From the Journal

how to

Every Shave Dad post in the how to category.

All Articles →
A dramatic side-lit photograph on dark slate of an amber glass bottle of pre-shave oil with a dropper cap, a golden drop of oil suspended at the dropper tip, a chrome double-edge safety razor lying beside it, headline OIL FIRST in white block letters with a red drop shadow across the top
article
Aug 24, 2026 · Shave Dad

Pre-Shave Oils: What They Actually Do, Who Needs One, and Who Can Skip It

Pre-shave oil is the most argued-about thirty seconds in wet shaving: some swear it saved their skin, others call it a bottle of marketing. Both camps are right about their own faces. Here is what the oil actually does, who genuinely benefits, who can skip it, and how to use it without gumming up your gear.

Read more →
A row of double-edge razor blades on a dark slate counter progressing left to right from a bright fresh blade to a dull spent one, a green check over the fresh end and a red X over the worn end, headline COUNT SHAVES NOT DAYS in white block letters with a red drop shadow across the top
article
Aug 12, 2026 · Shave Dad

How Often Should You Change Your Safety Razor Blade? (An Honest Answer)

The honest answer is not a number of days. A double-edge blade lasts most shavers three to seven shaves, but the real signal is how it feels, not the calendar. Here is what actually wears a blade out, how to tell when it is done, and the myths to ignore.

Read more →
A bone-white technical line diagram on a deep navy background of a double-edge safety razor in side profile against a stubbled cheek line, the cap dome toward the skin, blade tips visible past the cap, ringed handle angled down and away, and a red protractor arc between the face line and the blade plane labeled 30 degrees, headline THE 30 DEGREE ANGLE in white block letters with a red drop shadow across the top
article
Aug 12, 2026 · Shave Dad

How to Use a Safety Razor: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

A safety razor gives a closer, cheaper, kinder shave than a cartridge once you know how to hold it. This is the complete beginner walkthrough: loading the blade, prepping, the angle, pressure, passes, and the handful of rules that turn a scary first shave into an easy daily one.

Read more →
A shaving brush loaded with thick glossy white lather resting on the rim of a lather bowl on a dark slate counter, soft peaks of lather standing up, warm side-light, headline SLICK NOT FOAMY in white block letters with a red drop shadow across the top
article
Aug 4, 2026 · Shave Dad

How to Build the Perfect Shaving Lather: The Only Guide You Need

Lather is where new shavers struggle most, and the internet buries the answer in a dozen scattered posts. Here is the whole thing in one place: what good lather is, the one variable that matters most, how to build it, and how to fix it when it goes wrong.

Read more →
A clean white line drawing of the back and top of a bald head on a deep navy background, curved red arrows over the scalp showing hair growing in several directions with small yellow number badges 1 2 3, headline SHAVE BY FEEL in white block letters with a red drop shadow across the top
article
Jul 31, 2026 · Shave Dad

How to Shave Your Head With a Safety Razor (Without Cutting Yourself)

A safety razor gives a closer, cheaper, smoother head shave than a cartridge, but the scalp is bony, swirled, and impossible to see. Here is how to map your scalp, shave the back by feel, handle the tricky spots, and finish without a single nick.

Read more →
A compact travel shaving kit laid out on a dark slate counter, a double-edge safety razor in a case, a small tin of blades, a soap stick, and a travel brush beside a passport, warm side-light, headline PACK IT RIGHT in white block letters with a red drop shadow across the top
article
Jul 28, 2026 · Shave Dad

How to Travel and Fly With a Safety Razor (Without Losing It to TSA)

You can absolutely fly with your safety razor, as long as you know the one rule that catches everyone: the razor can ride in your carry-on, but the blades cannot. Here is how to pack the razor, the blades, and a travel-friendly soap the smart way.

Read more →