I am a sucker for punishment. Can’t help ATGing here and there tho I’ve lessened it on my poor neck. I had a shit shave today after using warm rather than cold water. Irritation central on my neck. I’ve been getting quite a few nicks too using a Flydear razor blade! Sigh. But I think that’s just a result of not having the best shaver control..
Baby's Butt Smooth.
Basically, no matter from which direction you run your fingers over the shaved area, you should not be able to feel friction caused by stubble i.e. smooth in all directions.
Can confirm, self caring after a shave is my most important thing, I always look in a mirror and take 30 seconds to admire how good It looks, makes me feel like I'm doing it f9r a reason and gives me that confidence boost I need
My biggest hack was learning how to save time. I used to try and shave while my butler read me the latest news of the international markets, but now I have him shave me while one of the maids reads the markets to me. Much quicker.
One should never allow one's maids to read. They may learn things they should never know. Can you not find a bat boy for that element of your ablution?
I’d use my bat boy, but he’s on loan to my charitable organization, Sir Samkin’s School for Wayward Girls ages 18-21, so unfortunately the maid will have to make due.
One, a gentleman should only trust his personal valet to shave him not a butler. Two, a maid has no place in a gentleman’s shaving atrium. Three, reading of the paper is to be done by a dogsbody since it saves time on newspaper ironing because no one cares if they dirty their hands with ink and the young lout needs to practice his letters should he ever hope to be of proper use to your house.
Do a beard map. Save 2-3 days is stubble.Take a pice if cotton and hold it lightly and drag over your face and neck in different directions. When the cotton sticks you are going Against The Grain. Don’t do that. Instead go at a slight angle or sideways. This was a GameChanger for me. Now I can get BBS without irritation “if I want to” Beard mapping my friend :)
This is so important. I generally do 3 passes; with the grain, across the grain and then against the grain. My beard grows in 4 different directions so which I do and when varies depending what part of my face I am shaving.
Beard map made the biggest improvement for me. I used a credit card 💳 to work out my grain map. As well as feeling which way the grain is going you can also hear the difference.
If you're a beginner stop your shave when the appearance of hair is gone, not the feel. Trying to get a BBS marble finish is going to result in some bad irritation and bumps.
Nothing beats a proper hot water prep. It can be the difference between an uncomfortable tugfest and a great shave.
Our grandfathers knew this, but these days it gets de-emphasised.
I also use a container to transfer hot water from my bathtub faucet to the sink. The water heats up way faster this way so I don't waste the cold sink water and I can actually fill the sink faster this way, in my experience.
Once your bath tub gets hot, your sink should instantly be hot. Doubt there’s much of a difference, your bathtub just outputs more gallons per minute so it gets hot faster as it moves the cold water through the pipes quicker. Same amount of water your sink will use getting hot.
Came here to say this, and if you can, make the face lather the first step and then allow it to dwell on your face for a couple minutes while you get everything else out and ready. Much better shaves since I started doing this.
Van Der Hagen shave soap can be melted in the microwave and will harden back to perfectly fit whatever mug/ bowl it’s placed in. I’m sure other soaps can do this too but the handful of other kinds I tried to melt didn’t work as well
Important distinction, this only works for glycerin based soaps. If you try this on tallow based soaps (animal fat) they will burn.
For tallow based soaps I heard some people grate it, add a little water, smush it down, and then leave it for a day to harden.
I go one with and one across.
Going against the grain only opens up the opportunity for irritation if technique isn’t perfect and by noon that day it is irrelevant anyways as your hair has already grown out far enough that it’s like you never did it in the first place.
If you have coarse hair and don't need to be clean shaven every single day - let it grow for a few days. Your beard will get softer and will be much easier to shave off!
Personally I take a warm/hot shower and then within 5-10 minutes of getting out I start shaving. I keep the water very cool the entire time I’m shaving. It seems to minimize irritation and dry skin, as I used to get really bad ingrown hairs and dry patches.
Years ago I think I saw a WWII training video in which they recommended soldiers using cold water to avoid irritation. Something about it closing the pores.
Yes. I have an adjustable razor. I got better shaves when I opened it wide to expose more blade - I used to cut myself pretty often. Now I don’t! I can have the wrong angle and let the pressure do the work
I really like my alum block. I was using a stylistic pencil before this and it hurt to buggery but this is much smoother and nicer to apply. a++ will apply again
After I soak my Kent badger brush in hot water I drip a bunch onto my shaving soap cake (Williams) and let it warm up a bit. Then I pour off the hot water and begin making my lather. I think warming the cake helps get the lather going and keeps it warm.
I saw someone, somewhere mention that squeezing the water from your soaked brush into the lather bowl will provide the nearly perfect amount of water for the lather.
Since I started doing this I've never had a lather fail.
I’ve been doing this unknowingly haha, it works great, I usually just let the soap bloom in water, then tip it out, then Just soak my brush and it’s always a perfect lather
If you use canned shaving cream like I do, apply it, then go back over it with a small amount of warm water. The texture of the cream and the overall shave is so much better.
As a cutthroat shaver my biggest hack is mindset. If I'm still grumpy or flustered when I get out of the shower, I take my freshly stropped blade, hot bowl, soaked brush, and I put them away. I can be scruffy for another day.
Quit going crosswise or against the grain trying to get baby's ass smooth. Make two passes at most & move on with your day.
Find the consistency of lather that works for you.
Exfoliate.
The amounts of ingrown hairs I get is inversely proportional to how hard and how frequently I scrub the area with an exfoliant or washcloth.
It takes some getting used to, but it pays off.
AmLactin is the product name. It's a moisturizing lotion with 12% lactic acid. I typically put it on right before bedtime. It does have a slightly of smell, but that goes away quickly.
you can use a chem exfoliant with a BHA / AHA depending on what works better for your skin. paula’s choice has a good BHA exfoliant. the ordinary is a good cheap brand too
I've been using a super stiff boar brush barely soaked all over my face with a normal bar of soap (well Moroccan artisan soap) on the days I don't shave. It has helped to tease out any in grown hairs. Then I put an aftershave balm to re-hydrate.
Apply a warm/hot compress/towel to my face a good 5 mins before lathering. Makes a huge difference in getting a smooth and comfortable shave - it's as if I can use sub-par soaps and razors and still get a great shave
Using a hot face cloth before and between changing directions for the shave.
I just run the hottest water from the tap to get a face cloth hot, then press it against my neck or face where i am about to shave. This helps to open up the pores, making the hair easier to cut without getting nicked by the blade in my experience.
It is most necessary when you are doing your pass that goes with the grain, as that is when you’ll get the most benefit out of it.
When done the last cut, I then switch to cold water to close up the pores.
Exactly. I once saw someone on here say it's not called slightly damp shaving.
If your lather feels sticky and pasty, add more water. Some soaps take way more than you could imagine. Once you hit that yogurt consistency you are pretty damn close.
I change my blade after every shave, even on my straight blade razor for lining my beard up. They’re too cheap to re use them and it’s nice having a fresh blade every time. I recently started doing this and it’s wonderful.
I may have once or twice. I've been using it for a while. I find putting that onto my face, then lathering up with my soap, Proraso, Sterling, Soap Commander, etc I get an close, easy shave. When I don't use it, I have a slight irritation. I think it's great!
Lots of good posts already. A good post shave routine is just as important as the rest of the shave. Mine is I have Thayers witch hazel in a spray bottle. I do about 6 sprays of spread it around my face and follow that up with alum. I let that sit for a few minutes while I clean my razor and brush. I then use a cold water soaked towel and wipe it off, dry my face and then apply the aftershave.
when in a hurry, use the waterproof electric shaver with your usualy premium shave lather/soap.
Actually, I do this more and more now as I don't have time for a straight edged shave.
When shaving ur head. First thing drag straight down the part from from of head to back of neck. All the way. Then use that clear rd to shave the rest coming sideways from that initial path.
Have not cut my head once since using this method
Coo. Yeah I got some because I read everyone here using it, but I kinda feel like it's not necessarily for me. Maybe a styptic pencil for the very occasional nick...
Buy a decent mirror that's got a sturdy plastic boarder that doesn't need to be suction-cupped to the shower wall, get a good quality muskrat brush, a puck of Wilkinson Sword shaving soap and shave while you're having a shower.
1:you can see a lot better since you can get right up to the mirror
2: the steam will help soften the whiskers
3: no mess in the sink to have to clean up ;)
I started doing this mid nineties and find it's a great shave!
*and you can shave your beard the same way* haha
Comfortable skin far, FAR outweighs a close shave. I have an unfortunate combo of sensitive skin and thick facial hair, and it took me a LONG time to realise I just can't shave ATG without irritation.
Two passes WTG leaves me with a much smarter, calmer looking shave. Yes shaving ATG gets me a closer shave, but my face looks like it's been in an arse slapping competition for half an hour.
Let your skin tell you what's up, not some random dude from the web!
I shave Sunday and Wednesday nights unless I need to be clean shaven for something. Sunday I exfoliate first.
I shower at night and go to bed clean. Every night I use a cleanser in the shower and moisturizer afterwards. Rarely have to deal with any irritation.
Biggest tip is taking your time, enjoy the peace and quiet.
I have a couple...
-I stopped trying to perfect my lather. Now I spend less time trying to find the perfect water to soap ratio and use that time shaving which reduced lather loss
-mapping my hiar growth on my head. I head shave and I've been able to reduce my shave time down to about 5 min with multiple passes making it more effective and enjoyable
Cold water everything. I have hard water so it messes with my skin and cold water alleviates most of that. Also making my own shaving solution is nice. Coconut butter, aloe vera gel, and tea tree oil
I put hot water into my lather bowl before I shower. When I get out, I change the water to soak the brush while I put the pre-shave oil on my face. That keeps the brush warm longer than starting when I get out of the shower.
Shaving with cold water. I get mostly BBS with way less time and touch up passes. It used to be up-down (mostly WTG), down-up (mostly ATG but also XTG for part of the neck), then sides-middle on the neck to get the ATG for the leftovers on the neck, and then several touch ups along what would be the jawline if I had any. Nowadays the 3 passes are mostly good for everything. The jawline still has some sandpaper lines but with cold water it takes me way less effort for the same end result compared to warm water
Plus cold water and menthol feels really good
I find it really easy to remember how many shaves I’ve done with whatever blade I have open at the time. I mean I don’t have more than one blade open at once, I just have one in the razor and keep it there til it’s done. I find it easy to remember in my head how many shaves I’ve done…but another easier idea than using a whiteboard I’ve read is to just use a dice to tell you how many shaves a razor has done.
bigger gap got me there , the big gap must suit my hair type and the fact i shave twice a week , takes it all off to a decent level vs having to take 3 passes with the milder razor
big gap /agreessive had scared me into thinking cuts /pain /dangerous to use , ive barley made a single nick since having it (fatboy on 6 or 7 )
Finding the right shaving soap made a big difference for me. Razors that I previously felt were too aggressive turned out to be just fine when I found the right soap.
Sometimes, less is more. My skin feels least irritated when I use less sharp blades like Derby. Feathers nick me pretty bad no matter the prep or technique.
Try out different blades and decide what works for your skin.
Yes, exactly. Try a witch hazel based aftershave and an alcohol based aftershave as an alternative. Try using ONLY alum, ONLY the witch hazel, ONLY alcohol AS and ONLY the balm - this helped me identify that my skin does not like alum.
If you're in the EU, goodfellas smile makes Witch hazel and alcohol based aftershave splashes.
Get alopecia. Cut shaving time in half!
Downside is when you forget to shave it looks patchy and bad. And you can’t grow a beard because it looks patchy and bad.
Also you gotta shave your whole head or else it looks bad.
But hey, cuts time down a bit!
Depending on the way your hair grow, you can go against the grain before going across the grain (according your doing 3 passes). My hair would always pull and thug when doing the traditional way, someday I switched the order and now its never painful and always achieve a bbs!
The most objective improvement in 10+ years of shaving for me is preparation.
**Increasing water contact against the beard hair** has improved my shaving more than any piece of gear or 30+ types of razors.
What this can translate to:
\- Use a wet towel compress hot or cold for 5+ minutes
\- Shave in the shower
\- Use more water in your lather: it should be very thin
\- After lathering your face, leave it for 5+ minutes
Stretching the skin (up down left right) at problem areas to reduce the cut / nick potential. For me, it was along jawline (stretch up) and the Adam's apple (stretch left or right).
Dropped this after becoming more experienced with holding the DE razor using proper angle and pressure.
I find it easiest to shave after I’ve been in the shower for a little bit plus it’s just easier to rinse off the shaving cream and not get it in my clothes or anything
Stopped using shaving cream like fifteen years ago. Last thing i do in the shower is wash and condition my hair. I get out of the shower and immediately shave with a mach3 and a wet face. It’s easier, quicker, cleaners, burns less, and gives me a super clean shave.
For me it’s all about what you use to shave - a high quality razor and not using shaving cream or lotion. When I started using hair conditioner to shave with my shaving got much more comfortable and skin felt amazing afterwards. I used Gillette Mach5 and pretty much any standard hair conditioner and shave in the shower. Lotion after the shower. I can get 3 months out of Mach5 blade, I shave every other day on average.
Blume your soap! Splash blume water on your face before you shave. Whip up a frothy lather before shaving. Do NOT apply or shave with runny shave cream -- I used to do this, and boy, did I ruin a lot of shaves by not realizing how important a good foam is to achieving a great shave!
Dry shaving, seriously, grew up watching my dad do it and thinking he was nuts and tough as nails. Turns out it works great.
DE razor, feather blade, currently using a RazoRock Lupo OC .95 and shave without water or soap, just go slow and gentle and smoothly shave the hair away. Works great
If you're a person of colour and you get irritation with a toner that contains witch hazel, switch to a toner that doesn't have that ingredient. And avoid denatured alcohol also. Both can dry the skin and cause irritation which leads to hyperpigmentation. A decent toner would be the CeraVe hydrating toner followed by an aftershave that doesn't contain denatured or fragrance.
Of course, your mileage may vary, but give a try and see if there's an improvement. I've found avoiding witch hazel, denatured alcohol and fragrance have led to an overall more pleasant experience with shaving and the days after a shave.
Biggest have by far is using barbadol. Used to shave dry, which was okay but I got a ton of razor burn. Barbadol makes it much, much better. Highly recommended 👍.
I just saw what subreddit this was and realized I'm out of my depth. I'm a casual shaver. But for what it's worth, ditching the shaving cream was a game changer.
For me shaving got so much better when I’ve stopped chasing that proverbial BBS every single time.
Even if I get a BBS shave, I can feel stubble by noon. So I ask myself, why bother?
My BBS lasts at least 24h lol. Can't grow a beard for my life
My beard is pretty soft, but grows like a mother.!
This is exactly my rationale too.
And for me, BBS looks the same in the mirror as a DFS.
Goddamn fuck it’s good to not be alone in this front.
I think there are more of us than they let on. BBS only leads to razor burn and irritation.
I am a sucker for punishment. Can’t help ATGing here and there tho I’ve lessened it on my poor neck. I had a shit shave today after using warm rather than cold water. Irritation central on my neck. I’ve been getting quite a few nicks too using a Flydear razor blade! Sigh. But I think that’s just a result of not having the best shaver control..
Came here to say this. When I gave up chasing BBS I got the closest, most comfortable shaves ever.
I'm trying to overcome this. After shaving, I have to verbally tell myself in the mirror "It's a damn good shave".
Could you please explain what is “BBS”?
"Baby's Butt Smooth"
Baby's Butt Smooth. Basically, no matter from which direction you run your fingers over the shaved area, you should not be able to feel friction caused by stubble i.e. smooth in all directions.
I don't understand the fascination with that given how short lived it is. Talk about diminishing returns for extra time investment, lol.
I stopped a couple years ago. I stick with 2 passes now. Withe grain, then across grain. My face thanks me.
That was one of the first pearls of wisdom that I learned.
Can confirm, self caring after a shave is my most important thing, I always look in a mirror and take 30 seconds to admire how good It looks, makes me feel like I'm doing it f9r a reason and gives me that confidence boost I need
^ this
My biggest hack was learning how to save time. I used to try and shave while my butler read me the latest news of the international markets, but now I have him shave me while one of the maids reads the markets to me. Much quicker.
One should never allow one's maids to read. They may learn things they should never know. Can you not find a bat boy for that element of your ablution?
I’d use my bat boy, but he’s on loan to my charitable organization, Sir Samkin’s School for Wayward Girls ages 18-21, so unfortunately the maid will have to make due.
On loan for.... what? 👀
Bats
One, a gentleman should only trust his personal valet to shave him not a butler. Two, a maid has no place in a gentleman’s shaving atrium. Three, reading of the paper is to be done by a dogsbody since it saves time on newspaper ironing because no one cares if they dirty their hands with ink and the young lout needs to practice his letters should he ever hope to be of proper use to your house.
Damn that’s smart. I’ve been having my barber shave me each morning while reading the paper myself. What an idiot I am.
Do a beard map. Save 2-3 days is stubble.Take a pice if cotton and hold it lightly and drag over your face and neck in different directions. When the cotton sticks you are going Against The Grain. Don’t do that. Instead go at a slight angle or sideways. This was a GameChanger for me. Now I can get BBS without irritation “if I want to” Beard mapping my friend :)
Cool tip, but came to ask - autocorrect from writing too much about certain Razorock razor? ;)
Haha got me there :)
This is so important. I generally do 3 passes; with the grain, across the grain and then against the grain. My beard grows in 4 different directions so which I do and when varies depending what part of my face I am shaving.
Beard map made the biggest improvement for me. I used a credit card 💳 to work out my grain map. As well as feeling which way the grain is going you can also hear the difference.
If you're a beginner stop your shave when the appearance of hair is gone, not the feel. Trying to get a BBS marble finish is going to result in some bad irritation and bumps.
Nothing beats a proper hot water prep. It can be the difference between an uncomfortable tugfest and a great shave. Our grandfathers knew this, but these days it gets de-emphasised.
I also use a container to transfer hot water from my bathtub faucet to the sink. The water heats up way faster this way so I don't waste the cold sink water and I can actually fill the sink faster this way, in my experience.
Once your bath tub gets hot, your sink should instantly be hot. Doubt there’s much of a difference, your bathtub just outputs more gallons per minute so it gets hot faster as it moves the cold water through the pipes quicker. Same amount of water your sink will use getting hot.
Yes that is true, but I shave right after showering so the water would already be hot at the tub faucet and my sink water would still be cold.
I prep with a moisturizer, sometimes an hour before the shave, and then good hot water. I get the smoothest shaves like that
Any moisturizer in particular?
At the moment I use CeraVe. Before that I ised a cheap one containing urea. Both were equally good
Shave in the shower...
Face lathering. It just works and softens your beard better.
Came here to say this, and if you can, make the face lather the first step and then allow it to dwell on your face for a couple minutes while you get everything else out and ready. Much better shaves since I started doing this.
Van Der Hagen shave soap can be melted in the microwave and will harden back to perfectly fit whatever mug/ bowl it’s placed in. I’m sure other soaps can do this too but the handful of other kinds I tried to melt didn’t work as well
Well, what the fuck
Important distinction, this only works for glycerin based soaps. If you try this on tallow based soaps (animal fat) they will burn. For tallow based soaps I heard some people grate it, add a little water, smush it down, and then leave it for a day to harden.
Not all mugs are microwave safe
Don’t go against the grain. 100% not worth it.
So just two passes with the grain?
I go one with and one across. Going against the grain only opens up the opportunity for irritation if technique isn’t perfect and by noon that day it is irrelevant anyways as your hair has already grown out far enough that it’s like you never did it in the first place.
If you have coarse hair and don't need to be clean shaven every single day - let it grow for a few days. Your beard will get softer and will be much easier to shave off!
It's also more satisfying. I only shave on days I work, Monday morning shave is my favorite. It's the only good thing about Mondays.
Cold water.
This was it for me. I had lots of irritation when I first started. Once I changed to cold water it went away.
Yup me too
For before or after?
Personally I take a warm/hot shower and then within 5-10 minutes of getting out I start shaving. I keep the water very cool the entire time I’m shaving. It seems to minimize irritation and dry skin, as I used to get really bad ingrown hairs and dry patches. Years ago I think I saw a WWII training video in which they recommended soldiers using cold water to avoid irritation. Something about it closing the pores.
I use cold water for everything. In the summer I will even dump ice cubes in the sink to make it colder.
How so? After the shave or during?
The whole thing, during and after.
I thought the blade 'had' to be warm?!
No, that's one of those "myths" of DE shaving. Along with "you have to shave after a shower" and "you have to use zero pressure".
Nope, the blade should be cold too. Everything should be cold.
My man, an absolute game changer!!!
Sounds like you tried it and it worked for you too!
Mild razor = forgiving on pressure, but not on angle. Aggressive razor = forgiving on angle, but not on pressure.
Yes. I have an adjustable razor. I got better shaves when I opened it wide to expose more blade - I used to cut myself pretty often. Now I don’t! I can have the wrong angle and let the pressure do the work
Same. This was the most important tip that helped me.
Ha! Mine is alum!
Oh my alum block has lasted like 4 years and shows no sign of age! Best aftershave!
I really like my alum block. I was using a stylistic pencil before this and it hurt to buggery but this is much smoother and nicer to apply. a++ will apply again
My hack, enjoy the shave, ie no time restrains, no stress, no negativity, just enjoy the shave
Using a spray bottle is a great way to dial water into a lather for your brush and face
That's a way better method than me trying to flick water on my face. I'll try this approach next time.
Try spray bottle misters! Great way to add water evenly and slowly
Is that like the bottles people use to humidify their lizard habitats?
Not sure. I've never seen that before. They're called "continuous spray water bottles" on Amazon
>continuous spray water bottles same idea, smaller format
Ah! Cheers!
Using a spray bottle has the added advantage of being fillable with demineralized water making you able to lather more quickly and with less soap.
That is fascinating! I never knew that!
The effect is most noticeable if your location has hard water
yup yup, game changer this one.
Take the lather seriously
After I soak my Kent badger brush in hot water I drip a bunch onto my shaving soap cake (Williams) and let it warm up a bit. Then I pour off the hot water and begin making my lather. I think warming the cake helps get the lather going and keeps it warm.
I saw someone, somewhere mention that squeezing the water from your soaked brush into the lather bowl will provide the nearly perfect amount of water for the lather. Since I started doing this I've never had a lather fail.
I’ve been doing this unknowingly haha, it works great, I usually just let the soap bloom in water, then tip it out, then Just soak my brush and it’s always a perfect lather
Get a sweet looking razor so you want to use it all the time instead of going back to c*rtridges.
If you use canned shaving cream like I do, apply it, then go back over it with a small amount of warm water. The texture of the cream and the overall shave is so much better.
Heretic! Get out of here! Mods, please ban this man! /s
I know, I've brought shame to the whole sub.
Lather, it should be so wet it can hardly hold its shape.
As a cutthroat shaver my biggest hack is mindset. If I'm still grumpy or flustered when I get out of the shower, I take my freshly stropped blade, hot bowl, soaked brush, and I put them away. I can be scruffy for another day.
Quit going crosswise or against the grain trying to get baby's ass smooth. Make two passes at most & move on with your day. Find the consistency of lather that works for you.
Exfoliate. The amounts of ingrown hairs I get is inversely proportional to how hard and how frequently I scrub the area with an exfoliant or washcloth. It takes some getting used to, but it pays off.
Yes this! I shave every other day and on the days I don’t shave I face lather with regular bar soap and a boar brush, goodbye ingrown hairs.
physical exfoliants are not good for your skin. use a chemical exfoliant instead
Agreed! I use Amlactin 12% after my dermatologist explained why it's so much better that physical abrasives.
Which product exactly? I searched but was expecting to find exfoliating pads.
AmLactin is the product name. It's a moisturizing lotion with 12% lactic acid. I typically put it on right before bedtime. It does have a slightly of smell, but that goes away quickly.
you can use a chem exfoliant with a BHA / AHA depending on what works better for your skin. paula’s choice has a good BHA exfoliant. the ordinary is a good cheap brand too
I've been using a super stiff boar brush barely soaked all over my face with a normal bar of soap (well Moroccan artisan soap) on the days I don't shave. It has helped to tease out any in grown hairs. Then I put an aftershave balm to re-hydrate.
I use neutrogena hydro daily. It keeps my skin hydrated, and I have much less irritation.
Shaving. In. The. Shower Face lather and shave in the shower. Best shave of my life everyday and done in like 3 mins...
Ride the gaurd on some aggressive razors like the rex Ambassador or dart
Apply a warm/hot compress/towel to my face a good 5 mins before lathering. Makes a huge difference in getting a smooth and comfortable shave - it's as if I can use sub-par soaps and razors and still get a great shave
Using a hot face cloth before and between changing directions for the shave. I just run the hottest water from the tap to get a face cloth hot, then press it against my neck or face where i am about to shave. This helps to open up the pores, making the hair easier to cut without getting nicked by the blade in my experience. It is most necessary when you are doing your pass that goes with the grain, as that is when you’ll get the most benefit out of it. When done the last cut, I then switch to cold water to close up the pores.
Shaving secret: ice cube on the face after shaving.
More water
Exactly. I once saw someone on here say it's not called slightly damp shaving. If your lather feels sticky and pasty, add more water. Some soaps take way more than you could imagine. Once you hit that yogurt consistency you are pretty damn close.
Yea shiny yogurt where the peaks almost fall back into place
I change my blade after every shave, even on my straight blade razor for lining my beard up. They’re too cheap to re use them and it’s nice having a fresh blade every time. I recently started doing this and it’s wonderful.
Place the blade in the razor rather than shave while holding the blade in your hands.
Shave Secret for the preshave prep helps me.
Have you tried shaving just with Shave Secret?
I may have once or twice. I've been using it for a while. I find putting that onto my face, then lathering up with my soap, Proraso, Sterling, Soap Commander, etc I get an close, easy shave. When I don't use it, I have a slight irritation. I think it's great!
Lots of good posts already. A good post shave routine is just as important as the rest of the shave. Mine is I have Thayers witch hazel in a spray bottle. I do about 6 sprays of spread it around my face and follow that up with alum. I let that sit for a few minutes while I clean my razor and brush. I then use a cold water soaked towel and wipe it off, dry my face and then apply the aftershave.
If you want to go against the grain and BBS, use hair conditioner after doing your first couple passes with shave soap/brush.
Won’t hair conditioner cause breakouts?
Hasn’t for me, but I shower after I shave.
when in a hurry, use the waterproof electric shaver with your usualy premium shave lather/soap. Actually, I do this more and more now as I don't have time for a straight edged shave.
When shaving ur head. First thing drag straight down the part from from of head to back of neck. All the way. Then use that clear rd to shave the rest coming sideways from that initial path. Have not cut my head once since using this method
What a great tip! Was trying to figure this out
OP, when you use alum, do you Rinse it off or leave it on? I left it on once and my face exploded. Use and rinse and I'm good
Rinse
Coo. Yeah I got some because I read everyone here using it, but I kinda feel like it's not necessarily for me. Maybe a styptic pencil for the very occasional nick...
I rinsed it Off everytime
Use hair conditioner over canned shaving foam. It provides a much better cushion.
Buy a decent mirror that's got a sturdy plastic boarder that doesn't need to be suction-cupped to the shower wall, get a good quality muskrat brush, a puck of Wilkinson Sword shaving soap and shave while you're having a shower. 1:you can see a lot better since you can get right up to the mirror 2: the steam will help soften the whiskers 3: no mess in the sink to have to clean up ;) I started doing this mid nineties and find it's a great shave! *and you can shave your beard the same way* haha
Comfortable skin far, FAR outweighs a close shave. I have an unfortunate combo of sensitive skin and thick facial hair, and it took me a LONG time to realise I just can't shave ATG without irritation. Two passes WTG leaves me with a much smarter, calmer looking shave. Yes shaving ATG gets me a closer shave, but my face looks like it's been in an arse slapping competition for half an hour. Let your skin tell you what's up, not some random dude from the web!
Fresh blade each shave. Blades are cheap enough to swap out every time. My initial irritation problems disappeared once I used a new blade each shave.
Try shave secret and shave with just that and a razor once
What do you use instead of alum blades?
Witch hazel by TFS or goodfellas smile followed by alcohol based aftershave followed by Aftershave balm.
I just remember what my barber does to me
Hair conditioner is a godsend preshave product if you have very coarse facial hair. Just a little before you lather up.
Apply and rinse off or leave on as a base for lather?
I leave it on as a base lather. Pretty much any conditioner works. I use Dove just because it's cheap and gets the job done.
I shave Sunday and Wednesday nights unless I need to be clean shaven for something. Sunday I exfoliate first. I shower at night and go to bed clean. Every night I use a cleanser in the shower and moisturizer afterwards. Rarely have to deal with any irritation. Biggest tip is taking your time, enjoy the peace and quiet.
I have a couple... -I stopped trying to perfect my lather. Now I spend less time trying to find the perfect water to soap ratio and use that time shaving which reduced lather loss -mapping my hiar growth on my head. I head shave and I've been able to reduce my shave time down to about 5 min with multiple passes making it more effective and enjoyable
Hot water prep and face rinses but keep your blade/razor cold. Rinse your razor with cold water. Makes a huge difference with irritation.
Shave with Eucerin Skin Calming Body Wash after getting your face good and warm and wet. It does better for me than any other shaving cream.
Cold water everything. I have hard water so it messes with my skin and cold water alleviates most of that. Also making my own shaving solution is nice. Coconut butter, aloe vera gel, and tea tree oil
Cold water
Don’t shave with “hot” water. It makes me pickup nicks. I actually like shaving with cool to cold water better. I almost never get nicks now.
Basic but drying blade after for longevity
I dip the head of the razor with the blade into alcohol before placing into my razor stand.
I put hot water into my lather bowl before I shower. When I get out, I change the water to soak the brush while I put the pre-shave oil on my face. That keeps the brush warm longer than starting when I get out of the shower.
Shaving with cold water. I get mostly BBS with way less time and touch up passes. It used to be up-down (mostly WTG), down-up (mostly ATG but also XTG for part of the neck), then sides-middle on the neck to get the ATG for the leftovers on the neck, and then several touch ups along what would be the jawline if I had any. Nowadays the 3 passes are mostly good for everything. The jawline still has some sandpaper lines but with cold water it takes me way less effort for the same end result compared to warm water Plus cold water and menthol feels really good
I write down how many times I've used a razor with a little whiteboard in my bathroom. Makes it super easy to not over use it.
I find it really easy to remember how many shaves I’ve done with whatever blade I have open at the time. I mean I don’t have more than one blade open at once, I just have one in the razor and keep it there til it’s done. I find it easy to remember in my head how many shaves I’ve done…but another easier idea than using a whiteboard I’ve read is to just use a dice to tell you how many shaves a razor has done.
bigger gap got me there , the big gap must suit my hair type and the fact i shave twice a week , takes it all off to a decent level vs having to take 3 passes with the milder razor big gap /agreessive had scared me into thinking cuts /pain /dangerous to use , ive barley made a single nick since having it (fatboy on 6 or 7 )
Finding the right shaving soap made a big difference for me. Razors that I previously felt were too aggressive turned out to be just fine when I found the right soap.
Sometimes, less is more. My skin feels least irritated when I use less sharp blades like Derby. Feathers nick me pretty bad no matter the prep or technique. Try out different blades and decide what works for your skin.
Do you mean the alum block? I've been getting some irritation on my neck and I'm now wondering if that is why...
Yes, exactly. Try a witch hazel based aftershave and an alcohol based aftershave as an alternative. Try using ONLY alum, ONLY the witch hazel, ONLY alcohol AS and ONLY the balm - this helped me identify that my skin does not like alum. If you're in the EU, goodfellas smile makes Witch hazel and alcohol based aftershave splashes.
Pre-shave oil
I've switched from shaving cream to butter.
Shave in the shower.
Get alopecia. Cut shaving time in half! Downside is when you forget to shave it looks patchy and bad. And you can’t grow a beard because it looks patchy and bad. Also you gotta shave your whole head or else it looks bad. But hey, cuts time down a bit!
Depending on the way your hair grow, you can go against the grain before going across the grain (according your doing 3 passes). My hair would always pull and thug when doing the traditional way, someday I switched the order and now its never painful and always achieve a bbs!
When I was getting red bumps on my neck so instead of going to a milder razor, I went much more aggressive. Now I never get bumps at all!
I use the cheapest single blade razors I can find and they’re perfectly fine.
The most objective improvement in 10+ years of shaving for me is preparation. **Increasing water contact against the beard hair** has improved my shaving more than any piece of gear or 30+ types of razors. What this can translate to: \- Use a wet towel compress hot or cold for 5+ minutes \- Shave in the shower \- Use more water in your lather: it should be very thin \- After lathering your face, leave it for 5+ minutes
Use Noxzema as your shave cream. It cleans your pores and I’ve found gives me far closer shaves with less/no irritation!
Stretching the skin (up down left right) at problem areas to reduce the cut / nick potential. For me, it was along jawline (stretch up) and the Adam's apple (stretch left or right). Dropped this after becoming more experienced with holding the DE razor using proper angle and pressure.
I find it easiest to shave after I’ve been in the shower for a little bit plus it’s just easier to rinse off the shaving cream and not get it in my clothes or anything
Shaving in the shower with Cremo and Harry’s by feel. I touch up the sideburns and Adam’s apple and any other missed spots when I get out.
Put a layer of hair conditioner on your stubble while you’re in the shower before you shave.
Stopped using shaving cream like fifteen years ago. Last thing i do in the shower is wash and condition my hair. I get out of the shower and immediately shave with a mach3 and a wet face. It’s easier, quicker, cleaners, burns less, and gives me a super clean shave.
For me it’s all about what you use to shave - a high quality razor and not using shaving cream or lotion. When I started using hair conditioner to shave with my shaving got much more comfortable and skin felt amazing afterwards. I used Gillette Mach5 and pretty much any standard hair conditioner and shave in the shower. Lotion after the shower. I can get 3 months out of Mach5 blade, I shave every other day on average.
Use cold water, I find it really good with a brand new blade but after the second time I move to hot water
Blume your soap! Splash blume water on your face before you shave. Whip up a frothy lather before shaving. Do NOT apply or shave with runny shave cream -- I used to do this, and boy, did I ruin a lot of shaves by not realizing how important a good foam is to achieving a great shave!
A beard
Dry shaving, seriously, grew up watching my dad do it and thinking he was nuts and tough as nails. Turns out it works great. DE razor, feather blade, currently using a RazoRock Lupo OC .95 and shave without water or soap, just go slow and gentle and smoothly shave the hair away. Works great
get your facial hair lasered off if you want to be clean shaven
If you're a person of colour and you get irritation with a toner that contains witch hazel, switch to a toner that doesn't have that ingredient. And avoid denatured alcohol also. Both can dry the skin and cause irritation which leads to hyperpigmentation. A decent toner would be the CeraVe hydrating toner followed by an aftershave that doesn't contain denatured or fragrance. Of course, your mileage may vary, but give a try and see if there's an improvement. I've found avoiding witch hazel, denatured alcohol and fragrance have led to an overall more pleasant experience with shaving and the days after a shave.
Biggest have by far is using barbadol. Used to shave dry, which was okay but I got a ton of razor burn. Barbadol makes it much, much better. Highly recommended 👍.
Don't use shaving cream. It's completely unnecessary after you've adjusted to being without it.
I just saw what subreddit this was and realized I'm out of my depth. I'm a casual shaver. But for what it's worth, ditching the shaving cream was a game changer.
You use soap or just go in raw?
Just water
You’re wild, son 👦