shaving

The 5 Best Shaving Creams

Andrea Cannon — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:15:28 +0000

If you want to achieve a picture perfect shave every time, you need warm water, a sharp razor, and a quality shaving cream. Shaving cream can help reduce skin irritation, nicks, cuts, and razor burns. Best of all, using a luxurious shaving cream can help improve your morning routine, making it an experience you look forward to every day.

What Is Shaving Cream?

Shaving cream, foam, or gel can be used by men and women, on the face and body. It makes the area moisturized and prepped for a clean, close shave. Shaving cream can be applied with a shaving brush, or with your fingers. You only need a thin layer to achieve the desired results. Most shaving experts, including the Men’s Health experts, recommend shaving cream over gel or foam because most shaving creams don’t foam, but instead glide on the skin.

Top 5 Shaving Creams

Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Shaving Cream Bowl

Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Shaving Cream Bowl is Amazon’s #1 best seller in shaving creams, as well as one of top rated and “most wished for” items on Amazon. It is backed by outstanding reviews, including nearly 2,000 five-star reviews on Amazon.

This professional-quality shaving cream will moisturize your skin while preparing it for the closest shave ever. It comes in a round plastic bowl with a screw-on top, which makes it the perfect gift. The bowl helps to make the lathering easy, especially if you use it together with a shaving brush. It produces a rich lather and thick texture, which makes it ideal for use with any razors, even straight razors. The rich, masculine sandalwood scent has a woody blend of exotic sandalwood and cedar, along with lavender, rosemary, jasmine, and rose.

Currently $17.00 on Amazon

The Art of Shaving Shaving Cream, Sandalwood

The Art of Shaving Shaving Cream includes four elements of the perfect shave, and this Sandalwood shaving cream is one of the essential products for the simple four-step process. The cream uses natural ingredients, glycerin, coconut oil, essential oils, and moisturizer to soften the skin. The rich formula creates a heavy foamy lather that will improve razor glide, soften the beard, and lift stubble for a close shave. It protects the skin from irritation and razor burn, and will leave it feeling soft and smooth. The rich cream creates a good amount of lather and can provide a really luxurious morning experience if you use it along with a shaving brush. It is ideal for all skin types, free from synthetic dyes and alcohol, and can be used with any type of razor, including a straight razor.

The masculine sandalwood scent has woody Indian sandalwood, but if you don’t like the scent, you can also choose from lemon, lavender, ocean kelp, and unscented versions. It is one of Men’s Journals top picks, one of Amazon’s best sellers, and one of the top recommended shaving products online.

Currently $23.58 on Amazon

Proraso Shaving Cream, Eucalyptus and Menthol

The Proraso Shaving Cream is ideal for all beard types. The eucalyptus and menthol formulation will give your skin a tingly experience, leaving it feeling refreshed and toned. The concentrated, creamy formula is paraben-free, contains no artificial colors, and has eucalyptus oil, coconut oil, and glycerin to soften the skin. The refreshing cream creates a rich lather to prevent nicks, cuts, and razor burn. It helps tighten pores and will ensure a close, comfortable shave, so you can enjoy the softest skin yet.

This shaving cream has been the Italian barbers’ choice for more than three generations. It is also one of Amazon’s best sellers, top rated items, and “most wished for” items. There are a number of bestselling items from the Proraso brand, so you are sure to find something that is right for your skin.

Currently $10.00 on Amazon

Kiss My Face Moisture Shave, Pomegranate Grapefruit

The Kiss My Face Moisture Shave is a natural, paraben-free, phthalate-free, SLS-free, preservative-free, and cruelty-free shaving cream contains olive, coconut, and lavender oils, Golden Seal, lemongrass, shea butter, and antioxidant-rich pomegranate to effectively improve the condition of the skin every time you shave. The 4-in-1 shaving cream nourishes with natural healing, antiseptic botanicals, vitamin E, natural oils, and aloe vera to soften, smooth, and moisturize the skin and reduce shaving irritation. The thick lotion consistency will protect your skin during your shave and leave it feeling soft, smooth, and moisturized once you are out of the shower. You simply emulsify the thick cream between your hands before spreading it on your skin.

The pomegranate grapefruit variety smells refreshing and clean, but the shave cream comes in a range of scents, if this one isn’t your favorite. Kiss My Face Moisture Shave is incredibly affordable, but don’t let the price fool you. This drugstore favorite has many of the same ingredients as the most expensive creams on the market, and can be expected to work just as well. It is the top rated shave product on MakeupAlley, one of Men’s Journal’s top picks for shaving creams, and one of Amazon’s best sellers. Many reviewers agree that this is the best shaving product for men’s faces, but it can also be used anywhere on the body.

Currently $5.45 on Amazon

Neutrogena Men Skin Clearing Shave Cream

The Neutrogena Men Skin Clearing Shave Cream will speed up your morning routine because it is clinically proven to improve the condition of your skin every time you use it. The skin clearing oil-free formula has glycerin and moisturizers to form a protective barrier between your skin and the razor. This helps reduce skin irritation, fights razor bumps, and minimizes ingrown hairs. The no-foam formula rinses clean and won’t clog your pores, leaving behind softer, smoother, healthier skin.

It is one of Amazon’s best sellers and because it is a twin pack, it offers an incredible value. And don’t let the low price fool you. This has many of the same ingredients as the most expensive creams on the market, and can provide professional-quality results.

Currently $10.58 on Amazon

And those are our recommendations for the best shaving creams. As always, be sure to check Wise Bread's Buying Calendar to learn when and how to buy just about anything!

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This article is from Andrea Cannon of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

The 5 Best Electric Razors

William Tran — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 09:00:28 +0000

Many people may find little reason to choose an electric razor over their trusty manual razor, as the investing price may be too high to pay for a more portable shaver that cuts quicker rather than closer. However, the technology has significantly advanced over the years to the point where modern electric razors can now give you the smooth, close shave that you want along with some nice high tech features at more affordable prices.

Wise Bread is here to show you which electric razors will give you the best shave without cutting down on your budget with our top five list.

What Is an Electric Razor?

An electric razor is an electrical device equipped with small, motor-powered blades behind a metal guard that is primarily used by men for the purpose of shaving their facial hair without the need for shaving cream or soap and water.

There are two main types of electric razors: foil shavers and rotary shavers. Foil shavers have oscillating blades under thin, perforated steel foils that allow for really close shaves. Rotary shavers have rotating circular blades that can flex along the contours of your face and neck, allowing you to maneuver the razor in multiple directions. While foil shavers are generally the preferred choice when it comes to getting the best shave, they may not handle longer hairs as well as rotary shavers can, and they can be significantly noisier as well.

Most electric razors are meant to be used on dry skin, but there are some versions that are designed to handle wet/dry use and can be easily cleaned using running water.

Top 5 Electric Razors

Braun Series 7 760cc

The Braun Series 7 760cc electric razor has been widely considered to be one of the best values for foil shavers on the market by both consumers and experts alike, thanks to its excellent shaving performance and impressive features.

As both a Consumer Search and Consumer Reports top pick, one of the most remarkable features on the 760cc is its flexible foil shaving head that makes it easy to get a close shave around those troublesome facial curves. It also comes with three customizable shaving modes to optimally adjust for different hair and skin types. Users have found its sleek design to be very comfortable to hold and use, and they were also very impressed by its long-lasting charge and quiet operation. An included cleaning base makes the 760cc easy to clean as well.

Currently $189.95 on Amazon.

Panasonic ES-LA63-S Arc 4

The Panasonic ES-LA63-S Arc 4 electric razor is another exceptional foil shaver to have received a top recommendation from both Consumer Reports and Consumer Search. It's especially effective at shaving sensitive skin.

Many users have been very delighted by the close shave and smooth results that its Multi-Flex pivoting head can achieve without irritating the skin. Users also thoroughly enjoy the ES-LA63-S’ wet/dry performance and waterproof design, which allows them to use the razor with shaving cream or in the shower.

While you can’t use it while it’s charging, the ES-LA63-S can reach a full charge in just under an hour and can maintain a full power shave for up to 45 minutes instead of fading out with the battery.

Currently $140.77 on Amazon.

Philips Norelco SensoTouch 3D 1250X

You cannot talk about rotary shavers without bringing up the widely-acclaimed Philips Norelco SensoTouch 3D 1250X electric razor, which holds a 4½-star Amazon rating from over 1,000 customer reviews along with the highest recommendation from both Consumer Reports and Consumer Search.

The 1250X’s built-in GyroFlex 3D system provides the razor with some dynamic maneuverability that makes it easy to get the smoothest and closest shave around every curve on your face. In addition, each of its three shaving heads comes with special shaving tracks that allow it to effectively shave everything from the longest hairs to the hard-to-reach stubble. But many reviewers found themselves most impressed by the 1250X’s incredibly quiet operation, which has most of its competition beat.

The razor also includes an AquaTec seal, which gives you the option of wet/dry shaving if desired.

Currently $171.50 on Amazon.

Remington R-7130

The Remington R-7130 electric razor is another exemplary choice for a rotary shaver that can provide a remarkable amount of flexibility that you won’t find in many other razors.

Thanks to its Flex & Pivot technology, the R-7130’s Teflon rotary shaving heads can flex to get close to those hard-to-shave curves, and the razor’s neck can pivot in multiple directions, which makes it efficient at moving around and shaving your neck. Its rechargeable battery can provide up to 60 minutes of shaving time, and you can plug it into an electrical outlet to get up to 90 minutes of use.

The R-7130 also comes with a LED indicator that allows you to keep track of its battery life so that you don’t unexpectedly run out of power.

Currently $112.83 on A Matter of Fax.

Philips Norelco PQ280

The Consumer Search recommended Philips Norelco PQ280 is an incredibly low-cost and portable electric razor that’s practically made to be your traveling shaving companion.

While it only comes with two rotary shaving heads instead of the usual three to maintain a compact design, the PQ280 can still provide a very close, clean shave that matches up the performance of its three-headed brethren. Many users were also pleasantly surprised by how quietly it can operate given its small size.

The PQ280 is powered by AA batteries, so you don’t need to find an outlet in order to recharge its power, making it more ideal for on-the-go use. Not only that, you can get up to an hour of shaving on each set of AA batteries, which is more than enough power for multiple shaving sessions.

Currently $14.99 on Amazon.

And those are our recommendations for the best electric razors. As always, be sure to check out the Wise Bread Shopping Calendar to learn when and how to buy just about anything!

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This article is from William Tran of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Buy a Car With the Money You Save by Shaving Smarter

Nicholas Pell — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 09:48:29 +0000

I, for one, have never fully understood how King Gillette convinced men to move from the safety razor to disposables. Sure, a straight razor or "cut throat" can be a little too time-consuming (not to mention intimidating) for a lot of men. After all, it's effectively like shaving with a tiny sword.

The humble safety razor, however, with its guard around a disposable, double-edged blade, is quite safe (hence the name), not to mention easy to learn how to use. At the end of a couple shaves you'll be scraping hair off your face with the skill and dexterity of your grandfather. (See also: Save Money With a Classic Wet Shave)

The High Cost of Cartridge Shaving

You don't need me to tell you that shaving with a cartridge is going to set you back a pretty penny. A pack of replacement cartridges can cost you upwards of $30. A man with a heavy beard is going to go through a pack of eight in a month, while the less hirsute among us will be able to stretch that over the course of two months. Let's split the difference and call it $22.50 a month.

That's just what you're spending on the cartridges. You also need the chemical goop in a can to lube your face up in preparation for the most traumatic shaving experience known to man. Let's call that another $2.50 a month and say that you're spending an even $25.00 a month to shave. Not too shocking, until you realize that you might be paying more to shave than you are on your utilities every month. I was when I was cartridge shaving. (See also: Save Money on Shaving With a Few Razor Tricks)

Over the course of a year this amounts to $300. Over the course of your lifetime, it amounts to $18,000 or approximately the cost of a new car or a couple years spent at a public university.

When you switch to a safety razor you're not just saving money. You're acquiring a skill, joining a brotherhood, and making a statement about the wasteful nature of our society. A safety razor is a small machine that you can pass down to your grandkids. But how do you buy your first?

Purchasing Your First Safety Razor

When you purchase your first safety razor, you probably don't want to spend a lot. You also want something that's a little more forgiving for beginners learning how to shave. Don't worry. You might get a nick or three, but the chances of you leaving a huge gash on your face are pretty close to zero. Much more likely is the chance that you will get the worst case of razor burn you've ever had in your life. The most important piece of advice I can give you about making the switch is to hold the razor by the end, let the weight do the work and above all do not press down.

When it comes to shopping for a safety razor, here's how to go about it.

If you have a heavier beard, get one with an open comb, a tiny steel comb integrated as part of the razor. It helps to cut through tough beard growth.
Longer handles are generally better for newbies, as they are closer to the length of most commercially available disposables and cartridge-based razors.
If you have a smaller face, opt for a razor with a smaller head. It will make your life a lot easier.
Don't buy an angled razor the first time out. These are only for men more experienced with a safety razor. That said, once you gain more experience, you might want to switch to one — some men love them for the control and the closeness of the shave.
Ditto when it comes to adjustables. Learning how to adjust a blade while learning how to use a razor is probably too much for you. Get the basics down, then look at getting another one.

Unconvinced? Well have a look at just how easy shaving with a safety razor can be for an experienced shaver.

A final piece of advice: Pay attention and stick with it. You're going to learn a lot more from the actual doing than you ever will by reading about it. (See also: 3 Cheap Ways to Win Over the Ladies)

What's your favorite way to shave?

This article is from Nicholas Pell of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Save Money With a Classic Wet Shave

Nicholas Pell — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:48:28 +0000

Classic wet shaving has made a bit of a comeback in recent years. It’s not hard to understand why — the classic wet shave is a way for men to pamper themselves. From an aesthetic point of view, taking a live blade to your face is a lot cooler (and more manly) than a disposable plastic device. (See also: Save Money on Shaving With These Razor Tricks)

But wet shaving has far more tangible benefits than just being cooler. At over $25 a pop for a pack of cartridges, shaving with disposable razors is expensive. Further, disposable razors have an environmental impact that can’t be understated. Not only are you filling landfills with the plastic cartridges, these cartridges also come in wasteful packaging. What’s more, cartridge razors are murder on your face, drying out and damaging the skin. They don’t even provide the benefit of a closer shave. When you think about it, it’s not terribly surprising that the wet shave is making a comeback. It’s more surprising that it ever went away.

The Initial Wet Shave Investment

Assume that you use a single disposable cartridge per week. The cartridge comes in a pack of six for $25 each. This means that you buy about eight packs per year at a cost of $200 per year. Assuming that you shave for the next 60 years, you’ll end up paying $12,000 over the course of your life for the privilege of shaving — double that if you have heavier beard growth.

Now consider the initial investment of wet shaving equipment:

Straight Razor

A straight razor user must invest in the blade, strop, a cake of soap, and a brush to apply it with. Several stores offer starter kits including everything you need for about $200, or the cost of shaving with cartridges for a year.

Safety Razor

A safety razor user needs the razor, a package of blades, a cake of soap, and a brush. You can purchase all of this for well under $100, or about half the cost of shaving with cartridges for a year.

Peripherals

While not “necessary,” strictly speaking, many men like to invest in peripherals like a shaving mug, a stand, and a soap dish. All told, this will cost you less than $50.

Continued Costs

Those who invest in a straight razor have the lowest continued costs — all you need to buy is paste to keep the strop leather supple and the occasional cake of soap. A cake of soap costs less than $10 and can lasts for months at a time; they call them “pucks” for a reason. A safety razor user must purchase cakes of soap, as well as fresh blades. For context, packs of 10 premium safety razor blades go for about five bucks. A single blade will last a man with even heavy beard growth for a week. This means that in a year, you will spend about $50 on blades after the initial investment.

Environmental Benefits

If you’re driving a Prius and using solar power, it’s worth asking why you’re shaving with cartridges. The only waste created by straight-razor shaving is disposed tubes of strop paste and the wrapper your soap comes in. Add to this a blade — not a collection of them strapped together with plastic — for safety razors. Compare that to the amount of waste associated with the packaging of a cartridge alone.

Not only will you save the planet by using something that creates less trash, you’ll also use far less water. Filling your mug up with water will do for the entire shave if your faucet gets hot enough. If it doesn’t, microwaving the water for a couple minutes will get it to the proper temperature.

Finally, the cake of soap you use is almost certainly made in a more environmentally friendly fashion than the canned goop you’re using to shave with now. When you run of out of soap, you aren’t leaving a steel can around to take up space in a landfill. You’re leaving nothing.

Learning How to Wet Shave

While there’s a bit of a learning curve to traditional wet shaving, it really isn’t that hard to pick up. You can purchase instructional DVDs, or just read up on the process on the Internet and watch YouTube videos about how to wet shave.

Whether you go for a straight razor or a safety razor, you’re in for a treat. The old fashioned wet shave is cheaper, better for the planet, and easier on your face. It provides a closer shave, is more aesthetically pleasing, and turns a chore into a meditation. Once you make the switch, you’ll wonder why you ever shaved any other way.

This article is from Nicholas Pell of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Want to Keep Your Disposable Razor Blades Sharp? Use Your Arm

Paul Michael — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 13:53:03 +0000

I was skeptical about this tip when I first saw it several months ago. I felt stupid trying it. But I have to say, after getting excellent results from the same disposable blade for the last five months, it really does work.

You read that right by the way; five months of weekly use from one disposable razor blade cartridge. In my case, it's the Schick Extreme 3 which was 75% off at King Soopers. I bought about 40 cartridges, enough to last me at least a year. But at this rate, I'll be using them when I retire! Anyway, they have a lot of flexibility and thus are perfect for hugging the contours of my head. Yep, I'm up there with Lex Luthor as fair as haircuts go.

After I unpacked the razors, I did a little web browsing and found a video that made one heck of an outrageous claim. It was hosted by a soft-spoken guy who claimed that with his two simple tips, you can make your disposable razors last for years. Not months, years.

The first tip is one I was already doing — dry the blades on your towel after you're done. This is a no brainer.

The second tip seemed somewhat bizarre — when your razor blade appears to be getting a little dull, rub it backwards about 10 times on your arm. The skin acts like an old-fashioned leather strop and sharpens the blade!

Now you know why I felt a bit dopey. At first, I thought it was an April Fool's gag (and what a good one it would have been if it were fake). But over the past few months, with my razor performing as well as the first time I took it out of the package, I have to admit that it works 100%.

I'm no math whiz, but with cartridges costing around $10-$20 for a four-pack, those two little tips will save anyone who shaves quite a bit of cash. So give it a try, and come back and tell us how long your razors last. Maybe you'll break a record.

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This article is from Paul Michael of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Save Money on Shaving With These Razor Tricks

Nora Dunn — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:00:01 +0000

Unless we choose to go hairy, most of us — men especially — can't escape shaving as a necessary evil. And the razor industry knows all about it, so they always give us something new to "need" with constant one-upmanship. I mean, really, who truly needs a razor with five blades, various strips of rubber and moisturizers, and batteries that make it vibrate, no less? (See also: 5 Beauty Products I've Learned to Live Without)

Do you also find it curious that nowhere on your package of razors or razor blades does it state how long a razor blade should last? Although the shaving company might argue that a razor's longevity is predicated on how it is used, I might argue that they do it because people don't tend to keep razor blades as long as they could.

Here are some ways you can save money on shaving with these razor tricks.

1. Dry the Razor

One of the most popular theories about the life of a razor blade is that dullness is a result of oxidation, not use. When water sits on the razor blade between shaves, corrosion will make the metal flake off, and the blade itself can become either blunt or jagged.

Exactly how people choose to dry their razors varies, and there are even products on the market to help you (but if you have to buy something to dry your razor and make it last longer, you are probably not being frugal).

Here are the most popular and effective methods of drying a razor:

Blow Dryer

Although it is a pig on power, using a blow dryer will help you to ensure that even the spaces between and behind the blades get dry.

Towel

You can also blot the razor dry on a towel. Be careful of cutting or otherwise wrecking the towel — or your hands — in the process though. Be sure not to rub the razor; just blot dry.

When using either of the above methods, first give the razor a rigorous shake to eliminate all the excess water.

2. Coat the Razor

Not only water, but oxygen in the air plus the salt from your skin will contribute to a razor's quick demise. So not only drying but also coating your razor can protect it from the water, oxygen, and corrosion that dull the blade.

Soak vs Dip: Some people advocate soaking the razor in a cup or vial filled with the substances below and storing it this way between shaves, while others indicate that a quick dip will do everything necessary to coat the blades and preserve the razor's shelf life.

Alcohol (e.g., Rubbing Alcohol)

This dissipates the water, encourages drying, and sanitizes the razor for an extra benefit (especially if you are prone to acne problems).

Oil

There are a number of oils you can use depending on preference, availability, and cost:

Mineral Oil — This seems to be one of the most effective oils to use, as it is also good for your skin.

Grape seed/Almond Oil — The cost-conscious might want to use a mixture of these oils instead of mineral oil, which can fetch a specialized price.

Baby Oil — I read about a fellow who actually used baby oil after running out of mineral oil (in an attempt to save money), and apparently even baby oil works well.

Barbicide

This is a purpose-driven anti-rust formula used by hairdressers and barbers for their scissors, combs, and razors. A little bit can go a long way.

Vinegar

Yes, vinegar is even good for your razor. It's also great at eliminating any mineral build-up on the razor over time. Gotta love the stuff!

Hybrid Approach — Alcohol and Oil

Some people like to dip the blade in alcohol to get the water off, then dip it in oil to protect the razor against the elements between shaves.

3. Get an Old Pair of Jeans

This razor trick works likely as a function of being an effective way to dry the blade. But from my research, users are very happy using this technique, and have made a disposable razor last up to a year, so there may be some additional benefits to this strategy. Simply run the razor along the entire leg of an old pair of jeans 20 times in each direction. Apparently the cross-fibers of the jeans do a bang-up job of either drying and/or sharpening the blades to keep them pristine.

4. Shave Products and Techniques

You may be able to extend the life of your razor by using different shave products or changing your style. For example, some argue that the acid content in shaving cream can do more harm than good for your blade. Here are some razor-saving shaving techniques:

Shaving Soap

In lieu of using shaving cream, some people find that using a shaving soap and nice brush is more luxurious and helps get a better shave. A block of shaving soap can go a very (very) long way too.

Hair Conditioner

Hair conditioner is a great lubricant, and is has the added benefit of softening your hair. The razor then won't have to work as hard to cut your hair, making it last longer (the razor, that is).

Soften the Hair

To take the above theory to the next level, you can apply a moisturizer or conditioner a few minutes prior to shaving. Also, after you apply your shaving soap/gel/cream, leave it on for a few minutes before shaving to allow further softening time.

5. Store the Razor

The last step in this money-saving razor-longevity equation is in how to effectively store your razor. Since water is the antithesis of all things sharp in the razor world, your bathroom — being the most humid room in the house — is not a good place to store your razor.

If you must, keep it in a resealable bag inside a closed drawer or cabinet. Or, simply keep the razor in a drier room of the house.

Added Benefits of these Razor Tricks

If you want to start soaking or coating your razor, you'll quickly find that the gimmicky razors with "moisturizing strips" and other such add-ons won't be necessary, and in fact will hinder your razor-life-extending experience. So go on — buy a cheap razor, and see how long it lasts. I'm gunning for a year myself between razor blade changes.

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This article is from Nora Dunn of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Save Over $100 a Year by Shaving with a Cutthroat Razor

Paul Michael — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:00:08 +0000

I despise paying the ridiculous prices Gillette and the like charge for razor cartridges. It seems as though the prices are directly aligned with the number of extra blades they put in the cartridges. First two, then three, then four, now six blades. And, of course, we’re paying big bucks for these things. I have even resorted to bulk buying them on eBay.

I had pondered an electric razor, but it doesn’t give me a close shave. It also leaves my neck red, blotchy and severely irritated. I thought I was doomed to pay through the nose for disposable blades forever, until I came across a few websites promoting the benefits of the old-fashioned "cutthroat" or straight razor. “Could this be the answer?” I thought, looking through the vast array of razors available at varying prices. I did some digging.

First, there is a big outlay initially on a good straight razor. Of course, you can find them for less than $10 but, as my dad says, buy cheap and you’ll pay for it. In this case, we’re talking about a product that will do your face and neck some real damage if it isn’t up to par. You need to shell out some dough for a good razor. Period.

Now, good is a relative term. A good steak for me is not a good steak for Donald Trump. Different budgets allow for the finer things in life, but all you need to know is that the handle is window-dressing. The blade is paramount, and a good one (usually made in Europe) can be picked up for between $70 and $100. EBay can be a good source but a few sites to try include:

http://www.amazingshaving.com/page/amsh/CTGY/str

http://www.baltimorebarbershop.com/products/straight-razor

http://www.nashvilleknifeshop.com/straight-razors-and-shaving-html1.html

You can also pick them up from Amazon, but check the reviews first. The following one seems well worth the price:

DOVO "Best Quality" Straight Razor, Blond Handle, 5/8" Half Hollow - $79.99

The former sites also have a lot of the other supplies you’ll need, which we’ll go over shortly. So, let's go all out and spend $100 on a razor. What next?

Well, it needs to be sharpened in a procedure called honing. Here, you have two options.

The first, and easiest, is to get it honed professionally. There are places online that will hone a razor for you, or you can find local places, usually professional knife sharpeners. I found someone close to me charging just $19.95 for the service. Considering the time and expertise involved (neither of which I have a lot of) I thought it was a bargain. I shave infrequently, maybe twice a week, so I’ll probably only need to get my razor honed twice every year. If you shave daily, you’ll need to get it done maybe once every four months. That’s about $60 for the year.

However, there is a cheaper option: buy a honing kit and do it yourself. I found all sorts of price ranges here, some included a strop (we’ll get to that soon) and some didn’t. Let’s invest in a honing kit without a strop, roughly $60.

Now, finally, the strop itself. This is a piece of leather which, when combined with strop paste, will help you keep your razor sharp until the next honing. Again, you can pick one of those up for $10, but buy a good one for about $70 and it will last a lifetime. You also need strop paste, which is $7.50 or less per year.

It’ll take some time to get used to shaving with a straight razor, but once you get the hang of it you’ll wonder how you ever got by without it. A very close shave (you’re still clean-shaven at the end of the day), very controllable and it looks cool too!

So, that’s the equipment. Now the math.

I buy a four-pack of those Gillette razor cartridges every six weeks. They cost me almost $14 including tax. So I’m buying 8.6 packs a year, which is around $121. Multiply that by 30 and I’m spending $3,630 until I retire, not adjusting for inflation.

Now, the straight razor. Initial, one-time outlay is $230 if you plan on doing your own sharpening. Add $7.50 a year for strop paste, multiply by 30 and you’re at the grand total of $455…that’s a saving of $3,175, or almost $106 a year. Quite a saving.

If you get it sharpened by someone else, your initial outlay is only $170, but now you have a yearly expense of $67.50. That makes $2,025 for 30 years of sharpening and strop paste, plus $170 for your razor and strop. Grand total, $2,195, which is still a substantial saving of $1,435 – almost $48 per year.

So, whichever way you look at it, shaving with a straight razor not only gives you a better shave, it is also substantially better for your bottom line. Thumbs way up to the cutthroat razor, and thumbs down to so-called advances in technology…right Gillette?

This article is from Paul Michael of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

3 Cheap Ways to Win Over the Ladies (by Looking Better)

Troy Hadley — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 17:48:51 +0000

I used to be a slovenly brute. OK, not so much slovenly as... average. My morning routine including a shave, shower, and deodorant. I figured that was all a guy had to do to look good. My chiseled features and bulging muscles didn't hurt, either.

By the way, just scroll down to the bottom if you don't want to read my justification for man-grooming. I do feel the need to explain, but if you are just looking for tips, they're at the bottom.

Any guy who has ever spent more than 30 minutes near a woman knows that most gals spend a good part of their morning getting ready. Not all women are like this, obviously, but I'd say that the majority are. There's a vast discrepancy between the genders when it comes to grooming rituals. That's probably a good topic for another blog post. My point is that women go to a lot of effort to look nice, even if it is artificially nice, whereas men, to quote Dave Barry, pretty much feel that they are always "about 2 push-ups from sleeping with Cindy Crawford." Such was my situation.

So, I always thought I looked nice enough until I got into a relationship with a gal named Lisa. Lisa was really well put-together. She explained to me that she didn't have time to mess with most of the beauty stuff on her own, so she outsourced it all. Every week, she'd treat herself to the whole barrage of beauty treatments while she listened to books on tape - nails, hair, massage, waxing. It seemed excessive to me, but whatever. Women, you know?

Anyway, after we'd been dating for a few weeks, we had a conversation that could only be described as "honest". I can't remember exactly how it started, but I remember that it culminated with Lisa saying, "I almost didn't go out with you because of your nails." For some reason, my first thought had to do with hardware. My nails? The rusty jar of nails in my garage?

Lisa was looking at my hands.

"Oh! My nails... what the hell is wrong with my nails?"

"It's your cuticles." Then she made a face that conveyed the general idea of "Ew."

"Lisa," I patiently explained, "I'm a man. Men don't get manicures."

"Troy," Lisa sort of sighed, "Lots of men DO get manicures. But you don't have to have a manicure to have decent looking cuticles. You just have to trim back those bad boys until I can actually see the nail underneath."

Fine, I figured. Thoughts of breaking out the Swiss Army knife once I got back home flashed through my mind. I could use the little scissors on that puppy, and I'd be golden.

Lisa must have sensed my plan, because she looked alarmed. Touching my arm lightly, she said, "You know, I'm going to give you a man-over."

"No way!" I think I bellowed this, but it might have come out more as a squeak.

"Look, Troy," said Lisa... and then she proceeded to explain something very explicit. I won't go into details, but let's just say that she let me know that my nasty cuticles and the hands that they were attached to would be getting nowhere near her naked skin at any point in the near future.

That pretty much sealed it.

Lisa told me that the three main things that I needed to take care of were my nails/cuticles, eyebrows, and neck. She said that since I didn't have ear or nose hair hanging out all over the place, I could cross those off of my list. It's obvious that I didn't see any problem with my nails, or my eyebrows or my neck. But Lisa had explained in no uncertain terms what these things meant to her, so I obliged.

It turns out that these things matter to a LOT of women. And because men NEED women, not just as lovers and girlfriends and wives, but as friends and coworkers and bosses, we do have to take their concerns into consideration, even if it strikes us as unnecessary and kind of wussy. I say this to point out that I don't expect guys to go all metrosexual and start getting facials, but there are certain things that we often let slide that women think are downright disgusting. The top three things are actually really easy, and cheap, to fix.

Nails - $5 Every Month or So

I've noticed lots and lots of men with nasty, overgrown, or infected cuticles since I started taking care of mine, and frankly, I can sort of see why women wouldn't want to be touched by those kinds of cuticles. Not only are they rough and gross, they can make handshakes feel odd and reflect badly on you overall.

I don't mean that women see cuticles as the window to your soul, but apparently they think things like "Well, jeez, if he can't keep those nice, what about the OTHER PARTS OF HIS BODY?". Only they probably think very specific words instead of dumb phrases like "OTHER PARTS OF HIS BODY."

If you already keep your nails short, that's good. If you bite them, dude, learn to stop. Not only do you look like a doofus chewing on the ends of your fingers, but the result is pretty hard to look at.

Lots of people buy cuticle trimmers. Those are fine, unless you are clumsy and end up cutting yourself with them. Lisa introduced me to something even better. It's called cuticle cream, and the best stuff is made by Burt's Bees. It's only $5, and you basically slap it around your nails before you go to sleep. In the morning, you can scrape away the dead skin with ease. Use it on your toes, too, if you plan on wearing mandals or anything. Not that I would. I'm just sayin'.

Eyebrows - One Easy Installment of $14.95!

Eyebrows are tricky. I don't think any man should be trusted to wield a pair of tweezers near his eyes, but apparently some guys do this well. My advice: find a salon that specializes in men. There are lots of places opening up around the country that do this. They feature manly dark furniture, and they call a manicure something like "handshake maintenance". You know, so you don't feel like a pansy while you get your hands dipped in paraffin or whatever.

Get your brows waxed (hurts like a beyotch, do it in the afternoon and evening and don't go anywhere public until the next morning). Make sure that the person waxing your brows doesn't look like Pamela Anderson. Well, she can look like Pamela Anderson, but it's not a good thing if they have Pam's eyebrows. Apparently she doesn't have good eyebrows. I never noticed. This is just what the women tell me.

Anyway, the most important thing to do with eyebrows is to have two of them. Ban the unibrow. Also, the hairs that grow on your eyelids, the ones that hurt like hell to pull out? Those need to go. Men don't need to have arched eyebrows. Just make sure to get rid of the strays. Once you see how a pro does your brows (this should cost $15), you can do them yourself. Don't over-pluck! It's better to have too much hair than not enough. And eyebrows don't always grow back.

Neck - 0% Down! 0 Lifetime Payments!

This is something I certainly never noticed before, even though I'm sure I noticed a unibrow or two before Lisa got ahold of me. But apparently lots of women notice your neck - I'm not sure if this is some sort of sexual thing or not. And even if you don't need a haircut, apparently lots of men need to get their necks shaved every week or so, because they are hairy, hairy bastards. And having hairs crawling out from under your collar makes some women think of spiders. And we know how women feel about spiders. Am I right? Eh? Eh? Anyone? (silence... sound of crickets)

Anyway, I am among the hairy bastards, as Lisa kindly pointed out, so I learned to shave my neck.

You can do this at home. Just don't go crazy. You can use your beard trimmer or electric clippers, or if you are double-jointed, you can use a razor. I use clippers and a couple of well-positioned mirrors. You can also go to your barber and get it done for cheap - some guys will take pity on you and do it for free, just make sure to tip big next time you come in for a trim.

What We've Learned

Not every guy is going to feel like he needs to worry about this, and that's fine. I've just found that women tend to be relieved when we do the things that they traditionally had to take care of, like cooking and making sure that the family walks out of the house fully clothed and presentable to society. And I figure that since women are increasingly bringing home the bacon, the least I can do it make sure that I don't leave bits of bacon stuck in my teeth when I'm out on a date.

Mmmmm. Bacon.....

This article is from Troy Hadley of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: