Achieving a BBS shave. Let's be honest.

[Dovo1695]

I like shaving to BBS every now and then, but it's much less efficient. I would much rather shave to DFS twice a day with a mild razor and have less skin irritation. A BBS shave lasts me 12hrs. A Gillette tech shave lasts me 8. When I chase BBS, I typically wait 48hrs for my next shave to let my skin recover. This means I'm not clean shaven 75% of the time. With a Gillette tech, I can shave once in the morning and once after the gym. That's an 8hr recovery time vs a 48hr recovery time. Thus, a DFS shave with Gillette tech is 6x more efficient than a BBS shave with a more aggressive razor.

 

[02flhtci]

I really don’t worry about a BBS. I generally do a two pass shave with an efficient razor, and that’s more than satisfactory.

 

[Sicilian]

I found that one pass WTG and one pass ATG works for me. No irritation on my neck. As long as the blade is sharp. I use a DE razor.

 

[Forged]

BBS you ask? Heck Yeah!

Every. Single. Time.

 

[NPK]

BBS is easy for some, the rest are satisfied with a dang fine shave. One thing is for certain no matter which you prefer, its gone within 24hrs.

 

[Lather and Razors]

shaving against the grain is stressful on the skin. BBS is reserved for special occasions.

 

[Owen Bawn]

The first couple of years of Wet shaving I did not get many BBS shaves and then I changed my prep and my technique had matured enough that reaching BBS or very close to one is not as hard accomplishment it seems.
Even if you reach BBS to me it is still might not be a perfect shave if I have irritation or a few weepers. Sometimes I get the cotton ball out to confirm I have one and 4 hrs later my stubble is starting its journey outward again. I do not chase a BBS and the best way to get a BBS is cheating a little by hydrating using a small amount of Nivea balm IMO because it traps a little more moisture and swells the flesh and skin to bury the stubble which is rooted a little deeper just to give that feeling approximately 1-2 hrs later. Sleeping 8 hrs tends to dehydrate a person so a couple of glasses of water helps the process of moisturizing the person to start the day.
I can reach a very close shave WTG + ATG with some pickups and shaving daily might make a difference to condition the skin?
Don't chase the BBS is all I say and enjoy a close shave and cheating a little with Nivea balm is not always a bad thing to try!
What a BBS looks like with a USB microscope at about 400X.
This is what a BBS looks like............................................DFS......................................................1 days growth.
View attachment 1264035 View attachment 1264036 View attachment 1264037
Have some great shaves! Stay & think safe in these times!

You're a handsome man.

 

[Ckmaui]

Decided this morning with this thread in my head OK lets go for it
here I am 4 hours later going yeah this is why I do not care to much about taking the time etc...
nothing wrong with those that chase it and could be so so so many reasons to chase and not to

 

[emwolf]

My goal is BBS, but I don't always make it. Tough spots are my Adam's apple, and my occipital fold, and just above the ears. If I get those, the rest is easy.

 

[Dominic]

I like the feel of a BBS, plus I won't have to shave the next day. However, if I want to shave (as I do now since I have new stuff I want to try out), a BBS prevents me from shaving every day. With a safety razor (1965 Gillette Super Speed), I can get a BBS fairly easily. Just a three pass shave with touch up. I do not have coarse whiskers, nor do they grow fast.

 

[Tirvine]

My goal is to enjoy the shave, and for many, many years it has always been the same. I splash hot water on my face, face lather, and take three passes, lathering before each. Now and then I'll add a little clean up. Most of my old, grey, fairly thick beard is managed to BBS by this process, and I do not believe I have had a truly irritating shave in decades, but now an then a patch here and there remains less than BBS. That usually signals nearing the end of the line for that blade. Some blades are just not as effective as others, ditto for razors. Sometimes a soap yields subpar lather, meaning that there is a choice to be made. You can start the lathering process over, you can accept the subpar shave that subpar lather invariably produces, or you can take your razor into the shower, almost always a bad idea and a crap shoot. As a retiree I always pick option one, but when I was working I woukd more often pick number two or three. Now that I have settled on my soap, brush, and razor, the only thing that it ever marginally subpar is going to be the blade. Now that I have winnowed the field, a subpar blade is almost always a fine blade that just needs to be thanked for good shaves and retired. Lastly, when I used TOBS pucks and certain others I found that as the puck was almost gone, it just did not lather as well, and even when the lather looked fine, it simply was not as slippery. I shall be interested to see (probably close to two years from now) if MdC has this issue.

 

[corlay]

I get BBS in 2-passes: WTG, XTG; on my *cheeks*, everytime.

On my *neck*? almost never. (3-passes: WTG, XTG, ATG) At least not completely...

(I keep a trim beard - so no lip/chin shaving, for me)

Depending upon the razor I'm using, if I "chase" it, and do a lot of buffing, pickups, touch ups, etc.
I will get post-shave irritation. Except for the RR Lupo .95 - I can "chase" with that razor.

 

[DaveHStone]

FWIW:

Is BBS "a chase" for you?

Browsing through the forums, this particular phrase comes up frequently I don't chase a BBS... So, I'm kind of wondering - is obtaining a clean BBS shave really a "struggle", a "chase", a "tough job"... and more importantly WHY? Or is it rather a matter of proper technique, good prep and...

www.badgerandblade.com

As I said many times before - if it ain't a BBS, why shave at all?

 

[OhioBob]

I wouldn't say I chase BBS, but it seems to come more times than not. After mapping my beard, doing good prep and using good soaps/creams it happens most frequently. I used to use DE razors and could get BBS about 50% of the time, once I started using SE razors it comes almost naturally.

Personally I think it's something that depends on the individual.

I started in this wonderful hobby just a few years ago, so at my advanced age, my beard has become more course with the grey hairs and I think dealing with that from the beginning of my adventure into "Wet Shaving" has helped me shave closer since I didn't have a different beard type to adapt from. Just my twisted thoughts.

 

[kcbrett]

one pass perfection! BBS all day! You don’t have to chase it or waste time on a billion passes if you just dig in a little!

 

[chuckd]

There's been discussion about getting BBS shaves, Is that the goal, how to get it by using certain equipment, software (creams soaps, preshave routines lotions) techniques and water temperature etc. I do not use carts. I use an injector. I love the shaves. I don't chase BBS. I want to open this up for discussion. I'll begin with how I define BBS shave. For me it's realizing 30 minutes or even up to a few hrs post shave the when you touch you face you can't feel any grain of beard at all.. Zero. I have only ever achieved this in two ways: 1. A few times what I used some version of a Gillette Fusion5. One that vibrated a feature that I used one time and learned my lesson like a kid touching a hot stove.I don't think I felt any grain for hrs, but the five incredibly sharp and vibrating blades left me with micro cuts that didn't look irritated, or even bleed. But splashing cold water on my face burned like turpentine. My second experience was wet electric shaving Using a foil head razor and Edge gel (takes some time, it's a long shave for an electric standard). I doubt I'll ever go back to an electric, Just don't dig them anymore. My goal now is to just enjoy shaving and heat a damn comfortable shave and save my skin, which is better shape, less dry no irritation etc. Thoughts on this, or any comments I've made here? Are you chasing BBS? Don't care? Getting there? How?

It is the goal of shaving for me because otherwise, I will have gleaming gray steel wool on my face within a few hours, which looks bad, especially at work. I've had to deal with gray in the beard since the age of 26, and my beard has only gotten grayer and tougher over the years.

A secondary goal is avoiding skin irritation/acne/ingrown hairs.

So far, only DE, SE, and SR razors accomplish these two goals for me after WTG, XTG, and ATG passes. SRs are now out of the running because I gave up on ATG passes after an accident on the neck... and cartridges never really met these goals for me, especially not the 5+ bladed machines, although Trac IIs and Personna Caliber 3s aren't bad in a pinch.

 

[MtView]

I found the right gear and technique so I get BBS without doing anything special. I had to feel it out because I have some sensitive areas under my neck. It took a while to find the right technique and a lot of trial and error with different razors - some much more expensive than others. I can also better recognize which gear will never get me there and when my technique is off.

Having said that, it's also a mental discipline to remind myself that if for some reason I don't achieve BBS, it's still a lot better than my best cart or electric shave ever was.

 

[chuckd]

My goal is to enjoy the shave, and for many, many years it has always been the same. I splash hot water on my face, face lather, and take three passes, lathering before each. Now and then I'll add a little clean up. Most of my old, grey, fairly thick beard is managed to BBS by this process, and I do not believe I have had a truly irritating shave in decades, but now an then a patch here and there remains less than BBS. That usually signals nearing the end of the line for that blade. Some blades are just not as effective as others, ditto for razors. Sometimes a soap yields subpar lather, meaning that there is a choice to be made. You can start the lathering process over, you can accept the subpar shave that subpar lather invariably produces, or you can take your razor into the shower, almost always a bad idea and a crap shoot. As a retiree I always pick option one, but when I was working I woukd more often pick number two or three. Now that I have settled on my soap, brush, and razor, the only thing that it ever marginally subpar is going to be the blade. Now that I have winnowed the field, a subpar blade is almost always a fine blade that just needs to be thanked for good shaves and retired. Lastly, when I used TOBS pucks and certain others I found that as the puck was almost gone, it just did not lather as well, and even when the lather looked fine, it simply was not as slippery. I shall be interested to see (probably close to two years from now) if MdC has this issue.

Agree on the three passes approach. I can't get there without it.

 

[Lefonque]

Not interested in chasing BBS. If it happens it happens. In essence I like my routine and look to enjoy my shave. I shave 6 days a week and like to mix it up with razors brushes and soaps. Every second day I shave my head. I don’t believe in the perfect shave. For those who do so be it. Still leanring Things about my shave after 50 years of wet shaving. BBS does happen but is not for me the most important.

 

[Lefonque]

one pass perfection! BBS all day! You don’t have to chase it or waste time on a billion passes if you just dig in a little!
View attachment 1264709View attachment 1264712

Very smooth.