Newbie from florida

Hi, Jerry here from venice, florida, on the Gulf of Mexico coast of the state. Have always used cartridge razors. Today, with much trepidation, I shaved my head with a double edged safety razor. (Full beard by the way.) I used my new Parker 96R butterfly razor, with pre shave oil, soft soap, and badger brush. The good new, surprisingly no slicing and dicing of my head. Nice smooth shave with much less irritation. Only tender spot is the back of my neck and the bony occipital protuberance at the base of my skull with little pinhead pricks that bleed a little. I have a few questions.

1. How can you tell when the soap suds are right?
2. For some reason my butterfly razor kept opening during the shaving process. Perhaps not closed tight enough or holding incorrectly?
3. I used vaseline intensive care lotion on my head for post after shave. Is this recommended? I have always used this product for moisturizing my head after a shave. Is an aftershave or balm preferable?
4. Any head shaving tips for a complete newbie?

Thanks.

Welcome to DFS, Jerrel.  We're glad you are here.

I hope one of our head shavers will chime in here to answer your questions.  BadDadChris) is a head shaver with a full beard and uses both straights and DEs so he is one of several good resources.

Your Twist-to-Open (aka Butterfly) razor should not be opening mid-shave.  I am unfamiliar with your razor but I believe other members own it.  If they do not have a solution for you then it is possible there is a defect in the razor.

Again, welcome to Damn Fine Shave.

Welcome!

thanks for checking us out.

Tips for shaving your head? Sounds like you already found most of the difficult areas. I trouble on the protruding bones behind my ears. I tend to nick that area more frequently than anywhere else...

Really, the "rules" are the same...no pressure, go slow, pay attention to blade angles...the basics...

As for your razor opening mid-shave...after you put your blade in and close it all the way, see if there isn't another slight little "click" for it to make. I've never used your particualr razor, but many of the TTO vintage razors have an additional 1/4 turn to "lock" the barn doors into place. Not all of them, but many...

Good luck and welcome!

Welcome to DFS Jerrel !

Welcome aboard and enjoy.

Welcome to DFS, Jerry!

The razor that you are using has the twist-to-open(TTO) knob up close to the head as opposed to down at the end of the handle like many other TTO DE's. I would say to make sure you have the knob snugged down tight, but not too tight(it is possible to damage the razor tightening it down too tight.) It should be just snug. Also, make sure that you are not gripping the TTO knob during the shave. I would think that holding the TTO knob during the shave could inadvertently cause it to loosen up. If you continue to have issues, maybe contact the vendor/store where you purchased the razor. It is possible that the razor is defective?

Good luck!

Welcome.

Hi Jerry.

1. There's a few YouTube videos that might help. There's no rules though. If it works and you're satisfied it's right.

2. Yeah, maybe close it tighter. Check it between passes.

3. Whatever you like. If you're already using it and like it then no real need to change unless you are curious to try other products.

4. Don't know. I think the biggest change if you used disposables before is that a safety razor is a different angle in use and takes more passes with more focus to hold it correctly around every curve. Disposables and cartridges usually have a pivot built in and when you use them you press a little to engage the pivot. With a safety razor you have to learn or rather train your muscles to pivot. Not applying that pressure you were used to before is easier said than done for everyone making the switch usually.