Shaving with the Albatross all-metal double-edged safety razor is easy because the weight of the handle and guard does the cutting… you don’t drag the razor across your skin like one does when using a plastic disposable or cartridge-style shaver. This means fewer nicks and cuts, and far less irritation.
How to prepare for your first shave
Twist the bottom of the shaver handle to open the wings of the blade holder. Simply place a blade (be careful it’s sharp!) on the platform and twist the bottom in the opposite direction to tighten the blade holder wings over the blade. You’re all set to go!
To Load a Three-piece style Handle
Unscrew the handle from the two blade holding plates. Place blade between the blade holding plates and screw in handle. You’re ready to shave!
How to shave with a safety razor – General
The best time to shave is during a hot shower but if you prefer not to you can warm up your skin with a moistened warm towel instead.
Lather up your skin with your favourite natural soap. We recommend the Albatross shave soap or try something like the Eco Tan coconut & mint body wash, full of natural ingredients that will help keep your skin nourished,
Warm up the blade under warm water.
There are a few tricks to start with that will make all the difference such as:
- Be gentle! Use only a little pressure as these blades are effective and sharp, let the blade cut the hairs, not the pressure of “dragging”. try holding at the end of the handle to stop you from pressing too hard.
- Angle the blade as far from your skin as possible. (approximately a 30° angle but you may find your own angle works best.) As you’re using a singular blade and the razor head doesn’t pivot or automatically contour to your skin, you need to do the contouring yourself. A trick for this is holding the razor parallel to the floor, putting the razor head onto your skin, and slowly tilting the head down until the blade starts cutting the hair.
- As always shave with the grain. Shaving against the grain can cause irritation and result in nasty ingrown hairs. Go over the same area softly a few times if you need to if your skin is particularly sensitive.
- Moisturise with your favourite natural cream or oil as usual.
How to shave with a safety razor – Facial Shaving
- Wet beard with warm water.
- Lather shaving cream onto face [a brush will greatly help create a better lather and to lift facial hair].
- Hold the blade at a 30° angle and let the weight of the handle do the work. That is, do not pull the razor across your face like you would with a plastic disposable razor. Use short strokes, about 2 inches long, especially at the beginning of your shave.
- Finish with aftershave ointment or lotion.
Aftercare for your Razor
To get the most use out of your razor make sure you look after it!
- Rinse both the blade and the razor to remove suds and hair.
- Completely dry the razor and blade, close it all back up, and store it in a dry place for next time. Although the chrome plating means little likelihood of corrosion from water, keeping something in a warm and wet place is never a good idea if you want to make it last.
- If you want to clean it further, you can wipe the razor and blade with the rubbing alcohol and let it dry before popping it away.
The Blades
Use your blade until it becomes dull or rusty, you’ll see this happening when it takes a few goes to get the hair off.
You can either store the blade for recycling or sharpen it for further use. Please ensure you recycle and dispose of
