Does it matter whether you remove the razor blade after each shave and rinse it in alcohol to remove the water? What are the reasons to do this, or is this just a shaving myth?
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Fact or Myth?
- Thread starter TinyTim
- Start date
Doesn't matter with stainless blades. With carbon blades it is another story BUT carbon blades are hard to find today.
I take the blade out after every shave because I shave with a different razor every day and I don't what to have 50+ razors loaded with blades
I take the blade out after every shave because I shave with a different razor every day and I don't what to have 50+ razors loaded with blades
Doesn't matter. I leave the blade in until it is time to replace it. You can easily confirm for yourself.
I run a bit of 91% alcohol over the head/blade if it's a stainless razor. It seems the blades show rust when kept in stainless razors, otherwise (at least uncoated stainless razors, like the Weber Polished or the Above the Tie). The alcohol might also dissolve soap build up, but this is not a big deal since that's most easily cleaned when changing blades anyway.
Myth. I leave it in and have no problems. Does anybody think that the majority of shavers of yesteryear took the blade out for an alcohol rinse?
Didn't think so.
Didn't think so.
Doesn't matter with stainless blades. With carbon blades it is another story BUT carbon blades are hard to find today.
I take the blade out after every shave because I shave with a different razor every day and I don't what to have 50+ razors loaded with blades
+1 (Ever hear of using a shot glass filled with mineral oil to store a blade overnight between shaves?)
hey Tiny Tim - not sure where you heard this Tall Tale but it is unnecessary. do it if you want to but unless you have shaved off some pimple/acne heads and want to reduce the risks of (re)infection then it will make no difference to your shave or your blade.
I keep my razor in a medicine cabinet due to lack of room on the counter. I take the blade out and just lean it against the razor handle when I'm not using it. I just don't want the water to get trapped in there when I'm not using it. Could breed all sorts of nasties since I only shave every second day or so. I also read somewhere that standing water sitting on the blade edge could damage the coatings after a while. I have no idea how true this is but it's not worth the risk if the result is a horrible shave.
As I understand it the alcohol swish was not so much to kill nasties but from when carbon and surgical steel blades were the norm and alcohol was used to displace any water that might remain after shaving to prevent rusting the blade thus avoiding risk of Tetanus and or blood poisoning.
Not really needed with today's stainless blades.
Not really needed with today's stainless blades.
garyg
B&B membership has its percs
I'm going to say that the alcohol swish benefits my SE and Injector blades for longevity, but not modern DEs. I know they are all SS, kryptonite clad etc. But the dip seems to help the SE's while having no effect on the DE's, which I do pull, rinse under the tap, and hand strop.
Wow, slow night eh
Wow, slow night eh
Alcohol will probably remove a little soap scum, which might extend the blade life a little bit. I experimented with this before I started jeans-stropping, and Mantic has a video at http://sharpologist.com/2011/07/video-how-to-extend-the-life-of-razor-blades.html
Here is a Feather after four shaves:
After spraying with isopropyl alcohol, then blotting dry:
After seven shaves, then jeans-stropped:
The edge is no sharper, but has less gunk on it. I think the debris makes cutting more difficult, like a saw blade gunked up with sawdust or even sap. For me, jeans-stropping roughly doubles the number of shaves I get with a Feather, and many other blades too.
Here is a Feather after four shaves:
After spraying with isopropyl alcohol, then blotting dry:
After seven shaves, then jeans-stropped:
The edge is no sharper, but has less gunk on it. I think the debris makes cutting more difficult, like a saw blade gunked up with sawdust or even sap. For me, jeans-stropping roughly doubles the number of shaves I get with a Feather, and many other blades too.
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Myth. Plus a lot of extra trouble.
I always give any razor I use (straight, SE, or DE) a quick spray with iso alcohol after every shave. I have found that this reduces soap scum buildup and it seems to help the razor to dry more quickly. With my straights, I want any help I can get to get the blade dry. With DE or SE razors, the spray is more for the razor than the blade. I like my razors to look shiny and I don't like to fuss with cleaning and polishing them often - the iso alcohol spray seems to help quite a bit with that.
I have a small lidded apothecary-style jar with alcohol in it. After my shave, I unscrew the razor a bit to loosen the pieces (it's a 3-piece), then give it an in/out dunk. It helps with the razor's appearance, helps to displace any water that remains on the razor, and it's just-in-case sanitation.
I take my razor apart after each shave, rinse the parts, pat dry the blade, hand dry everything else then reassemble. Of course for this is part ritual, which I thrive on. I never heard the alcohol thing before.
This for me. Occasionally I have something on my mind or I'm in a hurry and forget. I gently pat dry the blade, never rub hard. Dry the rest of the razor and reassemble. Not sure how much if any real difference there is, but maybe another shave or two. As cheap as blades are it's not really a concern, but for some reason we all like to see how many decent shaves we can get out of a $.12 blade, since we used to throw away a $4 cart every week.
Myth: playing with razor blades leads to hairy palms.
Fact: keep playing with razor blades and you will inevitably get a cut.
Fact: keep playing with razor blades and you will inevitably get a cut.
Immediately post shave clean blade with scrubbing bubbles.
Rinse well with water.
Alcohol dunk to remove water.
dry with hair dryer.
Jeans strop 20 strokes each edge. Remove from razor, flip blade over, repeat.
Put blade in jar of mineral oil for storage until next shave.
what am I missing?
Rinse well with water.
Alcohol dunk to remove water.
dry with hair dryer.
Jeans strop 20 strokes each edge. Remove from razor, flip blade over, repeat.
Put blade in jar of mineral oil for storage until next shave.
what am I missing?
your mind
^ well played!
