ten years ago to stop his breakouts. “They start telling everyone how much safer shaving with an adjustable razor is.”

Terrence Keaney, a dermatologist from Washington D.C., shared he mostly recommends his patients “reverse time,” forgoing cartridge styles for adjustable razors.

“These companies have done too great of a job of creating all these new tools,” says Dr. Keaney, the founder of W for Men, thought to be the country’s first-ever cosmetic practice focused on males. “We are almost getting too close of a shave, and a lot of men cannot tolerate it.”

“Not if you take it slowly,” said Mr. Schlotfeldt, who discusses in yoga-inflected cadences about feeling the weight of the tool in the user’s hand. “It can start your day off at the correct pace and tone.”

“If you like to use a pivoting head, which is what most cartridges do when you come down from your sideburn and start to turn, you are going to cut yourself,” said J. P. Mastey, a creative adviser to Baxter of California, who did exactly that on his inaugural safety-razor shave.

Terrence Keaney, the dermatologist, recommended shaving in the direction your hair grows, “We are used to whipping around with razors,” he said. “We forget that we are holding a sharp object across our face.”

Frequently Asked Questions: (FAQs)

1. How to treat cuts and nicks caused by an adjustable safety razor?

These treatments are ONLY for minor cuts and nicks. If your cut is very deep and you are bleeding too much, rush to a doctor at once.

● Alum block

contains potassium alum which stanches blood flow and constricts your tissues. Wet your alum block and rub it against your cut or nick. The astringent in it will stop your blood flow instantly, so don’t worry about the mild stinging sensation.

● Visine eye drops

You can also apply a few drops of Visine eye drops to your cut as it constricts your blood vessels and stops or slows down the blood flow. It will relieve the pain of the cut or nick as well.

● Listerine

Listerine is a surgical antiseptic now marketed as a mouthwash. If you splash it on your cut it will stop bleeding at once, also disinfecting the cut or nick. You may feel some mild sting.

● Sugar, cayenne and black pepper

Sugar, cayenne, and black pepper are all disinfectants and stop the blood flow quickly. Sprinkling sugar can relax you but cayenne or black pepper will hurt a lot.

● antiperspirant or deodorant

To form a blood clot and to stanch the blood flow quickly, a regular antiperspirant or deodorant is also helpful. They have aluminum chloride in them. Pick up a cotton swab; apply some regular antiperspirant or deodorant to your cut, to disinfect it.

● Petroleum jelly or Vaseline

Petroleum jelly or Vaseline and lip balms are waxy and good at forcing your blood to clot instantly. Apply some lip balm or petroleum jelly/Vaseline to a cotton swab and press it against your cut or nick.

● Astringent

An astringent like a witch hazel will constrict your blood vessels, stopping the blood flow at once. As soon as you cut your skin with an adjustable safety razor, get a cotton ball, soak it in witch hazel, and apply on your cut or nick. You may feel some mild sting.

● Clean cloth soaked in hot water

A piece of clean cloth soaked in hot water is good at cauterizing your open cut or nick. Hold the piece of cloth firmly to stop the flow of blood quickly. If you can’t find a piece of clean cloth, toilet paper is also helpful.

For such emergencies, it is always wise to keep a sharp scissor, cotton swabs, cotton balls and clean cloth in your bathroom closet. Make sure your cell phone is in your pocket to be able to call someone for help.

● styptic pencil

The styptic pencil has sulfate, titanium dioxide, and potassium alum in it which will help your blood clot after a cut or a nick while shaving. Wet its tip and press it on the cut. There is some astringent in it, so be ready to face some mild sting.

● Ice cubes

Ice cubes, a towel just out of the freezer or rinsing under cold running water, are also very helpful in controlling and minimizing the flow of blood.

● Lift your hand

If the blade of your adjustable safety razor cuts your finger or thumb, lift your hand at once, above the position of your heart. This way, the blood flow may slow down.

● Antibiotic cream, iodine, and hydrogen peroxide

After the first aid, make sure you keep cleaning the cut or nick with an antibiotic cream, iodine, and hydrogen peroxide for a few more days, to heal the cut faster and to prevent infections. You must remember that carelessness can lead to deadly diseases like hepatitis. So you must keep the cut covered in a bandage at least for a couple of days.

2. What is tanning lotion?

Sunshine makes your skin healthy. It is a time-consuming task to get your skin tanned. Outdoor tanning lotions speed up the process of skin tanning.

Sun also emits UVA and UVB rays which are harmful to your skin in case of overexposure. Outdoor tanning lotions are protective and helpful to get a sun-kissed skin faster. Fair-skinned people can’t maintain their tanned look for a long time.

Outdoor tanning lotion keeps your skin hydrated for a long period of time, at the same time accelerating the tanning process. They prevent the burning of skin, wrinkles and fine lines. They prevent your tattoos from discoloration and fading.

The best outdoor tanning lotion has an infused auto-darkening technology. The role of outdoor tanning lotion is the production of melanin and increasing blood flow to the skin. It has sunscreen added to it for protection against sunburn.

It is made up of natural essential oils, particularly tea tree oil and green tea extract. It has a very small quantity of alcohol. A considerable amount of hemp seed oil is added for moisturization.

It has anti-aging properties, anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Don’t miss the opportunity to sunbathe this summer because the sunlight boosts your immune system. The sunlight reduces the risk of early death.

The sunlight helps you to keep away from weight gain as it converts all the cholesterol in your body into vitamin D, which is helpful in the absorption of calcium.

Conclusion

In order to sum up this entire blog post, I would like to say that, YES, you should use an adjustable safety razor as it has numerous benefits over the other types of razors.