What does cutting paper do to an edge?

[Legion]

What factors affect hair hydration and what is the best course to keep it hydrated?

All I do, while my brush is soaking, I just splash and rub warm water on my beard for maybe about a minute, then I face lather my soap which takes about another minute or so. That is literally all the beard/skin prep I think you need to get a good shave.

 

[WhiteRabbitAgain]

In its natural state, hair is coated with oils that prevent water from penetrating the structure of the hairs. The first thing you have to do is use a soap or detergent to remove these oils. Once the hairs are clean, water will readily penetrate. This can be done with a hand soap, shaving lather, shampoo, liquid soaps, etc.

In its natural state (dry), beard hairs have a tensile strength of copper wire of similar diameter. When hair is hydrated, the fibers swell and the tensile strength drops significantly. This make shaving much easier, especially for those who have coarser beards.

As long as your shaving lather has a suitable ratio of water to soap (approximately 10:1), the lather will keep your beard hydrated throughout the shave. If you feel the lather is drying out during your shave, add a few drops extra water.

Well i'll be darned. I had picked up for 1$ some pre-shave oil at this amazon returns store, it retailed at something like $30 so I figured it would be good. I've used it five or six times, didn't work any better than plain water. I thought I was using it wrong.

 

[RayClem]

Well i'll be darned. I had picked up for 1$ some pre-shave oil at this amazon returns store, it retailed at something like $30 so I figured it would be good. I've used it five or six times, didn't work any better than plain water. I thought I was using it wrong.

Like you, I have tried preshave oils, both those purchased at the store and those I made myself. The only thing they did was clog up my razors. There are some preshave products out there that might be useful ( Noxzema cream is one such example), that might be useful, but vegetable oils do not.

If your beard is dirty or oily, just splashing water on your beard might not achieve full hydration. That is why old school barbers that gave straight razor shaves used shaving lather and warm towels to soften the beard. Soap, shampoo, or shaving lather helps with cleaning as well as hydration. For those with less coarse beards, hydration is not a huge issue but for those with coarse beards, it makes for a much more comfortable shave.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I also usually shampoo my whiskers in the shower. Proraso preshave seems to work ok too, although I haven't used it long enough to fully form an opinion.

That beard hair/copper wire thing just won't go away, will it? It says more about copper than it does whiskers, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I personally would be surprised if cutting paper really damaged an edge... but I have never cared enough to try... the only thing I could see it being useful to test is beveling... shaving sharp is miles more refined than what a paper cutting test would check.