DE Razor - Best Practices

[dmcand3]

Hey All,

I am sure this information is out there somewhere but I would like to bring it up again. I read through the tutorials and newbie sections and couldn't get ALL the answers solved. Let me know your thoughts, best practices to the following. I will try to make it specific to my situation only because I have read a few newbies posts that mock my own.

1. Lathering - I have a Proraso Shave Cream with bowl (it's green with a menthol smell to it). I don't have the actual lather bowl that people buy (yet). So do I just lather it in that bowl and wash it out afterwards? Or do I transfer it to a mug and lather (which is what I did my first time).
2. Blades - I am assuming I can use the blades for a 2-4 day period. I have the standard Derby blades that came with my Edwin razor. Is this accurate or is a play it by shave type thing?
3. Long/Short strokes - which is better? I took some smaller strokes being a newbie and making sure I get a close shave. What's your preference?
4. Care - DE Razor/Brush care - where do you store it? Do you take the blade out of the razor after every shave and let it sit? Does it rust? Does the brush always need to be in a stand?

Looking forward to hearing about it all!

 

[chado006]

Good questions.
1. If you just load your brush with the cream, you can either whip your lather up in a mug/bowl or you can face lather. Your other option is to transfer a little to the mug and lather from there.
2. Some gents on here use a blade once and then toss it, dull or not. I use a blade until it starts tugging. Then I toss it. Longevity depends on the blade, some you get a couple shaves, others you get ten. YMMV
3. This is a personal preference. I tend to use short strokes.
4. I clean the razor off every time I replace the blade. A stainless steel blade stays in the razor until it gets replaced, it won't rust. A carbon steel blade will rust so I drop that from the razor onto a paper towel and then it goes into a container of rubbing alcohol until the next shave. As for the brush, rinse it well, gently squeeze the water out, shake as much water out as you can and dry on a towel. Opinions vary on whether it should be hung to dry or not. Do what the manufacturer recommends but if you have a stand, either way, I'd hang it.

 

[dmcand3]

Good questions.
1. If you just load your brush with the cream, you can either whip your lather up in a mug/bowl or you can face lather. Your other option is to transfer a little to the mug and lather from there.
2. Some gents on here use a blade once and then toss it, dull or not. I use a blade until it starts tugging. Then I toss it. Longevity depends on the blade, some you get a couple shaves, others you get ten. YMMV
3. This is a personal preference. I tend to use short strokes.
4. I clean the razor off every time I replace the blade. A stainless steel blade stays in the razor until it gets replaced, it won't rust. A carbon steel blade will rust so I drop that from the razor onto a paper towel and then it goes into a container of rubbing alcohol until the next shave. As for the brush, rinse it well, gently squeeze the water out, shake as much water out as you can and dry on a towel. Opinions vary on whether it should be hung to dry or not. Do what the manufacturer recommends but if you have a stand, either way, I'd hang it.

Chado - thanks for the insight. I am learning day by day (today being my second day at it).

 

[wquiles]

Hey All,

I am sure this information is out there somewhere but I would like to bring it up again. I read through the tutorials and newbie sections and couldn't get ALL the answers solved. Let me know your thoughts, best practices to the following. I will try to make it specific to my situation only because I have read a few newbies posts that mock my own.

1. Lathering - I have a Proraso Shave Cream with bowl (it's green with a menthol smell to it). I don't have the actual lather bowl that people buy (yet). So do I just lather it in that bowl and wash it out afterwards? Or do I transfer it to a mug and lather (which is what I did my first time).
2. Blades - I am assuming I can use the blades for a 2-4 day period. I have the standard Derby blades that came with my Edwin razor. Is this accurate or is a play it by shave type thing?
3. Long/Short strokes - which is better? I took some smaller strokes being a newbie and making sure I get a close shave. What's your preference?
4. Care - DE Razor/Brush care - where do you store it? Do you take the blade out of the razor after every shave and let it sit? Does it rust? Does the brush always need to be in a stand?

Looking forward to hearing about it all!

1) The idea behind the bowl is to have a good size work area to create the lather. You can also use a mug, although of course the area is more confined. I tried both, and then tried face lathering, and I like it much, much better than a bowl/mug. By adding more shaving cream and/or moistening the tip of your brush, you can fine-tune the consistency of the lather.

2) This question comes up a lot, and I have read lots and lots of opinions on this alone. Some folks ditch a blade after each use, some after 4x or more times. On average, it seems like between 2x and 3x is a common range. Thing is that it is up to you, your face/beard/skin sensitiveness/etc.. Basically, when the blade feels it is no longer cutting easily, when you start feeling tug/pulling, it is almost too late - that blade is no longer good. If that happen to you on shave #3, then I would toss the blades after 2x uses. For me I can get 2x or 3x uses from the various blades I use, but it the blade feels "rough" earlier, I simply swap it and put a new one - blades are so cheap it is not worth finishing a shave with a sub-par blade.

3) Again, very subjective, but when learning is it always better to keep doing shorter strokes so that you have more control following the contours of your face, specially the lips, neck, chin, etc..

4) I mostly rinse the razor (with the blade in it), shake it a couple of times, put the head of the razor in a small container filled with alcohol, take it out, shake it, and leave it to dry. Since I have very hard water, every month or so I use my ultrasonic cleaner for a "deep" cleaning session (with some detergent and white vinegar).

Just my 2 cents worth

Will

 

[oldbluelight]

1. I like the bowl because it helps me produce a warm, comfortable lather. I run the water hot, put the brush in to soak, shower, put the bowl under running hot water while I load the brush. I empty the bowl and build the lather in the warm bowl and fill the basin with hot water to the rim of the bowl. TA DA! Lather that stays warm through four passes. I can also accurately judge the quality of the lather in the bowl before I apply it.

2. Ain't nobody gonna be able to tell you how long a blade will last cutting through your beard. If you're paying attention at all you will most assuredly know. In the final analysis the question may not be too critical. Lets say for the sake of argument that your blade was purchased in a lot of 100 and it individually cost $0.21. While we're arguing let's say that it should be a 7 day blade but you toss it after five shaves. OH NO! you've just wasted $0.06. Jeeeez! In 50 or 60 years that could really add up. I can tell you that I get 7 days out of a Personna Lab and 6 out of a Gillette Silver Blue.

3. Well in the words of a song popular in the day's of my joyously misspent youth, "Different strokes for different folks." Let the blood, burn and stubborn stubble guide you to the one true path - for you.

4. I slightly loosen the head on my EJ at the end of a shave and give it a thorough rinse from the bottom of the top plate and the ends. I retighten the head, give it a couple of vigorous shakes, carefully wipe the cap and drop it into a repurposed toothbrush rack. On blade changing day I give it a thorough scrub, rinse and buffing. That's about it.

I see that Will has already thrown it two cents worth so I guess this is an expired grocery store coupon's worth. Have fun and feel good.

 

[michiganlover]

1. Lathering - I have a Proraso Shave Cream with bowl (it's green with a menthol smell to it). I don't have the actual lather bowl that people buy (yet). So do I just lather it in that bowl and wash it out afterwards? Or do I transfer it to a mug and lather (which is what I did my first time).

You don't need a fancy bowl. In my opinion most bowls sold as "shaving bowls" are rather useless for actually building lather in. The wooden bowls that shaving soap often comes packed in being a flat out total waste of money. The best lather bowl I have found is a plastic "salsa bowl", typically available for around $1-$2.

 

[dmcand3]

Thanks everyone for your insight. I really do appreciate it. I was thinking of ordering a bowl soon. But a regular bowl is turning out just fine.

 

[Ski-Patroller]

1. You can make the lather in the mug, but you can get a better lather and save soap if you pick up the soap on the bush and whip up the lather in the bowl. Saving soap is not a big deal if you use Van der Hagen or Williams, but with more expensive soaps it makes sense. Besides you can whip up a better warm lather. All you need is a metal or ceramic bowl (I use plastic for traveling) about the size of a cereal bowl. Nothing fancy, but it ought to look nice for esthetics.

2. You can probably get quite a few shaves from a blade depending on your beard and the blades you use. I typically get 6 from Feathers, Super Iridium, Personna Meds etc. They really aren't dull then, but I've run out of dots on the dice. If you only use one razor, it's easy to keep track of the number of shaves, but if you have a rotation, it gets more complicated. I would recommend getting some Astras, and or Polisilver Super Iridiums to try. Most people seem to prefer blades other than Derbys. YMMV

3. I use longer strokes on my Cheeks and Neck, Shorter on my Chin. What ever works for you.

4. No need to do anything except rinse the razor in hot water and put it away. If live in a place with hard water, you may want to use bottled water to shave and cleanup. It makes better lather and drys the blades better. I use water from the Culligan dispenser when I visit my in-laws in Missouri. In Oregon our water is fine from the tap. Simpson says rinse the brush out, squeeze out the water and dry it with a few strokes on a towel. Don't shake it. They recommend standing it on it's base, not hanging it. (See my post How do you dry your brush.)

 

[mharris127]

4. I clean the razor off every time I replace the blade. A stainless steel blade stays in the razor until it gets replaced, it won't rust. A carbon steel blade will rust so I drop that from the razor onto a paper towel and then it goes into a container of rubbing alcohol until the next shave. As for the brush, rinse it well, gently squeeze the water out, shake as much water out as you can and dry on a towel. Opinions vary on whether it should be hung to dry or not. Do what the manufacturer recommends but if you have a stand, either way, I'd hang it.

I thought I better post a clarification here. A carbon steel blade is a really weird shade of blue or black. Unless you are using vintage blades you probably don't have to worry about running into one. If you really want to try one Treet still makes them but only a couple of online vendors still sell them. Stainless Steel is that unique silver color just like your kitchen knives or most silverware, this is also 99.9% of DE or SE blades made today.

I disagree with the poster that suggests a blade last 7 days. In my case on day 3 my face would be torn up if I took that advice. I find that two and out works for me. I happen to prefer Astra green blades (that is the color of the package) but even with an expensive Feather blade I only get two shaves (nice blade but not worth 35-50 cents each). In the case of Astras they are only 9 cents a blade anyway so if somehow I throw it away one shave early it isn't a big deal. I did get a good deal on some Personna Labs at $13 a box shipped (13 cents per blade) so I will see if they are as good as the $2 red 10 pack you see in Wal-Mart or Walgreens (the red pack isn't a bad blade but at 20 cents per the Astras are much cheaper).

 

[alex2363]

Very good replies, i too agree with Mharris127, use the blades fewer times to reduce irritation or a bad shave result.

 

[swcarter]

Good questions.
1. If you just load your brush with the cream, you can either whip your lather up in a mug/bowl or you can face lather. Your other option is to transfer a little to the mug and lather from there.
2. Some gents on here use a blade once and then toss it, dull or not. I use a blade until it starts tugging. Then I toss it. Longevity depends on the blade, some you get a couple shaves, others you get ten. YMMV
3. This is a personal preference. I tend to use short strokes.
4. I clean the razor off every time I replace the blade. A stainless steel blade stays in the razor until it gets replaced, it won't rust. A carbon steel blade will rust so I drop that from the razor onto a paper towel and then it goes into a container of rubbing alcohol until the next shave. As for the brush, rinse it well, gently squeeze the water out, shake as much water out as you can and dry on a towel. Opinions vary on whether it should be hung to dry or not. Do what the manufacturer recommends but if you have a stand, either way, I'd hang it.

Agree with most of the above. As for "strokes", I tend to use short strokes on my first pass and then lengthen the strokes on passes 2 & 3.

 

[JimC]

+1 I agree 2-3 days for a blade...experiment...and enjoy!!!