Do we all need Baby Butt Smoothness?

[Bakker1964]

BBS? Meh . . .

So long as my shave results in a comfortable "feel" on my face and scalp, I am satisfied. No need to Ahab things like shaving, imo.

 

[Esox]

I tend to believe (erroneously or otherwise) that BBS should be linked to not actually seeing the hair. At the end of the day I can still see the areas where stubble is even though my hands are telling me that I am basically BBS.

Whether or not you can see any stubble below the skin line comes down to ones own skin type. You should feel nothing but smooth skin in any direction.

If I rest my chin in the palm of my hand with considerable pressure, if I can feel any stubble at all, in any direction, I'm not BBS. One of the hardest to BBS places for me is under my chin and above my adams apple. To BBS that area I need to shave left to right and right to left. If I can pinch the skin there tightly and feel nothing, I'm BBS.

My typical shave with my MMOC and a PTFE blade gives me a complete BBS for 14 hours or more. For 14 hours I can feel nothing anywhere even with considerable pressure on my skin. I rarely have any irritation, weepers and ingrown hairs are a thing of the past.

In the last month or so, finding the right soap for my skin has helped almost as much as using the right razor and blade. When it all comes together its worth the effort.

Achieving a BBS shave is more technique oriented than anything else but for many people, using a rigid design is the only way it will happen when shaving ATG.

[POLL] BBS or DFS

 

[jmudrick]

Stubble on my head annoys me. Gotta be BBS.

 

[Ron R]

If I want a BBS I can achieve it with my E2 Schick injector with 3 passes and that BBS can last 8-12 hrs if the technique is good that day. Other razors will give me a BBS but do not last as long and that is OK with me.
I use to push for a BBS but I will settle for a DFS>CCS>bbs and be very content, if you do get a BBS you have more than likely removed a little skin possibly to reach that pinnacle IMO.
Here's a Photo of my skin about 1hr later after the my skin settles down with a DFS>bbs shave caterogory IMO.(400X? Andonstar 500 ubs magnifier)

NOT sure how much closer a person wants to get to a great shave.

 

[Esox]

if you do get a BBS you have more than likely removed a little skin possibly to reach that pinnacle IMO.

I agree Ron, and this is where the right soap for your skin comes into play.

For me, PdP and WK soaps are the two that work the best and I havent used any other soaps for quite a while now. Using a lesser soap can leave my skin feeling less comfortable given the same depth of cut.

Its like my using Feather blades for the last year or so, I always found them harsh. As soon as I used PdP, on my first shave with a Feather blade, all of that harshness was gone from the blade and now I really like them, but only with those two soaps.

I'm not sure why they agree with my skin so well, but they do.

 

[Ron R]

I'm not sure why they agree with my skin so well, but they do.

Yup, have to agree with you on that one about having a great soaps that will give the razor blade edge a nice glide.

 

[Esox]

Yup, have to agree with you on that one about having a great soaps that will give the razor blade edge a nice glide.

PdP especially has the best glide or slickness of any soaps I've yet used, but at the same time its more than that. It makes my skin more supple which in turn makes it more forgiving of the blade so I can have a closer shave more comfortably.

After shaving with PdP, without even rinsing my face only wiping with a damp hand towel, my skin feels like I've applied lotion. Soft, supple and cool. WK leaves my skin just as moisturized with the same feeling. Post shave my face and neck feel like they've been waxed and I have to say, now that I can have a shave this good, theres no way I'd settle for anything less.

Stirling, Tabac, T&H, Midnight & Two, Trumper, Castle Forbes cream, even my Captains Choice creams that I really like, fall short of that moisturizing level of comfort. All are very good soaps and creams too, but my skin doesnt like any as much as PdP and WK. Good thing they dont smell like Tabac! haha.

 

[Ron R]

PdP especially has the best glide or slickness of any soaps I've yet used, but at the same time its more than that. It makes my skin more supple which in turn makes it more forgiving of the blade so I can have a closer shave more comfortably.

After shaving with PdP, without even rinsing my face only wiping with a damp hand towel, my skin feels like I've applied lotion. Soft, supple and cool. WK leaves my skin just as moisturized with the same feeling. Post shave my face and neck feel like they've been waxed and I have to say, now that I can have a shave this good, theres no way I'd settle for anything less.

Stirling, Tabac, T&H, Midnight & Two, Trumper, Castle Forbes cream, even my Captains Choice creams that I really like, fall short of that moisturizing level of comfort. All are very good soaps and creams too, but my skin doesnt like any as much as PdP and WK. Good thing they dont smell like Tabac! haha.

You are right about a soap that gives great scent great protection andddd post shave moisture hydrated feel and then you have definitely hit it out of the ballpark in a metaphor expression.

 

[santamariasteve]

Schick Hydro Magic Type I. Chick Blade. I'm also thinking about dropping on a GEM featherweight.

The Schick Type I Injector is well liked. It is a medium aggression shaver. Be aware the Gem Feather Weight will be slightly milder than the Type I, based on the reports of many shavers.

 

[les24preludes]

The Schick Type I Injector is well liked. It is a medium aggression shaver. Be aware the Gem Feather Weight will be slightly milder than the Type I, based on the reports of many shavers.

The advantage of GEM is the PTFE blades which are cheaper than the alternative injectors and at least as sharp if not sharper. One is also not chained to injector loading. And plenty of razors using GEM blades these days including the ER and GEMs still in circulation.

 

[santamariasteve]

The advantage of GEM is the PTFE blades which are cheaper than the alternative injectors and at least as sharp if not sharper. One is also not chained to injector loading. And plenty of razors using GEM blades these days including the ER and GEMs still in circulation.

Yes and no.

I get 15 or more good shaves from an injector blade. I get 5 good shaves from a regular SE blade.

 

[Avenafatua]

I can get a BBS at face 10/10 and well on the neck area: only if i focus and go really gently. Most of the times i settle for DFS or whatever suits me and makes me look clean but leaves me a good sensation at the time. I think is important to be clean shaven if possible, but first of all is health/commodity!

 

[njpaddy]

BBS was a goal until I achieved it. I still often get BBS, but unintentionally. It's no longer a goal. Most days, DFS or "close enough for government work" shaves are fine. A few hours later, there's not much difference between them.

 

[steelhead52]

Obsessed I tell you, Obsessed. I've tried a couple of times to stop at less than BBS. I feel my face and if its not perfect, I must go back and get it right. 1549 consecutive BBS shaves is definitely obsessed. I need counseling.

 

[Esox]

Obsessed I tell you, Obsessed. I've tried a couple of times to stop at less than BBS. I feel my face and if its not perfect, I must go back and get it right. 1549 consecutive BBS shaves is definitely obsessed. I need counseling.

Dont feel bad lol. I have to check the closeness between passes with nothing but water and press pretty hard to make sure I have nothing left too shave. If I do, I wont for long. Even a thin layer of lather can hide some stubble lol.

 

[Trent in WA]

I do three passes (N-S, XTG, ATG), and whatever I wind up with after that is the quality of shave I have. Generally speaking, that's BBS on most of my face, with DFS in a couple of areas. I find that if I need to shave later in the day to be maximally presentable (for a date, say), I can do another two passes without ramping up irritation.

 

[Niles]

Close and comfortable is all I want from a shave.

 

[JWK1]

I agree Ron, and this is where the right soap for your skin comes into play.

For me, PdP and WK soaps are the two that work the best and I havent used any other soaps for quite a while now. Using a lesser soap can leave my skin feeling less comfortable given the same depth of cut.

Its like my using Feather blades for the last year or so, I always found them harsh. As soon as I used PdP, on my first shave with a Feather blade, all of that harshness was gone from the blade and now I really like them, but only with those two soaps.

I'm not sure why they agree with my skin so well, but they do.

OK, I've never known anything but Arko since I started wet shaving. So I have to ask. What is "PdP" and "WK"?

 

[Esox]

What is "PdP" and "WK"?

Pre de Provence is a very hard, I believe quad milled, non tallow soap from France.

Wholly Kaw is quite a bit softer and by the time its shipped to me in Canada, almost twice the price.

PdP loads quickest with a synthetic brush. Using my Omega boar, its 200 swirls around the tin to load. I wont even try and load it with my Silvertip badger.

Wholly Kaw is softer, and therefore much easier to load, but it also goes much faster.

That tub of WK is about half gone now. I've managed so far to erase the lettering from the puck of PdP so far and I've shaved with it a lot more often.

Both are excellent soaps.

 

[JWK1]

Pre de Provence is a very hard, I believe quad milled, non tallow soap from France.

View attachment 930940 View attachment 930941 View attachment 930942


Wholly Kaw is quite a bit softer and by the time its shipped to me in Canada, almost twice the price.

View attachment 930943 View attachment 930944

PdP loads quickest with a synthetic brush. Using my Omega boar, its 200 swirls around the tin to load. I wont even try and load it with my Silvertip badger.

Wholly Kaw is softer, and therefore much easier to load, but it also goes much faster.

That tub of WK is about half gone now. I've managed so far to erase the lettering from the puck of PdP so far and I've shaved with it a lot more often.

Both are excellent soaps.

Thank you. I'll try PdP.