I have only been wet shaving for 5 months, but already tried quite some different tools, brands and techniques. Some have a visible impact on performance, some don’t. But, on more rare occasions, we find that one thing that makes so much difference that it changes the entire game. Some of us even find more than once. For some people it’s a simple blade, for others it’s a soap brand, a technique, etc, etc, etc.
Despite my short experience, I already found something that reshaped my wet shaving. For me, that thing was steaming my face as a pre-shave routine. It blew me away, as simple as that.
But let me explain why it was so good. I started by trying the hot towel method. It didn’t go smoothly, at all. I tried applying it for different times, from 30 seconds to one minute and a half. It’s not appropriate for me, the shave was uncomfortable, especially on the ATG pass. It felt I was shaving with a broken bottle. The post-shave was also bad, with quite some irritation. The alum block was a quick visit to hell. And I changed variables, one at the time. I changed blades, used pre-shave products before/after the towel (such as proraso white), soaps for sensitive skin, etc. Nothing seemed to work.
I got tired of the hot towel and I moved on to the hot shower before shaving. It was definitely an improvement. The pass ATG was better, but still a bit uncomfortable. There was a bit of irritation, alum block was stingy, but not as much. Again, I switched one variable on each shave, to try to find what was the cause of my mediocre shaves.
I started blaming the blades, with the hope that one day I would find a suitable one for me. I tried many brands, some a bit better than others, but I found none that gave me pleasure when shaving. The following thought was starting to pop up in my head: “So, this is the famous wet shaving?! Meh”.
One day, I read something about the importance of steam and what it does to the whiskers. And I researched on that. I read about quite some people saying their best shaves were after the sauna. That intrigued me and I planned my next experiment. This time, steaming my face was the only variable to be changed. There was no special device involved. I simply boiled water on a kettle, poured it on a container, covered my head with a towel (so the steam doesn’t “escape”), and stayed there for 6 minutes, at a safe distance from the water. I read that some people put their faces way too close to the water and burned their faces.
I couldn’t believe the shave I had. I was using a blade that I hated during the previous shave, and I was amazed by how I was enjoying it now. That blade is actually on my top 3 now (Permasharp super). It was like cutting butter in the summer… with a samurai sword. After that, I came back to the beginning of my experiments and I started to try all the same blades, creams, brushes, etc, again. Some things that I hated before, just feel great now. And there’s not even a tiny red spot after the shave, no irritation at all, the alum block is walk on the park.
I am having shaves out of this world, not only extremely close, but also very pleasant. I am glad I didn’t quit and found something that solved my problem.
I am curious to know if you guys had something that had such a big impact, just like the steam had for me.
Cheers,
Ricardo
Despite my short experience, I already found something that reshaped my wet shaving. For me, that thing was steaming my face as a pre-shave routine. It blew me away, as simple as that.
But let me explain why it was so good. I started by trying the hot towel method. It didn’t go smoothly, at all. I tried applying it for different times, from 30 seconds to one minute and a half. It’s not appropriate for me, the shave was uncomfortable, especially on the ATG pass. It felt I was shaving with a broken bottle. The post-shave was also bad, with quite some irritation. The alum block was a quick visit to hell. And I changed variables, one at the time. I changed blades, used pre-shave products before/after the towel (such as proraso white), soaps for sensitive skin, etc. Nothing seemed to work.
I got tired of the hot towel and I moved on to the hot shower before shaving. It was definitely an improvement. The pass ATG was better, but still a bit uncomfortable. There was a bit of irritation, alum block was stingy, but not as much. Again, I switched one variable on each shave, to try to find what was the cause of my mediocre shaves.
I started blaming the blades, with the hope that one day I would find a suitable one for me. I tried many brands, some a bit better than others, but I found none that gave me pleasure when shaving. The following thought was starting to pop up in my head: “So, this is the famous wet shaving?! Meh”.
One day, I read something about the importance of steam and what it does to the whiskers. And I researched on that. I read about quite some people saying their best shaves were after the sauna. That intrigued me and I planned my next experiment. This time, steaming my face was the only variable to be changed. There was no special device involved. I simply boiled water on a kettle, poured it on a container, covered my head with a towel (so the steam doesn’t “escape”), and stayed there for 6 minutes, at a safe distance from the water. I read that some people put their faces way too close to the water and burned their faces.
I couldn’t believe the shave I had. I was using a blade that I hated during the previous shave, and I was amazed by how I was enjoying it now. That blade is actually on my top 3 now (Permasharp super). It was like cutting butter in the summer… with a samurai sword. After that, I came back to the beginning of my experiments and I started to try all the same blades, creams, brushes, etc, again. Some things that I hated before, just feel great now. And there’s not even a tiny red spot after the shave, no irritation at all, the alum block is walk on the park.
I am having shaves out of this world, not only extremely close, but also very pleasant. I am glad I didn’t quit and found something that solved my problem.
I am curious to know if you guys had something that had such a big impact, just like the steam had for me.
Cheers,
Ricardo
