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Shaving Without Products or Cream

Hello Everyone;

Started wet shaving a few weeks prior to COVID. A friend had gifted me a basic set years ago and he came over with his family after the death of another mutual friend say Feb 2020. He asked me if I had tried and the stuff had been sitting there for years so upon my wife's urging I caved in and.... haven't done the electric thing ever since. Using all the products and experiencing the aromas was AWESOME and a great thing to experience. For us the "lockdown" which wasn't really lock down at all as we were out and about as it gave us the time to do more things we loved some together as a family, others looking inwards to do nice things, one of them being... wet shaving.

So I've been doing it for 2 1/2 years and pretty good at it. Got a collection of safety razors and my favorite is the Blackland Dart. I prefer the Astra blue (Superior not platinum less harsh) as well as Big Ben blades. But I found that as life got busy again didn't have time to whip up shaving cream and do the whole riga-marol. So I just wet my face in the shower, enjoy some heat and towards the end of the washing session so my pores are all open I just shave. I don't use a mirror in the shower either lest it falls and shatters I just go by feel.

If anything the use of products dulls the feel and I seem to cut a lot more easily even if I use soap but sometimes I just love preshave oil. I cut myself more with it so it's limited though. So hot water, a wet face and nothing more save open pores works well for me. Anyone else not use products and shave "just so"?
 
No, but I routinely shave with the lather that's on my face after I wash it with an olive oil based soap that helps my eczema. It's already on there and it's super slick, so may as well. I get great shaves with it and it clears up my skin problems at the same time.
 
Hi @Attilio and welcome to B&B! Welcome aboard.

No, although on a handful of times back in the day I have washed my face with soap, kept it wet and thinly soapy and used a Fusion 5. The results were not SOTD (shave of the day) material.

Best to face lather. You can get a great lather on your mug and ready to shave in under 2 minutes. I use any one of several products, including Palmolive Classic shaving cream, (just put a small dollop on wet brush, and apply) or a shaving stick like Tabac or the wonderful Arko! stick. Rub on wet stubble, then apply wet brush. Magic lather appears.

I exclusively face lather now, and there are some nice products in cream or shaving stick format. Taylor Of Old Bond Street do their Sandalwood in stick form, and there are many other great tubed creams and sticks.

You can still get a great shave like this in well under 15 minutes, easy.

Your Blackland Dart deserves some lather to work with I think.
 
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rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Just one minor correction @Attilio, a person's skin does not have any pores that open and close (due to heat/cold or any other external action). This opening/closing of pores in the skin is a myth put out by advertising agencies.

Other than the above, it is good to hear that you have found a shaving system that works for you.
 
I live in a dry climate; my face wouldn't stay wet long enough for me to actually shave it, so I always use a soap or cream to maintain slickness. I don't always use a soap and brush.
 
In older times, it was fairly common for men in some Scandinavian countries to shave after sauna. The lubrication used was water, maybe with a bit of soap. The heat and moisture prepared the beard well for shaving.

If you can find a bath soap that won't dry out your skin, many of them will work OK for shaving. Soaps like Yardley with shea butter, for instance. It's really inexpensive and widely available.
 
Whenever I DE shave,
it's in the shower using whatever soap happens to be there.

A soaped up face won't dry out in there.

Shaving in the shower without a mirror
requires the same level of skill
as touching your nose with your eyes closed.

If a cop pulls you over and
you're unable to touch your nose with your eyes closed,
you ain't driving home.
 
Just one minor correction @Attilio, a person's skin does not have any pores that open and close (due to heat/cold or any other external action). This opening/closing of pores in the skin is a myth put out by advertising agencies.

Other than the above, it is good to hear that you have found a shaving system that works for you.
What? Next you're going to tell me a shave brush doesn't raise the whiskers up for shaving :tongue_sm
 
First and foremost, a warm welcome to B&B! We are certainly glad you have joined us!

Personally I would never shave without a lather on my face.

Your success is a classic example of
YRMV.(Your Results May Vary)
 
Just one minor correction @Attilio, a person's skin does not have any pores that open and close (due to heat/cold or any other external action). This opening/closing of pores in the skin is a myth put out by advertising agencies.

Other than the above, it is good to hear that you have found a shaving system that works for you.

I don't know about response to temperature,
but I know from first hand experience
that a sneeze will snap them all open at the same time.

I had a bad case of heat rash on my back,
from being in the engine room.

And I sneezed while going up a ladder.
 
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Welcome to B&B. It's great you found a system that works for you. Back when I used DE, I could never get Big Ben blades to work adequately. Just shows that everyone has their own preference and what works for me might not work for you and vice versa.

I would occasionally use a DE in the shower and would rub my face with shampoo. That would provide slickness without a lather. Something you might try, or not, up to you.

If you're worried about breaking a mirror in the shower, I'm sure there are plastic mirrors that would work if you're so inclined.
 
Yes, I do, on limited occasions. I have old, grey whiskers, but depending on the razor I have no problem shaving without lather, or cream.

I always do some buffing with just a wet face at the end of a shave, after rinsing off. It works better (for me), and I’ve read old Gillette ads talking about doing clean-up passes with just water after rinsing off lather, too.

Heck, on non-shave days, if I need to just tidy up a bit for work, I’ll often dry shave without water. My ‘40s Superspeed doesn’t care. No cuts, no irritation. I don’t go for a bbs in that case, obviously, just a pass with some cleanup.

Now for a really GOOD shave, of course I whip up a good lather and reapply liberally. But in a pinch, yeah no problem.

*YMMV Disclaimer: I have a goatee and mustache, so I don’t need to shave the trickier lip/chin areas, that makes a big difference. I also don’t have this sensitive skin everyone keeps talking about.
 
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In high school, I saw a photo of the Rolling Stones' guitarist, Keith Richards, "dry shaving." It was in "Spanish Tony" Sanchez's tell-all book on the Stones at the time. Just did a search for the photo, but couldn't find it. But I did find another photo of Richards "dry shaving." So it seems that was a regular method for him, although from his expression, it doesn't look like he's enjoying it too much. (It also looks like he's got a can of shave goo behind the can of Budweiser, but he's chosen not to use it.)

Me I like the deadening effect that menthol provides at the start of the shave. I've experimented with oil-only based shaves, but I much prefer to shave with a good lather and a brush.

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If I am in a rush, I will use a Gillette Fusion in the shower with just water. Maybe once or twice a year. I did this for 30+ years with carts and no soap/cream.

I wouldn’t do it with a SE or DE though.
 

linty1

My wallet cries.
I used to dry shave with a single blade bic disposable before I found these forums, my father did it his whole life. Simpler times I suppose. Thinking about it makes me want to find one of those bics and give it another go.
 
In high school, I saw a photo of the Rolling Stones' guitarist, Keith Richards, "dry shaving." It was in "Spanish Tony" Sanchez's tell-all book on the Stones at the time. Just did a search for the photo, but couldn't find it. But I did find another photo of Richards "dry shaving." So it seems that was a regular method for him, although from his expression, it doesn't look like he's enjoying it too much. (It also looks like he's got a can of shave goo behind the can of Budweiser, but he's chosen not to use it.)

Me I like the deadening effect that menthol provides at the start of the shave. I've experimented with oil-only based shaves, but I much prefer to shave with a good lather and a brush.

View attachment 1543735
Looks like he's using a Trac II and what's that behind his ear? 🤣
 
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