h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

thanks for that image

* shudders at the thought of waxing the face *

I use an electric razor. Disposables are all very well, but it takes _ages_ to get a decent shave. Okay, so I've not been shaving for all that long compared to how long it'll have to go on for, so I've not had all that much practice, but still...

Electric razors rule, but then one supposes that women want a much better finish on their legs than men do on their faces - and they also don't want to have to shave their legs every morning. Well I don't want to shave my face every day either, but the hair keeps growing and short of giving up and growing a beard there's not much I can do about it.

Blergh.

That's what I did

I used a woman's razor once cos she nicked mine. The damn thing was at such a strange angle it was very hard to shave my face.

The worst razor's I have seen for cutting your face are the ones with the "bars" on the front (you know, 'the blade's so sharp we put it behind bars'). These bars eventually break and then you have a sharp piece of metal at exactly the correct angle to slash your face.
Blunt razors are bad for cutting yourself but really I think the secret is to make sure you've softened up your skin with shaving cream before shaving.
The most common place I have cut myself is the base or my nose - it is at right angles to the rest of your face and is very easy to nick whilst you are shaving. Legs to not have such area to negotiate so I would imagine that's one reason less cuts are observed.

I don't know how anyone can use an electric razor - they just leave your face feeling all dry - - I do have a tendency to dry skin mind

Try the back of the knee, matey. Try holding your leg and knee at right angles in the bath without slipping below the water line. Try shaving an awkward twitchy area that you can't see, in a mirror or out, full of thick blood vessels. Try getting out of the bath having cut yourself, with one knee bent right back like a cheap Long John Silver Imitator...

Men, they haven't lived...

Cloviscat - who is now much older and more serene, but sod's law says she'll do it tomorrow, when she's off to fly down to a hot shot meeting in London!

I *was* responding to the earlier posting that referred to men as idiots for cutting themselves too often as opposed to women who are so *perfect* and don't. I was simply defending us poor weakling men. Any response that comments otherwise meets my approval Cloviscat.

As Ben Elton once said, we are all farties. Let us accept this and not indulge in *Women are better than men* or vice versa cobblers

using those straight edge old fashioned razors is enough to get anyone awake, it's better than coffee when you feel the blade scraping against your larinx and your jugular veins at the same time...just don't sneeze...

surprisingly I never did cut myself with it, it's those little things that I have to use now that are dangerous, I always end up cutting my upper lip...I'd still be using it if it hadn't gotten lost somewhere....maybe I can find another one...

According to a few razor manufacturers, at least three significant difference exist between men's and women's razors:

"1. The most important difference to the consumer is the "shave angle" of the two. A man's razor has a greater angle on the blade, what the razor industry calls "aggressive exposure," for two reasons. Men's beards are tougher than women's leg or underarm hair, and require more effort to be cut and, at least as important, women complain much more than men about nicks and cuts, the inevitable consequence of the aggresive exposure of the men's blades.

2. Most women's razors have a greater arc in the head of the razor, so that they can see the skin on the leg more easily as they shave.

3. Women don't shave as frequently as men, especially in the winter, when most wear pants and long-sleeved blouses. Schick offers a razor line for women that features guard bars that contain combs, so that longer hair is set up at the proper angle for shaving."

The edge of the blades is different on Mens and womens razors.

Mens are ment to be sharper for short periods of time as they only have a small area of thick hair to do.

Womens are ment to be fairly sharp for longer, larger surface area, not as coarse hair.

Womens as has already been mentioned are a different shape bacause of the angles involved, and I tend to find that the shower is the best place as you can stretch your legs out better than in a bath, also I tend to get a longer lasting finish, something to do with how saturated you are!

AGCB Get a loofa love it makes the world of difference, use it every 3-4 days and it removes the dead skin that your hairs are growing under and causing red blotchy bits!

Well there's my wisdom on the subject anyway!

Mel

To combat dry skin after using an electric razor, use a moisturising facewash or something.

Just a suggestion. If you prefer manual, that's fine...

Actually, I've got a beard now

Well goatee anyway but there's no way I would use an electric one now as it would inevitably snag up in my beard and be painful. Wet shaving is so much nicer anyway

But it take *ages*

(see, I'm a child of the internet age)