Is it "normal" to not get BBS with a mild razor, or is it just more difficult? Merkur 23C (about 10 years usually WTG but occasionally 3 pass), Supply Co SE (recent purchase), Henson Mild (recent purchase) and the like. Even when I do a 3 pass shave, it's pretty smooth but some more so than others. I can get close with the Merkur with minor irritation (3 pass, none if only WTG) which is why usually WTG only and consider it socially acceptable. The Supply SE doesn't seem to get as close as the Merkur and I am still fighting the light weight with the Henson but giving it the good ole college try. Are some razors just not intended for BBS but merely socially acceptable shaves?
Chasing a smooth shave with a mild razor
- Thread starter mfury
- Start date
In general, technique and blade choice will deliver a very close shave if you do 3 passes daily. Preparation is also very important.
lasta
Blade Biter
IMO I can't achieve BBS with any razor without ATG even some very aggressive ones...
Don't sharve to get BBS on old skin, ,my personal simple task is removing daily growth of beard. Some people because of skin, beard thickness, or groth patterns will seldom get BBS shave. Some people even look unshaven because their beard are so dark, even below skin line they do not look clean shaven. Its their dark beards, not that they did not get close shave.
I don't chase BBS shaves but occasionally stumble upon one almost accidentally. Yesterday, for example, with my Pearl Flexi, I achieved it using the 3 setting and a Perma-Sharp, followed with a last pass with it set on 1. But that's a rarity.
This morning, I shaved with a mild Edwin Jagger DE89 and a Voskhod blade. Did I achieve a BBS shave?
No.
Was it a comfortable, smooth shave that's completely acceptable by any rational standard? Will anyone look at me today when I run some errands later today and point and whisper to their friend, "That guy has the worst shave I've ever seen!"?
I doubt it.
I'm not being critical of people who want a BBS shave. But to me it's not worth chasing. A plain ol' "regular shave" works for me.
IME, technique is the key!! I often get BBS with ‘mild/moderate’ razors. But I had to invest a bit of time and effort to relearn how to shave once I migrated from carts. Well worth the effort!!
Technique, knowing your variables, and preparation are the key elements here; as is knowing your facial landscape and what you can get away with, where.
I found that when I used to chase BBS with DEs, I would often walk away with irritation from over-shaving or nicked from pushing it with more aggressive hardware.
These days, I feel that I can just as easily obtain a BBS with an ASD2, Mühle R89, as I can with a GameChanger .84 or R41. Difference really is the approach, attack angle, skin stretching, and a slick lather.
I get BBS almost everyday without pushing it, but my routine involves use of an SR and using the DE for the final pass clean up …
I found that when I used to chase BBS with DEs, I would often walk away with irritation from over-shaving or nicked from pushing it with more aggressive hardware.
These days, I feel that I can just as easily obtain a BBS with an ASD2, Mühle R89, as I can with a GameChanger .84 or R41. Difference really is the approach, attack angle, skin stretching, and a slick lather.
I get BBS almost everyday without pushing it, but my routine involves use of an SR and using the DE for the final pass clean up …
I always use super speeds , my main one is a black handled 78 which is a very mild shaver . I have been using a de for fifteen years, I get an excellent and very close shave on one pass. Practice , prep , and good technique will give you a great , close shave .
There was a recent thread if BBS even exists. I didn't comment on it but have to say, I kind of agree, I don't think it actually exists in the literal sense.
No facial shave, neck, cheeks, chin, moustache, is ever going to be as smooth as a babies bottom.
I get a near perfect shave, BBS if I stroke my hand WTG but not against it. There is still ever so slight spots that it may not be smooth as glass or a babies bottom. This is after a 2 pass shave, WTG/ATG every second day. I do not and never have been able to go ATG on my goatee area (I don't have one, but the area). That areas I do WTG/XTG.
As everyone above said, don't chase it. Once you get your technique and gear down, your shave sill be comfortable and look BBS to everyone around you. I also don't rotate hardware or software, to make sure my shaved are consistent from day to day....or every second day in my case.
If you chase a BBS shave, usually everyone can spot your razor burned face from a block away. A comfortable shave with no irritation will look like a BBS to everyone around you and you'll be the only one who would be able to tell if you run your hand on your face.
No facial shave, neck, cheeks, chin, moustache, is ever going to be as smooth as a babies bottom.
I get a near perfect shave, BBS if I stroke my hand WTG but not against it. There is still ever so slight spots that it may not be smooth as glass or a babies bottom. This is after a 2 pass shave, WTG/ATG every second day. I do not and never have been able to go ATG on my goatee area (I don't have one, but the area). That areas I do WTG/XTG.
As everyone above said, don't chase it. Once you get your technique and gear down, your shave sill be comfortable and look BBS to everyone around you. I also don't rotate hardware or software, to make sure my shaved are consistent from day to day....or every second day in my case.
If you chase a BBS shave, usually everyone can spot your razor burned face from a block away. A comfortable shave with no irritation will look like a BBS to everyone around you and you'll be the only one who would be able to tell if you run your hand on your face.
This is what I get when I go after a BBS. I don’t do it anymore… instead I go after a consistent shave and, I find it every single time with a mild razor. My face appreciates it.
Mild razor user as well. An original RazorRock Mamba (53) with Astra/GSB/7 o'clock Yellow. 3 passes and done, perfect evey time.
So many people claim it doesn't cut or is way too mild and they have to do 12 passes. I don't get it.
It depends on your technique and your beard. Technique comes first, because without good technique an irritation-free shave is very difficult. If you've got tough beard hair you're not likely to ever get a BBS with a truly mild razor.
I don't believe that any razor is intrinsically made for less than a BBS, but I do believe that people with tougher beard hair can easily find a mild razor that can't give them a BBS.
You don't mention blades, which can make a big difference in this area. Many shavers like a mild razor paired with a very sharp blade.
I don't believe that any razor is intrinsically made for less than a BBS, but I do believe that people with tougher beard hair can easily find a mild razor that can't give them a BBS.
You don't mention blades, which can make a big difference in this area. Many shavers like a mild razor paired with a very sharp blade.
- Thread starter
- #14
Limited on blade choices right now with the Supply SE, injector only. I have only tried their black label blades.
I mainly reach for the tried and true R89 myself.
This is especially the case when shaving between SR days.
Those particular shaves typically only require 2 easy passes
Glad you’ve joined, welcome!
The R89 and the Mamba 70 are my favourite mild razors. I have several dozen razors and I always come back to these two. They just work for me and my face. Truly carefree with great results.
If you have good technique you can get a BBS with any razor BUT it also depends on your beard. I own a Fatip Gentile which is a very mild razor, I can get a BBS with it but afterwards I do a lot of touch ups because the razor isn't aggressive enough for my beard type.
If I shave with the Fatip Open Comb I always get a BBS and never need to do any touch ups. If I shim this razor to make it even more aggressive then I get a BBS with two passes, WTG and XTG. No razor burns, no irritations at all. All of my shaves exist of 3 passes: wtg, xtg and atg.
You know what I have learned? If I shave to quickly I get a bad shave. For an example, if I shaved yesterday and if I wanted to shave tomorrow it's going to be nothing but pain. The sweet spot for me is 3 or 4 days. I read that many people here cannot do an ATG or cannot get a full BBS, I might be assuming now but I really think that these people should way a couple extra days before they should be shaving.
Maybe you should try out an adjustable razor? The Merkur Progress can be super mild on the lowest setting, IMHO it's just as mild as the Merkur 34C HD. On the highest setting it's super aggressive.
You see, THIS is the reason why we purchase so many different razors, soaps, blades etc
After switching to DE after 35 years of carts, I aimed for a BBS shave to confirm I was using a DE properly. Once I had gotten BBS, I no longer cared whether shaves were BBS, DFS or CCS.
I personally think that the “BBS” shave is like the Holy Grail. Everyone is after it but does it really exist? Anyway, life is too short to worry about that. I shave just about everyday and won’t let the pursuit of the BBS” ruin my shave.
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