Style Theory: You’re Shaving Your Face WRONG!

This is MatPat’s most sane video this month

As a follow-up to this episode, you should do shaving cream vs shaving gel vs shaving foam vs dry shave. Also aftershave vs aftershave lotion vs nothing.

As a dude who’s face is so sensitive I’ll get razor burn from anything. I learned how to do the straight razor shave to myself for my cheek and chin lines and a single blade shaver for my neck. I have not had bad razor burn in years!

Funny fact! I showed my mother this video for the funsies, and what I didn't expect was for her to call out the safety razor. As I had also noticed, it was the razor my grandfather used when he was alive, and I remember it specifically because it felt so heavy and intimidating to me.
My mother was shocked that those razors were still around even in modern day. I guess we all just got really used to seeing him with his metallic ikea razor.

I remember when I was a kid, my youngest sister would see our dad shave and think "I want to do that." She was too young to realize it was a bad idea, so she would occasionally go get our dad's razor (don't know if it was disposable or safety) and try to use it to shave her nonexistent facial hair. She would then come downstairs holding the razor with a bloody face.

I always hated shaving and I used a five-bladed razor for most of my early life but I recently switched to a safety razor and it has completely changed my shaving experience for the better. I haven't gotten a single ingrown hair or nicked any bumps since the switch.

Hey Matpat, speaking of shaving, there’s an idea that shaving your armpits makes them less smelly, but is that actually true and does it even matter if you use deodorant?

Even if you don't like it, I can assure you that I want the closest shave possible. I _hate_ the feeling of having even a tiny bit of facial hair.

I’d love a follow up video to see what kind of razor is best for legs. My mom taught me and my sister to use the disposable and never said if there were other ways to shave sensitive skin
This video helped explain why my skin always gets so red and bumpy afterwards!

For a compromise between the ease of use of the gillette with the economy of the safety razor, I'd recommend looking at the leaf razor. It has a pivoting head and multi blade design similar to the gillette but uses standard safety razor blades (though you either have to get single edged which are widely available or snap the double edged ones in half, which is easy because they're designed to do so). Only issue is that its a bit bulky so getting close to the nose can be more difficult. They have a separate detailing razor for those areas if that is a concern.

DE shaver here (Safety Razor).
It looked like you used the Personna blades (based on the paper). They are higher end on the sharp scale, and will give you more weepers/nicks. Better to use a more forgiving blade like the Astra Green.
The actual razor also contributes to the aggressiveness (gap/angle etc), so you need to find a beginners razor.
From the very short sequences, I can see a lot of pressure being applied to your skin. This is a bad thing. You only want to use the weight of the razor to lean against your skin. It's better to have 2x super light passes, than a single pass with a little extra pressure.
And the last thing is the soap. Don't use the canned/aerosolised foam. The propellants/chemicals do react to some peoples skin.
Try find an old fashioned soap stick and use a brush. It also makes a better lather.

Hey Matpat, you should look into the Supply Safety Razor. It’s a safety razor, but it’s more engineered. Definitely top-tier of the safety razors

With the beard, matpat looks like he evolved into his third form.

Something I've kept hearing lately is how the multiblade razors cause ingrown hair & the safety single blade is the best option to avoid it

When I was still shaving, I quickly learned how to use the safety razor as well. Disposable razors would just clog up so quickly and I'd feel the need to toss them after little use. But another thing I'm surprised MatPat didn't include was any alternatives to typical shaving cream.
The grand majority of what's in shaving cream is soap. It provides lubrication, but it also dries out the skin and created the market for aftershave. I would have liked to see them try out typical moisturizer or oil like jojoba and see how it compares. Yeah, it's not as easy to clean off, but at least you don't feel like you set yourself on fire.

This is the best undercover commercial ever!

I end up using a combo of both because I get lazy and have long periods between each shave.
I find electric WAY easier to deal with long growth but it doesn't get as close as I like so I sometimes use manual to finish it off

I have a moustache and I think it looks best when the rest of my face is clean shaven. Moreover, my jawline is more pronounced because with the hair everything kinda blends together. Thank you for this comparison guys!

I would love a version of this episode for women because I desperatly want to know how to make shaving myself more efficent, so it doesn't take an hour or more to shave because I'm not shaving every day or every other day. Also I would love the episode to anwser how often should you shave and should you shave in the shower or bath or somewhere else. I know that this would be a lot of ground to cover, but I(and I belive many others) would find it extremely helpful and eye opening.

A small thing barely mentioned in the video is styling. I want 99% of my beard to be a certain length - but for styling, I want to be able to get those edges very close and short!

I find this an interesting theory I started with the expensive 5 blade stuff went to the 1 blade safety razor because it’s way cheaper and now I’m using the straight razor because it’s even cheaper and it ain’t to bad if you get use to
Ad it’s mainly for around my beard

I started shaving regularly since I started uni 3 years ago. At the start, razor bumps, cuts, acne for like 3 month, until I finally mastered how to shave, I would say preparing your face beforehand and using an after shave would really help reduce adverse effects.

Love me a straight razor, or rather a shavette (straight razor with replaceable blade). The learning curve really isn’t that bad, and it’s totally worth a shot for all you shavers out there

Idea for a Halloween theory for october: how much does your costume affect trick or treating efficiency (I.e candy yield, how long you can go before being tired etc)

I'd love to see a companion episode to this for leg/underarm shaving with the same perimeters. I personally like the cheap razors, but i know women in my life who hate them, so im curious if the results would be similar to these tests or different.

I personally have a beard and I use a combination of electric for trimming and safety for sculpting. I think it works pretty well.

I have a full beard and a handlebar mustache, but I still use a safety razor to line up my beard once a week. About every three months or so when I get my haircut, I have the guy line up my beard with a straight razor. If you’ve never had a professional use a straight razor it will change your life.
Note. Definitely call ahead to a barbershop to see if they have someone that is skilled with a straight razor. I got lucky that the guy that does my hair is also proficient with a straight razor.

I'm really interested in a follow-up video about shaving legs and the different razors.

Doooood I’ve been so invested in learning more about shaving and getting my style up… so glad you’re bringing an objective perspective instead of other vids either not going into much detail and just shaving their face or advertising and biased

Having to shave my face every day I've learned what works best for me and what doesn't. I've personally found the Gillette pro glide to get the most hair when I shave, probably due to the 5 blades and the vibrating motor it has in it. Along with that I've used the Gillette saftey razor and really liked that aswell but i feel like with my inexperience with it I can't get as much facial hair shaved. I do like to use the Gillette foamy sensitive shaving cream. I just find it easier for me to apply. When i shave i start with the grain, then immediately follow up with against the grain to get a closer shave. Overall it's hard to go wrong with any kind of shaving since it all comes down to what you like, and what works best.

As a professional hairdresser, I can testify of the anxiety surrounding the straight razor😳😂Also, you guys should totally do a theory about how facial hair/hairlines can accentuate the shape of your face🧔‍♂️
Edit: Thanks everybody for the likes! P.s a backup theory about how different hair textures compliment the face shape could go along with the first one I mentioned💇💇‍♀️💇‍♂️

I appreciated this video Mat, I will most definitely start using the electric razor for now on I never really thought too much about it before but I felt like you made some pretty valid pointers an yes definitely a to each their own kind of thing although you are the man. Love yuh pal. Great video.

I've replaced shaving foam for ANY soap or shampoo I have laying around. It just works, the soap lubricates the face and some also hidrate the skin.
Some razor heads will also have a kind soluble band/"pillow" that at least lubricates the face. You can wet and apply to the skin by rubing the razor againts the face in the direction oposite to cut and then cut normaly

I would love a video on the best way to remove unwanted hair. Maybe do it on the legs or armpits.

Great episode, now do one on 4 months of facial hair growth and the maintenance that comes with it

Went to safety razors about a year ago after years of getting 1 or 2 shaves of 5 blade cartridges, best decision I ever made.

We need more BeardPat! He is ROCKING that facial hair.

Im pretty familiar with all categories of razors. Personally i prefer the saftey razor for several reasons, altho being inexpensive is critically important for me because i also shave my head and as such i have to replace the blades more frequently. Also for some reason the safety razor gives me a sense of satisfaction that the other razor methods don't. There is a bit of a learning curve but once you get the hang of it it isn't really any slower than a cartridge razor.

I personally prefer a close shave and I don’t shave again for about 6 days or until it starts to get itchy, but if I could choose a permanent style for my facial hair I WOULD prefer to NOT have any at all

This stuff is what I like. I knew I liked the 5 blade but I had no idea I could save money with the safety blade. Will be looking into it 💪

I've always found Bic 2 Sensitive Razors to be absolutely fine. I do get a razor bump on my neck here and there, but that might just be because of my technique getting sloppy when I rush, or just the way my skin sometimes reacts.

I use an electric, but one of the ones with the horizontal guards, not the weird 3 head thing Mat had, and I've found it the easiest way to shave for someone who doesn't shave daily

As a woman with PCOS that causes me to grow facial hair I very much appreciate this episode lol I’m always looking for that close shave 🪒

I've heard many times that the multi bladed cartridges pull out the hairs and cutting them so short that they get pulled back in and cause ingrowth hair.
I'm a straight razor kind of guy (stable hand required) but I would think the second best would be the high quality safety razors.
We've all seen those Henson shaving sponsorships and all I can say is I believe em 😜

When I shaved my head last summer, I used a 5 blade and it made a WORLD of difference!!

Originally i used to use an electric razor then used a multi bladed razor and now i only shave with a single safety razor. If you do it correctly it is insanely smooth and less irritating due to fewer blades. I still use a electric clipper though to trim

I think it would be interesting if instead of a try everything and see what works approach,
Taking a "what must I do to make this work" approach, and experimenting with different ways of using it until you get a close shave and seeing if all that work is worth it

i would love to see if y’all can find any differences between women’s shaving products and men’s. talking about the pink tax would be so interesting too!

Making sure you stretch the skin as you are shaving and exfoliating beforehand (does not need to be anything fancy, I use used coffee grounds mixed with soap) can also make a real difference.

wihtout even watching I can tell you yes, yes the shaving gel/cream helps a lot. Barring soap I would say it is essential, not optional unless you want to mess up your face and tug out hairs

Hi MattPat, tell Josiah and AJ that a random stranger on the internet with similar skin sensitivity recommends using your chosen sensitive skin soap as shaving cream. Get it all suds up and shave. Glides like butter and is skin sensitivity approved. 👍

I've used a gilette 5 blade, a safety razor, a 3 blade electric and a phillips oneblade and i have to say that the oneblade cuts just as well as the first two and i never enjoyed the 3 blade electric. without a guard i can still get ingrowns and irritation from the oneblade but it's literally impossible to cut yourself with it. i mostly use it for edging my neckline now, and maintaining my beard to a reasonably short length. I actually bought some off brand additional attachments to increase it's cutting length to 9mm but they'll arrive in the next few days

Honestly a funny thing is, my father wasn’t able to grow proper facial hair until he was in his late twenties, and I immediately began growing a beard when I was like 17. He knows infinitely more about shaving and styling it than I do but he always complains how it doesn’t make any sense lol

Honestly this is something I wanted to figure out on my own, so thank god you can do it for me.

I've used them all, and I think the safety razor is the best...though I use a combination of that with a trimmer for the beard. I think your cost is off for the safety...not sure why you'd need to buy a new handle every so many years unless you simply lose it. What I will say is that while I buy safety razors in packs of 100, and they are dirt cheap, the main issue is I tend to lose a percentage of them due to them getting lost in a drawer or tossed out by my partner. :p

If you learn to use a straight blade, it's even cheaper than the safety blade, since you sharpen the blade instead of replacing it (on traditional straights anyway, the one I bought my boyfriend actually has a relaxation blade using regular razor blades)

I have used so many shaving products in my life for both face and scalp. I have found convenience and speed (or laziness😊) leads me down the electric path. I currently use SkullShaver for everything. If I want a smoother (for special occasions) shave, I go to the safety razor. I have used the straight razor on occasion and found, after a lot of practice, it gave me the closest, most comfortable shave and it was fairly fast. I have gone to the barber (a proper one, not SuperCuts) and the experience was, what I think, women experience when going to the spa. Relaxing, ritualistic and made me feel like I was in an old western movie. It made me feel just a little pampered. 10/10, 100% recommend, will do again!

Could you do a video similar to this, but for shaving legs? like for ex: What would be the best technique, and razer, to use for shaving legs?

Hey MatPat,
I would love to see you do a video covering a lot of the 3 in 1 or 5 in 1 shampoo, conditioner, body wash products and how effective they actually are.

Almost 38, I shave 2-3 times a week but only around edges and keep a short beard. I always use 4-5 blade razors and no shaving cream or gel. Because of less shaving I use mine longer than most I would think

I just have to say that the bit with the straight razor at the beginning is hilarious to me because I’ve gone into black barbershops my entire life and every single Barber in the shop knows how to use a straight razor because our hair is so coarse lol
I just love seeing little cultural differences like that sometimes lol

I'd like to ask for another shave episode! Is there really a difference between the "male" and "female" razors? Is there any difference at all?

I have a pointy face and so its tough for me to get a very close shave with really any tool but ive found a glycerin based shaving soap to do the best job of lubricating my face so i dont get razor burn so bad 🤷

I've never shaved my face in my life but I'll watch anything this man puts out LOL

I love episodes where more of the team is on camera. I love Matpat & Steph but it’s fun seeing the other faces behind team theorist too!

I used to use an electric shaver from ages 14-18 and it does pull when you first use it (or when you use it on a new area). I don't know why, it just does and it does it consistently. At 18 I switched to cartridge razors because my face felt dirty after rubbing an electric shaver all over my dry face - I felt dolphin smooth but yucky.
I'd love to switch to safety razors because the metal handles don't attract mould in a moist bathroom and the razor blades are a lot more recyclable, but I shave a lot more parts of my body than my face and I just don't want to risk slicing something important!

One thing I think you need to account for is that any change in saving technique takes a couple weeks for your face to get used to. You're going to be left with irritation whenever using a new type of product

AJ I use this cream called "bump stopper" and it helps with the irritation and removing the bumps after shaving. I hope it helps.

I always use a straight edge razor, and it's pretty easy to use.

I just use soap when shaving, but I've never cut myself or gotten razorburn. I usually use the bic 3 blade. It's a lot cheaper than the gilette but has a rotating head as well. That said, a "women's" handle is very much worth it when getting the legs.

Dear Mat, my groupmate and I in chemical engineering class were discussing anti aging creams, and she told me that a professor had told her is that what anti aging creams basically do is cause a mild allergic reaction to the skin which makes it swell and thus makes the wrinkles dissapear. I need a theory on this really really bad, I mean she heard it from a professor in chemistry but he majored in biophysics so could you find out if it is true or not??🙏🙏

Tried all of 'em, landed on safety razor. You don't HAVE TO replace the blade so often: A light touch and knowing the feel of the angle is all you need. Not shaving as regularly also helps. After a while you can be blitz with that thing. Just takes a bit of practice.
BUT, I do every now and then opt to go smooth baby face with it... and it's not for me, but for my wife, who LOVES it. You asked _the men_ what shave they prefer, but part of the question is what do the women prefer! (You even hear a ringing endorsement right in the video) Is that advertiser indoctrination? Who knows...

For sure technique and experience make a big difference. For me, who does want that close share yet not irritated, I use a safety razor every 2 days or more. Also, shaving cream or soap with a brush is much better than shaving gel. Lastly, a big plus for safety razors versus cartridge is when you really get the technique down, I can shave with and against the grain in 10 minutes or less and I only have to rinse the blade twice if anything because it doesn't get clogged up like the cartridges.

I have a really thick beard. I only used disposable blades twice (13 years of shaving so far) in emergencies.
I used to use Fusion5 but each head only lasted me 1 to 2 shaves, It got really expensive. So I now use eletric to trim most days and a few times a year I shave completly with a safety razor since even using the blades only once it still is dirt cheap

For that 5 o'clock shadow look I have just used a beard trimmer. Without chasing it with a razor it gets that clean "close enough" shave

I use a Henson Shaving safety razor and it's great. 1 blade is all you need if the product is engineered correctly.

Can we all respect how the team sacrificed their precious facial hair 😭🙏

I haven't finished watching, but I've noticed that using an unscented conditioner, particularly a solid conditioner bar for my legs/underarms works better than shaving cream. I've been suggesting it to my husband for when he shaves, though he doesn't shave often. He's had a at least some sort of beard for 15 years.

I love the 5 blade thing: super clean, fast, safe, no irritation. Maybe I should give an electrical a try

The three circle blades are meant to get a closer shave once the hair is already trimmed

I had to shave everyday when i was in the Army, hands down the safety razor will always be mt favorite. Refilling it is so cheap and it take little room too. Plus I dont have to worry about batteries or anything. Really hapoy it's getting recognition

I shaved my face today and i couldn't stop feeling it through the whole video 😂. I used a Gillette

That's crazy that Matt managed to find a barber who can't use a straight razor. Never been to one who didn't use one

can you make a video on perfumes / deoderants? which ones better the spray or the liquid rubbing thingy?id love to see that also i love ur content

I mean, since I'm going for a more feminine look, a close ''babyface'' shave is exactly what I'm going for

Haha this is so great, I love using the disposable razors 😂 one pack costs me about 2-3 bucks for 12 and 12 lasts me about 36 days, so i'm spending about 1215 if i live until i'm 75 lol disposable gang!!

double razor disposables always do the trick for me. I can't shave properly with more than 2 blades, lots of tugging and pulling. I feel like shaving now.

id love to see something similar for leg shaving !

MatPat with a beard and head editor Dan without a beard are two things I didn't expect to see today

The thing is, when you use an electric, your face adapts to it. It's not the technique. There's something that actually happens to the hair. Same when you go from electric to disposable razor. It's about the technique, as much as it is about the adaptability. I've switched a few times in my life.

Lectric Shave for keeping the skin wet and lubricated is the way to go if you're looking for the closest possible shave with an electric razor! I went the dry route for years, but as we get older our faces tend to not react or bounce back like they used to, so adding the Lectric Shave beforehand is key!

I used to use the expensive 3/4/5 bladed razors. In my experience they get very clogged after about 3-5 uses and don't shave very well after that. They are also extremely difficult to clean. The more blades, the worse the problem. I found myself changing them every week. This would double the cost estimate in this video. I switched to the safety razor style years ago and never looked back. They also make them in the straight razor style for the smoother contours of your neck and cheeks to speed things up. For the cost of 1 pack of gillete mach whatever razors I can buy enough blades for my safety razor to last a decade.

As a highly ,,skin sensitive,, person I used to use 5blade gillette, it was smooth shave but my skin was swelling so much. Electric razors (Phillips) were better experience in my case.

I personally don't use shaving cream, but use soap. Bar soap. Liquid hand soap. Maybe a Cream vs. Soap episode would be interesting

Definitely want a follow up episode covering body hair removal, not just with different types of razors but also with waxing, epilators, cream etc.

STRAIGHT RAZOR is by far the best shave. The issue with it is the technique that takes a few tries to learn and the fact you have to sharpen it to perfection.

Man I love a straight razor shave, I do it and my barber is a magician with a straight razor but I'm on team double blade safety razor. Never knicked myself with it, mine is a twistable to mess with the blade but dang if it doesn't get a really smooth shave. I'm also with Sam, against the grain is the only way to go for the 3rd round

I've been using a straight razor to shave recently once you get thru the how to load a new razor and shave. You can get super accurate in touching up your edge of your beard and triming the neck part. Also been using a wash cloth to warm up the skin and then put shaving cream haven't had any razor burn since. I also recommend getting a ice face roller closes your pores after so you shave so you won't get acne also feels nice.

I'm surprised about the bits regarding straight razors. In here, Turkey, every barber uses them to shave their customers' beards. It's the cleanest, most relaxing shave ever. It's also the only shave that doesn't cause skin irritation, at least for me.

There are disposable razors with three blades and pivoting heads. I wouldn’t shave with it from a full beard but if you’re talking about a daily shave, it works great