I appreciate any advice for me, a recent practitioner of wet shaving who is about to deploy to Afghanistan. I will not have ready access to hot water, will shave outside in winter weather (although it probably won't freeze and will reach lows of mid-30's), and will face other obstacles to wet shaving. I use an injector, and have for many years. However, for deployments, I typically use the three blades due to their convenience. Any suggestions on how to continue wet shaving in some form or another in relatively austere conditions? Thanks.
Advice for deploying Marine
- Thread starter Rodneybaker13
- Start date
I shave outside most days, and use cold water occasionally, I find it not too difficult to get a good lather. Mid 30's temperature might be more of a challenge. I would like to add, thank you for your service and may you and everyone else get home soon and safely.
I think a lot depends on your deployed situation.
If you find that injector gives you a little piece of home, then a blade a week for your deployment won't take up that much room. Likewise with a brush and a puck of soap. The WWII and Korean era Marines did it because they had to. I'm sure that you can do it because you want to.
Is there a B&B care package list? I think it would be a fine idea to get a list of deployed members who might like a little shaving swag to show up along with the baby wipes, beef jerky and powdered drink mix.
If you find that injector gives you a little piece of home, then a blade a week for your deployment won't take up that much room. Likewise with a brush and a puck of soap. The WWII and Korean era Marines did it because they had to. I'm sure that you can do it because you want to.
Is there a B&B care package list? I think it would be a fine idea to get a list of deployed members who might like a little shaving swag to show up along with the baby wipes, beef jerky and powdered drink mix.
Good luck. You may want to read about cold water shaving if you haven't already done so. See http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=168069
+ 1 to both essential elements of this post.
Thank you for your service. May God bless you and keep you, and may your Guardian Angel be ever at your side.
-Greg
I don't have any shaving advice. Just be careful and come back soon.
Thanks for your service Rodney, be safe.
Great idea Top, I would be honored to contribute.
Great idea Top, I would be honored to contribute.
If you like an injector, there's no reason to go without it. For blades, you can order from Electron Microscopy Sciences Their item 71991 is 10 injectors, each with 20 blades (more than double the number in the drugstore injectors) $42 for 200 blades isn't bad, even after shipping and that's 3+ years worth of blades. Depending on how long you'll be deployed, take a couple with you and leave the rest home.
For soap, since you are going someplace hot, I'd say a triple milled tallow soap so it won't turn to liquid on you. Tabac stick, Valobra stick, Speick stick, or the like. A good, but expendable brush.
No idea what to suggest about aftershave. Maybe you can score some witch hazel locally or through your medical team. Add a dab of hand lotion to it if you want a balm.
Thank you for your service - come home safe!
For soap, since you are going someplace hot, I'd say a triple milled tallow soap so it won't turn to liquid on you. Tabac stick, Valobra stick, Speick stick, or the like. A good, but expendable brush.
No idea what to suggest about aftershave. Maybe you can score some witch hazel locally or through your medical team. Add a dab of hand lotion to it if you want a balm.
Thank you for your service - come home safe!
I didn't get into wet shaving until I left the Army. Then again, my deployment to Iraq was less 'roughing it' and more 'inconvenient' as well. 
My general advice for shaving in the cold is to just do the bare minimum. There was a field exercised that I went on where the water jug was kept outside the tent at night and we woke up to ice inside in the morning. Shaving at all was painful that morning. In the Army, while you were in the field the grooming standards were relaxed a bit. I'm not quite sure if the same holds true for the Marines. What I'm trying to say is that if you get a SAS it won't be a crime.
My general advice for shaving in the cold is to just do the bare minimum. There was a field exercised that I went on where the water jug was kept outside the tent at night and we woke up to ice inside in the morning. Shaving at all was painful that morning. In the Army, while you were in the field the grooming standards were relaxed a bit. I'm not quite sure if the same holds true for the Marines. What I'm trying to say is that if you get a SAS it won't be a crime.
I would get a wide mouth Nalgene type water bottle. Add 3 or 4 tubes of Paraso shave cream, slide my razor between them and put a couple of injector pack on top. Crush proof and everything is in one place. The bottles also work great for cigars will keep them moist with just a little damp piece of paper towel and again they won't get beat up.
I am doing my service right now in the Greek Army (I am Greek). When undergoing basic training I had to shave fast with cold water. It was the first time after a long time I left DE shaving behind (but not wet shaving). My morning routine (which lasted top 3-5 minutes) was:
- Splash water on my face
- Prepare lather as fast as possible in a small bowl (diameter of just 10 cm) with proraso shaving cream and a boar brush. I had a badger brush with me but turned out for the water/temperature/available time boar was better. Its higher harshness prepared my beard faster in the little available time (about 30 seconds to prepare and apply lather).
- First WTG pass with fusion power, fast rinse, fast reapplication of lather and second ATG pass or XTG if I felt my skin already irritated. I also tried the old time classic BIC Metal disposable, but found that it needed some extra time to get the same result.
- Splash water on the face, brush my teeth so that some of the water dried off and then I applied Nivea Extra Soothing Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin.
That was the best I could come up with for the very little time/cold water I had. Now that I am stationed at a central command camp and go sleep in my home almost every day I take a full DE wet shave routine everyday before I go to bed with hot water. I have to achieve almost BBS to be acceptable until after midday the following day.
- Splash water on my face
- Prepare lather as fast as possible in a small bowl (diameter of just 10 cm) with proraso shaving cream and a boar brush. I had a badger brush with me but turned out for the water/temperature/available time boar was better. Its higher harshness prepared my beard faster in the little available time (about 30 seconds to prepare and apply lather).
- First WTG pass with fusion power, fast rinse, fast reapplication of lather and second ATG pass or XTG if I felt my skin already irritated. I also tried the old time classic BIC Metal disposable, but found that it needed some extra time to get the same result.
- Splash water on the face, brush my teeth so that some of the water dried off and then I applied Nivea Extra Soothing Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin.
That was the best I could come up with for the very little time/cold water I had. Now that I am stationed at a central command camp and go sleep in my home almost every day I take a full DE wet shave routine everyday before I go to bed with hot water. I have to achieve almost BBS to be acceptable until after midday the following day.
Stay low. 
If I ever deploy again, I'm going to have to get one of these to take with me.
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