P
Pogo
INTRODUCTION
I’ve read heavily and extensively in Badger and Blade. The site has given me a lot of useful information. I’m 65 years old and have many years of shaving experience. Please allow me to reciprocate your courtesies and add to the general knowledge.
My approach to shaving is different than some of you use. I’m a minimalist and cheap. My goal when shaving has been to get the job done as efficiently as possible. I strive for simplicity, minimal expense, minimal hardware and software, and, perhaps most important, negligible damage to my skin.
I recognize that many of you enjoy the process of shaving. You might delight in the preparation, potions, and passes of the razor. You may enjoy the luxury of a shave brush, building lather, and heady scents. The acquisition disorders of shaving may be a self-indulgence in which you delight. The solitary time you spend shaving may provide you with quiet, private time that is soothing to your soul. If those things are important to you and you enjoy them, then I do not wish to dissuade you from your occupation or demean your pastime.
However, if you want a shave that will last all day, want to get in and get out, and want to minimize your investment of time, money, and equipment, perhaps you might find some of my suggestions helpful.
If your need is for a baby-butt-smooth shave, my techniques are not for you. My goal is to get a shave that will look presentable all day. I can feel stubble on my cheeks immediately after shaving but my face looks clean-shaven all day. From the moment I first turn on the tap until I’ve finished wiping the countertop with a towel, the time is seldom more than six minutes. My skin does not feel tight or dry afterwards; only in the worst days of winter do I need a moisturizer after shaving. If these seem objectives in which you’re interested, please read on. If they, however, are not something you wish to pursue, I apologize for taking your time so far; you can stop reading now because my suggestions will not meet your needs.
Many of my suggestions are already published in Badger and Blade. Kindly accept my plagiarism with good grace.
PRESHAVE
In all my techniques, my first goal is to do no harm. Minimalism is, in my opinion, consistent with the first goal. Our skin has largely evolved to take care of itself. The less we manipulate or change it, the easier it will be for our skin to keep itself healthy. Kindly remember Crossley's Second Law, "If you play with it too much, you'll break it."
Our skin is protected by a natural acid mantle. Soap is alkaline. If we can minimize the alkaline damage to our skin, we will be better off. Superfatted soaps are made with five to 10 percent extra fat. The fat neutralizes the alkali necessary in soap making. About three to five percent fat remains in the finished soap. If your skin feels dry after shaving or if you need a moisturizer after shaving, you may solve the problem by using a superfatted soap in your preshave wash. You can also use superfatted soap to build your lather.
I’m opposed to germicidal soaps for two reasons. First, they can destroy the normal flora on your skin which contribute to skin health and subdue the growth of skin pathogens. Second, they may destroy some pathogens but allow germicide-resistant pathogens to flourish and you may end up with a resistant skin infection. I don’t use germicidal soaps.
Shaving is exfoliative. You need keratinized cells on your skin for protection. There is no benefit but there is potential harm using a desquamating scrub. Please remember: I’m a minimalist who wants to do as little damage as possible. If you think you need an exfoliative to prevent ingrown hairs, please read on.
I’m prone to ingrown hairs. I wash my face with a superfatted soap and rub against the grain of my beard with a terry washcloth (flannel in the UK) or my fingers. That exercise and shaving only with-the-grain are enough to prevent ingrown hairs for me.
I rinse the soap from my face before applying lather.
SHAVE
My preference for shave cream is the stuff that comes in tubes and I can work up a fine lather with my bare hands; the lather lasts the entire shave and is wet and rich. If it dries slightly, a pass with a damp hand is all that is necessary to refresh it.
Tube-type shave cream, if less than three ounces, can be taken in your carry-on airplane luggage.
I’ve found that I don’t need a brush. However, if you enjoy a brush but were horrified by the video of the skinning of a living badger, you could use a boar brush or follow the suggestion of Anders Larsen in his admirable book, _Sharp Practice_, and use a nylon brush. Links for nylon brushes are:
http://www.odsoap.com/id19.html
and
http://bestgroomingtools.com/toray-synthetic-hair-shaving-brush-p-508.html.
I know that badger holds water better than boar better than nylon. The decision is yours.
I don’t believe that brushes lift whiskers or exfoliate. I believe I get better whisker-lifting with my fingers or a washcloth.
If you want a baby-butt-smooth shave and are still reading this, the following may horrify you and almost certainly will anger you. Please take a few deep breaths and try to summon your Buddha nature before reading further.
I’ve learned that a single-blade razor is all that is necessary and will do the least damage to my skin. However, multiple-blade razors can do an excellent job and do only minimal skin damage if you make a solitary with-the-grain pass. Pivot head razors don’t require you to pursue the golden 30-degree angle; they take care of it for you.
Razor companies charge more for refill blades for their reusable handles than they do for disposable razors. They work on the premise that you believe the blades are better in the refills than in the disposable razors. I don’t believe that; it’s my opinion that, with negligible exceptions, the steel and the blade coatings are functionally identical and I resent being Gillette’s or Schick’s *****. Bic Sensitive disposable single-blade razors aren’t so bad. If you can get over paying less than 25 cents for a razor, you might find yourself satisfied and richer. They last me at least three days each.
Consistent with my minimalist, first do no harm approach, and with my proclivity for ingrown hairs, I make only one with-the-grain pass when shaving. Every time I make multiple passes or go across-the-grain or, worse, against-the-grain, I have trouble.
I do not believe in beard reduction. It’s my position that anyone can get a baby-butt-smooth shave making multiple passes in multiple directions, but the cost in skin injury and time isn’t worth it for me. The thought occurs to me that there is no skill in shaving if you keep swiping the blade against your beard until you are glabrous. Three passes with a triple-blade razor is nine swipes of steel against your skin, an unreasonable and unnecessary assault. If you are pursuing skill in shaving, it takes time, patience, and mindfulness to get a good shave in one with-the-grain pass. I’ve learned to do it; if I can, you can too if you’re interested enough to work at it. If you master the technique, you will be rewarded with healthier skin and shorter shaving time.
POSTSHAVE
I believe that I can’t rinse all the lather from my face with a washcloth and that residual soap is injurious to skin. Therefore, I shower after my shave and am meticulous to rinse all the lather from my face.
The thought occurs to me that if you have injured your skin so much by shaving that you need an aftershave balm or moisturizer, you have shaved wrongly. With my minimalist, first do no harm approach, I rarely need a moisturizer, usually only during the worst days of winter. Remember, I’m 65 years old and have the dry skin of a geezer. If I need a moisturizer, I use the complimentary tiny bottles I pick up in motel rooms.
I see no need for aftershave lotions with alcohol, skin toners, or skin food.
CONCLUSION
I’ve tried to offer a simplified, minimalist approach to shaving that does the least damage to skin. You make like some of my suggestions, others you make discount. We all have to find our own way.
Good luck.
I’ve read heavily and extensively in Badger and Blade. The site has given me a lot of useful information. I’m 65 years old and have many years of shaving experience. Please allow me to reciprocate your courtesies and add to the general knowledge.
My approach to shaving is different than some of you use. I’m a minimalist and cheap. My goal when shaving has been to get the job done as efficiently as possible. I strive for simplicity, minimal expense, minimal hardware and software, and, perhaps most important, negligible damage to my skin.
I recognize that many of you enjoy the process of shaving. You might delight in the preparation, potions, and passes of the razor. You may enjoy the luxury of a shave brush, building lather, and heady scents. The acquisition disorders of shaving may be a self-indulgence in which you delight. The solitary time you spend shaving may provide you with quiet, private time that is soothing to your soul. If those things are important to you and you enjoy them, then I do not wish to dissuade you from your occupation or demean your pastime.
However, if you want a shave that will last all day, want to get in and get out, and want to minimize your investment of time, money, and equipment, perhaps you might find some of my suggestions helpful.
If your need is for a baby-butt-smooth shave, my techniques are not for you. My goal is to get a shave that will look presentable all day. I can feel stubble on my cheeks immediately after shaving but my face looks clean-shaven all day. From the moment I first turn on the tap until I’ve finished wiping the countertop with a towel, the time is seldom more than six minutes. My skin does not feel tight or dry afterwards; only in the worst days of winter do I need a moisturizer after shaving. If these seem objectives in which you’re interested, please read on. If they, however, are not something you wish to pursue, I apologize for taking your time so far; you can stop reading now because my suggestions will not meet your needs.
Many of my suggestions are already published in Badger and Blade. Kindly accept my plagiarism with good grace.
PRESHAVE
In all my techniques, my first goal is to do no harm. Minimalism is, in my opinion, consistent with the first goal. Our skin has largely evolved to take care of itself. The less we manipulate or change it, the easier it will be for our skin to keep itself healthy. Kindly remember Crossley's Second Law, "If you play with it too much, you'll break it."
Our skin is protected by a natural acid mantle. Soap is alkaline. If we can minimize the alkaline damage to our skin, we will be better off. Superfatted soaps are made with five to 10 percent extra fat. The fat neutralizes the alkali necessary in soap making. About three to five percent fat remains in the finished soap. If your skin feels dry after shaving or if you need a moisturizer after shaving, you may solve the problem by using a superfatted soap in your preshave wash. You can also use superfatted soap to build your lather.
I’m opposed to germicidal soaps for two reasons. First, they can destroy the normal flora on your skin which contribute to skin health and subdue the growth of skin pathogens. Second, they may destroy some pathogens but allow germicide-resistant pathogens to flourish and you may end up with a resistant skin infection. I don’t use germicidal soaps.
Shaving is exfoliative. You need keratinized cells on your skin for protection. There is no benefit but there is potential harm using a desquamating scrub. Please remember: I’m a minimalist who wants to do as little damage as possible. If you think you need an exfoliative to prevent ingrown hairs, please read on.
I’m prone to ingrown hairs. I wash my face with a superfatted soap and rub against the grain of my beard with a terry washcloth (flannel in the UK) or my fingers. That exercise and shaving only with-the-grain are enough to prevent ingrown hairs for me.
I rinse the soap from my face before applying lather.
SHAVE
My preference for shave cream is the stuff that comes in tubes and I can work up a fine lather with my bare hands; the lather lasts the entire shave and is wet and rich. If it dries slightly, a pass with a damp hand is all that is necessary to refresh it.
Tube-type shave cream, if less than three ounces, can be taken in your carry-on airplane luggage.
I’ve found that I don’t need a brush. However, if you enjoy a brush but were horrified by the video of the skinning of a living badger, you could use a boar brush or follow the suggestion of Anders Larsen in his admirable book, _Sharp Practice_, and use a nylon brush. Links for nylon brushes are:
http://www.odsoap.com/id19.html
and
http://bestgroomingtools.com/toray-synthetic-hair-shaving-brush-p-508.html.
I know that badger holds water better than boar better than nylon. The decision is yours.
I don’t believe that brushes lift whiskers or exfoliate. I believe I get better whisker-lifting with my fingers or a washcloth.
If you want a baby-butt-smooth shave and are still reading this, the following may horrify you and almost certainly will anger you. Please take a few deep breaths and try to summon your Buddha nature before reading further.
I’ve learned that a single-blade razor is all that is necessary and will do the least damage to my skin. However, multiple-blade razors can do an excellent job and do only minimal skin damage if you make a solitary with-the-grain pass. Pivot head razors don’t require you to pursue the golden 30-degree angle; they take care of it for you.
Razor companies charge more for refill blades for their reusable handles than they do for disposable razors. They work on the premise that you believe the blades are better in the refills than in the disposable razors. I don’t believe that; it’s my opinion that, with negligible exceptions, the steel and the blade coatings are functionally identical and I resent being Gillette’s or Schick’s *****. Bic Sensitive disposable single-blade razors aren’t so bad. If you can get over paying less than 25 cents for a razor, you might find yourself satisfied and richer. They last me at least three days each.
Consistent with my minimalist, first do no harm approach, and with my proclivity for ingrown hairs, I make only one with-the-grain pass when shaving. Every time I make multiple passes or go across-the-grain or, worse, against-the-grain, I have trouble.
I do not believe in beard reduction. It’s my position that anyone can get a baby-butt-smooth shave making multiple passes in multiple directions, but the cost in skin injury and time isn’t worth it for me. The thought occurs to me that there is no skill in shaving if you keep swiping the blade against your beard until you are glabrous. Three passes with a triple-blade razor is nine swipes of steel against your skin, an unreasonable and unnecessary assault. If you are pursuing skill in shaving, it takes time, patience, and mindfulness to get a good shave in one with-the-grain pass. I’ve learned to do it; if I can, you can too if you’re interested enough to work at it. If you master the technique, you will be rewarded with healthier skin and shorter shaving time.
POSTSHAVE
I believe that I can’t rinse all the lather from my face with a washcloth and that residual soap is injurious to skin. Therefore, I shower after my shave and am meticulous to rinse all the lather from my face.
The thought occurs to me that if you have injured your skin so much by shaving that you need an aftershave balm or moisturizer, you have shaved wrongly. With my minimalist, first do no harm approach, I rarely need a moisturizer, usually only during the worst days of winter. Remember, I’m 65 years old and have the dry skin of a geezer. If I need a moisturizer, I use the complimentary tiny bottles I pick up in motel rooms.
I see no need for aftershave lotions with alcohol, skin toners, or skin food.
CONCLUSION
I’ve tried to offer a simplified, minimalist approach to shaving that does the least damage to skin. You make like some of my suggestions, others you make discount. We all have to find our own way.
Good luck.
After shaving for 40+ years I finally have few pimples, my skin is great, and I feel barber fresh every day. I will sometimes do a single pass to save time but my skin is still getting it daily dose of skin cell removal which I credit to the reason my skin is doing so well.
