Post Shave Blade Care

[deafficianado]

Drying the blade edge is very important for subsequent comfortable shaves. I used to dip my razor in alcohol after every shave. Problem was that the container containing the alcohol wasn’t air proof and quickly dry out. Now after shaking off the excess water from the razor, I either wipe the edge with a folded alcohol pad or press the razor head onto the toilet paper roll to dry it. I tried using a hair dryer but that seemed to take some time. Maybe a heat gun would be more effective?

 

[Pattorashu]

They can still rust. Theyre stain-less, not stainproof. Back when I used a DE, I had plenty of stainless blades that would rust after about a week before I started doing the alcohol dunk method. The same when I used carts and disposables: after about 2 weeks that blades would develop a bit of rust.
One of my Parker shavettes has a bit of teastaining on it from a Derby blade that started to rust on it and those are supposedly stainless too.
Stainless will still rust, it just resists it better than carbon steel does.

I said unlikely.

 

[Badgerstate36]

I said unlikely.

I wouldnt even say that. I wouldnt say its unlikely, I would just say that stainless resists rusting more than carbon steel does.
Once the chromium oxide layer wears away, it will start to rust just like any other steel will.

 

[Pattorashu]

I wouldnt even say that. I wouldnt say its unlikely, I would just say that stainless resists rusting more than carbon steel does.
Once the chromium oxide layer wears away, it will start to rust just like any other steel will.

Once that layer wears off a new layer of oxide starts forming, which is why it's stainless, not chrome plated. The chrome is in the alloy, not on top of it.

 

[Macduff]

After i shave i take apart the razor, rinse it and the blade, dry the parts on a towel, blot the blade to soak up any water on it then reassemble and put it on the razor stand. The only reason i do it is because of the soap scum build up on the blade and razor. I hate it and find that it cuts down on it by wiping off the razor after each use. I only give the razor a thorough cleaning once every few years as a result.

 

[Mike R]

I give the razor a quick rinse, a shake, and set it in the counter till the next shave.

 

[ShavingPrimate]

I know what I do is overkill but I take the blade out rinse it then lay it on a bit of tissue and blot it once with another. And since I shave with a sink full of water rather than under running water, soap scum is more of a problem so I rinse and brush the razor as well then put it all back together.

I don't think that is overkill. I would clean my razor and blade just the same way that I would clean a knife or most anything else after using.

A blade is going to collect not only soap scum but dead skin, bacteria and carbonates that are present in the water. Look at your bathroom mirror after water that has splashed on it has dried. You see little round water spots remaining on the glass. Adding that they are hard to remove and you can feel them.

The edge if a blade is only a few ten-thousands of an inch thick, this represents a significant level of build-up along the ultra thin edge.

I firmly believe that handling a blade presents opportunity to dull or damage the edge.

Quite true. I am very careful to not place any uneven stress along the blade edge. I also make an effort not to subject the metal blade to more extreme changes of temperature that would make the metal blade expand and contract.

I wipe the bade with my fingers while running it under room temperature water to remove the scum. Then I pat it dry on a flat Viva paper towel. I put the blade on a rubber magnet.

Drying the blade edge is very important for subsequent comfortable shaves.

I thoroughly agree with that.

I want a clean and dry razor and clean and dry DE razor blades!

 

[rodrigaj]

I clean (rinse) and pat dry each part of a razor after each shave. Then I reassemble and it's ready for the next day. I have hard water. With my cartridge razors, I did nothing.

 

[JAHE]

I rinse my blade thoroughly and just blow away the remaining water drops.
Then the blade goes back onto a magnet attached to the inside of a bathroom cupboard... where it stays readily prepared for the next shave... (out of reach for the kids).

It's not fancy, but it plain and simple works.

 

[CCS]

I always clean my tools. I disassemble or take apart the razor, run the blade under hot water, clean the razor doing the same. I set everything on a folded microfiber towel and blot dry the blade (never stropping or rubbing). I set the blade in my razor cabinet if it's still good to go or toss it if it's done. I've changed my routine to use a different razor everyday with the same blade (which is the opposite of what I did for years). The rest of the razor is dried and put away. The next day, when it's time to shave, I'll open the cabinet, pick a razor, and load the blade from the day before or a new one. I've got 15-16 razors in current rotation and typically just go down the line each day so my razors get used once a little over every two weeks.

I never fill my basin with water. Creates a mess and doesn't rinse lather and whiskers away like a brief rinse under the tap as I shave. As this is B&B, whatever you do in your routine is correct. There are no wrong ways to do anything...

 

[DougK]

I rinse my razor off, shake it, and leave it on the sink. The only time I handle blades is when I'm replacing an old blade with a new one. I clean the razor every few blade changes and I haven't run into any problems yet. Bear in mind that I generally have only one razor and blade type at a time, so I'm not rotating anything. I just shave.

 

[musicman1951]

After three pages it seems pretty obvious that there are lots of methods at work here. They go from a quick rinse to taking the blade out and drying to spinning around three times and spitting over your left shoulder (the wives hate that one).

Which method works? They all work, or the people doing them would switch to one of the other methods. So do what makes you happy, it simply doesn't seem to matter.

 

[Possum092]

Personally, I don’t have the will or the want to play around with my blades after a shave. I shake it off and place it the stand until the next day. I change blades weekly. Never had any issues in 30+ years of shaving. SRs get more love but that’s a different story. Happy shaves all.

 

[CCS]

After three pages it seems pretty obvious that there are lots of methods at work here. They go from a quick rinse to taking the blade out and drying to spinning around three times and spitting over your left shoulder (the wives hate that one).

Which method works? They all work, or the people doing them would switch to one of the other methods. So do what makes you happy, it simply doesn't seem to matter.

This is B&B - everybody's right and nobody's wrong.

 

[VitBut]

I take out the blade, rinse it under running water, shake it off and put it in the blade envelope, write a dash on it. One dash, one shave..

 

[Quaznoid]

I’ve been shaving for 50 years. I don’t do anything to my blade. I leave it in the razor and put it away.

 

[JKaboom]

Rinse the razor well, flick loose water off the razor, and hang it on the razor stand.

This is what I do

 

[Mr. Shavington]

I just blow hard on the blade to remove the water, then reassemble the razor and let it finish drying with the handle loosened for a few hours.

 

[StewB]

I blot mine dry on a towel and put it on a series of 4 magnets representing the # of shaves on that particular blade. I don't use any blade for more than 4 shaves.

 

[stoof2010]

I leave them in that razor I'm using, blow off water, dip head and swish in 90% alcohol to chase out amy water and then just let dry.