hello transgender woman on reddit. before you is a transfem who is pre-everything asking about how to get a close shave on facial hair. if you reply "just get laser hair removal" a bomb will go off killing you instantly
safety razor and shaving butter is the way to go, in my experience!
razors with multiple blades tug and irritate my skin more often, and don't cut nearly as closely. and shaving cream is inconsistent with its actual viscosity and overall quality for the shave.
i keep a bit of shaving butter in my left hand at all times, and i keep my right hand for my razor, that way i dont make the handle all slippy.
also, since most safety razors have two sides, i recommend using one side for each half of your face! it spreads out the wear more evenly, making it easier to reuse them. i reuse blades for 2-3 shaves. i could probably reuse them for one or two more shaves, but i prefer not to take a chance.
to dispose of blades, i get a piece of packing tape to fold it into. the only way anyone's gonna get hurt by that is if they go out of their way to pry open the tape to get to the dangerous object.
the total cost of this was about $100 for the safety razor (this is the one i use), butter, and 100 blades, which i paid over a year ago. since then i havent spent a penny on shaving, and i foresee myself not needing to for a while longer. maybe on shaving butter, but that's it.
for actual shaving technique, i give my face 3 passes. once while going with the grain (the direction your hair is growing in), once taking the grain from the side, and once going against the grain. that usually leaves me smooth for a day and a half. with a bit of foundation, you can cover up the next day's stubble relatively easily.
shaving every day is bad for you, so i try to leave at least 2 days for the microcuts on my face from the razor to heal between shaves, and i recommend doing the same.