You know, people can get pretty dogmatic about shaving. You wouldn’t expect it. But some people will say that anyone who doesn’t use a such-and-such razor can hardly be called shaved. Others will say that if you don’t use so-and-so with the blades from somewhere else then you’re not worth thinking about.
It’s not just the equipment, either.
I’ve read things like: “You should never, ever shave against the grain.” And I’ve read things like “First, shave with the grain, then against the grain” – with no “if you need to” or “you might want to try…”
Here’s my tuppence worth (I suppose in the current economic climate that really isn’t worth much – maybe it should be my pound’s worth):
If you can avoid it and you have a tendency to get razor burn or bumps, don’t shve against the grain. If you don’t get razor burn, then you could do it if you like and if you find it gives you a close shave.
You don’t need to do the same thing over the whole of your face, either. On my cheeks, I can shave however I like and not get any razor burn at all. Hurrah. So I shave against the grain for a closer finish.
On my neck I get redness and itching if I’m not careful. So I shave with the grain and only go against the grain on any little areas that still look like they need to be shaved closer. Then I regret it and wish I’d stuck to my rules of only going with the gain on my neck.
Like all the rest of this stuff, don’t take what I say as gospel – at least not for you. Everyone’s different, so by all means try out what works for me, but experiment with other approaches too – without getting dogmatic about it.
Except, of course, that electric shavers are satan-spawn. Clearly. Ahem.
