Are longer whiskers easier, harder or the same to shave with a SR and why?
- Thread starter rbscebu
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I'm not sure. Maybe a longer hair with more exposure is easier to hydrate before the shave, so it becomes a little softer?
I touched on this previously. Everyone is different but for me longer the better. My lower neck hairs grow out flat against the skin. Therefore a few days growth, I can elevate them more and cut through at a better angle.
After 1 pass against a few days feels so much more efficient vs 1 days growth.
After 1 pass against a few days feels so much more efficient vs 1 days growth.
Yep. No.3 for me.
I shave once a day and it is what it is. When I skip a day, or whatever, I shave and I don't notice it being harder or easier to shave. I might spend more or less time prepping for one shave or another and that can factor in heavily.
The shaves after a skipped day might might feel better afterwards, mentally/physically, because I had hair on my face for too long and that bugs me - so there is a greater sense of relief from removing it than there is from the typical ritual.
So feeling better after shaving a longer beard is possible but it's also possible that the physical length of the whiskers was not the determining factor. So to me it seems that it's more about the length of time between the shaves than it is about the length of the whiskers. But it's sorta the same thing at the end of the day.
The why doesn't really matter to me, those mental gyrations get in the way most of the time.
I shave when I can and it is what it is. Sitting around measuring hairs isn't going to improve things.
I have noticed that my skin can get irritated if I shave too soon, like when I have to take off a very recent 5 o'clock shadow (minor stubble) or something. Not always, just sometimes. So shaving those newborn whiskers can be not fun, but it's got more to do with skin condition I think. Again, length of time, not length of hair.
I believe most 'differences' in cutting efficiency that I experience when shaving are due to prep conditions, lather quality, and how I am living - much more so than edge condition or whisker resistance. Hair is hair, tensile strength might be relatively high, but hardness - which is what relates to cutting - is low, regardless of length. And when softened it's even less. I don't think that much changes due to length but what happens during that growth period could possibly factor in - additional oil content being able to soak in, etc...maybe.
If I cut my hair after 2 weeks or 4 weeks, it cuts exactly the same, But the 4 week cut might feel 'more fresh' because that hair has been sitting on my head for 2 weeks too long.
The shaves after a skipped day might might feel better afterwards, mentally/physically, because I had hair on my face for too long and that bugs me - so there is a greater sense of relief from removing it than there is from the typical ritual.
So feeling better after shaving a longer beard is possible but it's also possible that the physical length of the whiskers was not the determining factor. So to me it seems that it's more about the length of time between the shaves than it is about the length of the whiskers. But it's sorta the same thing at the end of the day.
The why doesn't really matter to me, those mental gyrations get in the way most of the time.
I shave when I can and it is what it is. Sitting around measuring hairs isn't going to improve things.
I have noticed that my skin can get irritated if I shave too soon, like when I have to take off a very recent 5 o'clock shadow (minor stubble) or something. Not always, just sometimes. So shaving those newborn whiskers can be not fun, but it's got more to do with skin condition I think. Again, length of time, not length of hair.
I believe most 'differences' in cutting efficiency that I experience when shaving are due to prep conditions, lather quality, and how I am living - much more so than edge condition or whisker resistance. Hair is hair, tensile strength might be relatively high, but hardness - which is what relates to cutting - is low, regardless of length. And when softened it's even less. I don't think that much changes due to length but what happens during that growth period could possibly factor in - additional oil content being able to soak in, etc...maybe.
If I cut my hair after 2 weeks or 4 weeks, it cuts exactly the same, But the 4 week cut might feel 'more fresh' because that hair has been sitting on my head for 2 weeks too long.
So not much science involved here, but more anecdote. Well, i guess i do attempt to explain it with science. I grew up on a farm in NC, and as a small kid I had a number of mundane hobbies. One of them, with my cousins, was to knock over tobacco and sweet corn stalks after all of the leaves or ears were harvested. Tobacco stalks were bare, and around 3-4 feet tall. We would swing sticks at the base of the stalks, and they would break and fall when struck just right.
Now tobacco and corn stalks were always mowed after harvest, and then the roots plowed up. This helped to prevent diseases from being trapped in the soil. So essentially, no one ever grew angry because we played in a field that was about to be mowed anyway.
On to the story. When we were in a field with standing stalks it was fairly easy to swing a stick and completely sever a tobacco stalk at the base. Occasionally, we would play this game after the stalks had been mowed, when they weren't 3-4 feet tall, but only 6" tall. There was still enough stalk left to make a suitable, though more challenging, target. I can't recall anyone ever being able to sever these shorter stalks. The mass of the longer stalk provided enough resistance to offset its "flex." The shorter stalks would often Crack the earth and ground once struck squarely. Sometimes they would break. But they would never sever.
Corn stalks would never sever completely. They are tougher and more fibrous. But we could often hit them hard enough to knock them over if they had yet to be mowed. After they had been mowed, we could do pretty much no damage to corn stalks by swinging a stick at what was left.
I know this is a convoluted anecdotal story, but there is a point. Tobacco or corn stalks are the same diameter at the base whether they were 6" tall after mowing or 6' tall (in the case of corn stalks). The taller ones were much easier to knock over and sever by swinging a stick. I think this is a similar principle as to why longer hair does, in fact, shave a littler closer or easier than short stubble. The mass of the hair helps to keep the root from flexing and resisting being cut. At least that is my theory.
All of this effort in explaining, yet sometimes I think it is actually easier to shave daily. Go figure.
Now tobacco and corn stalks were always mowed after harvest, and then the roots plowed up. This helped to prevent diseases from being trapped in the soil. So essentially, no one ever grew angry because we played in a field that was about to be mowed anyway.
On to the story. When we were in a field with standing stalks it was fairly easy to swing a stick and completely sever a tobacco stalk at the base. Occasionally, we would play this game after the stalks had been mowed, when they weren't 3-4 feet tall, but only 6" tall. There was still enough stalk left to make a suitable, though more challenging, target. I can't recall anyone ever being able to sever these shorter stalks. The mass of the longer stalk provided enough resistance to offset its "flex." The shorter stalks would often Crack the earth and ground once struck squarely. Sometimes they would break. But they would never sever.
Corn stalks would never sever completely. They are tougher and more fibrous. But we could often hit them hard enough to knock them over if they had yet to be mowed. After they had been mowed, we could do pretty much no damage to corn stalks by swinging a stick at what was left.
I know this is a convoluted anecdotal story, but there is a point. Tobacco or corn stalks are the same diameter at the base whether they were 6" tall after mowing or 6' tall (in the case of corn stalks). The taller ones were much easier to knock over and sever by swinging a stick. I think this is a similar principle as to why longer hair does, in fact, shave a littler closer or easier than short stubble. The mass of the hair helps to keep the root from flexing and resisting being cut. At least that is my theory.
All of this effort in explaining, yet sometimes I think it is actually easier to shave daily. Go figure.
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That's no good.
If you swung your razor at the same speed as you swung your corn stick
and if your razor was as dull as your corn stick
then the analogy would be closer.
If you had pushed your corn stick at the same speed
as a razor, I don't think any stalks would have broken regardless
of how tall they were.
I'm also guessing it also didn't matter how sharp the stick was.
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In my limited experience, having gone to 2 days before a shave a few times... It makes no difference with a SR as far as the end result. However it may be more satisfying to see the difference before and after you shave on the second day.
I don’t normally shave every day but while testing some edges I shaved 3 days in a row. Can’t say I noticed a difference.
I tend to find that longer/heavier stubble is much easier to shave than lighter stubble, given that the razor is up to the job.
I also used to think that length of your whiskers do not matter. I thought that it was the length of hair below the skin that counted. . Your length of whiskers plays a key role in determining your shave smoothness. Shaving with long whiskers is harder than shaving with short whiskers. It is more difficult for the blade to cut through longer whiskers than the shorter ones. So, yes, it is true that longer whiskers are more challenging to cut. But you can always use a stronger blade and make it easier to cut. The answer to your question lies in the coarseness of your whiskers. Short coarse whiskers can be handled both by coarse and fine blades. So, shaving with coarse whiskers is easier than with fine ones.
- Thread starter
- #33
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
Can you please have a go at explaining why this is so?
- Thread starter
- #35
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
I am not surprised. I think that it may be more psychosomatic.
From my limited experience, if I do a 4 passes shave, I can't shave the next day. There's not enough and I'll risk getting irritation if I do it.
If I skip a day or two, shaving is easier *as long* as I use a bigger razor/grind. A 5/8 hollow just won't do it at all, it feels like trying to use paper to cut down the beard. I do have a pretty strong beard tho.
Now after 2+ days, with a 1/4 grind, NOW we're talking, I will definitely get the best shave.
My best mawing machine is this, 7/8", 1/4 grind Drew Dick. I did a 4 passes with it yesterday morning (after 3 day growth) and I swear that tonight I still feel 'shaved' -- heck, I had worst shave from an electric razor
)
If I skip a day or two, shaving is easier *as long* as I use a bigger razor/grind. A 5/8 hollow just won't do it at all, it feels like trying to use paper to cut down the beard. I do have a pretty strong beard tho.
Now after 2+ days, with a 1/4 grind, NOW we're talking, I will definitely get the best shave.
My best mawing machine is this, 7/8", 1/4 grind Drew Dick. I did a 4 passes with it yesterday morning (after 3 day growth) and I swear that tonight I still feel 'shaved' -- heck, I had worst shave from an electric razor
)
This is an interesting discussion. As far as myself goes, and my experiences, a 3, 4 or more day's growth is definitely harder to mow down than a 1 day growth. You can actually feel it when pushing the razor through the rainforest. Similarly, shaving everyday, you can actually feel that the razor is having an easier time of it with just one day's growth. Somehow, the longer/older whiskers are harder to cut.
For those wet shavers that reckon there is no difference between 1, 2, 3 or 4 or more days' growth, I will pose this question. Why do we do three passes when we shave? Yes, there is the grain of the whiskers to account for, but why don't we just do one against the grain pass when we shave and get it done in one fell swoop? Why does everyone say that you can't get BBS with just one pass, you need three or so passes. I would be fun to watch a fool's pass with a full moustache!
cheers
Andrew
For those wet shavers that reckon there is no difference between 1, 2, 3 or 4 or more days' growth, I will pose this question. Why do we do three passes when we shave? Yes, there is the grain of the whiskers to account for, but why don't we just do one against the grain pass when we shave and get it done in one fell swoop? Why does everyone say that you can't get BBS with just one pass, you need three or so passes. I would be fun to watch a fool's pass with a full moustache!
cheers
Andrew
With straights length makes no difference WTG.
But with a little growth,
ATG your edge is also encountering the tips of whiskers from upstream
at the same time as the base of the whiskers which are actually being shaved off.
But with a little growth,
ATG your edge is also encountering the tips of whiskers from upstream
at the same time as the base of the whiskers which are actually being shaved off.
I never thought of that. Good point.
