Barbicide Added To My Shaving Arsenal

[knightmare1015]

Well this past Friday, I added this to my shaving arsenal before heading to UVA for my semi-annual check up which went extremely well:



^ It cost me $27.36 for both the jar and the Barbicide. You can get it at any beauty supply store that's open to the public and no license is required. The jar will last a lifetime and the small bottle of Barbicide will last up to 6 months. The mixing ratio is 2 fluid ounces (or a shot glass) of Barbicide to 1 quart/liter of hot water. Boiling water can be used, but it's not recomened since the jar itself is glass and can break. Luckily for me that my hot water kettle shuts itself off just when the water begins to boil and I allow it to cool for 2 to 5 minutes before adding it to the Barbicide. This stuff kills ALL forms of viruses and bacteria including the HIV virus which is really cool. So for those of you that do collect vintage shaving products, I do recomend investing in one of these. The smell is fantastic and it doesn't overwelm your senses with that "chemical" type of smell. My bathroom smells like a barbershop which is so nice. It does stain shaving brushes permanently so please be prepared for this. Without the Barbicide it would take about 10 to 15 minutes to dry my saftey razors. This stuff cuts that down to about 5 minutes. Another thing I noticed is that all of my safety razors shine alot more brighter and alot longer after using Barbicide. My Edwin Jagger DE89 looks emaculent. On the bottle of Barbicide, there's also an Anti Rust​ compound to help prevent rust from forming on safety razors.

 

[withoutink]

Sweet! I believe you need to change the liquid out often. I have a bottle of marvicide But only make a batch when I need to do a seriously crazy sterilization. I have a short Marvy jar, and I have recently switched to using 91% alcohol in it. Which I use to dip the razors every few days.

 

[knightmare1015]

Sweet! I believe you need to change the liquid out often. I have a bottle of marvicide But only make a batch when I need to sterilize. I have a short Marvy jar, and I have 91% alcohol in it. Which I use to dip the razors every few days.

View attachment 470804

Nice man very nice indeed. Yeah it's recomended that you change it out every 1 to 2 weeks which is fine by me because that insures that I get a fresh batch often. I'll probably change it out this coming friday which will be 1 week.

 

[Scaramouche]

Barbicide does not need to be mixed with hot or even warm water; plain tap water is just fine, although RO, deionized or distilled water will keep the mineral content low and prevent scaling; you'll likely want to change it in a week anyway (for commercial use change daily). It's also not effective against all pathogens; it's not tuberculocidal, for example - for that you need Barbicide Plus. And you definitely want to rinse anything you soak, and stick to the recommended 10 minutes - it can be corrosive to some metals and plating; several strings on this forum regarding same. Good product, but use as directed.

 

[knightmare1015]

Barbicide does not need to be mixed with hot or even warm water; plain tap water is just fine, although RO, deionized or distilled water will keep the mineral content low and prevent scaling; you'll likely want to change it in a week anyway (for commercial use change daily). It's also not effective against all pathogens; it's not tuberculocidal, for example - for that you need Barbicide Plus. And you definitely want to rinse anything you soak, and stick to the recommended 10 minutes - it can be corrosive to some metals and plating; several strings on this forum regarding same. Good product, but use as directed.

That's what they put on the bottle. Hold on and I'll see what kind I have because I may have gotten the Barbicide plus. I'll post a photo up. Thanks for the tips though because any help I can get taking care of my equipment is always a plus.

Same here. I change it monthly and use it constantly. After every shave actually. With the nasty germs I get exposed to daily I wanted that extra layer of self protection.

It definately couldn't hurt to do that either. Thanks for the tips guys. Hopefully this will help someone out that wants to know about it. Photos will be up here shortly.

 

[knightmare1015]

Here's the kind of barbicide I purchased this past friday:



The only razor that I have to worry about rusting is my Edwin Jagger DE89 because it's not stainless steel like my other razors are. Here's the other side of the bottle which was kindly hard to get because my camera wasn't cooperating with me this evening:



After soaking my razors for about 10 to 15 minutes in the Barbicide solution, I shake off the excess solution and rinse the razor under some warm water. I then allow it to air dry for about 5 minutes and wipe them down afterwards. Here's the results I got on the Edwin Jagger DE 89:



^ This one turned out the best and it wasn't even the most expensive razor I have either. Here's how both my Parker Barber and Feather AC shavettes turned out:



^ The Barbicide solution is cold because it was mixed last Friday. I use hot water because it makes me feel better and for me it seems to mix a little bit bettter, but it's really NOT nessecary and probably won't make much of a difference either. Here's how my stainless steel Weishi turned out:



^ The stainless steel Weishi really needed it the most. It had alot of residue and dust on it from where I've not used it in a while and the dust came from where I left the case open, dang it I says.

 

[chris_nor_cal]

I can see why you would want to use Barbicide if purchasing used razors off eBay, but can someone clue me in why one would need it for sanitizing your own personal equipment? I've never done any cleaning to my razors other than rinsing them under water.

 

[Fafhrd]

I can see why you would want to use Barbicide if purchasing used razors off eBay, but can someone clue me in why one would need it for sanitizing your own personal equipment?

+1. I wouldn't use it on my own razors unless I dropped them in the toilet or something like that, though I usually give them a quick cleaning with Dawn and water between blade changes.

I used to use Hydrocide (pretty much the same as Barbicide) to clean used razors, but I was always careful not to leave them soaking for any longer than the recommended 10 minutes. I think all of these powerful germicides can damage the finish of razors, and letting them soak for longer than 10 minutes is probably asking for trouble. These days I usually clean used razors by letting them soak for at least an hour in hot water with plenty of Dawn and then scrubbing them with a toothbrush, and I use Hydrocide only on razors that look like they came out of someone's septic tank.

 

[knightmare1015]

I can see why you would want to use Barbicide if purchasing used razors off eBay, but can someone clue me in why one would need it for sanitizing your own personal equipment? I've never done any cleaning to my razors other than rinsing them under water.

One of the main reasons is that when you do buy any equipment new or used, you really don't know what all it was exposed to. It's just a good practice to have which helps promote good health. The list of reasons on why you should use it on a regular basis is just too long.

 

[knightmare1015]

+1. I wouldn't use it on my own razors unless I dropped them in the toilet or something like that, though I usually give them a quick cleaning with Dawn and water between blade changes.

I used to use Hydrocide (pretty much the same as Barbicide) to clean used razors, but I was always careful not to leave them soaking for any longer than the recommended 10 minutes. I think all of these powerful germicides can damage the finish of razors, and letting them soak for longer than 10 minutes is probably asking for trouble. These days I usually clean used razors by letting them soak for at least an hour in hot water with plenty of Dawn and then scrubbing them with a toothbrush, and I use Hydrocide only on razors that look like they came out of someone's septic tank.

It still couldn't hurt do it though. I try to keep my soaking times around 10 minutes or less especially with my Edwin Jagger DE89 because it's not stainless steel and yes it can damage the chrome if done for too long.

 

[Effy]

I'd be interested in this for two reason - one, because it looks great! Two, because I could pop the razor in the jar, get on with my morning routine and then rinse and dry it 10 minutes later leaving me with a shiney happy razor each time.

I don't know how much a small refill bottle would cost, but let's say it's $15. That's $30 a year, excluding the initial jar purchase, which when you consider how much many people throw at their local coffee house every day, that is not even pocket change in the grand scheme of things.

 

[thematthatter]

Those look nice, but to be sure your mixing it correctly and that its still active you can get a sanitizer test kit.

I inspected a facility that sliced meats, their sanitizer was waaay too strong. It left a residue on the knives and slicer blades and would throw off my novaLUM. When its too strong there is nothing you can do except dump it out and start over. Too strong sanitizer wastes money and in the food industry can make people sick.

 

[knightmare1015]

Im a nurse and get patients all the time with serious drug resistant microorganisms. We swab every patient but it can take up to three days to get a result on some of the nasty things they can carry. That's when we finaly put them in isolation. So I get exposed to god knows what for the entire time. That's why I use it religiously. Any nick or scratch can be an opening for these critters to fester and get me sick. That's why I take every precaution I can. I would rather use a "sterilized" razor each time. And I do use that word loosely.

I spent 42 days in UVA's hospital and they put me in isolation because I was on a floor with people whom had weak immune systems due to them having surgery. They can catch something and spread it to other people very easily if precautions are not taken.

I'd be interested in this for two reason - one, because it looks great! Two, because I could pop the razor in the jar, get on with my morning routine and then rinse and dry it 10 minutes later leaving me with a shiney happy razor each time.

I don't know how much a small refill bottle would cost, but let's say it's $15. That's $30 a year, excluding the initial jar purchase, which when you consider how much many people throw at their local coffee house every day, that is not even pocket change in the grand scheme of things.

The cost of a small bottle is around $6 or $7 bucks and it smells really good to.

Those look nice, but to be sure your mixing it correctly and that its still active you can get a sanitizer test kit. I inspected a facility that sliced meats, their sanitizer was waaay too strong. It left a residue on the knives and slicer blades and would throw off my novaLUM. When its too strong there is nothing you can do except dump it out and start over. Too strong sanitizer wastes money and in the food industry can make people sick.

I'm pretty sure I've got the correct mixing ratio. I hear you on restaurants using too much sanitizer. McDonald's uses too much and that's why you have an urgent need to go get some relief about a half hour after eating. A small amount goes a long way and alot of people don't use alot of stuff correctly. The bottle says 2 cap fulls of Barbicide to 1 quart of water or 2 fluid ounces to 32 ounces of water.

 

[mcdig]

It's a must for vintage razor acquisition, as well as for regular cleaning and disinfecting of razors.

 

[drifter]

It's a must for vintage razor acquisition, as well as for regular cleaning and disinfecting of razors.

+ 1
The SWMBO is a Cosmetologist so I always have some at home.

 

[knightmare1015]

It's a must for vintage razor acquisition, as well as for regular cleaning and disinfecting of razors.

Oh it's excellent at removing residues as well as other stuff such as dust and any air born stuff that your razors get exposed to. I got the mixing ratio wrong on the first batch, but I know I got it right on the second batch. It's 4 cap fulls of Barbicide to 1 quart of water with the small bottle.

+ 1
The SWMBO is a Cosmetologist so I always have some at home.

It's not very expensive at all. I've spent more on a can of coffee than what I did for this stuff and it's extremely easy to get.

 

[losthumans]

So is it dumb and frivolous that I want to get either a Barbi or Marvy jar and make a small lamp out of it for my shave den? Was thinking maybe just blue cellophane or a semi transparent blue paint on the inside and a small nightlight lamp kit. Wouldn't be able to use it for it's intended purpose but well I guess I could always buy two

 

[withoutink]

So is it dumb and frivolous that I want to get either a Barbi or Marvy jar and make a small lamp out of it for my shave den? Was thinking maybe just blue cellophane or a semi transparent blue paint on the inside and a small nightlight lamp kit. Wouldn't be able to use it for it's intended purpose but well I guess I could always buy two

Blue LEDs could be cool. Or a slice of cobalt lighting filter.

 

[Effy]

So is it dumb and frivolous that I want to get either a Barbi or Marvy jar and make a small lamp out of it for my shave den? Was thinking maybe just blue cellophane or a semi transparent blue paint on the inside and a small nightlight lamp kit. Wouldn't be able to use it for it's intended purpose but well I guess I could always buy two

Maybe if you manage to find one dirt cheap with a crack, or with some of the insides missing. That said, the cost of the jars themselves (in the US at any rate) are so cheap that it isn't too bad anyway

 

[DEGuy]

I have a question: Do you have to soak the razor or can you just dip it and remove?

I've been using a water rinse and then dip my razor in alcohol after each use and let it air dry; but after reading this thread, I'm adding barbicide to my daily routine.

I found barbicide a small barbicide decanter--2.25" x 3.50" that holds 4 fluid ounces (Amazon)--and they are going to be my next purchase. Thanks for the informative thread and posts.