Time efficiencies in routine?

[AshleyC]

Just wondering what, if any, time efficiencies people build into their shaving routine. Multi-tasking sorts of things, or a specific order in which you do things.

For example, before I shower, I let the sink faucet hot water while I bring in my shaving gear for that session. It gets hot, then I put my brush in to soak and add hot water to the soap to let it steep.

This also insures that when I turn on the shower, that water is already hot. No waiting.

I rub on hair conditioner into my beard just before getting out of the shower, and I leave it on while I build lather. This is my cheap version of a pre-shave oil. My first lather goes right on top of the conditioner.

I like to give each stage of the post shave time to do it's thing. The alum goes on before I use the toothpaste and mouthwash, and I let it work while I put away my gear and wipe down the sink area. I rub on the witch hazel next, just before getting dressed. That gives it time do do it's thing. I do not rinse off the alum. After I'm dressed and the witch hazel is dry, then I do the aftershave.

But I'm curious if others have adjusted their routine for any perceived efficiency.

 

[Whiterook]

I'm retired, so I've adjusted my routine to a slower pace that allows me to just enjoy the process of shaving. When I was working, I face lathered instead of using a bowl as I do now and limited my shaves to two passes.

 

[KW Driver]

Strop, run the hot water (sink/shower), soak the brush, shower and wash face and body, dry off, grab the brush and load, face lather, shave, rinse, dry, strop, go about my day.

 

[TheBurgh]

After shower, apply pre-shave (Grooming Dept) to the damp face and let it moisturize for a bit whilst I leisurely work up a bowl of lather.

Maybe a time saver, but intended to soften the beard.

 

[jesseix]

I’ve never really tried to do overlapping tasks to speed up total shave time, but I’ve definitely done abbreviated/faster shaves while trying to get out the door for something. And I’ve found that I still get a pretty darn good shave out of it, I’d honestly call it 80-90% of the result I get from taking all the time and steps I normally would.
But I much prefer having the extra time to take those steps and enjoy the process…

 

[Eben Stone]

Trial and error to find better pre-shave products. my current favorite is VdH soap. It doesn't work better than any of the other products I've used, it just seems to work a little faster. I leave it on while I make lather which seems to be enough time.

Improved my technique so I could reduce the number of passes from 3 to 2 and still achieve the same closeness of shave.

I enjoy shaving at a leisurely pace, so far my improvements have only shaved off a few minutes.

 

[Halfbeard]

Shaving time is "ME" time. No need to make it shorter. I shave on evenings to have that time needed. I never shave when in hurry.

 

[Three_Bravo]

Don't really have an answer for you other than cutting out passes.
There is just no getting around that shaving this way takes considerably longer than squirting out some foam and using a cartridge razor.

 

[DrStrange]

I have different routines for different time constraints.

If I only have enough time for a shower or if I'm not home,
then I shave in the shower,
using a Super Speed razor and an ordinary bar of soap to soap up my face.
The soap on my face doesn't dry out in the shower and I don't need a mirror.

If I have all the time I want,
I make my lather in a cup while watching tv in the living room
It takes about four teaspoons of water which I measure as twelve squirts from a spray bottle.
I whip it up into a meringue which will not dry out for hours.
I leave the cup and brush in the bathroom
while I do whatever else I have to do,
which may or may not include eating breakfast.
Then I strop a straight razor and then I take a shower and then I shave.

 

[musicman1951]

Aside from using MdC, which loads in 4-5 seconds and lathers in under a minute, my solution was to set the alarm earlier. It wasn't what anyone would call efficient, but it did eliminate the problem.

 

[BigJ]

For me, ‘muscle memory’ is the key ‘efficiency.’

What started as a 30-40 minute process is now down to around 10 minutes as my ‘shaves’ just happen!!

 

[Mojo88]

I start the shower and fill my old spice mug with water and soak my brush. I also put some water on the top of my soap if that’s what I am using that day. I have it down to two passes and it maybe takes 5 minutes tops with cleanup. It used to take about 30 minutes when I first started. I remember my wife walking in to make sure I was ok.

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

For a really fast morning shave I firstly have a shower, which removes the need for any prep, then apply Cremo, saving a few minutes of lathering. I do a two-pass shave with an AC razor, usually my Colonial General. The extra width of the AC blade saves a little more time when compared to a DE and in any case I like these razors better. After the second pass I'll rinse off with cold water, towel dry my face and apply an AS, not gorgetting to quickly rinse my razor under the hot top and swill out the sink. I'ver never timed this shave process with any precision, but it certainly takes under five minutes and invariably ends with a DFS.

 

[Whiterook]

I find that these days, now that shaving is a 'hobby", cleaning my tools takes longer than the actual shave. Since I use a different brush and razor each day they must be thoroughly cleaned after use. One stainless razor and one synthetic brush could be given just a quick rinse were they to be used again the next day.

 

[OkieStubble]

When I was a working man, I spent years showering first and then shaving in the shower. While it was very efficient getting everything done at one time while in the shower; and even saving a bit of time because there isn’t the clean up after that one expects to do when shaving at the sink.

But just the process of showering and then shaving in the shower still seemed a bit time consuming. Once I retired, I changed things up a bit to showering first and then shaving at the sink, but still, showering first and then shaving at the sink still seems too long to me, to be in the bathroom at one time.

The last couple of years, I have learned that even though I have a course beard, a hot shower isn’t necessary for me to have a great prep for a shave. I have also learned washing my face before a shave isn’t necessary for a prep, because the very act of lathering my face with a brush and shave soap not only cleans my face and beard very efficiently, it also preps my face and beard, by softening and conditioning my beard and skin. Especially when I let the lather sit on my face while I take two minutes to tidy up my shave area, or strop my Straight, or load a blade into my Shavette or DE.

So now, my routine of showering at night before bed allows me to jump into my bed sheets with all of that days dirt washed off of me, then wake up in the morning and simply splash warm water on my face, lather up with a brush and shave soap which will wash my face clean, prep and lather my beard for the shave all at the same time. Then shave, splash of AS and I’m out the bathroom door in 10 minutes, instead of the 20-30 minutes to shower and then shave.

I find my face is just as clean, my beard is just as prepped and hydrated and just as slick and easy to shave as it was when I showered just before shaving and the half hour it takes to do that.

10 minutes showering at night before bed and 10 minutes shaving at the sink after waking up. Simple, effective, time saving.

 

[AshleyC]

When I was a working man, I spent years showering first and then shaving in the shower. While it was very efficient getting everything done at one time while in the shower; and even saving a bit of time because there isn’t the clean up after that one expects to do when shaving at the sink.

But just the process of showering and then shaving in the shower still seemed a bit time consuming. Once I retired, I changed things up a bit to showering first and then shaving at the sink, but still, showering first and then shaving at the sink still seems too long to me, to be in the bathroom at one time.

The last couple of years, I have learned that even though I have a course beard, a hot shower isn’t necessary for me to have a great prep for a shave. I have also learned washing my face before a shave isn’t necessary for a prep, because the very act of lathering my face with a brush and shave soap not only cleans my face and beard very efficiently, it also preps my face and beard, by softening and conditioning my beard and skin. Especially when I let the lather sit on my face while I take two minutes to tidy up my shave area, or strop my Straight, or load a blade into my Shavette or DE.

So now, my routine of showering at night before bed allows me to jump into my bed sheets with all of that days dirt washed off of me, then wake up in the morning and simply splash warm water on my face, lather up with a brush and shave soap which will wash my face clean, prep and lather my beard for the shave all at the same time. Then shave, splash of AS and I’m out the bathroom door in 10 minutes, instead of the 20-30 minutes to shower and then shave.

I find my face is just as clean, my beard is just as prepped and hydrated and just as slick and easy to shave as it was when I showered just before shaving and the half hour it takes to do that.

10 minutes showering at night before bed and 10 minutes shaving at the sink after waking up. Simple, effective, time saving.

There's a guy on YouTube I like to watch who married a woman while he lived in China. They actually had to flee from China, as the government there finally had enough of his YT posts.

But he and his wife had different opinions on when is the best time to take a shower.

Americans favor the morning shower. But she argued that it made more sense to shower before bed, so you do not carry the grime of the day into bed with you.

I think the Chinese have a point on that one. There is just some culturally American thing about the morning prep before going out to face the world.

 

[Whiterook]

Here in this tropical climate most of us shower in the evening. Some also shower in the morning, especially when the nights are hot.

 

[OkieStubble]

There's a guy on YouTube I like to watch who married a woman while he lived in China. They actually had to flee from China, as the government there finally had enough of his YT posts.

But he and his wife had different opinions on when is the best time to take a shower.

Americans favor the morning shower. But she argued that it made more sense to shower before bed, so you do not carry the grime of the day into bed with you.

I think the Chinese have a point on that one. There is just some culturally American thing about the morning prep before going out to face the world.

We had a female Chinese international exchange student live with our family for a college semester about a decade or so ago. You are indeed right, because we could set our clocks by her heading to the bathroom to shower, before going to bed every night. I can clearly recall, the slight, 'yuck!' expression she had on her face when my daughters also got ready to go to bed without showering.

I think I could see her point and it's most likely where I got the idea to shower at night and then shave first thing in the morning.

 

[tejolot3]

1. I've dropped from three passes, with re-lathering in between, to doing a single pass with touch-up, without lathering before touch-up.

2. I've dropped from super-sticking to using a shave stick only. No time wasted bowl-lathering.

Just those two things have probably reduced my total shave time by two-thirds.

 

[abies]

In some sense, this is why I usually don't use a brush, usually use cream, and face lather either way.

I also sometimes shave *before* getting in the shower so I can just rinse off my face in the shower, but that's something I don't usually do.