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The perfect shave

Also movies and documentaries,etc.

Chiming in on the ladies side of things... Body hair wasn't as much of a taboo. This of course might have changed for the rich and famous, but the average factory girl wasn't trying to get a BBS shave on her legs, and possibly might not be doing underarms at all.

Also, nylons were much thicker then, and so perfectly shaved legs to go into ultrasheer stockings wasn't a thing. I imagine that women that went bare-legged except of "liquid nylons" (sort of cream fake tan) or "paint on seams" (nylons had seams, nylon was scarce in the war years, draw on a seam to fake you are wearing stockings) probably made more effort to make sure they had as close a shave as they could muster.

To consider, not all poor people, or women, had access to shaving supplies on a frequent basis. Even today that holds true, as someone that knew enough struggling students making cartridges last until they, or the blade, screamed. Also culture, not so much today, but in my student days, knew a number of women (and no, not all immigrants or strident feminists) that didn't shave their undearms very often.

To be fair, it was more the 40s and earlier when body hair was less of a thing. By the 1950s, in part because of post war boom, and mass marketing, there was more emphasis on hair removal. On the whole, it was an on-going push from the 1800s forward, with some strange pathways of evolution, sanitization, stigmatization of hair, etc. This applied to men as well, as the 'hairy man' was touted as brutish/uncivilized, and women were 'masculine' or 'unsanitary'. Which was an odd switch, because prior to that, there was also a lot of upset that many indigenous people with less body hair, that explorers/naturalists considered very uncivilized. As the saying goes, you can't win for trying.
We can phyllosoph around for decades about what is acceptable or not. Taking todays standards shaving is obsolete. But I do believe in grooming very much. Men being gents and women being ladies. My grandparents were both working class poor factory workers however my grandpa was always extremely well shaved and wore a lot of fancy suits. Was extremely intelligent and had Royal manners and military habits. My grandma has a little bit lower standards being a village, field working woman but she is still a lady and when she saw on tv that some women nowadays are growing their armpits or that they skip regular maintenance of the hair on their legs or that they don’t use deodorants she almost threw up.
 
for me mild razor+ mild blade is for everyday shaving or when in hurry. I can shave with such combination like it’s cartridge. No nicks. No irritation. But true is I need to do several pass shave. Not necesarry ATG but atleast 2x XTG after WTG.
but if I skipped shaving for various reasons for longer time I need aggressive razor + aggressive blade it provides close shave without tugging.

About older generations not doing ATG pass, I don’t agree my grandfather and my father did that even with carts, they were used to it from their DE days. ATG was for them way to achieve BBS. Is it necessary for every shave, no. But if I really want that DFS++ or BBS it is faster WTG+ATG then WTG+XTG+XTG+XTG+XTG buffing.
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
When the pandemic hit, a new trend hit, it was the trend for men to stop shaving. Why? Cause they decided since they were staying home, and no longer going to work, they didn't need to shave. There are many Youtubers who still to this day, like Linus Tech Tips for example, are not shaving. His excuse is the wife likes the beard now, and so all his decisions based on his personal grooming, role around his wife for some reason. Truth is, you and I both know its just an excuse.

Men who don't like to shave, will use any excuse not to do so, thats the reality. But I wasn't one of the ones who stopped shaving just cause there was a pandemic rolling around. I was electric shaving before I became a wet shaver. And the only time I grow a beard, is in the winter time for warmth. But the beard came off in spring. Look, we all know who the true wet shavers are, cause they are here on B&B, wet shaving, and telling their stories.

I see personal grooming as a fundamental right. Unlike some dudes, my decision to do so, doesn't revolve around wife opinion. Just another benefit of me not having a wife. But I would respect a man more if he sees shaving as his own fundamental right, and regardless of wife's opinion, shaves if he wants to shave. And I wish men would stop using the pandemic as an excuse not to shave as well, just cause they are not going in the office.

Now, as far as my shaves are concerned, I have thick course wiry whiskers, if I just do a WTG pass, I better be using a heavily efficient razor. For me, my risk of weepers goes up exponentially, if I attack my face with too high of an aggression. Think of Rex Ambassador, Merkur Futur, or Gillette Fatboy, all turned up to their highest aggression.

Sure, they will be incredibly efficient, but more then likely I'd nick myself, and cause weepers. The smarter thing to do, is to use a less aggressive razor, or use lower settings. But, then you also reduce the efficiency. Which is why, single WTG passes, will never make me look like I just shaved. And I can run my fingers ATG, and feel lots of stubble left over.

For quite awhile, I was doing only a 2-pass shave, because my neck couldn't handle XTG, so I left out the XTG pass all together. But I later discovered that on my neck, I need to go DTG, thats where my mistake one. Cause once you map your beard, you discover which directions your whiskers are going, and then you better understand, which direction you need to attack them.

So today I am now a 3-pass shaver, which is pretty standard actually. I do WTG, XTG, and ATG on the face, and I do WTG, DTG, and ATG on the neck. Sometimes a little buffing is required, and I can even get to 100% BBS shaves doing that. Now us, sometimes I tend to overdo it a bit because of my OCD, and can cause a little capillary bleeding of the unwanted in spots.

But thats the nature of OCD, sometimes it just makes you do thing too many times, you gotta burn to learn. But each of us are different, so for all of us, its a YMMV thing. I see your new here, and like me, you will learn this over time. But, you just do what is right for you, as long as you are happy with your shaves, thats all that matters.

I respect a man more who considers his personal grooming as something important in life. So you are already miles ahead of the curve, as compared to men who use pandemic as an excuse to not shave. So keep up the great work!
 
When the pandemic hit, a new trend hit, it was the trend for men to stop shaving. Why? Cause they decided since they were staying home, and no longer going to work, they didn't need to shave. There are many Youtubers who still to this day, like Linus Tech Tips for example, are not shaving. His excuse is the wife likes the beard now, and so all his decisions based on his personal grooming, role around his wife for some reason. Truth is, you and I both know its just an excuse.

Men who don't like to shave, will use any excuse not to do so, thats the reality. But I wasn't one of the ones who stopped shaving just cause there was a pandemic rolling around. I was electric shaving before I became a wet shaver. And the only time I grow a beard, is in the winter time for warmth. But the beard came off in spring. Look, we all know who the true wet shavers are, cause they are here on B&B, wet shaving, and telling their stories.

I see personal grooming as a fundamental right. Unlike some dudes, my decision to do so, doesn't revolve around wife opinion. Just another benefit of me not having a wife. But I would respect a man more if he sees shaving as his own fundamental right, and regardless of wife's opinion, shaves if he wants to shave. And I wish men would stop using the pandemic as an excuse not to shave as well, just cause they are not going in the office.

Now, as far as my shaves are concerned, I have thick course wiry whiskers, if I just do a WTG pass, I better be using a heavily efficient razor. For me, my risk of weepers goes up exponentially, if I attack my face with too high of an aggression. Think of Rex Ambassador, Merkur Futur, or Gillette Fatboy, all turned up to their highest aggression.

Sure, they will be incredibly efficient, but more then likely I'd nick myself, and cause weepers. The smarter thing to do, is to use a less aggressive razor, or use lower settings. But, then you also reduce the efficiency. Which is why, single WTG passes, will never make me look like I just shaved. And I can run my fingers ATG, and feel lots of stubble left over.

For quite awhile, I was doing only a 2-pass shave, because my neck couldn't handle XTG, so I left out the XTG pass all together. But I later discovered that on my neck, I need to go DTG, thats where my mistake one. Cause once you map your beard, you discover which directions your whiskers are going, and then you better understand, which direction you need to attack them.

So today I am now a 3-pass shaver, which is pretty standard actually. I do WTG, XTG, and ATG on the face, and I do WTG, DTG, and ATG on the neck. Sometimes a little buffing is required, and I can even get to 100% BBS shaves doing that. Now us, sometimes I tend to overdo it a bit because of my OCD, and can cause a little capillary bleeding of the unwanted in spots.

But thats the nature of OCD, sometimes it just makes you do thing too many times, you gotta burn to learn. But each of us are different, so for all of us, its a YMMV thing. I see your new here, and like me, you will learn this over time. But, you just do what is right for you, as long as you are happy with your shaves, thats all that matters.

I respect a man more who considers his personal grooming as something important in life. So you are already miles ahead of the curve, as compared to men who use pandemic as an excuse to not shave. So keep up the great work!
Well said. Men should men up! Men from the past were real men! Not because they were strongmen or that they could life 4 tons at the gym but because their decisions were their own. Their life didn’t revolve around their wife at all. For ex my grandpa. He was a very nice , amazing, caring man who would not step on an ant it his decisions were his. My grandma fitted in his life and she was happy like that. She was well taken care of by him. She even didn’t like at times that he was so perfectly groomed since he was getting a lot of female attention and she went extremely jealous but at the end of the day he was faithful till death after 55 years of marriage. Not only that but she was proud of him every single second. A lot to think about seeing todays marriages where men sometimes look like pets and women become highly narcissistic, take too much for granted and are unhappy. Right?
 
Men should men up! Men from the past were real men!
Yep todays too much of feminine energy has taken over this world. As everyday life became easier and easier thanks to previous generations of men working and building this world now men are told to be no longer needed. It will be that way until something gets fundamentaly wrong again and if humanity survive men will be praised again.
 
Yep todays too much of feminine energy has taken over this world. As everyday life became easier and easier thanks to previous generations of men working and building this world now men are told to be no longer needed. It will be that way until something gets fundamentaly wrong again and if humanity survive men will be praised again.
Well it already happens at the moment. Women are the unhappiest they have ever been. And they grow even more miserable each minute. The world is getting more hypocritical. Fake science, fake art, lousy quality of almost everything etc. Huge list. They need men more than ever.
 
Maybe dial back the "good old days when women knew their place" type rhetoric. It has nothing to do with shaving.
Yes but that is not the kitchen not to be misunderstood.The “ place” is respecting her man and his boundaries. We have digressed quite a lot here lol.
However if a guy wants to shave he should wether she wants it or not. His face, his choice. His decision.
 
Ok so let’s talk.
The perfect shave.
A mild or medium razor anything from the Baili , Merkur to the Fatip. Lately have been truly amazed at how amazing the Baili razors are. I do not think anyone needs an aggressive razor. Does pretty much the same job as the mild one with a tiny little bit less effort but more irritation.
The best shave is not bbs. It is an only wtg shave. Visually the same as bbs stubblewise but the face looks like it hasn’t even been touched unlike bbs where it looks like it has been repeatedly slapped with a wet newspaper.
Thin aftershave balm. Enough moisture, more astringent.
Technique. Light pressure, neutral angle and short strokes. With proper technique a mild razor shaves as close as an aggressive one and way closer than a cartridge razor.
Boar brush!!! No badger silver tip or whatever which is scritchy and floppy always no matter the break in!!! Also expensive. No synthetic which can irritate your face because of the gel or the ultra thin bristles which can poke in the skin. No horsehair which can scratch your face.
Once broken in after three days of refrigeration the boar brush has softer tips and more backbone than any other brush. Makes the most luxurious lather and has hooks at the ends to catch the ingrown hairs if there are any. Can lather any soap or cream.
Any cream or soap! The more fat inside the better.
Blades! Sharp and smooth. No need to get the sharpest if it is not comfortable.
Bowl chrome! The same as the razor and handle of the brush. Can have also any porcelain or acrylic.
If the razor is gold no silver brush or bowl. We don’t want to mix metals!
After all we are gents.
I'm always reaching for my boar. I haven't tried any high-end badgers. Boar brushes are tops in the $20 to $30 dollar range.
 
Maybe dial back the "good old days when women knew their place" type rhetoric. It has nothing to do with shaving.
I dont want to digress much more, but let’s say it is not about someone knows their place but about balance, too much masculine energy in world cause different problems also bad for humanity.
but back to shaving things I consider shaving as my routine, that being said I’m not pushed by others to shave.
I have wonderful wife she likes when I’m shaven and dont care too much if I’m not (for several days).
 
I guess things change. Men today don't shave every day.

I love seeing old pictures of baseball games at Briggs Stadium in the 40s and 50s, even earlier. Every man in the stands is clean shaven and wearing a suit, tie, and hat (not a backwards ball cap).

As far as shaving, I do every-other day. My perfect shave is rarely BBS. It results in a smooth face feel WTG and no irritation. I do try on occasion for BBS but it doesn't always end in a perfect shave, with irritation from too many strokes.
 
We can phyllosoph around for decades about what is acceptable or not. Taking todays standards shaving is obsolete. But I do believe in grooming very much. Men being gents and women being ladies. My grandparents were both working class poor factory workers however my grandpa was always extremely well shaved and wore a lot of fancy suits. Was extremely intelligent and had Royal manners and military habits. My grandma has a little bit lower standards being a village, field working woman but she is still a lady and when she saw on tv that some women nowadays are growing their armpits or that they skip regular maintenance of the hair on their legs or that they don’t use deodorants she almost threw up.
I wasn't meaning in all cases, or as a slight against anyone.

I was just going with the idea of trends in shaving. Something that is actually able to be studied, not just guessed at.

Given the money put into shaving products on the market, I don't think shaving is anywhere close to obsolete. There is a current fad for beards, and DE shaving has always been a niche market in modern times.

The fact of poverty, by its definition, means not everyone has the money for razors/blades/soap to be used on a daily basis. Obviously, as anyone that has been on the lower end of the financial spectrum (as I was growing up), or out and out poor, you do get some choice into where you put your money, and different people have different reasons for their choices.

There was a saying that "Cleanliness is next to to Godliness" and I think that sort of attitude did have a strong impact where no matter how poor you were, being clean was a goal to work toward, and being turned out well, as best you could, no matter the circumstance. I think probably some of that changed over time, as clothing has generally, for the general population, become more casual (for better or worse, opinions differ).

Some cultures are not as hung up on hair removal, or even have a different view of what 'clean' is. I had a friend that couldn't quite understand why everyone wanted to go around reeking of shampoos and perfumes and colognes, etc. His basic idea was, soap, water, clean, done...and not a half hour in the shower to do it. He smelled like him, not bad, just...person smell. I've also worked with a few people where... my preference would be a bit more soap and water to the mix, but I think it was maybe a bit more of the 'wash clothes less often' than 'not washing as much themselves'. I didn't know any of them well enough to ask, but I didn't have a problem with it. People that soak themselves in cologne/perfume bother me more.

I'm surprised your grandmum would want to throw up over armpit hair... I can see the idea of a woman wearing something to show it off being off-putting, because it really is a fairly new thing. Until the 'flapper' era, no one saw a woman's underarms, and other than that style, and the eventual advent more more women swimming in more revealing swim wear, under arm shaving wasn't the standard across the board, BBS, all the time.

Anyway, it got way off track. I was just adding in to another poster, that not everyone shaved daily, not everyone was looking for a BBS shave when they did shave. I added in, because he mentioned ladies, and I did have a bit of information I knew of, like stockings, to add in.
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
I always did at least two passes when shaving with a Gillette cartridge razor. It was natural. My wife's grandfather took me aside the day I met him and taught me how to shave. Two things stuck out..... make sure you are rubbing the soap in well (he didn't use a brush) and go with the grain first... against the grain second... touch up as needed.

I was probably more dogmatic when I was young. I know less now so I try to avoid it.
 
I guess things change. Men today don't shave every day.

I love seeing old pictures of baseball games at Briggs Stadium in the 40s and 50s, even earlier. Every man in the stands is clean shaven and wearing a suit, tie, and hat (not a backwards ball cap).

As far as shaving, I do every-other day. My perfect shave is rarely BBS. It results in a smooth face feel WTG and no irritation. I do try on occasion for BBS but it doesn't always end in a perfect shave, with irritation from too many strokes.
I have a bit of a thing seeing the old pics where guys are in fedoras. I remember as a little kid, dad coming home and putting his hat down on the small bookcase in the front hall. I was always impressed with the little feathers in the head band. I was like four or five. I can't say for sure when it wasn't a daily work thing anymore, but I'm pretty sure it was into the late seventies, after that, it was more of a 'if the weather called for it', but by that time lots of guys had given up fedoras long ago.
 
My prefect shave set up is currently minus a brush stand. I have a little clear acrylic one. The wet brush goes in it, the two dry ones just stand on their ends. I really like my round wood/chrome razor stand, that has room for my round blade bank in the bottom middle, and currently I don't have a bowl, but I thought I'd look and see what there was in the way of stands (no RAD here *cough, cough*). A lot of wood ones were quite clunky, but thought this was nice, especially as a wet brush isn't up against the wood, the holder part is metal. It's a Hong Kong site, and I have no interest in doing online sales from sites I don't know. But what got me was, when converted to US Dollars, it was a whopping $24 USD.
1656198820849.png

Come to think of it, maybe I could figure out a way to make one by Frankensteining my acrylic one to a wood block.

I do agree with many that the aesthetics of the set up, the little extras, are part of what makes a 'perfect shave'. YMMV of course. Part of what I love about getting some better suited gear recently.
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
My prefect shave set up is currently minus a brush stand. I have a little clear acrylic one. The wet brush goes in it, the two dry ones just stand on their ends. I really like my round wood/chrome razor stand, that has room for my round blade bank in the bottom middle, and currently I don't have a bowl, but I thought I'd look and see what there was in the way of stands (no RAD here *cough, cough*). A lot of wood ones were quite clunky, but thought this was nice, especially as a wet brush isn't up against the wood, the holder part is metal. It's a Hong Kong site, and I have no interest in doing online sales from sites I don't know. But what got me was, when converted to US Dollars, it was a whopping $24 USD.
View attachment 1478308
Come to think of it, maybe I could figure out a way to make one by Frankensteining my acrylic one to a wood block.

I do agree with many that the aesthetics of the set up, the little extras, are part of what makes a 'perfect shave'. YMMV of course. Part of what I love about getting some better suited gear recently.
Try this one: Cal’s FAB® (fits any brush) Stand - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/cals-fab-r-fits-any-brush-stand.621465/#post-11677895
 
Yep todays too much of feminine energy has taken over this world. As everyday life became easier and easier thanks to previous generations of men working and building this world now men are told to be no longer needed. It will be that way until something gets fundamentaly wrong again and if humanity survive men will be praised again.
Care to give some examples of this strange world you are suffering in? I’ve certainly not experienced it.
I’m unaware of people whose shaving activities are limited or restricted by women.
And where are men told they’re no longer needed?
 
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The perfect shave:

Half an hour of uninterrupted peace and quite. A warm, clean, bathroom with a big mirror, bright lighting, ample counter space, a sink and hot running water. A freshly honed straight razor, a nice natural hair brush and a top tier shaving soap. Cold water, fresh towel and balm to finish. Does it get any better than that?
 

JCarr

More Deep Thoughts than Jack Handy
BBS is possible without irritation. You just have to find the right setup. One or two passes will definitely make you look presentable and that's fine, but BBS is possible without issues.

Personally, I find mild razors to be more likely to cause irritation than aggressive razors. The reason being ... you have to repeat passes with a mild razor to remove growth. More aggressive razors don't require additional passes. As my technique improved, I found more aggressive razors to provide better results with less effort.

Like with most things, the key is balance...you want a razor that's aggressive enough to remove stubble well, but not so aggressive that you feel like you're about to cut your face off. Searching for that tool is the quest, finding it is...wonderful.
 
Two things... too large a footprint for the space it needs to be in, I'm klutzy, I'd knock it over too easily. I knock the acrylic one over all the time, but I've only ever thought of it as temporary, with getting a better stand somewhere along the way. Also, I'm not sure I'm keen on the angled lay down, versus a straight up-and-down style.

I got to looking about a bit again, and came across the one I pictured, on an American site. I understand the price now... Made in Germany, Beechwood and stainless steel. Nice quality, but its $29 USD, which makes it $37 CND for me... and, no.

It mostly caught my eye because of the wood. I don't have a pic of my stand on the laptop, but Google came to the rescue. It's a toothbrush holder, but it works nicely to hold my two razors, my toothbrush, and a little shavette style disposable that I use for eyebrow trims. My round blade safe sits in the middle on the bottom. It has a green leafy design so looks nice with the wood.
1656214131053.png


I am curious now that it has come to mind, to see if I could come up with some acrylic stand plus woodblock combo on my own. My skillset is somewhat limited, but I think I'm up for the challenge. The wood would weigh the stand down some. I'd have to see what was around in a small molding block, or wood blocks at a craft store. Might be a fun small project.
 
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