Give your skin some thought.
By Lee Russell Wilkes
Razor Burn in Paradise? Travel means clogged pores and irritated skin. Thank the sweat, seawater and suncream – the perfect combination for wrecked skin. Think 7-Eleven stocks your Men’s Health approved boutique aftershave on Thai islands that suffer brownouts? You’ll need a wet shave that won’t destroy your face. What to take?
Everyone starts with a disposable
Bics are unjustly ubiquitous. Rumour has it the Inquisition showed these to Galileo to force a swift confession. You might just as well use a cheese grater as you’ll end up with third degree razor burn and skin resembling an Ed Gein table lamp. Under no circumstances should one ever be applied to living flesh.
Get past the ridiculous name – the Wilkinson Sword Xtreme Three is a reliable and infinitely safer alternative to Bics. A £4 pack will last months. Your face should – should – remain attached to your skull. You’ll still be using your first when those Bics are causing groundwater contamination somewhere.
You then consider cassette razors
Gillette has the market cornered. Expensive, ubiquitous and acceptable when there’s no other option, their cassette razors are, like fast-food, popular out of all proportion to their quality. They’re sharp for one shave. Penetrative skin damage should be minimal, but the multiple blades cause long-term razor burn. Best avoided.
Your great-grandfather used a safety razor
Single blade, double-edged safety razors are the only choice for habitual wet shavers. Your great-grandfather took one to World War Two and brought it back for a reason.
With butterfly razors, you swivel the base, the top opens and you drop a blade in. The Wilkinson Sword Double Edge Safety Razor costs £20 and is a safe everyday shave. The downside is the fragile mechanism.
Better still are 3-piece razors, like the £18 Bamboo, which has no moving parts. They’re a cheap, fun shave. You shouldn’t need stitches. The only point of weakness is the pin attaching head and handle.
Both offer a great bloodless shave, but don’t get emotionally attached – you won’t have either for life.
The best a man can get
The $90 CAD Henson AL13 inspires covetous pet bonding, but without the trauma of burying it in the garden a few years later. These things are immortal – you’ll never need a replacement. Kiss goodbye to skin irritation and bereavement counselling.
The design is faux carved ivory by way of the Bauhaus. It feels like shaving with a felt pen. No trips to Samui A&E, unless you’re bitten by a rabid dog on the beach.
After the initial cost, you’ll only ever need to replace the blades, which have zero compatibility issues. Buy a hundred and you’ll leave the majority to your descendants.
Get one immediately. Your skin needs a reliable friend at home and abroad. The only irritant remaining on Samui will be the other dream-chasing sheeple. Go to Koh Mak instead – have cocktails on Cococape pier at sunset.
Lee Russell Wilkes 