The Best Safety Razor for Coarse Hair and Sensitive Skin

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If you have coarse facial hair and sensitive skin, finding the right safety razor can make the difference between a comfortable, enjoyable shave and one that’s plagued by irritation. So here are the best safety razors for men with coarse hair and sensitive skin.

As someone with coarse facial hair and sensitive skin who’s been shaving for over 15 years and having tested dozens of safety razors along the way, I’ve learned that some razor designs handle coarse stubble much better than others.

In this article, I’ll explain what makes them different and why I recommend slant head safety razors for this particular combination of coarse hair and sensitive skin.

Fun Fact: Did you know that dry facial hair can be almost as tough to cut as a copper wire of the same thickness?

Add to that the fact that your razor has to cut through that tough hair while gliding just millimetres above delicate skin. In fact, a single beard hair can be around 1,000 times stiffer than the soft skin it grows from!

But How Do You Know If You Have Coarse Facial Hair?

In my opinion, there are two telltale signs.

1. You still have significant hair left after shaving over an area.

I’m not talking about normal shaving passes where each pass gradually reduces the length of the hair. I’m talking about going over your cheek, chin, or neck two or three times because their are still hairs left behind during a single pass. This basically means your hair is so dense (coarse) that a standard safety razor is having trouble cutting all of them.

2. You experience tugging and pulling.

This for me is the hallmark sign. It’s when it feels like the blade is struggling to cut through the hair and is actually pulling and tugging on it instead. It’s quite uncomfortable and even painful.

But keep in mind, this should only be considered a sign of coarse hair if you’re using a fresh blade and good shaving technique. Otherwise, the problem could simply be your (dull) blade or technique.

If you consistently experience both of these problems, there’s a good chance you have coarse facial hair.

So, What’s the Solution?

In my experience, one of the best solutions for coarse hair and sensitive skin is a slant head safety razor.

Unlike a traditional safety razor, where the blade meets the hair straight-on, a slant razor holds the blade at a twisted angle. This creates more of a slicing action as the blade cuts through the hair.

Such a unique and effective slant design of the 37C!

I’m not a mechanical engineer, so I can’t give you an explanation rooted in physics as to why exactly why this works. What I can tell you from experience is that a normal safety razor can experience more resistance cutting through coarse stubble while a slant safety razor slices through it much easier. As such, slant safety razors can be a game changer for men with coarse facial hair.

So What Makes Slant Safety Razor Great for Men with Sensitive Skin?

The slicing action makes cutting through thick stubble much more efficient, which means less hair is left behind and you don’t need to make as many passes over the same area.

That’s particularly important if you have sensitive skin because the more you repeatedly go over the same area, the greater the chance of razor burn and irritation.

For example, most men need 3 full passes with the Merkur 34C for a close shave but with the slant 37C, you only need to do 1 full pass and just a touch up here and there for a close smooth shave.

The slicing action of the slant razor also significantly reduces pulling and tugging, which is one of the most annoying—and sometimes painful—parts of shaving coarse hair.

Best Slant Head Safety Razors

There are two slant safety razors I would recommend: the Merkur 37C and Merkur 39C. Both are affordable and easily available to purchase through Amazon.

Fun Fact: Merkur first started making slant safety razors back in 1935!

Both use the same basic slant head design, but their different handles and weights give them different shaving characteristics.

Merkur 37C: Best Overall for Coarse Hair

The Merkur 37C is the standard-handled slant razor from Merkur and is my pick if you want something compact and manoeuvrable.

If you’ve used the legendary Merkur 34C before and liked its shorter handle, you’ll probably feel right at home with the 37C. It has the same compact feel, making it easy to maneuver around the chin, jawline, and neck.

Personally, I bought the 37C because I had previously used the 34C and really liked the manoeuvrability shorter handle offers.

Ever since getting the 37C it has become by go to razor. I rarely have used another safety razor ever since.

Merkur 39C: Best for Larger Hands or Those Who Prefer A Longer Handle

If you have larger hands or simply prefer a longer handle, the Merkur 39C is the better option.

Think of the 39C as essentially the long-handled version of the 37C. It uses the same slant-style head but has a longer barber-pole-style handle, making it noticeably heavier.

The shaving dynamics are very similar because both razors use the same basic slant head design. The biggest difference is how they feel in your hand.

The 37C is shorter and more compact, while the 39C gives you more handle to hold onto and has the additional weight that some men prefer.

Key Point: If you prefer a shorter, more manoeuvrable razor, go with the 37C. If you have larger hands or prefer the additional length and weight of a longer handle, the 39C is the better choice.

There are other slant safety razors on the market, but I find many of them to be overly aggressive. I think that increased aggression is largely due to a larger blade gap, which can make the razor blade feel rougher on the skin and even cause razor burn.

What I love about the 37C and 39C is that they aren’t any more aggressive than the 34C, which is a mild safety razor recommended for beginners! They have a relatively small blade gap; they’re just more efficient at cutting through coarse hair because of the slant design.

So you get a shave that’s comfortable while still being more efficient at cutting through coarse stubble than a standard safety razor.

The 2 Best Blades for Coarse Hair and Sensitive Skin

Kai Double Edge Blades

These are the sharpest blades I’ve used that are still smooth. I recommend them for men with particularly tough stubble and the coarsest of facial hair.

These blades are manufactured in Japan by Kai Cutlery, Japan’s largest cutlery manufacturer from the highest quality stainless steel.

Gillette 7 O’Clock SharpEdge (Yellow)

These are my go-to blades because they’re just so damn smooth. I never get even the slightest bit of tugging or pulling with these blades.

They’re just a tad less sharp than the Kai blades, but they do just as well with my coarse stubble while being smoother. For that reason, these are the blades I personally use most often.

Choosing the right razor and blade are just one part of a good shaving routine to an irritation free shave. You actually need to consider the preparation, shaving technique and post-shave care. I actually wrote a complete men’s guide to shaving with zero irritation!

Final Thoughts

If you have coarse facial hair and sensitive skin, I think a slant safety razor is arguably the best safety razor to consider. The slicing action makes it easier to cut through thick stubble while reducing the number of repeated passes needed, which can help reduce irritation for men with sensitive skin.