DE Shaving or traditional wet shaving
A couple of months ago I bought some of that King of Shaves gel as it was on special offer at Boots. I have been shaving with Gillette Mach III for years now in combination with King’s shaving oil and I have been fairly satisfied with it all except the price, especially as the blades don’t last that long. Perhaps four or five good shaves and then a couple of lesser ones. Using the gel was an improvement over the oil in terms of the shave itself but totally clogged the razor and got me thinking about alternatives.
Alternative ways to shave
I went to boots and for some reason I bought a pack of bic twin blade disposable razors with aloe strip. Probably the worst shave ever. I totally lacerated my face and wondered what had possessed me to make such a purchase. But I went back for more. And I got the same sore face. What was I to do: go back to the Mach III or seek an alternative? Electric perhaps?
I’m a member of the forum called London Fixed Gear and Single Speed. Nothing to do with shaving as you can gather but nonetheless a place I could ask such a question in their Misc and Meaningless category just to see what others thought. My question was all about electric vs wet shaving and what people preferred. Most said that they didn’t really enjoy shaving but had to do it for work. But one or two spoke about double edged razors, the traditional variety and badger hair brushes. They mentioned a few brands and also the pleasure of shaving. No razor burn either. Intiguing I thought and decided to research it further.
An underground movement of traditional shaving
For the next few days I browsed a website called badgerandblade.com. It’s got a ton of information about wet shaving including tips for beginners and product reviews by the forum members. I spent ages reading many articles and posts. I found a link to videos on YouTube by one of the members with guides on double edged shaving especially about shaving technique. It apparently takes time to learn good technique but is well worth the effort.
A new hobby
A new hobby I thought, why the hell not, another one to add to my collection. But this seemed more like pampering rather than something that I needed to develop as such. I had a few vouchers for John Lewis that I had left over from a christmas present. I got myself a badger hair brush made by Kent Brushes and shaving soap. I bought a Merkur HD razor from an online store which came with Merkur blades and I got myself some nice aftershave balm from Boots. All set for my first double edged shave.
The brush is about getting a decent lather and helping to lift the facial hairs. The lather is to help the razor glide and keep the beard or stubble moist. And then the HD or Heavy Duty razor should cut with very light strokes, almost no pressure at all. You have to get to know the direction of your hair growth and start by learning the technique. Only with the grain as you are starting out.
On the road to a closer shave
My first shave was a bit of a disappointment but after the fourth shave and repeated viewings of the aforementioned YouTube videos on shaving I was starting to the get the hang of it. I was actually enjoying it and the level of razor burn was going down. I was looking forward to shaving as a fun thing to do rather than something that I needed to do like cleaning my teeth.
Two months later on down the line I have a system of shaving that seems to work well for me and I’m experimenting with different blades as it’s supposed to be a very personal choice. I have also tried a few different creams and soaps. It still takes about half an hour to shave but when you’re having this much fun you don’t really look at the clock.
My shaving technique
My technique is to use water as hot as I can handle. Wash my face with soap to clean out the natural oils to let the water in. Keep wetting it to soften the hairs. Apparently this takes a minimum of four minutes. Meanwhile the shaving brush is soaking in hot water. I then shake the brush almost dry and make lather with Palmolive shaving cream. I put the shaving bowl on top of another bowl of almost boiling water to keep the lather warm. Then I soak the face again and lather it up.
After allowing the lather to take effect for a few minutes I shave as gently as possible using downstrokes only going with the grain. That means other angles too. More lather and then it’s across the grain. Holding the razor at the very tip so that the weight of the razor can be used effectively. Next more lather and shaving across the grain. Finally touching up. Feeling the face to reveal areas that need a bit more work. A small blob of lather and using special techniques such as blade buffing and j-hooking. Then rinsing off with cold water.
What I like about it all
It’s a real taste of luxury. While women go off and have their nails done or go to spas men don’t generally have these pampering sessions. But the chore of shaving suddenly turns into a world of high end gear and we reclaim the bathroom. Not only is the shave itself far superior than the multi-bladed variety but learning and developing a technique is an extremely enjoyable past time. There is also a sense of simplicity as there is only one blade. No more razor burn and no more clogging the blade. Much cheaper than Mach III’s too. If you haven’t looked into this then I would highly recommend it.
November 7th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
By the way, Boots has a really inexpensive but good shave soap.
November 8th, 2008 at 12:20 am
I must say I haven’t managed to get decent lather from shave soaps. I’ve tried the Kent soap in the wooden bowl and the La Toja. It’s either too dry or too watery. But perhaps I just need a bit more practice. The Palmolive cream is the best one I’ve tried so far, but I’ll give the Boots shave soap a try.
By the way it was your videos that I watched on YouTube to learn about shaving techniques. So many thanks for that.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Mantic59 has really got great videos. I have watched some of them also and he is doing a great job of informing men on how to achieve the perfect shave. But we should also be aware that not all shaving creams are meant to be used by all men. We are unique and so is our skin type. One must choose wisely on what to put on his face. Taylor of Bond Street has created different aftershaves and shaving creams for men who have sensitive skin.