Frustrations Clearing Out The Soap Or Cream On The Razor While Shaving

[ryevick]

I have 3 razors: the Merkur 34C, the Parker Variant Adjustable and the WEISHI Long Handle Butterfly. I have several soaps and creams but it seems I am constantly being frustrated on all 3 razors with the soaps and creams not clearing/cleaning out of the razors during my shave. I haven't noticed if there are any soaps or creams that don't do this but it seems like they all due. I don't wait until I shave half my face before submerging the razor to clear it either, only a few strokes. I have tried using warm, cold and hot water but it doesn't seem to matter. I do like the cream or soap to be closer to a thicker consistency rather than soapy water that's just running down my face.

A little aggravated but I'm sticking with it (or rather it's sticking with me). Have you run into this issue and how did you solve it. I suppose I will have thin the soap/cream more but I would love to hear of razors that clean out much easier than others. I would probably be looking at getting one.

 

[Lightcs1776]

It sounds like the cream is too thick. You will likely get a better shave as well as be able to rinse off your razor with a thinner shaving cream.

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[BSAGuy]

Chris is on it. Your lather is too thick. Use a little more water when making the lather. Also, put the razor under running water instead of just swishing in your sink.

 

[Hoka Hey]

I suspect your suspicion is correct. If your getting whipped cream peaks, solid and beautiful, your lather is to dry. Add water until no peaks, and you should be golden. That's were the soap will perform best. This is not so wet as to drip. Few bubbles in your lather. Closer to yogurt. Will not hold a sharp edge like whipped cream would.

Funny thing is, a good soap is tolerant of being dryer/thicker, or wetter/ thinner. And every soap is slightly different.

 

[BigJ]

I am with the consensus here. To me the most likely issue is that you may need more water in your lather.

 

[Invicta]

I do like the cream or soap to be closer to a thicker consistency rather than soapy water that's just running down my face.

The lather should have body to it so not run down your face. However your problem is dry lather; it should have a sheen to it and not look dull. More hydration required and it will rinse away.

 

[slybrewguy]

More water.


I've recently been playing with water additions in my usual go-to soaps (arko and proraso) and have been pretty impressed at how much water a properly loaded brush and properly built lather can take on.

I would suggest spending some time doing test lathers on your palm or even your face. One thing to keep in mind is as you dial this in you will start to notice lather flinging all around your bathroom, that's very common. Once I figured out proper ratios I started to hate sink shaving and switched to shower shaving. Much quicker and easier to clean up.

I've now gotten to a point where if my razor is difficult to rinse... I know I need more water.

 

[MntnMan62]

It sounds like the cream is too thick. You will likely get a better shave as well as be able to rinse off your razor with a thinner shaving cream.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

+2. Also, I don't fill the sink or a bowl to use for rinsing the razor. I shave with an empty sink and when I do a pass on each side of the razor, I rinse it quickly under running water. I find the force of the flowing water cleans the razor nicely and quickly. Note, I don't leave the water running in between rinses. I pay too much for water to do that. And I agree that if you properly hydrate your lather, you get a much smoother and more comfortable shave.

 

[davent]

+2. Also, I don't fill the sink or a bowl to use for rinsing the razor. I shave with an empty sink and when I do a pass on each side of the razor, I rinse it quickly under running water. I find the force of the flowing water cleans the razor nicely and quickly. Note, I don't leave the water running in between rinses. I pay too much for water to do that. And I agree that if you properly hydrate your lather, you get a much smoother and more comfortable shave.

All of this!
dave

 

[slybrewguy]

I also should have added:

I am typically a shower shaver, I change my shower head setting to a low flow option when I get to that point, so I have no issue blasting out the "gunk" after a few swipes however on the rare occasion that I sink shave I do find it takes me double the time to shake out my razor in the the sink vs blast out in the shower. If shower shaving isn't your thing then I highly suggest doing what @MntnMan62 & @davent said above, quick blast from the faucet.

Also worth noting, I only have the lather + hair build up in my safety bar razors. When I use my PAA Bakelite slant the open comb design allows me to do almost half my face without rinsing, if I wanted too