[Shaving] Old School vs. The World

[Madmarcus]

I'm sure Stirling is great but I'm an Arko man. Or Speck when I want a change.

I'm also a heathen. I have a brush and mug that I used to use but for years now I've rubbed the stick on my face and lathered by hand.

[Isgrimnur]

2nd shave with the Merkur Super Platinum left me feeling like I had a shadow when I was done. I could hear it scraping over stubble, but not taking it off.

On the the Personna.

[McNutt]

If you want to try something nice for not a lot of money, try an Omega Pro boar brush. They're around $10 and are better than any of the budget badger brushes. They also get better over time as the ends split and get softer.

There are also a ton of Yaqi synthetic brushes for under $20 that are great.

Any of those will be better than most <$70 badger brushes.

[RunningMn9]

I’m pretty satisfied with my $30 Omega Badger brush.

[Alefroth]

I only use synthetic brushes and my first one by Body Shop was pretty horrible. I found a good deal an a L'Occitane Plisson and that has been really good. I doubt I'll find a better one I can afford.

[Isgrimnur]

The Personna gave me a much better shave than the Merkur. Aside from sides of my neck, which have always given me trouble and feel a bit stubbly no matter the razor, everything else feels nice and smooth.

[Isgrimnur]

It helps when you put the baseplate on the correct direction so that you can actually bend the blade into the proper shape.

[Anonymous Bosch]

The Personna gave me a much better shave than the Merkur. Aside from sides of my neck, which have always given me trouble and feel a bit stubbly no matter the razor, everything else feels nice and smooth.

Don't forget to stretch the loose skin while shaving your neck. It goes a long way towards achieving a better shave on otherwise troublesome areas.

[Isgrimnur]

I will have to try that next time. Seems like I always have a V of stubble on my neck.

[Smoove_B]

My neck hair is also insanely difficult to cut. One of the things I didn't do for the longest time with the DE is the (Leeloo) multipass, mainly because if you do that with a 5-bladed razor, you end up with razor burn (or at least, I did). So early on, I figured it would be the same, but instead, it's fine. Really, it's figuring out which way to shave as it relates to how your facial hair grows. Additional lather is likely necessary, but I basically do an initial pass with the grain everywhere. Then it's usually a cross cut on the cheeks, and then ending with against the grain on my neck. YMMV

[Anonymous Bosch]

Indeed, when you're starting out it can be surprisingly useful to visually "map out" the direction of your beard growth using an image like this:



So you might end up with something more akin to this, which helps better dial in your technique:

[Smoove_B]

Sideways on the neck? No, there are lines even I won't cross.

[Alefroth]

I do three passes everywhere with a lather in between each. That's probably why it takes 17 minutes.

And that illustration is just damn creepy.

[Isgrimnur]

I have to shave against the grain to get any feeling of smoothness.



Reverse the side neck arrows, and you've got the direction I'm going.

[Smoove_B]

A team of scientists tried to figure out why your blade is dull after shaving.

Now engineers at MIT have studied the simple act of shaving up close, observing how a razor blade can be damaged as it cuts human hair—a material that is 50 times softer than the blade itself. They found that hair shaving deforms a blade in a way that is more complex than simply wearing down the edge over time. In fact, a single strand of hair can cause the edge of a blade to chip under specific conditions. Once an initial crack forms, the blade is vulnerable to further chipping. As more cracks accumulate around the initial chip, the razor's edge can quickly dull.

Worth it for the images. I would love to volunteer my facial hair for any future tests involving blades. I have no doubt I will destroy them.

[Anonymous Bosch]

A team of scientists tried to figure out why your blade is dull after shaving.

Now engineers at MIT have studied the simple act of shaving up close, observing how a razor blade can be damaged as it cuts human hair—a material that is 50 times softer than the blade itself. They found that hair shaving deforms a blade in a way that is more complex than simply wearing down the edge over time. In fact, a single strand of hair can cause the edge of a blade to chip under specific conditions. Once an initial crack forms, the blade is vulnerable to further chipping. As more cracks accumulate around the initial chip, the razor's edge can quickly dull.

Worth it for the images. I would love to volunteer my facial hair for any future tests involving blades. I have no doubt I will destroy them.

Yeah, those images are most intriguing.

Beard hair may well be 50 times softer than the stainless steel used in razor blades, but it is supposedly comparable to copper wire:

Beard hair is as tough as copper wire
Ah, so maybe this is why so many dates, girlfriends and wives suffer from pogonophobia: the fear of beards (or at least the fear of a man's stubble and the fear of developing whisker burn).

According to many sources, dry beard hair and copper wire are indeed of equal strength (when of similar diameter). Trying to imagine drawing a razor over a face of copper wire is just awful. For this reason, sort of, shaving experts recommend using hot water prior to shaving. This has a twofold benefit: First, facial hair absorbs water, and it absorbs hot water significantly faster than cold water; and second, that water weakens the hair by as much as a third, making shaving so much easier, and the results, substantially better.

Which is all the more reason to shave using blades that typically cost <$0.10 per blade vs. paying $3.00 or more per blade for overpriced plasticy cartridges. With such favourable pricing, once one finds a DE blade that works effectively, you can use a brand new blade for each and every shave and still come out way ahead of using a cartridge razor.

[Smoove_B]

I've heard the copper wire comparison many times, but I think mine is even worse. I've lost track of the number of collared shirts I've needed to throw out because the collar is shredded from my neck/throat hair. 5 o'clock shadow? No. More like 2 or 3pm. It's unrelenting.

[coopasonic]

5 o'clock shadow? No. More like 2 or 3pm. It's unrelenting.

Back when I shaved it was more like Thursday shadow, assuming I shaved on Monday.

[hitbyambulance]

One of which is a skin protrusion,

I've got a little skin protrusion

you all have super sharp blades, why not apply some alcohol and slice them right off, never to bother you again? or am i the only one who does this.

[Isgrimnur]

Oh, I run over it routinely.

[Alefroth]

One of which is a skin protrusion,

I've got a little skin protrusion

you all have super sharp blades, why not apply some alcohol and slice them right off, never to bother you again? or am i the only one who does this.

Slicing something off is what caused it in the first place.

[hitbyambulance]

Slicing something off is what caused it in the first place.

it's an iterative process.

also, i've been shaving lately with an Oster fastfeed barber hair clippers. makes quick work of that task, it does... four inches of beard growth? NO PROBLEM

[Isgrimnur]

The Wilkinson Sword has been treating me pretty well.

[Smoove_B]

While restocking the bunker, I was advised by Amazon that Proraso makes a "coarse beard" product; I was intrigued as my facial hair is absurdly coarse. It comes in a red/maroon container if you're looking it up. I have tried other Proraso soaps and been unimpressed, but I figured I would give this a go and I've been using it now for two solid weeks. It's the best Proraso shaving soap I've used, but it's not something I'd seek out again. There's a noticeable difference in the lather - it's definitely a bit more 'buttery" on application. The scent is much stronger than I'm used to and I can see that being an issue for some people. It contains sandalwood, but there's something else that's borderline overpowering. Maybe they're just using more or a more concentrated sandalwood odor, but I definitely was not expecting it to be so strong.

Overall, I still have a difficult time getting it to lather (like all Proraso products) and that's extra strange because I have soft water (which should make it easier).

My daily go-to is still the Provence Sante shaving soap (truly, this is an insane bargain) and my all-time favorite is still Truefitt & Hill Trafalgar. I provide these as reference points for the Proraso, for those that care.

[McNutt]

You are the only person to have ever mentioned Provence Sante soap and I have no idea why it's such an ignored soap. It really is fantastic.

Proraso is an OK soap/cream. I have a tube that seems to be what you described. I don't remember mine saying it was for coarse beards though. It's fine.

[Anonymous Bosch]

While restocking the bunker, I was advised by Amazon that Proraso makes a "coarse beard" product; I was intrigued as my facial hair is absurdly coarse. It comes in a red/maroon container if you're looking it up. I have tried other Proraso soaps and been unimpressed, but I figured I would give this a go and I've been using it now for two solid weeks. It's the best Proraso shaving soap I've used, but it's not something I'd seek out again. There's a noticeable difference in the lather - it's definitely a bit more 'buttery" on application. The scent is much stronger than I'm used to and I can see that being an issue for some people. It contains sandalwood, but there's something else that's borderline overpowering. Maybe they're just using more or a more concentrated sandalwood odor, but I definitely was not expecting it to be so strong.

Overall, I still have a difficult time getting it to lather (like all Proraso products) and that's extra strange because I have soft water (which should make it easier).

My daily go-to is still the Provence Sante shaving soap (truly, this is an insane bargain) and my all-time favorite is still Truefitt & Hill Trafalgar. I provide these as reference points for the Proraso, for those that care.

In my experience, the best way to tackle a coarse beard = pre-washing one's face and stubble with a quality glycerin soap (e.g. Musgo Real Glyce Lime Oil aka MR GLO, or the more favourably-priced 365 Everyday Value glycerin soaps widely available from Whole Foods), followed by a thorough rinse-off. My preferred technique is to rinse off with a hot barber towel and keep it held against my face for at least a minute or so.

If you want to really kick the quality of your shaves up to the next level, a deep-cleansing facial scrubber works wonders to soften beard growth with said glycerin soap prior to wet-shaving.

[Isgrimnur]

Tried the Feather for the first time today. Didn’t go as badly as feared. You guys had me thinking...

[Paingod]

Over the weekend I ditched the goatee again, and was promptly reminded why I was keeping it.

While it might be stuffy and humid inside a mask, that's acceptable over having to shave every 2 days and getting razor burn. When I've got the goatee, I don't look like I've given up on personal grooming if I go 3 or 4 days between shaves. When my face is bare, I look like I've gone on a two-day bender and just rolled out of bed if I don't keep up with it.

Plus my wife says I look "too young" and "not very manly" without the goatee.

I tend to go hot water rinse > lather > shave against the grain with overlap > light touch up passes. I don't lather a second time before I go back and lightly tread over any rough spots. Maybe it would help?

[McNutt]

Get your whiskers sufficiently softened. For some this can be a hot towel or hot face splash. Personally, I need a hot shower first or it will tear up my face.
Use a good blade and keep your face lathered for each pass. I go against the grain, but it's something I would only try after you've had good results going with the grain or maybe across the grain. Don't go all out until you get that part down.

I shave every day of the week and don't get razor burn (or very little), which is a totally different story from before I started wetshaving.