There are many shaving razors available on the market. There are cartridge razors which often have multiple blades and are used at home for both men and women for shaving legs, arm pits, face and more. Then you have the double edge razor or safety razor which gets a closer shave than a cartridge razor and it operates on a single blade. It’s more eco-friendly and the blades are cheaper than cartridge blades. But it has a bit of a learning curve. And finally, you have the straight razor which gives the closest shave of the three. The straight razor uses a single blade. The handle either folds or has a straight handle. The straight razor is what’s used by barbers to do shaves, lineups, sideburns and to create crisp lines. There are many brands that carry a version of these 3 types of razor handles. But then there is the Feather Nape & Body Razor. This razor is unique in that it does not easily fall in any of these three types of razors. It’s most closely related to the straight razor. However, it’s not meant to do full face shaves. The Feather Nape & Body Razor is a small-bodied folding shaving razor which houses a guarded blade. Its small nature allows it to be very useful for detailed work and to address small areas. This razor is called the Nape & Body Razor because it’s meant to shave the nape area and small areas of the body such as sideburns, eyebrows and even bikini line. The razor only uses guarded replaceable blades so it can be used by hairstylists. Great for using on short men and women’s haircuts around the neckline or stray hairs around the face, this razor does the final touches that can make or break the haircut. Everyone who has short hair loves to feel their neck after a haircut. And they love it when their neck is super soft and smooth. While the Feather Nape & Body Razor is generally used by professionals in the salon or shop, it’s possible for home users to use it at home to clean up their own neck or small areas that need maintenance between haircuts. Because the blades are guarded, this makes it safe for anyone involved. Whether you’re shaving yourself or someone else, the guard helps prevent unnecessary cuts and nicks. But don’t get us wrong, the blades are sharp and will shave smoothly. The blades and handle are made in Japan and come as 10 blades per cartridge. To use, simply spray JATAI Blade Glide or other shaving lotion or clear shaving gel over the skin. If you don’t have a clear shaving gel, be sure to wipe before you shave. Then, shave the area. Always use some sort of lubricant when shaving to avoid skin irritation. You should never shave on dry skin with any razor. Some people use the Feather Styling Razor to clean up the nape area. While this works, if you want a much closer shave, a Feather Nape & Body Razor would be a better choice. Barbers who don’t want to use a traditional straight razor can also opt to use the Nape & Body Razor. The Feather Nape & Body Razor is a unique razor with a specific purpose. Its beauty lies in that it’s very good at one thing…detailed shaving in small areas. If you’re looking for a razor that can do these things, look no further. The Feather Nape & Body Razor can be purchased by itself or in a kit. The kit includes the handle, a pack of blades and a 2oz. bottle of JATAI Blade Glide shaving lotion. You can see the kit here. Product, Shaving Razors

At the age of 21, I poked out my left eye. While the surgeon saved my eyeball, the eye is different now in that I can only see in 2D. My inability to have any depth perception has affected me significantly. So I had to adapt and make various adjustments. Because of my injury I avoided eye contact for years. But at the time, it didn’t matter to me because I worked in a tool and die shop and didn’t have to make a lot of eye contact.   But then I lost my job at the plant. I sat in my car in the parking lot for maybe five minutes before realizing it was time to scratch my long time itch of becoming a hairdresser. So I did it! I went to school and became a hairstylist. While in school, there was a cutting class by Vivienne Mackinder during which I was allowed to assist her. She used this wonderful tool: the JATAI Feather Nape & Body Razor. She created beautiful texture in all her cuts and spoke of not just cutting hair but also of sketching and drawing.   I graduated and got my first job at a high-end salon working under Barsoum Bashar, my mentor. I learned so much from this man, but most of all, purpose! I knew my place was not doing color, keratin or just doing what most hairdressers do. Within six months of working there I began seeing the same thing over and over again, long sections of hair in the crown. This would always attract my eye to the top of their heads. I had finally become comfortable with eye contact, but now my eye was being drawn away from theirs and instead fixated on the top of the head. The hair was taking away from the person. I wanted to change the experience, particularly for short haired clients.   I noticed the hair whorls, it was all I could see. But I decided to never fear a hair whorl again. I chopped the suckers off! By keeping the front of the hair longer, it drew the eye away from the back of the head and focused it toward the front. Eye contact was easier as there was now a focal point. It worked, but I noticed clients were returning every three weeks. It felt too soon. How could I get more longevity out of my work? I used texturizing shears the way I was trained to. I blended and removed weight the way I was trained to. But there they were every three to four weeks back for another cut. Most hairdressers would be cool with this, but I was not. I wanted to provide value to my clients. I was charging premium rates so I wanted to give premium service.   The same problem areas would arise: the parietal ridge and the back hair whorl. I began to think of the meaning of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. I looked at my texturizing shears and it just clicked. I was blending but that was creating the problem. The hair that was cut was creating lift. But how would I remove hair from the scalp without cutting my clients, and still give a great cut? If only I could draw out weight with a pen. That was my lightbulb moment. Remembering Vivienne talk about drawing and sketching, I immediately grabbed my JATAI Feather Nape & Body Razor and drew on paper. No cut. Then my arm. No cut. And then my head. I didn’t cut myself but it removed hair.  I hit the ground running. I began drawing into cowlicks, whorls, and into the parietal ridge and the results were awesome. Then I simply combined the focal point technique with the razor and it all felt right.   Suddenly, my clients came in every six to eight weeks. The value I was giving turned into a massive influx of referrals. I really did not think the focal point technique I developed was all that special; I simply wanted to do better for my clients. One day, a fellow hairdresser named Marisa commented about my clients grow-out. I gave the credit to the razor, but she disagreed with me. Marisa asked me to teach her this technique which I did. She also encouraged me to name it. We named it on the road from the ABS hair show in Chicago: The Focal Point Technique!   You can see how I do the Focal Point Technique on JATAI Academy’s Education CONNECT. But basically, it consists of three main parts and is used to cut very short hair: Creating a focal point by cutting the hair very short at the crown which gradually becomes longer toward the front. The front becomes the focal point for the eyes Cutting the hair at the parietal ridge for better blending so that the haircut grows out nicely. This extends the life of the haircut and adds more value to your haircuts Using the JATAI Feather Nape & Body Razor to seamlessly remove weight like a pen. This tool is preferred over the Styling Razor or Plier Razor because it’s small for greater control, has guarded blades so you won’t cut yourself or your client and you can easily hold it like a pen for drawing and sketching.   We opened our own business because of this tool. Marisa married me. I can’t give the razor all of the credit for that one, but I do have a big black Harley because of it. The JATAI Feather Nape & Body Razor, Vivienne Mackinder, Barsoum Bashar, Marisa Reinhold, and all of my wonderful clients have given me the greatest life I only could dream of.   This is my before and after look using the Focal Point Technique. You can read more about it here. Tips & Techniques

Blades. They are a necessity for barbers and hairstylists on a daily basis.  Whether you’re a barber offering shaving services with a Feather Artist Club Razor, or a busy stylist who turns to your Feather Styling Razor or Plier Razor for today’s textured cuts, nothing is worse than running out of blades.  Avoid those last-minute dashes to the beauty supply store with JATAI’s Subscribe & Save Service! Now you can save time AND money by subscribing to JATAI’s blade replenishment service on a variety of Feather Blades.  Automatically save up to 30% on Feather’s top shaving and haircutting blades and never worry about running out of blades again.  Choose between a reoccurring subscription of 3, 6 or 10 packs of blades and the frequency of shipping that best suits your needs: monthly, every 2 months, every 3 months, every 4 months, every 5 months or every 6 months.  You are guaranteed to receive authentic Feather product and can cancel at any time. Plus, every order ships free! Subscription is available for both Feather haircutting and shaving blades including: Styling Razor Standard, Standard R Type, and Texturizing Blades Plier Razor Blades Nape & Body Razor Blades Artist Club Professional, Pro Guard, Pro Super, Pro Light, and Pro Soft Blades     Need help choosing the best type of blade for your shave? Check out this video detailing the four top selling Artist Club Blades: Learn the difference between the three Feather Styling Razor Blades: Product, Haircutting Razors, Artist Club Razors

When we think of face shaving, we think of men. While women don’t generally shave their face, it is becoming more widely accepted. There are people that believe women should not shave their faces due to societal expectations especially in Western countries. However, this is changing. Many women find that shaving their faces have several benefits which include smoother skin, reduced skin flaws and improved make-up application. In fact, women face shaving has been popular in Asian countries for decades as a normal beauty regimen to remove the dead layers of skin, peach fuzz and reveal fresh glowing skin. But the idea of women’s face shaving in the United States is still relatively new. Let’s look at the benefits. One of the main benefits of face shaving for women is smoother, glowing skin. Shaving exfoliates the skin by removing dead skin cells and hair, leaving the skin soft and smooth. With peach fuzz, also known as vellus hair, the hair is very fine, but it seems to grow the most around the cheeks and upper lip. Although it’s much thinner and softer than a man’s facial hair, many women don’t like the peach fuzz so shaving their face is a cheap and easy solution to this problem. After shaving, skin is often brighter with a more youthful complexion. Another benefit of face shaving for women is that it can help reduce skin blemishes such as ingrown hairs and acne (if a sharp blade is used) as well as minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It also can reduce the appearance of pores. By removing the dead skin cells, it makes the fine lines and wrinkles less visible. Shaving also helps prevent pores from clogging over time which may lead to ingrown hair or acne. A third benefit is that it can improve the application of makeup and who doesn’t want that? Putting makeup over hair is not a pretty sight. Even small peach fuzz hair can make it difficult to apply foundation and other makeup products evenly and flawlessly. Shaving the face allows the facial skin to be smooth and hairless which makes for a much easier canvas to work with. However, despite these benefits it’s important to take the necessary precautions to avoid irritation and injury. It is recommended to use a new, sharp razor and shaving cream or shaving lotion to allow the razor to glide across the skin more easily. A sharp blade and shaving in the direction of hair growth is going to help prevent ingrown hairs and irritation. A sharp blade with proper technique will reduce the risk of cuts and nicks. Also, it’s best to not to do too many passes in the same area. To ere on the side of safety, opt for a blade with a built-in guard to help prevent cuts and nicks. This extra layer of safety can make a woman feel more comfortable about shaving her face. For women who want to give it a try, skin preparation is a very important step that is often overlooked. By cleansing the face with warm water and applying shaving cream or a shaving lotion, this lubricates the skin and hair and opens the hair follicles. After shaving, it’s important to close the hair follicles back up with cold water and then hydrating the skin with a good facial moisturizer. It all seems fine and dandy, but are there downsides? What are people saying who don’t recommend it? Some proponents of face shaving say that it does the opposite and makes hair grow back thicker and darker, but there is no evidence that this is true. It’s also important to note that for some women face shaving is not recommended. If the skin is prone to acne or other skin conditions that make it unsuitable for shaving, it’s better to resort to different hair removal techniques than shaving. Perhaps laser hair removal or waxing are better alternatives. Lastly, no woman wants is irritation, redness or dryness as this can exacerbate any existing skin condition. It may be wise to consult with a dermatologist if there are any concerns. Shaving is a personal choice, but it does have several benefits. It’s a relatively cheap, easy and a quick solution for various beauty problems. Just make sure to prepare the skin properly before shaving, shave with a sharp blade and with the grain and then finish it off with an aftercare regimen. It’s not difficult and the result of flawless, glowing and youthful skin make this regimen totally worth it. Let us know what you think in the comments below! Health and Wellness