Assessing A Shave For BBS or Whatever | Immediately Post-Shave? | Later?

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I'm in the same boat as most that have responded that my beard feels closer shaven after 1/2 to 1 hr later, it must be a combination of skin calming down and being hydrated at the same time.

Yes, there seems to be a consensus...

Brother Whiskers,

What you are inquiring about is the "hysteresis effect," which is the phenomenon of change in a physical property briefly lagging behind the moment of the cause of the change. In shaving this typically is one to three hours after shaving. The whiskers reside back into the face after the tugging by a razor, and the swelling of the whiskers caused by the moisture dissipates.

When is the best time to assess the quality of a shave is a personal decision. I like to do it immediately, and I like to do it several hours later.

...about the hysteresis effect.

Makes me think about how hard it is - or maybe impossible is a better term - to accurately assess shaves during the shave or right after the shave.

However, we are all faced with having to do the best we can of that. We have to estimate. That takes experience and some judgement and isn't likely to be 100% accurate all the time. At the same time, it helps me understand that shooting for what feels like, during the shave, a for sure BBS is a certain route to big time problems secondary to doing too much, too much work, too many passes.

Right? I think so, and think most everyone would agree.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[kingfisher]

.... Shaving is actually not that great for the skin, it removes oils and can damage pores. ....

The counterargument here is that shaving, if done properly, is a good form of exfoliation, which encourages healthy skin. In fact, men who shave frequently tend to have less obvious signs of aging, probably because the exfoliation encourages collagen and elastin, which helps to keep the skin more supple and more elastic, both of which are associated with younger, healthier skin.

I would say that, overall, shaving is likely a net plus rather than a net minus, provided that it is done gently and that overshaving is avoided.


I was a daily shaver for well over 40 years but made the switch to every other day shaving (well, actually I shave 4 times a week instead of 7) a few months ago. I feel like it gives me the best of both worlds; allows time for any kind of microscopic damage from shaving to heal but also allows for frequent exfoliation. I couldn't possibly go longer than 48 hours between shaves because of a heavy beard with rapid growth.