I'm travelling for several months and don't have space to pack a beard trimmer.
I don't want to shave every day or so; more like every couple of weeks, but I find it's really difficult to get rid of that much beard with just a disposable razor. It's typically taking around 40 minutes.
I've tried to get rid of the worst of it with just scissors but it was a non-starter.
Does anyone have any bright ideas? I'm sure this must be a common problem for backpackers.
I hear you.. shaving 2 weeks worth of growth off your face with a (disposable) multi-blade razor is a pain: Usually the bristles immediately clog and wedge themselves into the spaces between the blades. This will end up with your razor irritating your skin and not cutting much anymore..
One solution:
Get rid of the space between the blades by only using one blade: Get a straight razor see Wikipedia (possibly a Shavette with disposable blades to avoid the need to strop and hone)
Advantages:
You don't talk about how you are going to manage the hair that grows on the top of your head. Manage your beard the same way.
Related: How to cut your own hair?
I carry a small, battery powered electric shaver. These are small and light and easily carried.
Any half-decent such shaver will cope with a few days growth, so you don't have to carry spare batteries.
Even if you don't normally use an electric shaver, you can put up with one while travelling.
I know what you mean. I'd rather not have to carry extra gear, especially that needs a charger. Good scissors for me are the way to go. Perhaps the ones you tried are not designed for the task?
I'd be trying some beard trimming scissors, but you will definitely need a mirror. Or get someone else to carefully do the work.
If presentation is not an issue, I'd carry a good quality swiss army knife; I routinely trim my beard with the built in scissors and they work well. It's useful for many other things too, though difficult to take on a plane
If you're after maintaining a neat beard or designer stubble look, it's hard to beat a battery powered beard trimmer for neatness, portability and utility - I use mine for plenty of other things, including hair and even removing scratchy labels from clothing. Trimming once a fortnight I doubt I'd get though more than a couple of sets of batteries
If you're after a life-hacky way to remove hair, you could consider burning it off with a quick pass of a gas flame - a high speed pass, as many juveniles have found when leaving the gas hob to run for too long before lighting it/filling their mouth with gas from a cigarette lighter before imitating a circus act, is effective at singeing hair to the extent that it goes brittle and can be brushed off, without burning the skin
Lastly, if you're really struggling for space it may be worth noting that hair cutting is pretty much a universal need for human beings and it's doubtful you'd travel for months on end without happening upon somewhere local that will remove your excess hair, or a shop that will provide you with something that can hack the worst of it off. Like so many things we think about when packing for travel in order to remain connected to the lifestyle we have at home, ask yourself whether it's truly needed at all, and if it really is - is there some reasonable amount of money (a highly portable and versatile travel accessory :) ) for which one can procure the relevant details locally rather than attempting to carry things to cater for every eventuality
Why not use hair remover like the ladies do in their legs?
