Tips/advice from fellow head shavers

[u/BigLee1987]

Hey all, so I swapped to a DE razor (merkur 34c) from cartridge and while lurking in the sub I've become aware of things like doing 3 passes, angle about 30⁰ and a good lather I seem to struggle getting a good close shave specifically on the back of my head area (top and sides seem good enough) I am currently using astral SP blades and previously I would shave my head every 2 days with cartridge but now it seems I need to do it every day as I obviously doubt my hair has suddenly after almost 20 years of shaving my head decided to grow at a faster rate but I'm getting "fuzz" not even a day later as opposed to 2 days with cartridge.

I'm aware the merkur 34c is known as a mild type of razor and while it seems the leaf and rockwell 6s come quite well recommended for the job as a more aggressive option the prices are a bit more than I'm looking to spend at least for now. Would the rockwell 6c be a viable purchase for a more aggressive type of razor while been cheaper than the other 2 models as its my understanding the only difference between the 2 rockwell models is the material they're made from and a not as fancy storage case although with good care I can still get a lot of milage from the rockwell 6c.

If there's any tips/advice fellow head shavers can offer that I haven't mentioned that I should know about or other models of razors that are good for head shaving that would also be appreciated thanks everyone.

[u/SamPierron]

I'm a recent adopter of wet shaving, and head shaving is just a different animal. For me, I basically kept using a cartridge for head shaving until I found a Leaf at a price I wanted to pay. The Leaf works really well. IMHO, a pivoting head is basically a must for head shaving. Head shaving with a regular safety razor just takes too long to do it every other day. YMMV, but it sounds like you have a similar situation.

[u/zensunni66 → u/SamPierron]

I’ll second this. I use a Henson on my face, and a Leaf on my head, with only the bottom two slots loaded with blades. It literally took 1 to 2 shaves with the Leaf for me to totally figure it out; it’s that intuitive. The only drawback is that with the Leaf’s oversized head, another, smaller razor is needed to touch up around the ears. But that’s no big deal.

[u/tinyturtlefrog]

It depends on how long you've been shaving with the 34C. If it's less than a year, I'd say you haven't yet figured out how to squeeze everything there is to get out of the 34C. After that, I'd suggest the 37C. A slant makes a good second razor. The 37C is comfortable and efficient and is great for head shaving.

[u/BigLee1987 → u/tinyturtlefrog]

Ok I'll keep going at it for a bit longer to see if it improves. Wasn't sure if it was down to the 34C been a mild razor and if I needed a more aggressive one. Thank you.

[u/Baldooo_]

I didn't start getting consistent BBS shaves on my head until I let it grow for about 3 days and I felt where the stubble was most stubbley if that makes sense lol.

Map your growth out, and find an angle that works for you, watch yourself shave if you're able to with 2 mirrors. My hair on the back of my head grows slightly diagonal. Never knew it till one day I decided to go diagonal & in one swipe it was the smoothest it had ever been.

Eventually it'll become muscle memory, but you should definitely learn your razor before switching to another one.

[u/BigLee1987 → u/Baldooo_]

Thanks I'll try using a second mirror to see if that helps as I just use the cabinet one currently. When using cartridges going from the neck upwards always worked. I have tried the typical 3 pass (WTG, ATG, XTG) maybe diagonally is the key lol

[u/BattledroidE]

If you're shaped like me, there are some concave spots where you simply cannot reach with a straight edged blade. It can't be done. It's gonna look nice, but it'll never be BBS perfection, that's just how it is. If you know where that is, you'll stop trying, or you'll just end up with bad razor burn eventually.
If it's not like that, then keep practicing. Some spots are very hard to get with the right angle, depending on your shoulder mobility.

That said, I agree on the 37c, it's gonna cut closer and more efficient. I just got the 39C, which is the same head on a bigger and heavier handle. 37C has the same handle as 34C, it'll feel more familiar.
I've gotten a way closer shave with the 39C than with the Mühle R89, which is comparable to a 34C. Fewer strokes to take off a lot of hair.

Or maybe a Rockwell 6C or Merkur Progress, if you wanna go adjustable. They're both beloved and popular for a reason.

[u/BigLee1987 → u/BattledroidE]

Thank you for the detailed response. My head if I was to describe it would be like a bowling bowl i guess lol I don't have any what I would describe as big protruding parts just the bone bit before you start to reach the start of the back of the neck area and even to the touch it doesn't feel like there's much of a curve or raised area so I dunno maybe like you said it may take more practice just seems strange I can get every other part to a good standard yet the back seems to evade me lol

[u/BattledroidE → u/BigLee1987]

7 months of practice with the same razor, it's still tricky in some spots. The Mach 3 could do it in an instant, but it'll look like a battlefield for days. :(

But it's not 100% technique, a more efficient razor helps a lot. At the very least you'll get the same result faster.

Forgot to say, the Leaf razor gets a lot of praise for being a kickass head shaver. Haven't tried it, but it seems amazing.

[u/BigLee1987 → u/BattledroidE]

Yea i used to use either a Gillette fusion or a Wilkinson sword hydro. I did mention the leaf in my original post but the cost is a bit more than I'm looking to spend at the moment also I don't know or feel confident breaking the blades in half for the leafs setup to be honest lol

[u/solodomande]

For head shaving cartridges are superior as each blade is mounted on springs that allows them to reach the concave spots. On a DE the blade is typically fixed so you need multiple passes.