Never again will I shave without showering

[DMT]

I'm one of those people who likes to get up and be out the door in about half an hour so I almost always shower and shave before going to bed, and then just have a quick wash at the basin in the morning. On rare occasions I have shaved after a wash at the basin but for the most part those were sub par and gave a bit of irritation. Today I'm working a late night shift, so last night I figured I'd skip my shaving and do it this afternoon. That was a big mistake, despite taking the precaution of spending extra time washing my face and neck, making sure I applied lots of water directly to my neck, and applying a facecloth loaded with hot water to my face for a minute before I lathered up, I got one of the most uncomfortable shaves, which was non-blade-related, since I started 6 months ago.

I'm using red personnas at the moment I don't find them particularly sharp compared to Astras, 7 o'clock yellows, or Feathers. But they are quite comfortable and give a decent shave with 3 passes and some buffing. This time round the first pass barely dented the hairs on my neck and on the second pass the blade really started to drag so I called it quits after that. I was left with a few nicks and weepers and lots of irritation, which reminds me of those old aftershave commercials where the guys face is on fire. So that's it settled for me, I figure that in the past I got away with not showering because the blades I was using were sharper, so from now on if I have to shave without having a shower first, I'll be cracking out my cartridge razor. Id rather have an okay shave with no irritation.

 

[BrookR1]

If I'm rushed, I will usually go with a brushless shave cream as I find them more moisturizing and slicker than a lot of lather soaps.

 

[JeffOlson]

I never shave without showering first. It is much better that way for me.

I would probably use my Braun electric if I needed to shave but could not shower first.

 

[Renato1]

I never shave after a shower.
It isn't necessary.

My preparation is just splashing hot water on my face before I start making a lather on it.
When I've had a soap give me lots of nicks, I just reverted back to ultra slippery creams like Trumpers and Nomad, then alternate between them and the soap that gave me trouble. The face skin soon gets used to it.

Also I've had several razors that didn't work well with some soaps, giving me lots of nicks, while other razors had no problem with them when I switched to them. My Gillette Tech never seems to have a problem with any soap when I switch to it mid-shave.

I think it much easier to explore alternatives than to religiously stick to having a very inconvenient pre-shave shower.
Regards,
Renato

 

[setldown]

Try lathering up and leaving the lather on for several minutes. Then re-lather and shave. It will soften your beard and help mow down them whiskers.

 

[CrotalusHH]

You need the soap to cut through the oil. Skin oil will keep the water from softening the beard. That's why the above method works.

 

[kpeople]

I avoid shaving without a shower for this same reason. I have sensitive skin, and shaving without plenty of time for the skin and hair to soften up just leads to too much irritation.

 

[dpmtherrien]

There's nothing like shaving after a shower, it just sets the whiskers up and get them nice and soft. If I ever have to shave without a shower I often use Cremo shave cream, the Cremo gets my beard set up nice also, but the shave is still not as good as after a shower.

 

[DMT]

Well for me, having a shower isn't an inconvenience per se as I leave it till night time, if it were first thing in the morning it would be a different story. A simple wash with hot water just doesn't seem to be enough to set my face up for a shave, I don't know why but my beard is easier to cut after 5-10 minutes in the shower maybe it's got something to do with all the steam.

Thanks for the tip about the brushless creams. I take it these are ones out of squeeze tubes and not spray cans? I'll keep them in mind and give it a shot some time but for now I'm going to try to avoid irritating my skin again for the next while.

 

[john shea]

As long as I have a choice, I shower and shampoo immediately before shaving. If I cannot shower, multiple soap washes and rinses using warm sink water work OK, but not as well as the shower with shampoo. The goal is to get oils and dirt off ones hair and face so that water can effectvely interact with the hairs and soften them. Serial applications of soap with rinsing is a more effective cleaner than a single heavy application of soap. This is why shampoos often lather faster and better after the first application and rinse. For me, shower/shampoo works so effectively that I shaved with no lather for many years before I took up sport shaving and pursuit of a BBS shave. This worked well enough for SAS as long as I shaved quickly immediately after leaving the shower before my beard began to dry.

My worst shaves occurred when I needed to go to an after work event and had to shave without going home to shower. The very worst case was attempting disposible razor dry touch ups behind the wheel of my parked car and visor mirror closely followed by shaving at fast food restaurant sinks using their soap for washup and lather.

If necessary with serial washing and a good soap, I get close comfortable shaves without showering.

 

[Mandina]

On my recent trip to visit family on the west coast I learned that especially good for my shaves is not only to shower before shaving--which I always do--but also to shave after the shower in a steamy bathroom. Doing so made my shaves SUPER smooth, even when I used a (pretty dull for me) Treet Classic blade on my fairly coarse beard. Unfortunately I don't have easy access to this arrangement at home.

 

[Renato1]

Well for me, having a shower isn't an inconvenience per se as I leave it till night time, if it were first thing in the morning it would be a different story. A simple wash with hot water just doesn't seem to be enough to set my face up for a shave, I don't know why but my beard is easier to cut after 5-10 minutes in the shower maybe it's got something to do with all the steam. Thanks for the tip about the brushless creams. I take it these are ones out of squeeze tubes and not spray cans? I'll keep them in mind and give it a shot some time but for now I'm going to try to avoid irritating my skin again for the next while.

What's the point of shaving before going to bed? Wouldn't it be better shaving when one gets up, and have a smoother face at the start of a working day? I don't doubt that you are getting a better shave after 5 or 10 minutes in the shower, it's just that there are always alternatives to explore. If say you were to find that brushless creams or latherless creams did work a bit better than standard creams and soaps do without a shower, then try the brushless or latherless ones in combination with what you are using now and see if that equates to shaving after a shower. Another alternative includes getting a milder razor. I come at this from where my skin was so touchy that I couldn't wet shave for decades, without having to wait 7 days to recover after each attempt. I was told the shower-before-shaving tip way back then, and it didn't work for me at all. But what did finally work was really good creams and a mild razor, forming a base from which I can now use any razor and most soaps and creams. Regards, Renato

 

[BubbleBoy]

+ 1
I always shave after showering. It's just better.

 

[Rorpen86]

Shaving at night is the perfect option for people like me that only really need to shave every 36 hours or so.

 

[Go West Young Man]

What's the point of shaving before going to bed? Wouldn't it be better shaving when one gets up, and have a smoother face at the start of a working day?

Not everyone has time for a full shaving session in the morning before work, especially when dealing with kids, etc.
A nice shave before bed leaves you comfortably cleanlooking until well into the afternoon.

 

[Go West Young Man]

I've found that letting the lather sit on my face a solid 3-4 minutes is as good prep as a long steamy shower.

 

[BallisticBurrito]

I tend to get my best shaves when I DON'T shave after a shower. Shaving after a shower normally results in the most bleeding and irritation for me. For the most part I shower after I get home from work (un-air conditioned assembly plant..I'm sweaty and covered in all kinds of gunk) but am WAY too tired to put a razor blade anywhere near my face..so I try to do it before I head to work the next day. Little to no irritation and bleeding then.

 

[edgerunner]

I'm not a morning person. I shower in the evening after work, then I shave. My skin is sensitive. If I don't shave right after showering, and leave it for late night or for the next morning, I always use a face wash or scrub to prepare my face for the shave.

 

[DMT]

Well basically when I get a good close shave at night the stubble doesn't become noticeably visible till the following afternoon so when I arrive at work or university in the morning I still look clean shaven. It has some other advantages too for one thing I find it very relaxing it's a good way for me to wind down after a stressful or busy day, if I get some irritation it's gone by the time I get up so I don't have to worry about my shirt chafing or sweat aggravating it, and of course my GF likes the feel of a freshly shaven face

 

[dfigz]

I tried it before ... just can't do it ... Always shower first for me ... the shave feels and works better.

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