What I’ve learned, for the newbies

I’m not going to insult the “experts and long time wet shavers”. You guys know what to do and what works for you. This is for the new people and just what I’ve learned to get a better shave. So here we go. Feel free to criticize this. Its what works for me.

#1 Prep Prep Prep

Did I say it enough?

It used to be Location Location Location for real estate. For traditional wet shaving I’ll go with proper preparation is the foundation of the entire process – and it never ends!

For decades, for myself, this basically meant – nothing, nothing at all other than splashing warm water of my face. Big mistake. In my first iteration at this I discovered pre-shave preparations. I tried several. I hated oils, a complete waste of time and gooey. Then I discovered GFT Skin Food – great stuff. I kept experimenting and found Proraso pre-shave, excellent with menthol and eucalyptus for the summer. Was there a significant difference between just a splash of warm water and this stuff? I think so. So today I use Proraso in the warm weather – it wakes you up, and Skin Food on the colder days.

Then I discovered the hot towel. But how do I get it hot? Buy some kind of cooker? Nope, just stick a wet towel in a microwave and nuke it. Done. Put this on top of the pre-shave stuff and this jumped things up to the next level. There is no need to discuss the fact wet and soft whiskers are easier to cut than dry. It works. Try it yourself.

#2 Sharp Blades

This should be obvious. A dull knife is a dangerous knife. A sharp knife is your friend. Ask any cook or any outdoorsman about this. You get no reward, and no one is going to pat you on the back, for getting 22 shaves from one blade. No one is going to care and the pennies you save risking nicks, irritations, and cuts is a poor decision. Anyone who routinely uses knives know dull knives are dangerous. Other than that, I don’t think it really matters what tools you use. Single edge, double edge, aggressive or not, whatever works for you – but use a SHARP blade.

Setting a record for most shaves per blade is IMO a foolish way to try to save money if safety and comfort is a concern to you

#3 Post shave prep

Yes, prep, not aftershave but preparation for the next day!

This is a bit more complicated.

First I discovered alum. Is it necessary? Probably not. But it does act as an antiseptic so its not going to use to hurt it. Besides, it’s a learning tool. It lets you know exactly where you  used to much pressure.

Then I discovered Witchhazel. Witchhazel is an astringent like the alum. I discovered that by using this in the form of Thayers which has some alcohol in it, that’s like a double dose of antiseptic and astringent.

Now that BBS shave you just got – nope – the skin retract exposing more hair. Suddenly its not BBS anymore.

Last, we all know about aftershave but is it really needed? I doubt it.  Alum and Thayers covers the alcohol antiseptic issue so its just scent. If you want scent, use an EDT or Cologne. I’m pretty much convinced an aftershave is a waste of money and what is really needed is a balm. Time to moisturize the skin after the antiseptic.

Time after time, hundreds of time, I view it as Prep -  yes Prep for the next day. When I use a balm, my face feels much better than just an alcohol based aftershave. I’m convinced its moisture and soothing, helping heal.

And then we go full circle back to Prep Prep Prep.

Very succinct. Thanks for sharing!

I, personally, don't do any pre-shave preparation, beyond washing my scalp with gentle soap and hot water. Even on the few occasions that I cut in my cheek lines, face prep is a wash with gentle soap and hot water.

I have tried oils and pre-shave butters, and I have tried the hot towel, and while all of them felt nice, I don;t really think any of them improved the quality of my shave, either in terms of skin conditioning or closeness.

Sharp blades I ABSOLUTELY agree with! I use primarily straight razors, and there is no doubt that a sharp, well-honed and stropped blade will do wonders compared to anything else. The sharper the blade, the easier it is to cut the hair, the closer it will cut, and thus, the gentler it will be on your skin, simply because you do not need to go over the same spots as much.

With that said, sharper blades can be more aggressive, so it is equally important to have a smooth blade. For straights, the obvious choice is a nice leather strop. Works wonders for smoothing out even the roughest synthetic edge. For DE and SE blades, it's less obvious, but palm stropping can really smooth out a rough blade. I didn't believe it myself, until I learned how and gave it a try. There is a lot of silicates on our skin and these do an excellent job of aligning the steel and making a sharp edge also smooth. I ALWAYS palm strop when using a shavette or SE. Not so much with DE, but mostly because there is less "blade feel" to my perception.

Post shave...I've come to the conclusion that the majority of upper-level artisan soaps do an excellent job of moisturizing MY skin. I've never been susceptible to extreme skin conditions, neither oily nor dry, just "blessed" with very normal, average skin, so drying out or oily patches are not an issue FOR ME. With that in mind, I don;t use an astringent such as alum or witch hazel. I use a styptic on the increasingly rare occasion that I get a nick and it won;t stop bleeding on it's own, but I have found the use of alum or witch hazel to offer me no discernible benefits. I do have a jar of Nivea Sensitive balm on hand for those days when I get over-zealous and end up with some irritation, but for the most part, I use an alcohol splash afterwards. I like the toning and tightening of the alcohol, and of course...I love the scents.

With all of this being said...I only shave my head. It is very possible that my scalp is less sensitive and demanding than my face would be. I don't shave my face, so I don't know how it would respond. I cut in my cheeks, but those are very small areas that do not seem prone to irritation or dryness. Were I to shave my whole face and neck, things might be different...

Good tips and thoughts, grim and BadDad.  

Before discovering traditional wet shaving, I used canned stuff. Always left my face dry and irritated. Then came the fancier, only available from the cosmetic sellers my wife used, shave gels. Less drying, but still left my face dry. I was shocked to discover early into my DE journey that I could, if I wanted, skip the post shave balm if a decent soap was used. Most days, after a cold water rinse, a bit of balm is used, just to "top off" that great post shave feel!

And I fully agree on sharp blades. I change my blade frequently. I spent less than $20 for 100 of my favorite blades. That jungle river e-seller wants $25 for 12 Schick Hydro 5, my former cart of choice.  I pushed those carts 10 days, often wincing with the latter shaves just to keep from having to buy again. I typically can get 3-4 shaves from my DE blades, so that is about a years' worth for just that brand. Having the various Acquisition Disorders, I have 100-packs of my other faves as well, so it should be at least until the next US prez election before I need to consider if my stash of blades is low!

And lather prep. Don't stop loading too soon, don't stop building too soon, just relax and enjoy. The lather will reward you for the time you spent making it!.

That said, I do set my alarm 10 minutes earlier than before, so that I can afford to relax while doing my morning shave. I could just get up and grab my easiest lathering soap, but I enjoy the process. It helps center me prior to the hectic day ahead of me.  

Great idea of starting a thread for tips we have picked up, so we can pass them on!

Really useful information, grim, and great post.

Couldn't agree with you more, especially on the sharp blade. I use Feathers almost exclusively, and ditch them after 2 shaves, DE or SE.

You expressed what I've thought many times about post-shave procedures: Prep for the next day. Exactly.

Being in my 4th decade of single-blade wet shaving, I believe that the whole wet shaving experience, from prep to post should be something that makes your skin better and healthier with each shave. This, to me, is so much more important that the outcome of any one individual shave.

After all, once the majority of the facial hair is gone (somewhere during the 2nd pass for me), we're dealing mainly with the facial skin. Taking care of that is the priority, and emollients found in balms and other like products are so important to the health of the skin.

I only use 'after shaves' once in a while, and then on days when I'm not wearing a EdC or EdT. No longer do I put alcohol-based anything on a freshly-shaven face. Only after a toner (Witch Hazel is a good one) and a moisturizing balm, would I use EdC or EdT  and, as grim suggests, that's the best way to avoid scent conflicts between the AS and the EdC or EdT.

I would like to comment on your topics.

#1 Prep is something a person should continue to do the same thing only if it works for them. I use no pre shave product. However, Before I shave I always shower and only use pure glycerin soap on my face. I do not use a scented glycerin soap or one that contains any additives. Even if I just wash my face in the evening or during the day I only use glycerin soap. One last thing I use distilled water.

#2 I totally agree. I use my blade 4 to 5 times ant that's it. Many of you may be aware of this but here goes. If you use a blade 5 times and you make three passes you have actually used the blade 15 times. Two passes 10 times.

#3 Post shave. I can't use alum any longer and I don't like the burn of an after shave splash many of which are around 80% alcohol. I use Nivea balm. Works for me.