I'm studying these tutorials like the bible, thanks to all who have contributed
How-to: Pre-Shave Prep
- Thread starter Kyle
- Start date
once a week on Mondays I take a little bit more time to relax and use Kyle's Prep for an awesome shave. I have a small minature crock pot with a lid that keeps the towel hot & ready until I am ready to use it.
Can't wait until I am old enough to retire. Then it's Kyle's Prep every day!
Can't wait until I am old enough to retire. Then it's Kyle's Prep every day!
I still haven't attempted my first DE shave, I have half of my ordered supplies so I'm waiting on that, but in doing all the ground work in the meantime, I decided to try this prep using my old method (Edge gel in a can and a Schick quad blade cartridge).
Basically I have constant neck irritation still to this day, hopefully about to change. And after reading about it, now I don't know if it's due to ingrowns or the other few common possibilities, but it's always there and I've just accepted it as a fact of life and dreaded shaving, so I've been an every other day or 3 days lapsed time shaver, and only at night so I have enough time to let irritation subside before I have to go in public.
I've tried face mapping and figuring out which direction growth is in, etc, still nothing's improved yet, but that's not the point of this post. It comes down to the fact that shaving has been avoided due to the harsh feeling I have as a result of the irritation.
I had tried several things including just lathering up and leaving it for several minutes to hydrate better, tried showering before shaving including letting water run directly on my neck for several minutes to hydrate, and none of that helped much as far as making it feel better. The only thing that did work was having a bath and leaving my neck submerged for 10 to 20 minutes. Then shaving was smooth and irritation free (the shaving process, that is. I'd still have redness/irritation in the grand scheme).
So tonight I had 3 days growth after avoiding shaving due to the redness on my neck and the desire to procrastinate pain. I applied Edge gel from the can, worked it in with fingertips after applying it, took a face cloth and soaked in hot tap water, held it against my face for several minutes, used it to wipe my face clean after re-soaking it in hot tap water, re-applied Edge gel, shaved with a quad blade cartridge (which had a few shaves on it already) and to my surprise it felt as smooth and irritation free as one of those long submerging baths. In just a few minutes.
So obviously I'll be doing this from now on - it's something I can find the time to do easily enough for scores more comfort and success, and who knows. Maybe this will be a major player in eliminating the redness I have along with better techniques and face mapping to come.
I wanted to post my results because I felt my situation was severe enough to judge the successful results even with one try and if it works that well for me, someone else will benefit from that insight as well. And as I said I've tried everything and the only other thing that worked was a long bath soak of the face.
Thanks Kyle. Why didn't I research this stuff sooner? I research everything else.
Basically I have constant neck irritation still to this day, hopefully about to change. And after reading about it, now I don't know if it's due to ingrowns or the other few common possibilities, but it's always there and I've just accepted it as a fact of life and dreaded shaving, so I've been an every other day or 3 days lapsed time shaver, and only at night so I have enough time to let irritation subside before I have to go in public.
I've tried face mapping and figuring out which direction growth is in, etc, still nothing's improved yet, but that's not the point of this post. It comes down to the fact that shaving has been avoided due to the harsh feeling I have as a result of the irritation.
I had tried several things including just lathering up and leaving it for several minutes to hydrate better, tried showering before shaving including letting water run directly on my neck for several minutes to hydrate, and none of that helped much as far as making it feel better. The only thing that did work was having a bath and leaving my neck submerged for 10 to 20 minutes. Then shaving was smooth and irritation free (the shaving process, that is. I'd still have redness/irritation in the grand scheme).
So tonight I had 3 days growth after avoiding shaving due to the redness on my neck and the desire to procrastinate pain. I applied Edge gel from the can, worked it in with fingertips after applying it, took a face cloth and soaked in hot tap water, held it against my face for several minutes, used it to wipe my face clean after re-soaking it in hot tap water, re-applied Edge gel, shaved with a quad blade cartridge (which had a few shaves on it already) and to my surprise it felt as smooth and irritation free as one of those long submerging baths. In just a few minutes.
So obviously I'll be doing this from now on - it's something I can find the time to do easily enough for scores more comfort and success, and who knows. Maybe this will be a major player in eliminating the redness I have along with better techniques and face mapping to come.
I wanted to post my results because I felt my situation was severe enough to judge the successful results even with one try and if it works that well for me, someone else will benefit from that insight as well. And as I said I've tried everything and the only other thing that worked was a long bath soak of the face.
Thanks Kyle. Why didn't I research this stuff sooner? I research everything else.
Ok I'm a little lazy & haven't yet tried the wet towel thing. But this thread is encouraging me ... almost there. 
Kyle,
Thanks for the research. I'll admit that my first thought in reading your research was "wow - that's a bit over the top." But, it stuck with me. I had a very slow weekend morning today and decided to add the extra few minutes with the hot towel over the first lather. My wife just bought new extra-thick washcloths the other day, which was perfect for keeping the heat for a few minutes. Just that added step, pre-shave, made my skin feel incredible.
I'm going to add this to my routine from now on, as the shave was great and my skin feels even better and more hydrated afterward. Those few extra minutes make an amazing amount of difference, and isn't that why we got into this in the first place? to enjoy these few moments of the day and have the extra added benefit of a BBS face?
Awesome - thanks for the help!
Thanks for the research. I'll admit that my first thought in reading your research was "wow - that's a bit over the top." But, it stuck with me. I had a very slow weekend morning today and decided to add the extra few minutes with the hot towel over the first lather. My wife just bought new extra-thick washcloths the other day, which was perfect for keeping the heat for a few minutes. Just that added step, pre-shave, made my skin feel incredible.
I'm going to add this to my routine from now on, as the shave was great and my skin feels even better and more hydrated afterward. Those few extra minutes make an amazing amount of difference, and isn't that why we got into this in the first place? to enjoy these few moments of the day and have the extra added benefit of a BBS face?
Awesome - thanks for the help!
Kyle:
Another 'top-notch' and informative thread
Thanx in Advance!!
Christopher
Another 'top-notch' and informative thread
Thanx in Advance!!
Christopher
Great information Kyle.
Using this prep has dramatically changed my shave so i thought i better say thanks to you for putting in the work and research so we could all benefit. If i speak to anyone with problems i always direct them to read your post.
Well done.
Using this prep has dramatically changed my shave so i thought i better say thanks to you for putting in the work and research so we could all benefit. If i speak to anyone with problems i always direct them to read your post.
Well done.
great post. this is what I was looking for...but which kind of humectant would you recommend?
I've never found a satisfactory way to do hot towels ... until now. I put three face cloths in the top section of my 3-tier food steamer like the one below. (Probably could have used just one tier.) Left it running while I got my gear ready, and when it was time pulled a cloth out. Perfect! Just the right temperature (i.e. too hot at first) and maybe just as important, non-dripping, so no need to wring out. When no longer hot, throw the cloth back in and pick out another if wanted. Doing this I effectively had a continuous supply of steaming hot cloths.
Felt like I was BBS even before the shave!
The dividers between sections are removable, so you could probably do the same thing with full size towels too.
View attachment 136000
Felt like I was BBS even before the shave!
The dividers between sections are removable, so you could probably do the same thing with full size towels too.
View attachment 136000
- Thread starter
- #291
Ahhh!!!
Using a first lathering as a preshave and covering it with a hot towel!
The preshave technique for me has been the biggest chasm to cross experimentally and I never would've thought of this myself, but it makes perfect sense.
Thanks Kyle! +1 internets to you!
Edit: There isn't a forum page specifically for preshave that I'm missing, is there? If not I like the idea!
Using a first lathering as a preshave and covering it with a hot towel!
The preshave technique for me has been the biggest chasm to cross experimentally and I never would've thought of this myself, but it makes perfect sense.
Thanks Kyle! +1 internets to you!
Edit: There isn't a forum page specifically for preshave that I'm missing, is there? If not I like the idea!
Wow, what a GREAT informative thread! Thank you so much for the simple to follow, concise steps Kyle.
I tried this method and was extremely satisfied with the results. Today I thought I would try a slight variation. Instead of starting off with the lather and then towel, I slightly wet my face with some warm water and then applied Edwin Jagger hydrating preshave, and then the hot towel for three minutes after that. Everything was done just as Kyle laid out, except I used the EJ hydrating preshave instead of the initial lather.
For me it was by far the easiest, least irritating BBS shave I've ever achieved. I used a fresh Derby blade, EJ Seabuckthorne soap, WTG and then ATG and followed it with the blue cap Nivea aftershave. For me it was shaving bliss. I thought I would mention it in case someone else might befefit from trying it.
Thanks again for the info Kyle. The towel for three minutes makes the biggest difference of all for me.
I tried this method and was extremely satisfied with the results. Today I thought I would try a slight variation. Instead of starting off with the lather and then towel, I slightly wet my face with some warm water and then applied Edwin Jagger hydrating preshave, and then the hot towel for three minutes after that. Everything was done just as Kyle laid out, except I used the EJ hydrating preshave instead of the initial lather.
For me it was by far the easiest, least irritating BBS shave I've ever achieved. I used a fresh Derby blade, EJ Seabuckthorne soap, WTG and then ATG and followed it with the blue cap Nivea aftershave. For me it was shaving bliss. I thought I would mention it in case someone else might befefit from trying it.
Thanks again for the info Kyle. The towel for three minutes makes the biggest difference of all for me.
one question, i'm a rookie and just getting into this stuff and it seems that my actual shave routine is pretty long (as i'm trying to go slow not to shave off my flesh). So sometimes i'll shave at night so I can take my time and then i'm ready to go to work in the morn, what would you suggest as for a pre-shave routine if i'm not wanting to take a shower? a hot wet towel on my face for a couple of min and a pre-lather lather??
great stuff man
great stuff man
This prep has made a gigantic difference in the quality of my shaves. 
Great research, Kyle.
Now to see if I can convince SWMBO to do a special Valentine's Day prep for me. That way I won't even need to hold the towel.
Great research, Kyle.Now to see if I can convince SWMBO to do a special Valentine's Day prep for me. That way I won't even need to hold the towel.
Thanks for the great info Kyle. I'll be trying this the next time I shave. Probably will need a full size towel since I usually shave my entire head as well as my face.
Great write up Kyle. I wish I read this a year ago when I joined lol.
EDIT: I tried this two days in a row now and I love it. Yes it take just a few minutes more each day but the result is amazing! Thanks again Kyle.
EDIT: I tried this two days in a row now and I love it. Yes it take just a few minutes more each day but the result is amazing! Thanks again Kyle.
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Thanks Kyle, I was doing everything you mention except the pre-lather under the hot face cloth, I'll give this a go next time and see how it goes.
