Is BBS "a chase" for you?

[DaveHStone]

Browsing through the forums, this particular phrase comes up frequently I don't chase a BBS...

So, I'm kind of wondering - is obtaining a clean BBS shave really a "struggle", a "chase", a "tough job"... and more importantly WHY?

Or is it rather a matter of proper technique, good prep and products used.

What say you?

 

[Ivo4u2]

I don’t chase bbs it just happens from time to time and I am happy with dfs

 

[Its just me Ash]

I put impossible to get without irritation but that is solely due to my learning curve and still getting there with technique. I have had a few BBS shaves and the irritation is getting less and less the more I learn. So hopefully I get to the point where I have BBS easily. Patience eh!

 

[Polarbeard]

BBS is something I learned to achieve many years ago. It isn't hard to get so I see no reason not to get it daily. Life is so much nicer if you can hug your loved ones without hurting them.

 

[Lefonque]

For me BBS happens but not every time. I guess it depends what you are chasing. It is like a 10/10 shave. I rarely would give myself top mark because the perfect shave rarely happens. I get very, very good shave but rarely perfect. Others mark differently but in my world perfection is a thing that is seldom achieved.

 

[thombrogan]

I believe it’s a matter of proper technique (including preparation), so it’s a struggle for me.

 

[Adjustingtolife]

I think it is a combo of technique, razor/blade combo, products used and preparation.

1. Technique- without proper Technique, many people cut themselves while trying to achieve bbs. Usually atg passes result in this.

2. Razor/blade combo- i know for myself, i can go atg more easily with certain razors without nics or irritation, especially on my neck. Certain blades work better for different people, and this leads to less irritation. Less irritation means you can get a closer shave.

3. Products- a good soap and preshave help many people get an irritation free shave so bbs is more comfortable to get.

4. Preparation- getting the skin and hair ready for shaving can be a big difference for people. I know it was for me when I switched from proraso preshave to paa cube. This applies to number 3, as well.

Also, I think it depends on the hair growth. Some people have coarser hair, making it more difficult. Using a more efficient razor helps but increases risk of irritation for some.

I think a 10/10 shave doesn't have to be 100% bbs but rather how much did you enjoy the shave? If it was comfortable, you enjoyed the process, the scents were nice, and you didn't want the shave to end, then i give it a 10/10.

- Fayiz D.

 

[chuckd]

It usually happens for me after a 3-pass shave, with the right soap, brush, sharp enough blade, and most DE and GEM razors. Back in the days when offices were open, I needed to have BBS so I didn't have 5 o clock shadow by 10 am.

 

[Balthier]

My chin is a rough spot to get bbs for me, so I mostly don't worry about it and get dfs. I need a fairly aggressive razor or turning up an adjustable on final pass for bbs on my chin.

 

[Atlantic59]

I usually get close, but a BBS does not seem necessary. Sometimes, BBS results happen more or less accidentally. I consider perfectionism a curse and a source of unnecessary suffering.

 

[Burundian Hawk]

I don't chase BBS. I usually get a combination of BBS and DFS. In order to get BBS in some difficult spots, i must concentrate a lot on changing constantly the cutting angle to follow the bone's curves. So i just don't care. BBS is easier with some faces than others and with more aggressive razors than mild razors. Because if the razor must follow a difficult curve, a razor where the blade is exposed very little, will have hard time to cut everything. You have to constantly chase the curve ATG with perfect cutting angle. If not, you will get only DFS. It is not worth it to frustrate myself with such matters. I shave to relax. In flatter areas, i get BBS regularly. i only have mild razors.

 

[Rob72]

Technique is foundational, but the tool plays a significant part as well. I have about 8 razors that, with the right blade, will deliver BBS every time when I do my part. The others, well, pretty much an exercise in futility.

 

[Mycroftxxx]

So, now my 2 cents...

I think the technique is the most important bit to reach a BBS. I shave with a DE for several years now and reach something which is - according to my own assessment - close to BBS but not BBS. It means in some - easy - regions, it is BBS and in others you can still feel some "micro-stubble" when feeling in ATG which you clearly do not see. But this is something only I know - and nobody else sees it for quite a while. So, I strive not for a BBS but for reachng a socially acceptable clean shave without too much struggle and having an enjoyable ride, if you will - and try to improve my technique constantly, to perhaps reach BBS one day.

 

[Lefonque]

I have a pretty good technique but still after 60 years of wet shaving I don’t always achieve BBS.

 

[Mycroftxxx]

My next 2 cents...

I get the feeling that my definition of BBS is perhaps different from a - possible - general definition, in particular reading Polarbeards repl:

BBS is something I learned to achieve many years ago. It isn't hard to get so I see no reason not to get it daily. Life is so much nicer if you can hug your loved ones without hurting them.

My understanding is that BBS is a state in which you feel no "micro-stubble" at all after a shave, no matter in which direction your finger passes your face. This is hardly reachable for me as I have some grooves, in particular in the neck region, which I have not yet managed to straighten such that a complete removal of all (micro-)stubble is possilbe - which is my lack of technique. But there is quite a margin between this and the definition of not hurting someone while hugging.

How do you define BBS?

 

[Ruva]

My goal is to be clean-shaven. Both a DFS and a BBS shave will leave me clean-shaven. The difference, as I understand it, is in the feel. With a DFS I will feel a slight stubble that I can't see. A BBS shave means I can rub my fingers in every direction and not feel any stubble.

 

[Kyle89]

My goal is to be beardless. Nobody is feeling my face rating how close my shave is. Nobody cares.

 

[BigJ]

I ’chase’ a DFS or better! If I get BBS, then I am very happy!

 

[Ravenonrock]

Hell no.

 

[Rob72]

My next 2 cents...

I get the feeling that my definition of BBS is perhaps different from a - possible - general definition, in particular reading Polarbeards repl:



My understanding is that BBS is a state in which you feel no "micro-stubble" at all after a shave, no matter in which direction your finger passes your face. This is hardly reachable for me as I have some grooves, in particular in the neck region, which I have not yet managed to straighten such that a complete removal of all (micro-)stubble is possible - which is my lack of technique. But there is quite a margin between this and the definition of not hurting someone while hugging.

How do you define BBS?

I define it as you have, and it should last at least 6 hours.