THIS MEANS THE SHARP END OF THE STUB IS NOW BELOW SKIN LEVEL. So if it isn’t perfectly straight as it grows back out, it can get caught on the edge of the follicle and start burrowing along under the epidermis.

Since I dropped the silly umpteen-blade razors in favour of dirt cheap name-brand single blade razors, I now rarely get ingrown hairs. And I spend all of about $10 a year on razors.

More recently, I’ve started shaving with a straight edge razor. It’s much easier to learn than it looks — although I’m still a bit slower than with my name-brand safety razor, so I keep them to use when I’m in a hurry. It gives a damn fine shave, it is the ONLY serious way to remove mutton-chops after Movember, and it’s extra-manly two ways. First, the daily ritual now involves staring down the Fates steely-eyed whilst holding (literally) razor sharp fine German steel against your own jugular vein. Secondly, it involves getting the Right Tool for the Job by paying extra for quality up front, knowing that it will pay for itself in a few months and then be passed down as an heirloom [2].

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1. Or actually, about an extra half hour at the same smoothness level. Really, if an ultra smooth shave at 5 p.m. is that important, then have a proper blade shave in the morning but keep an electric in your desk or glovebox for a quick touch-up on the way to the date. Electrics are teh suck, but they do alright for a touch up, much better in fact than hoping that a 5 blade shave will hold out till the end of Happy Hour.
2. I can just see Little Johnny asking Grandma, “So, did folks still use straight edge razors in 2010?”, and Grandma replies, “No, your Grandpa was a bit of a nut-job who liked staring down the Fates steely-eyed.”

Men’s Life Today is giving away a year’s supply of free Gillette razor blades in a contest http://menslifetoday.com/tips/index.html