Using a knife to shave your beard or even body hair does sound extremely weird. This is something that you might have only seen in movies or on television shows. However, this is an extremely common occurrence and is actually possible. While knives are designed to cut fruits and vegetables, an extremely sharp knife can also be used for shaving. Many even prefer to use a knife over a regular razor blade as it does avoid all the razor burn. In this article, we will explore the various knives that you can actually use for shaving purposes.
Is it Possible to Shave Using a Knife?
Knives are sharp and are capable of cutting our everyday food items. These knives that cut through fruits and vegetables were never designed to be used for shaving purposes.
A razor blade is designed such that is can be used for shaving. Both razor blade and a knife have a very sharp edge which facilitates the process of cutting. However, the edge on a razor blade is at an angle of less than 15 degrees. Knives usually never have such small degree edges. Thus, this makes them less sharp. If you can get your knife sharpened to have such a sharp edge, then you will be able to use it for shaving.
Is Shaving with a Knife Dangerous?
Shaving with a knife has a very good theatrical effect on the big screen. However, in reality, it
does feel like lighting a dynamite or a cracker instead. You might test the sharpness of a knife
by shaving a portion of your arm hair. However, the bear has much tougher hair and it requires a much sharper knife.
People who shave regularly know how easy it is to get cut even with a regular shaving blade.
One sneeze during your shaving session and you will have a cut right on your face. This wound
does sting and there is no way to hide this as its right up on your face.
When it is this easy to get cut with a razor blade, imagine how easy it is going to be to hurt yourself when using a sharp knife. Most people who shave using a knife on a regular basis do feel that shaving with a knife comes
with the same danger as shaving using a razor blade. However, it does look scary for anyone watching you shave.
One would need a lot of experience shaving with a knife in order to make it look very simple.
You cannot expect to not get hurt on your very first attempt of shaving using a knife. This might
just be the right answer for anyone who hates the razor burns that you get after shaving with a
razor blade.
How to Shave with a Kitchen Knife?
This is a knife that you can find in any household. The main purpose of a kitchen knife is to facilitate the process of cutting food items in the kitchen. These knives were never designed for shaving your beard. These knives are very dull and should never be used for shaving purposes.
The only way for you to use your kitchen knife for shaving is for you to sharpen the knife to have a sharper edge. This is where learning to sharpen your own knives comes in very handy. You will have complete control over how sharp the knife is going to be and will be able to certainly make a razor-sharp blade.
Once you get yourself an extremely sharp kitchen knife, you are all set to start shaving using the kitchen knife. In order to shave your beard using your kitchen knife, you would need to follow these steps.
- One’s facial hair is definitely tougher than other body hair. This means that you would need a very sharp kitchen knife to be able to shave it.
- Even with a sharp kitchen knife it might be hard to shave your beard. This is why shaving right after a shower might make it easier.
- While you can substitute a knife for a blade, it is advised for you to always use shaving cream or foam when you are shaving.
- Hold the knife in such a way that it is comfortable and will not fall from your hand. This grip is highly essential in order to avoid any cuts.
- Once you have a proper grip on the knife, you can start shaving like how you normally do using a razor blade.
How to shave with a Pocket Knife?
A pocket knife is one that you can easily carry in your pocket. These are usually foldable knife whose sharp end is enclosed. Thus, allowing you to keep it in your pocket. A pocket knife is usually cutting things on the go. Additionally, the sharpness of the knife is not very high. This means that it is not possible for you to use this for the purpose of shaving.
While a pocket knife by itself is insufficient for shaving, you can sharpen the thick edges of the knife in order to get a sharper edge. A pocket knife is usually made up of soft steel which makes it easier to sharpen the blade. By sharpening the blade at an angle less than 15 degrees, the sharpness will be somewhat equivalent to that of a razor blade. However, this also makes the blade highly vulnerable to chipping and breaking.
Here are the steps that you would need to follow to shave your beard using just a pocket knife.
- A pocket knife is a tool that one would normally have in their pockets at all times. Hence, you can use it for shaving (after sharpening the blade) when you do not have access to any razor blade.
- Just like a kitchen knife, using a pocket knife for shaving does not feel natural and will certainly take some getting used to. So, be very careful when you are shaving using a knife.
- You must first apply some shaving cream or foam to your beard and only then start shaving it. The foam helps give a cleaner shave.
- Line up the knife against your beard and simply start shaving like you would when using a razor blade. Then start shaving your beard away.
- Facial hair is extremely tough. Shaving right after a hot shower might facilitate the whole process of shaving using a knife.
How to shave with a Bowie Knife
This is one of the larger knives on this list. Bowie knives are also the knives that would most likely be used for killing in movies. No matter how dangerous this knife looks, it is still not the proper tool that you can use for shaving as it is. However, due to the larger size of the blade, this knife can be sharpened to a very high degree.
While the blade in its normal form is insufficient, when sharpened at an angle less than 15 degrees, the form can be achieved. The sharper edge does make it easier when you are shaving your beard. Additionally, the larger size of the blade does mean that it won’t chip away very easily. Thus, not taking a toll on the durability of the knife. With an extremely sharp edge, the bowie knife is as efficient as a straight blade at shaving your beard. However, it does not create any razor burn.
The steps that you would need to follow in order to start shaving with a bowie knife are:
- You would first need to get your bowie knife extra sharp. A usual bowie knife is not very sharp and does have a thicker edge. Thus, this makes it incapable of shaving your hair. However, on getting your knife custom sharpened, you will be able to achieve the capabilities of a razor blade using a knife.
- Due to the large size of the knife, it becomes very difficult to find the right grip to start shaving. This process can be made easier by holding the knife close to the edge of the blade. This gives you better control over the shave.
- The best part about shaving with a sharp bowie knife is that you will end up with a perfectly shaved beard and you would have achieved this without any razor burns.
Just like any other shaving, you would need to use shaving foam or cream in order to get a clean shave. Without this, you might end up having parts where you still have a beard
How to make a knife sharp enough to shave with?
A knife in its usual form is not capable of shaving your beard. A knife is usually sharpened at an angle between 15 to 30 degrees. This makes it sharp enough to be able to cut through fruits and vegetables.
A typical razor blade has an edge that is sharpened at an angle less than 15 degrees. This means that in order to be able to use a knife for shaving purposes, you would need to sharpen its edge at an angle less than 15 degrees.
Getting your knife sharpened by a professional can be both expensive as well as unsatisfactory. When you sharpen the knife yourself, you will have complete control over its sharpness. Let us now have a look at how you can sharpen knives on your own.
There are many different ways to sharpen a knife. Several devices have also been developed for the sole purpose of sharpening knives. However, the one method in which you will have complete control over the sharpness of the knife is the Wheatstone method.
In order to sharpen your knife using a Wheatstone, you would first need to get a double-sided Wheatstone. One with a coarse side and the other fine side. You can usually find such wheatstones at one of the local hardware stores.
- Place the Wheatstone on a flat surface. Initially, you will need to keep the coarse side up.
- Take the knife that you want to sharpen and keep its edge at an angle less than 15 degrees on the Wheatstone board. Razor blades have an angle less than 15 degrees and this certainly facilitates the process of shaving.
- Once you have positioned the knife at the desired angle, move the knife forward. Remember that the knife should only be moved in the forward direction. A backward movement will simply nullify the effect of sharpening the blade.
- Repeat this process ten times and then flip to the other side of the knife and repeat for ten times again.
- Once both sides of the knife have sharpened using the coarse side of Wheatstone, wash the knife and flip the Wheatstone to the fine grit side. Repeat the process of sharpening on the fine grit side for ten times as well.
- Finally, use a sharpening steel to give the finishing touches to the knife and wash all the metal particles. The knife is now ready to be used for your shaving purposes.
Advantages of using a knife for shaving
1- No razor burns: Razor burns are one of the main reasons why people do not prefer shaving. While you will not feel the pain instantly, it does set in after some time and definitely irritates the skin.
2- Longer lifetime: A razor blade cannot be used for more than a couple of shaves. The amount of money that you will end up spending on razor blades is very high. Using a knife can be a solution to this problem as the knife can still be sharpened even if it loses its sharpness after some time. Thus, you end up saving money in the long run.
Conclusion
Men who shave regularly know the pain that they need to endure due to the usage of razor blades. Knives are a great substitute for this problem. Not only do they last longer but also prevent razor burns. No matter how stupid one might seem while shaving using a knife, it is a great alternative to razors.
But if you’re still on the fence about shaving with a knife (who wouldn’t). I’ve written a few articles on regular shaving that you might find some value in.
Shaving your face guide and Daily shaving benefits
Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on google
Google+
Share on twitter
Twitter