· Ewan Hartley
How to use a safety razor
The technique takes one shave to learn and then never changes. It is worth getting right on the first attempt.
The angle
Put the flat top of the head against your cheek. Now lower the handle slowly until you feel the blade make contact. That is your angle, and it is the same on every part of your face.
The pressure
There is none. The weight of the razor is the pressure. If you are pushing, either your angle is wrong or your blade is finished.
The passes
First pass with the grain, which on most faces means downwards on the cheeks and upwards on the neck. Rinse, re-lather, and take a second pass across the grain if you want it closer. Do not go against the grain until you have a month behind you.
Afterwards
Cold rinse, then whatever you normally use. Rinse the razor head under a hot tap, shake it out and stand it on its end.
Mapping the grain on your own face
Everything above assumes you know which way your hair grows, and almost nobody does at first. Leave a day of growth, then run the back of your fingers across your cheek in different directions. One way feels smooth, the opposite feels rough. Smooth is with the grain.
Do it on the cheeks, the jaw, the chin and the neck separately, because they rarely agree. Most people find the neck grows sideways or upwards while the cheeks grow down. That single discovery removes more irritation than any change of razor.
Where the dial fits into the technique
Angle and pressure come first. The dial is what you adjust once those are automatic, and it is worth knowing what each part of the range asks of you.
| Setting | What it asks of you | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nothing. It forgives a poor angle. | First fortnight, or a sensitive neck |
| 2 | A steady hand, no pressure. | Daily shaving once the angle is automatic |
| 3 | A good angle every stroke. | Coarse growth, or three days of stubble |
| 4 and up | Real attention. Rewards technique, punishes haste. | Rarely needed |
Figure from our own verified buyer reviews, 38 ratings, 2026.
Three mistakes that account for most bad shaves
Pressing
It is the habit a cartridge teaches you, and the one that has to go. If your razor is leaving marks, take your fingers off the handle a little and let the 81 grams work.
Going against the grain too early
It gets you closer, and it will also get you ingrown hairs if your technique is not settled. Wait a month.
Shaving a dry or half-lathered face
Water does more than lather does. A hot towel or two minutes under the shower before you start changes the result more than any product you can buy.
What to do if it stings afterwards
Drop the dial one setting and shave with the grain only for a week. If it settles, your technique was ahead of your setting. If it does not, the blade is probably past its useful life, which is a five cent problem rather than a razor problem.
More on this: the adjustable razor itself, our guide to safety razor blades, and how to choose a safety razor.
Questions that come up in the first fortnight
Why does my neck get irritated when my cheeks are fine?
The neck almost always grows in a different direction from the cheeks, and often in several directions at once. Map it with the back of your fingers, shave with the grain there even when you go across it elsewhere, and drop the dial a setting for that area.
Should I shave in the shower?
You can, and the water helps, but you lose the mirror. A better compromise is to shave straight after a shower while the hair is still soft, which gives you most of the benefit and all of the visibility.
How long should a shave take?
Ten minutes at the start, five once it is automatic. If you are trying to do it in three, you will rush the neck and pay for it the next morning.
Can I use my usual shaving foam?
Yes. Canned foam works, a cream works better, and a soap and brush work best, mostly because a brush puts more water on your face for longer. None of it matters as much as the angle.
What angle is it exactly?
About thirty degrees between the blade and your skin, but nobody measures it. Rest the flat of the head against your cheek and tip the handle down until you feel contact. That is the angle, every time, on every part of your face.
Do I need to stretch the skin?
On the neck and around the jaw, gently, with your free hand. Everywhere else, no. Over-stretching pulls hair above the surface and cuts it below the skin line, which is how ingrown hairs start.
Ewan Hartley · Editor, Kelvedge
Writes the guides on this site and reads every verified rating the razor receives. Shaves with a double-edge daily, at setting two.