Wet shaving thread.

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Any Feather blade fans out there? I think they're great, and order mine in bulk here, there's an 8% discount with the code BB101.
 
This christmas is when i get to start learning this art. Well after its warm enough to get rid of the beard anyway.
 
I have streamlined my shaves a good bit for daily cleanup, as I shower in the morning I soak the brush and scuttle in the sink full of scalding hot water, I get out of the shower and stopper the scuttle and build my lather, I use a small blop of coconut oil and my Proraso shave cream, I apply some preshave oil and strop the straight. Two passes, one with the grain, one against. Rinse well and apply witch hazel, then a splash of pinaud clubman. Today I started the lather building at 05:46 and was cleaned up and put away by 05:58

For just regular, daily shaving, using my double edged safety razor (1962 Gillette) and a shaving mug and brush, I can be done in just a couple of minutes. I do not have a heavy beard and am not shaving my lip or chin, which makes a big difference.
 
I haven't shaved in years.............. At one point I lived in a building that was also my shop. Step out of the living room outside or into the shop..... take your pick. The bathroom was right next to the shop door, and I "flash shaved" using my acetylene torch and a damp wash cloth. The process took seconds. Hold a wash cloth over your side burns, and whip the torch across your face as fast as possible....... a fraction of a second. Then do the other side. The closest shave you will ever get. A 6000 deg flame moving so fast it doesn't bother your skin will take any hair down to the surface in a millisecond. Wash your face and slap some after shave on......... It does work.

This is not for the faint of heart...... it's a razor that never needs blades......it requires care and speed....... If you are slow, you will burn yourself (I never did).

Is this insane or what ;-) ........... True Story

I remember my dad sharpening double edged razor blades in a water glass............


H.W.
 
I don't always shave, but when I do....I prefer to use a belt sander. Not really...it's usually a Gillette 3 blade and a good sensitive skin shaving cream, since I have such a baby face. (or at least SWMBO thinks I do when I'm clean shaven)
 
I don't always shave, but when I do....I prefer to use a belt sander. Not really...it's usually a Gillette 3 blade and a good sensitive skin shaving cream, since I have such a baby face. (or at least SWMBO thinks I do when I'm clean shaven)

I'd bet a vintage safety razor like a Gillette Tech or Gillette NEW with a shark or feather blade would be a closer shave, less irritating than the 3 blade, and with a quality shave cream like proraso or trumpers you will be loving it. I never realized what I was missing till I ditched my Mach 3 and my can of chemical goo
 
Now I'll agree the safety razor works much better than any Multi-blade fiasco out there. I have a Merkur Slant that took me awhile, but now I've mastered.

Feathers are the ticket too. :mug:

But Can-Goo? I've tried about 30 different soaps & creams over a period of 3 years, and it all boils down to what.................................... ?????????????????

Multiple $100 brushes in your cabinet too???? Are you nuts?

I'm just not too impressed either way.

Let's keep it real Gents. I'm just not there.
 
But Can-Goo? I've tried about 30 different soaps & creams over a period of 3 years, and it all boils down to what.................................... ?????????????????

It boils down to the best shave with the least irritation. If you get that with but can goo, so be it.

For me, even with a safety razor and new blade I get razor burn unless I use Proraso Green and a witch hazel splash after shave.

I too have the badger butt hair brush. Rarely use it. I generally reach for my cheap, drug store kit corn bristle brush.

Let's keep it real Gents. I'm just not there.

In other words, you aren't getting the Big Picture.
 
But Can-Goo? I've tried about 30 different soaps & creams over a period of 3 years, and it all boils down to what.................................... ?????????????????

I've tried only two soaps over my several years of wet shaving: Col. Conk Bay Rum ($5.50 for the large cake) and Tabac ($20 with the fancy ceramic holder). I find both to be superior to canned shaving cream in that I get less razor burn with them (and in fact I like the cheaper Col. Conk significantly better than the more expensive stuff). One cake will last me many months, so they can't be much more expensive than Gillette cans. Which is not to say that some folks don't buy dozens of soaps and creams (or go down the scuttle/bowl rabbit hole instead of just face lathering), but that's a luxury and not a necessity!

Multiple $100 brushes in your cabinet too???? Are you nuts?

Try one of these $9 Omega boar brushes instead. They're great! Again, you can certainly go nuts buying badger brushes with gold-inlaid ivory handles, but you can get a quality wet shave without breaking the bank.
 
Been using a safety razor for years now. Mostly my Gillette blue tip. If you like boar brushes the B&B essential is hard to beat. I also use a Feather artist club, the feel of a straight with the convince of a DE. For a great natural yet low cost. Check out Stirling soap company. I use their shave soap and bath soap. Hands down my favorites.
 
Granted I'm on the side of "less is more" but a straight razor and a puck of what have you are a good bit better than my other options..... I found less blades mean a better shave, and a quality shave medium are better than goo.... American innovation and chemistry pale in the shade of simple blade to skin with quality, proven product. (Like proraso, sold at bath and body works as CO Bigelow) Really, buy a Gillette tech razor and shark blades(beginner IMO) and give it a whirl... You won't hate it, and you put blade to face with the likes of John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, and the brave men in the trenches of both world wars. Get connected with manly men of your past and embrace that ancient ritual of a clean shave with a well honed single edge of steel..Once you understand the ritual, carry it on to your children, men are meant to be men, and shaving with a blade of quality steel as my sires (real men) have done is a fading art that is something that I personally will carry on to my boy, and I hope, to his sons. My razor has shaved quite well for about 140 years and will continue as I pass it on to my son.
 
But DAMNED IT! Be a man and try something you aren't comfortable with. We brew great beer with principles from days gone by, try that with your face and give your grandfathers methods a try!
 
Granted I'm on the side of "less is more" but a straight razor and a puck of what have you are a good bit better than my other options..... I found less blades mean a better shave, and a quality shave medium are better than goo.... American innovation and chemistry pale in the shade of simple blade to skin with quality, proven product. (Like proraso, sold at bath and body works as CO Bigelow) Really, buy a Gillette tech razor and shark blades(beginner IMO) and give it a whirl... You won't hate it, and you put blade to face with the likes of John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, and the brave men in the trenches of both world wars. Get connected with manly men of your past and embrace that ancient ritual of a clean shave with a well honed single edge of steel..Once you understand the ritual, carry it on to your children, men are meant to be men, and shaving with a blade of quality steel as my sires (real men) have done is a fading art that is something that I personally will carry on to my boy, and I hope, to his sons. My razor has shaved quite well for about 140 years and will continue as I pass it on to my son.

Preach it Brother! Can I get an "Amen"?
 
My 23 year old is a bigger wet shaving geek than I am, he has multiple razors, thinks the Sharks I use are for beginners, and makes a ritual out of the whole thing. To me, I just like using my father's razor and I've used a brush and shaving soap since I was in college 30 years ago.
 
I love it.

Can you guys say...................."Off the Deep End!" :D

Relax.

The bottom line is YMMV. Provide your suggestion. Improve my experience. But don't hate. Don't lump movie actors with "Brave Men" & Dad to try & prove a point that makes great sense to you, but leaves me :smack:

The topic is Wet Shaving. KISS.

Ugh............................. I need a beer. ;)
 
I love it.

Can you guys say...................."Off the Deep End!" :D

Relax.

The bottom line is YMMV. Provide your suggestion. Improve my experience. But don't hate. Don't lump movie actors with "Brave Men" & Dad to try & prove a point that makes great sense to you, but leaves me :smack:

The topic is Wet Shaving. KISS.

Ugh............................. I need a beer. ;)

If you're happiest with canned shaving cream, carry on in peace! Most people in a wet shaving thread are going to disagree that there's no difference in shave quality. But no one can argue that canned cream is not the fastest/easiest option, and if "KISS" is your watchword that must be the way to go even if quality suffers a bit.

I responded because your initial post implied that shaving soap and a brush will cost you hundreds compared to the canned stuff. The solid performers I listed work well for me and over years of use are not much more expensive (and might even come out a bit cheaper) than canned shaving cream.

The whole "manly men" line of argument for wet shaving doesn't do much for me either. I admittedly enjoy something about using an antique DE razor instead of one with a vibrating basketball on it, but I'm not sparking up a Lucky Strike after ever shave. That said, your initial post wasn't exactly neutral in tone, so you can't be too shocked when Gary Cooper and John Wayne rise from their graves in response to defend traditional shaving techniques!
 
I responded because your initial post implied that shaving soap and a brush will cost you hundreds compared to the canned stuff. The solid performers I listed work well for me and over years of use are not much more expensive (and might even come out a bit cheaper) than canned shaving cream.

Same with me. I use a disk of shaving soap I buy at Walgreens, a shaving mug someone gave me years ago for Christmas, and a cheap brush.

That said, your initial post wasn't exactly neutral in tone, so you can't be too shocked when Gary Cooper and John Wayne rise from their graves in response to defend traditional shaving techniques!

Exactly. I don't go into the threads about smoking meat and ask why I should go to all that trouble when I live a block away from the best smoked meat restaurant in Chicago.
 
Not sure if I've posted this already or not; but I don't remember posting in this thread. I have 2 DE razors that I like. A Schick Krona that was probably made in the 1970's, and a Gillette with a short fat handle, made in the early 1940's. (I like the Schick a little better but they are both awesome) I use Astra blades. Haven't tried Feather yet, I don't trust the ones on Amazon to be authentic. Wilkinson blades from Walmart are better than you'd expect, but the local Walmart has stopped selling them. (not that it matters, I bought 100 of the Astra, and I get a couple of weeks out of each blade)

I usually just shave in the shower using bar soap. Two quick passes w/o using a mirror, then I touch up any spots that I missed on the way to work (or church) with the electric shaver that lives in the car.
 
Inspiring thread find! I am trying to get through from beginning but will need some time. Heres my shave history. Raised by a single mother who sold Avon and Mary kay on the side, I became familiar with beauty products at a young age. Also I have very curly hair and I break out really easily.

I use mach 3s and stopped buying more than four at a time. I only shave every 2 or 3 days because I break out if I shave everyday, plus I am lazy. Anyways I get I think 4 to 8 months or more per razor. It's easy to do with quality shave cream. Right now I am using l'occitane and yeah its pricey but I get a year out of a tube and never ever get rashes with a 6 month old razor. Haha, I think my wife uses it too. Anyways I have had se shaves and they are nice. So thanks for the inspiration, maybe I'll give it a go. With my thick beard and bumps sometimes if grown out, I don't know where to start. Haha not sure I trust myself at 630 wake up at 625 with se.

I like birchbox, my wife gives it to me as a gift and I give it to her. I give it to others too. They get a box of samples every month for 3 months. I think its 30 or something like that. Between that and my own work here is some shave cream I have used going back to beginning no order. Anyways look forward to learning more about quality shave technique. Btw, even more off topic I have fallen in love with histories de parfum from Paris. Used to order it from there but now on Amazon of course. Anyways its pricey so I am buying the cheap sampler pack. I am learning to love them all but some I love. The French are famous for olio if iirc.

Edge
Barbasol
Cremo
Mary kay
Avon
Arbonne
Art of shaving
L occitane
Anthony
Billy jealousy
Kiehl's
Proraso
Dtrt smooth start
Clinique
 
Necro-thread.. c'mon @passedpawn, @pappers killed it fair and square! He just forgot to double-tap!

FWIW, I ditched Mach3's a few years ago, 'cause I'm a cheap bastidge...

Started w/ 25 Derby blades... now working my way through 100 shark blades... Haven't tried feather yet. I prefer the sharks to the derebys, though.

I shave about twice per week with either proraso sandalwood shave cream or plain jojoba oil.... I liked the Van Der Hagen hypoallergenic shave soap that came w/ my "Van Der Hagen Premium Shave Set" set as well. Shave soap from local soap store didn't lather well enough...

Just checked my amazon history... I bought 1 5.2oz tube of Proraso shave cream and 100 shark blades in 2014... I still have plenty of both!

Beats the heck out of the mach3's I was buying!
 
Proraso is ok. For the money it is probably the best bet. Poking through this thread I see a lot of thick beards like mine and razor burn discussion. I see lots of blade discussion but imo not enough focus on shave cream. I may get a year out of a mach 3 in actual fact. I don't know, it's so long I only bought four.
 
If anyone needs a new hobby :), I've been making my own shaving soaps for a while now. One of our members, @LBussy, showed me the way. It's all in this incredible tutorial, here: http://www.silverfoxcrafts.com/shaving-soap/

I followed his recipe pretty closely, including using the same little crockpot for the cook. I've played with the ingredient ratios a little bit, and experimented with a bunch of different essential oils (sandlewood and whisky is a pretty sweet combo, like shaving while smoking a pipe).

I use a Timeless bronze razor, feather blades.
 
If anyone needs a new hobby :), I've been making my own shaving soaps for a while now. One of our members, @LBussy, showed me the way. It's all in this incredible tutorial, here: http://www.silverfoxcrafts.com/shaving-soap/

I followed his recipe pretty closely, including using the same little crockpot for the cook. I've played with the ingredient ratios a little bit, and experimented with a bunch of different essential oils (sandlewood and whisky is a pretty sweet combo, like shaving while smoking a pipe).

I use a Timeless bronze razor, feather blades.

There's no clay in the recipe? I thought that was important in a shaving soap.
 
There's no clay in the recipe? I thought that was important in a shaving soap.

I have a whole bag of clay, but Lee (blog) and my son both were highly against it. My son says he doesn't want mud in his :) My boy is VERY BIG into the wet shave, hangs out / trades all the time on badger and blade. So I trusted them. If you think the clay is in there to improve blade glide, I think that can be done with they glycerine and superfat oils in the recipe. I'm no expert though - would be nice to hear from Lee on this.
 
How did I miss this thread.

I'm a Merker Safety razor with Astra blades guy. Flawless shaves with no nicks what so ever. I love the Astra's. I bought a big sleeve a few years back and have not even come close to going through 1/4 of it. Not a fan of Feathers.
My go to soap is an Arco stick during the week and Blades Grim Smolder screw top soap puck on the weekends. It smells wonderful and always get an awesome shave with that soap.
Plus numerous half pucks of different soaps smushed into my shave cup.
I've not spent a dime on shave equipment for the last 4 years.

I also have a big jug of Osage rub and Pinaud Whiskey Woods, Brandy Spice, Gent's Gin and Clubman after shaves.
 
Thanks for the kind word @passedpawn. I'm always thrilled to hear that I've helped folks a little in making their own shaving soap.

For me it's Merkur 37C slant, cerakoted (because, why not?), and Polsilver Iridiums! Since I started making my own soap a few years back I've not used anything else aside from trying out some samples other soapers have sent. When I did buy my own I generally used P160, with Cella as a backup. I really liked Tabac except for the scent. Either you like it, or you don't. These days I finish with an alum block (Gentleman Jon because of the large size) and some Fine Snakebite aftershave. The alum really tones my skin but I think I have a menthol addiction and can't not use the Snakebite.

On mud in shaving soap, here's my take on it in two parts:
  • Despite my current profession, I went to school to be a Civil Engineer. I worked as a Geotechnical Engineer for a while and I have a pretty good idea what's in "clay" (which is about as descriptive as "soap" by the way.) I'd have to look it all up again but trust me when I say the particle size of clay is larger than that of the "slurry" straight-razor honers use to finish a good sharpening job. The clay is also less consistent, meaning you've (microscopically) got some boulders and got some dust.

    When I made up my mind about clay, I was consistently shaving with one of my matched pair of Filarmonica 14 Doble Temple (Jose Monserrat Pou of course!) 8/8 straights. I also had a small collection of JNats (which I never learned to use well) and a microscope with which I could view the edge. I used to make a habit of always examining the edge after a shave, and was able to compare the damage (there's always some) with and without clay. The clay always caused more visible damage. Seeing that was enough to make me swear off clay.

    When people say they get a better glide with clay, I'm reminded of walking on a slate-covered slope once. I lost my footing and slid down about 100 feet. Yes it was slippery, but I also was covered in literally hundreds of small cuts (and my clothes were shredded). Not all slide is comfortable (or good for the blade).

    If you are using disposable blades, I mean it might make the difference between 10 or 11 good shaves before replacing it, but there was only ever gonna be so much steel on my Filamonicas.

  • I learned after quitting the use of clay that a great soap can be made without it. It "seemed like" many artisan soapers, most ladies (no guns cocking ladies, let me finish!), somehow latched onto the idea that clay was "necessary." The thing is you can take a soap that's probably good for other things, add clay to it, and make it feel slippery. Calling that a shaving soap is a stretch though. Shaving soap is made from high levels of stearic acid, plus a surplus of glycerin, both of which are uncommon in regular soaps, and in my opinion are vital to a great shave soap. So these ladies were often told by their loved ones that their shave soap was "better." Three questions there you should think about: 1) "Better than what?" Edge? Barbasol? 2) What man in his right mind would ever tell his wife that he didn't like what she made? 3) Are these demanding/discerning wet shavers? Or are they using a 22-blade disposable and would never know the difference?

    So, these artisan soapers lacked good, qualified, and frank feedback and suffered for it. I had the unimaginable benefit however of the assistance of a good number of these ladies while formulating my soap. They knew how to make soap, they just didn't (couldn't) know what most men wanted. So we had some great discussions, knocked things back and forth for several months, and the "Silver Fox" recipe is what I came up with as a result. Having made what I like in a soap, I find there's no improvement by adding clay to the recipe.

    Short story: Good soap needs no clay; clay will (partially) make up for a less than good shave soap.
Let me be clear (this phrase will forevermore remind me of President Obama): I do not think my soap is the perfect soap for everyone. I have however seen/experienced a lot of variations meant to improve upon it. People have added a plethora of "fancy" oils and fats, used goats milk, and one lady shared her own breast milk (yes, really) shaving soap. None have made unicorns appear, nor make me look less than my now 53 years.

What I do think is that if you can follow instructions enough to make macaroni and cheese, you can make a great shaving soap of your own. I always encourage people to follow the recipe the first time however before departing the reservation. I can't tell you how many emails I get along the lines of "I made your recipe except I swapped A for B, C for D and E for F. It's not really all that (slippery/cushioning/moisturizing)." My response is generally "that's not my recipe."

Awesome to see a wet shaving thread here!
 
If anyone needs a new hobby :), I've been making my own shaving soaps for a while now. One of our members, @LBussy, showed me the way. It's all in this incredible tutorial, here: http://www.silverfoxcrafts.com/shaving-soap/

I followed his recipe pretty closely, including using the same little crockpot for the cook. I've played with the ingredient ratios a little bit, and experimented with a bunch of different essential oils (sandlewood and whisky is a pretty sweet combo, like shaving while smoking a pipe).

I use a Timeless bronze razor, feather blades.
That stuff seems awesome! Need to give it a try. Have you ever compared it with art of shaving or something like that.
 
Since I shave in the shower with a fog free mirror is that wet shaving, or does it have to be from a razor blade to be wet shaving?
 
Get a dedicated Crockpot for making soap, because the lye will destroy the glazing on the pottery insert. (unless, like me, you don't care about that) ;) I used to make my own soap, then lye became almost impossible to buy because terrorism or drugs or something. Now lye is back on the shelves but I haven't gotten back into it. I should tho', I already have a ruined Crockpot...
 
Since I shave in the shower with a fog free mirror is that wet shaving, or does it have to be from a razor blade to be wet shaving?
Wet shaving is shaving with shaving cream and a razor. So yeah, I'd say that qualifies. There are definitely ways to improve the shave though.

Speaking of horrible shaves ... look at this article. It even goes on to say how it was "co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness." :confused:
 
Get a dedicated Crockpot for making soap, because the lye will destroy the glazing on the pottery insert. (unless, like me, you don't care about that) ;) I used to make my own soap, then lye became almost impossible to buy because terrorism or drugs or something. Now lye is back on the shelves but I haven't gotten back into it. I should tho', I already have a ruined Crockpot...

Here is the crockpot I bought (which, not so coincidentally, is exactly the one Lee suggested). $20. So far, except for the stirring which has left some scrape marks on the inside, there isn't any noticeable affect from the soap making on the pot. Though small, this plenty big for the batches you should be making (I make 8 oz batches, and that's probably too big when experimenting but the measurements are easy).

Most of the ingredients you have to buy online. Some of the oils are available at your local grocer, though you might not have known they were there. But for lanolin and odd oils, you'll want to just go to www.brambleberry.com. I bought bulk and I think I can make a lifetime supply of shaving soap from the crap I have here now.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002CA3C6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

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