Questions to Ask Yourself before Shaving

So you're ready for your next shave but this time you want to get it right. Shaving cuts bumps, and irritations have become somewhat like an inheritance and you want no part of it again. Here are some questions you need to have answers for before you start.

What look are you going for?

Let's be honest, there are different styles, shaves, and sizes of shaving that can be achieved with a good DE razor. Do you want to have stubble look it a clean shave or just variables of both of them? This will go a long way in determining the level of cut you want and the number of times you want to apply lather. Smoother shaves would require reapplication of lather.

How often do you shave?

Do you shave daily, biweekly, or weekly? Have a defined pattern for shaving. If you love to allow the hairs grow before shaving, then have a time interval for it. Daily shaves would mean your skin is prepared to have a razor on it every day.

Do you have a sensitive skin?

Most people don't know they have sensitive skin until it's a bit too late. It is best you know and understand your skin to get good shaves. Obviously if you have sensitive skin, you shouldn't be shaving every day and always practice wet shaving. If you have sensitive skin, you should spend a lot of time in the preparation stage of shaving. Work to keep the hair softened and moisturized.

How much do you want to spend on shaving?

There are expensive and less expensive razors. While most people often mistake expensive razors as the best, this is not always true. Using expensive razors means you'll also spend for blade refills. If you are on a budget, try using less expensive razors like Vikings Blade which is not only affordable but have inexpensive blades refill.

The Vikings Blade - Incredible Piece of Shaving Equipment

I got the Vikings Blade as a Father’s Day gift from my older son. I was waiting for some weeks to elapse before dropping my review on the product. The Vikings Blade is an incredible piece of shaving equipment. I was barely managing my Weishi just before I got the Vikings Blade. I can tell you authoritatively that the Weishi doesn’t compare in any way. I am not trying to degrade any brand but I have to give an honest and personal review.

The Vikings Blade is hefty and gives you an impression that you are holding on to a quality razor. I specially love the fact that it comes with a classic handle. Then when we talk about its appearance, that’s just another great feature altogether. The razor comes with a beautiful travel case and 5 extra blades. For me, that’s a great way to start any shaving experience. I was thinking my son bought the travel case separately until he told me it came with the package. The butterfly head is just simply amazing. I can change blades during shaves without any hassle. With just a little twist of the handle, the head beautifully opens up. I am really glad I got this as a gift; it was a perfect Father’s Day gift!

First Time Shavers

We all should be able to remember our first shave. It was one of the rites of passage to becoming a man. That first stroke to remove your hair – not someone else’s but yours! So, while we may all have our individual memory of this experience there are some who are about to experience it. Even if you have no one to be here for you, you can count on us to be here for you.

When Should You Start Shaving?

This is more of a personal question as no general time or age can be suitable for everyone. Basically you would want to have a significant amount of hair before you would want to take it off. No need to be in a hurry to shave off the first strand of hair that grows on your skin; you will have plenty of time shaving in your lifetime. Just wait and let them grow darker first.

Choosing the Razor

As a first timer, ti is best you start off on the right note. Get yourself a good DE razor and you would have started a bump-free journey to adulthood. Shaving sticks should not be an heirloom to be passed from one generation to another. There cheap DE razors out there even you can afford.

Take it Easy

 There is no need trying to impress anyone with your first shaving. No one is competing with you, so take your time with the first shave. Your sin is still sensitive to blades and you could cut yourself if you don’t know what you are doing. Learn with the process and soon enough, you will become a professional in your own rights!

How to Use Shaving Creams

Before we begin with the ‘how’, it is best we understand that there are basically two kinds of shaving creams – with regards to the kind of packaging. Shaving creams are usually found in tubes or jars. These two kinds of packaging have different types of application: brushless and lathering. Irrespective of the kind you have, it is important you prep the beard before application.

Using shaving creams in tubes, as already stated will require a brushless application. It is brushless in the sense that you do not need a shaving brush to apply it. All you have to do is squeeze out a little cream from the tube on your face. You can also squeeze into your finger and apply on the face. The quantity needed will be spelt out on the tube or if not, use your discretion. Rub onto the area you need to shave with your fingers. It will help soften the stubble and allow for easy movement of the razor during shaving.

Lathering creams are the most common and popular shaving creams around. Since this kind of cream needs a brush, the ‘how’ process will have to start from prepping the brush before using it on the cream. Prepping of the brush will entail dipping the brush in warm water for about 30 seconds and then shaking it about 3-4 times to get rid of some of the water. Swirl the wet brush on the top of the shaving cream in the jar. Take the brush to the area to be shaved and begin lathering. If you are using a good, silver tip badger brush, lathering should occur easily without much pressure.

Effects of Grey Market on the Double Edge Razor Industry

To truth of the matter is that grey market activities, to some degree, are inevitable. The grey market is able to exist as a result of the imbalance in trade. Although almost inevitable, grey market can grow to become an outright nuisance for manufacturers when unauthorized dealers control a large part of the market’s distribution process. Grey market brokers often act as a great competition to the main manufacturers when they offer prices that are appealing to consumers.

TheVikings Blade has one of the best razors available in the market today. The product has been received by men of the shaving world as a masterpiece because of the quality of the razor. With this success came other brands looking to copy its design. Brands like Smoothere, eBetter, Jtrim, and Bigfoot Shave. If care is not taken, these copycat brands can affect the original manufacturer in one of these ways:

Damaging the Trademark Image

Many customers look towards quality over quantity. When the manufacturer has succeeded in offering this quality to customers at a given price, the grey market can damage this reputation. By acquiring defective products or outright copying of the designs, grey market brokers can make the exact same product using cheaper materials and offer it at a cheaper price. This would have an adverse effect on the manufacturer in the short and long run, if care is not taken.

Legal Liabilities

Since the products are usually an exact copy of the original in design, they often fail to meet with the laid down standards of the manufacturer. These inferior products may cause legal liabilities for the company when customers begin to sue for damages.

Marketing Strategy is disrupted

Companies tend to have marketing strategies and the financial and profit projections. With the activities of grey market brokers and copycat brands, this will ultimately affect the manufacturers planned out market strategies.

A Better Way to Shave

Shaving in itself is not rocket science. Let's be honest, there's nothing magical about shaving that should make some men get it right while others struggle with it, right? As much as we would love to agree with this, it is not entirely true. When it comes to shaving, there are techniques to be followed.  

There's No Need to Hurry!

If you're looking for a break out or some kind of skin irritation, then rush through a shave. When it comes to shaving, you have to be committed to the process; be a gentleman about it. Take time to prep the face for a shave. If you're late for an appointment, you can still have a good shave in the shower. If you don't have time to prep the face, then it means you don't have time to shave - just postpone it!

Give Your Fingers a Break

So it's totally understandable that you are used to applying the lather with your fingers. You may probably argue it was taught to you by your father and so on (we all know how generational teachings can be). Now it's time to give your fingers their long due break. Shaving brushes were designed for s purpose. It does only fair you allow them do their 'one job'.

Hot or Cold

Dermatologists always advise shaving just after a shower or in it. This is because your skin needs to be moist and warm before shaving. This is why your local barber places a warm towel on your face before shaving. If you didn't know why, the least you should have done was to ask him. After shaving, cold water is best to rinse the face. It helps reduce inflammation.

How to Shave a Coarse or Tough Beard

There are many reasons to experience difficulty or pains when shaving. One of such reason is the fact that you may actually have a tough textured hair. Undeniably, shaving can be somewhat frustrating with such coarse hair. Rather than stay frustrated for long, here are some tips you could try to give you a better and more relaxing shaving experience.

Soften Your Hair

The first response to having a better shaving experience is to reduce the toughness of the hair. More often than not, your hair seems tough because it is too dry. This usually starts by getting the hair wet. So begin by washing your face with clean water. Preferably, use warm water because it helps to open up the skin pores. The longer you keep the hair hydrated or wet, the better it would be to get the tough hair soft.

Shaving Cream or Soap

We are not here to argue which is better or which is not. After getting your hair wet with warm water, you should look to moisturize it with a good shaving cream or soap. There are lots of products and brands out there, so you got to stick with the one that works for you. A good shaving cream will contain just the right amount of protein to feed your hair to keep them soft.

Use an Advanced Razor

There are razors are there are 'the razors". Get a good razor that has sharp blades. Your hair is naturally tough and cannot afford the luxury of gambling with dull blades. There are now cheaper DE razors like the Vikings Blade in the market. You shouldn't settle for less quality razors because of high price.

The Art of Shaving the Pits

We all have hairs in the pits – yes that’s right, we are talking about the armpits. Too often men tend to shy away from talking about hairs on the pits. For a long time, it was normal to see men walk around with full grown hairs on the pits. On the other hand, it was considered a taboo to see a woman sporting a hair on the pits. In a recent survey carried out on men about hairs on the pit, more than 65% of the male respondents actually said they shave their armpits. Since this is now becoming the new norm among men, it is best you do it right.

The hairs on the pits are like any other hair in the body; the only major differences that they sit in a more sensitive skin that most other areas with hairs. So when it comes to shaving the pits, extra care must be taken like it would if you have a sensitive skin. First thing you would need is a really sharp DE razor. Like any other hair on the body, you would need to soften the hairs before shaving them. Clean them with warm water before applying a shaving cream. It is best to shave with the groin to avoid ingrown hairs. The armpit is the last place you would want to get any skin irritation from shaving. Move in the same direction and with the aid of the sharp DErazor, you should have your pits as smooth and clean as you would want!

Vikings Blade vs Merkur 1904 Double Edge Razor

The Vikings Blade is a fine brand with superior quality products. It has an amazing shaving performance with its quality blade. The Merkur 1904 is particularly modeled with the 1904 Gillette DE razor. Both blades have an amazing shaving power and leaves smooth and clean shave. Let's see how well they compare using noticeable DE properties.

Design

The Vikings Blade is made from improved, superior construction materials which include brass and bronze alloy. It has s shiny appearance from its chrome plating finish. It is a butterfly razor with classic handle. The Merkur 1904 comes with all the alluring design made in Germany. It has the head of a classic and a 6-sided handle. It also has chrome plated finish.

Dimension

The Vikings Blade comes with a classic length of about 3.75". It has a hefty feel to it and weighs about 85g which places it in the heavyweight category for DE razors. The Merkur 1904 has a classic handle with length of approximately 3". It is a lightweight razor and weighs just about 8.5g.

Accessories

The Vikings Blade comes with 5 unbranded, super sharp blades. It also has a travel case along with it. The case has a mirror imbedded in it. The Merkur 1904 razor comes with only one blade.

Techniques to Prevent Razor Burns

Unless you have never had a razor burn, you will never know how frustrating it can be. A razor burn is a skin irritation that arises after a shave. There are ways to prevent this nightmare but you have to follow these steps accordingly.

Change Your Razor Blades

Razor blades usually have service life of 3-5 shaves but if you experience razor burns too often, you may want to stick to using new blades every week until you can reduce its occurrence. Bacteria and dull blades are the two main causes of razor burns. By changing blades regularly when due, you would have reduced this possibility to a greater extent.

Go with the Grain

Most people are aware of this but find it difficult to know exactly what direction the grain grows naturally. There's no subtle way to put it, you just have to go find out. Shaving against the grain is the number one cause of ingrown hairs.

Shave at Night

Night shaving is preferable because your skin can breathe easily after the shave. When shaving is done in the mornings, the skin has to combat sweat, deodorants, and other chemicals in your freshly opened skin pores.

Shave in the Shower

Wet shaving helps reduce razor burns to a large degree. It is advisable to wet your hair before shaving to keep the hair soft. If you are not sure the amount of wetness desired, just take a warm shower and shave almost immediately. You shouldn't wait up to 10 minutes to avoid the stubble becoming hard again.

Splash Cold Water on Face

When you are done shaving splash cold water on the face to help close up opened skin pores. This has a way of reducing any skin burn, or irritation that may arise.

Vikings Blade Chieftain vs Merkur Futur Adjustable Safety Razor

When it comes to naming newer brands in the double edge safety world, Vikings Blade will definitely make the list. The brand has got two main razors and the Chieftain is one of them. It has enjoyed remarkable success since it was released. Merkur is already a well-known name in the razor industry. Taking one of its product, the Futur, let's see how well it compares with the Vikings Blade Chieftain.

Design

The Vikings Blade is made from bronze and brass alloy. This gives it the desired strength of razor. The razor has chrome plated finish which gives it a shiny appearance. It is a butterfly razor and has a classic handle. The Merkur Futur comes with a beautiful satin finish and also enjoys the chrome plating finish like the Vikings Blade. It has an adjustable razor blade angle.

Dimension

The Vikings Blade has a length of 3.75" which makes it a classic handled razor. It has a weight of approximately 85g. This puts it in the heavyweight category of razors. The Merkur Futur on the other hand comes with a length of 4.3". This is a long handled razor. It has a weight of 122g. It is also in the heavyweight razor category.

Unique Feature

The Vikings Blade has an advanced butterfly head like no other. This enables quick blade change in about 5 seconds. It also has a micro-comb that sits in its head that prevents accident cuts during shaving. The Merkur Futur comes with an adjustable razor blade angle that allows users to adjust the exposure of the blade. This allows for choosing between mild and aggressive shaves.

Accessories

TheVikings Blade comes with 5 extra ultra-sharp blades. It also comes with a travel case that has a mirror attached inside. The Merkur Futur doesn't come with any accessory. Other items would have to be bought separately.

How to Reduce Badger Brush Smell

For most people, this may seem a bit odd, especially because they have not experienced such smell. For others, they get this repugnant smell after buying a new badger brush. Yes, it is so much possible to perceive smells on some new badger brushes. Generally most people tend to forget that a badger brush is gotten from the hairs of a badger. Undoubtedly, badger brushes make good shaving lather but there are still parts of an animal.

To reduce this smell, manufacturers put the hairs through a long process of sterilization between knotting them together in a handle. Sometimes these processes do not entirely remove the smell. This is why it's advisable to buy badger brushes from brands that take quality seriously. A good example is the newly released Vikings Blade badger brush.

If you happen to have a badger brush that smells, just prepare warm water with a tablespoon of vinegar solution. Immerse the smelly badger brush into this solution for about a minute or two. Remove brush and ensure proper rinse with water. Keep in a cool place to dry. This should reduce the smell the next time you want to use the brush. 

Merkur "Futur" Safety Razor Review

The Futur on its lowest setting exposes more blade than the Progess does on its highest setting. For classic Gillette adjustable owners, setting 9 of 9 on the Fatboy or Slim is roughly the same as setting 2 of 6 on the Futur. Plus the Futur is immensely heavy, about 25% heavier than a Progess or a Fatboy. This adds up to a mighty aggressive shaver!

In my particular case, I can only use the least sharp blades in the Futur (aka Derby & Merkur) at the lowest possible setting (1 of 6). If I use some sharper blade (Personna Blue, Gillette 7 O'Clock Yellows, or even an Astra SP) or dare to crank the dial up to 2 of 6, aaargggh! Lobster face, razor burn for hours, even without any blood. So I can use 1 or 2 types of blades in this, and on only 1 of 6 settings. (There are half point settings as well, but even 1.5 is gap too far for me...) To me, this is not really an adjustable, as I always have to use the same setting and only certain types of blades, unless I want to rip my face off.

Lest you think me unmanly or inexpert, I will say I have used razors that are heavy (Maggard MR8) and some that are known for having aggressive heads (Parker 92R, Weber PH) and I can get smooth skin and a non-lobster face using those razors with all sorts of blades. It's only the Futur that causes me red-faced grief. Of course, in the wet shaving world, we have our flint-bearded Vikings, who have metallic stubble and shave once every several days. If you are one of these types, this may be your razor and maybe you can enjoy different blades and settings.

I like the adjustable concept as it gives users a lot of customization options and the ability to mix exposure up during different shave passes. Most users who want this feature set and do not want a deply abraded face would be better off with the Merkur Progress, or a vintage Gillette adjustable if you can get one at a reasonable price (think Super or Slim, not Fatboy!) but for most, the Progress will be the most affordable solution and that model is well made and offers a usable range of adjustment at a cheaper price than the Futur.

I feel bad rating the Futur poorly. It is well made, and I have none of the usual complaints. The head does indeed fit into the nooks and crannies of my face well enough, and I find blade replacement to be both simple and safe. I just can't see paying this much for a razor that (in my case) ends up being non-adjustable!

Micro Touch Safety Razor Chrome

After watching a TV commercial exposing the merits of the old fashion double edge razor as I had grown up shaving with, I decided to shun the expensive Gillette Mach razors and go back to the basics.

Now I know it has been 45 years since I had used a DE razor so I had to reeducate myself in my shaving techniques such as softening the bearded area by using soap and hot water. Also shaving lightly with the grain letting the weight of the razor to glide down and capture all the bearded areas. Also a light second shaving lightly against the grain was needed for a close shave.

However due to the cheapness of this product several problems emerged to prevent a close, clean and bloodless shave.
1. This razor is not an exact precision instrument. It is not built on a slight angle to capture the beard without scraping. Angled at 45 degrees it is a scrapper and with this razor being so light the blade drags against the skin and will cause nicks and cuts. It is a bleeding razor.
2. The razor after being used for about a month became hard to open and in fact I had to use pliers to open the butterfly blade opening. Very cheaply made.
3. I gave this razor a good 2 months trial, but between the razor scraping and burns along with the use of a styptic pencil I could no longer stand the pain. The shave was not that close! Very disappointing.

Not easily giving up, I pursued my quest for a perfect shave and found it in purchasing the Merkur 34C which is quality built with a good weight and has a slight 30 degree angle and feels like a feather crossing your face and gives the closest shave that I have ever experienced. For a few dollars more with German precision. you can have that perfect shave also.

Micro Touch One is just a cheap imitation of a classic DE razor.

Difficulties Posed by the Grey Market

Not all manufacturers use distributors but for those that use, grey market has created lots of difficulties for these manufacturers. Product experts at Vikings Blade have highlighted several of such difficulties that they do have had to deal with.

Price Instability is the major difficulty many manufacturers have to first deal with. It affects the pricing with distributors as well as with prices for its direct sales. This is because copycat brands make use of inferior materials and can afford to lower their prices.

It can also mess up the after sales channel for original brands. This makes it very difficult to maintain point of sale services and dealer support. This can drastically affect the income stream of the original company.

It creates dissatisfaction from customers. Imagine a situation where a brand receives complaint about one of their products, only to discover it was marketed by another copycat company in the grey market. This puts the original brand's reputation in jeopardy. Many companies have had to hire PR professionals to help redeem their image in the public's eye. This does not include trying to avoid getting sued by unsatisfied customers.