What are your criteria? At what point during your routine do you ‘rate’ your shave?
What’s your idea of a BBS shave?
- Thread starter Zerpersande
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I have stopped trying for the bbs shave. If it happens, great. If not, there is always tomorrow.
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Exactly what it means. Baby Butt Smooth. 3 passes daily plus occasional touch ups give me that on my face and 2 passes on my head. My kids even claim that I wax my head because it’s so shiny and smooth.
I don’t “rate” my shave until I’m done.
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I don’t “rate” my shave until I’m done.
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- #4
I try but only to the extent that I have learned what does/doesn’t work. As for tomorrow, yep, you can’t let a little spot that needed more attention take away from an otherwise enjoyable experience.
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- #5
Having changed both my daughters’ diapers, I have never had a shave that truly aporoaches that degree of smoothness over my entire face. Maybe on my cheeks with a downward stroke. Maybe in other areas at the same time. But raise the chin and change stroke direction, nope, their butts weren’t like that.
As for making a decision, after the alum bar, no opinion. Rinse afterwards with cold water, pat dry and sokadh on witch hazel, still no opinion. But rub on the Nivea skin balm and that’s when I know. If the shave passes there, it will still pass with the last bit of post shave applied.
Isn’t there a wiki on the degrees of smoothness?
The mythical path to a BBS is fraught with danger and it's far too easy to be lured onto the rocks by the Sirens' call. I found out years ago that trying to shave too close would oft times result in the very thing that drove me to DE/SE shaving: ingrown hairs. Far better to settle for a DFS w/o irritation and/or ingrown hairs.
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- #8
Irritation has only been a problem once when I shaved with my R41 one day and followed it the next day with a new Maggard V3A. (Think that’s it.) I was still irritated the next day and so only used a mild razor. A couple of days of that and I was okay.
BBS is smooth in every direction. I used to chase BBS but dont anymore. Now, I skip the ATG pass and go for DFS instead of BBS and am much happier. No much weepers or irritation and no one noticed the difference. Sure, I can still feel some stubble if I rub my skin against the grain but it still looks clean shaven and thats all that really matters.
I do get BBS most of the time except my right side jawline and adam's apple area.
And yeah the quest for BBS is fraught with bloodshed.
And yeah the quest for BBS is fraught with bloodshed.
As a newbie, I get a better shave DE than I have with the other junk. I can now say I'm getting BBS shaves on my face and most of my neck and a DFS around my jaw line. I don't know that I can ever get any better along my jaw. I may just have to live with it.
At this point, I'm so happy with my results that if they don't get any better I still consider them exellent results.
I do question some things though. Such as why some guys are saying they change blades every 3-4 shaves. I have gone as many as 5 shaves on a blade and honestly, the 5th shave was every bit as good a the 1st. I may keep using a blade until I feel something uncomfortable before I use another new blade.
I also can't really tell the difference between say a Darby blade and a Feather as far as comfort and and results go. I chalk that up to my very limited experience with wet shaving. Or maybe, for my face and beard there is really not going to be a difference in blades.
I'm going to grab a micrometer today and bring it into the house and let it get to room temp and then I'm going to measure my beard hair. Another member did that and I want to see how I measure up. I know I've measured the hair on my head, but the last time I did that I was much younger. I have less hair now, and what's there is much more gray and it seems thinner.
I'd chalk that up to clean living and self denial but in reality that comes from a happy marriage and family. That's what my wife says and we all know the wife ain't wrong.
NT
At this point, I'm so happy with my results that if they don't get any better I still consider them exellent results.
I do question some things though. Such as why some guys are saying they change blades every 3-4 shaves. I have gone as many as 5 shaves on a blade and honestly, the 5th shave was every bit as good a the 1st. I may keep using a blade until I feel something uncomfortable before I use another new blade.
I also can't really tell the difference between say a Darby blade and a Feather as far as comfort and and results go. I chalk that up to my very limited experience with wet shaving. Or maybe, for my face and beard there is really not going to be a difference in blades.
I'm going to grab a micrometer today and bring it into the house and let it get to room temp and then I'm going to measure my beard hair. Another member did that and I want to see how I measure up. I know I've measured the hair on my head, but the last time I did that I was much younger. I have less hair now, and what's there is much more gray and it seems thinner.
I'd chalk that up to clean living and self denial but in reality that comes from a happy marriage and family. That's what my wife says and we all know the wife ain't wrong.
NT
After the 5 years of shaving strictly with DE, I have gotten daily BBS shaves the last 3 or so years with all my razors. Doesn’t matter the razor, low cost or high, it just suddenly happened.
BBS involves not feeling any stubble in any direction but it also involves skin smoothness and softness.
Cold water shaves will give you that softness. Since I prefer the hot water, I follow up with a lengthy cold water splash when done and that comes close.
BBS involves not feeling any stubble in any direction but it also involves skin smoothness and softness.
Cold water shaves will give you that softness. Since I prefer the hot water, I follow up with a lengthy cold water splash when done and that comes close.
+1. Jawline is always an issue, and needs more buffing than the rest. But I never go for BBS on my upper lip because the blade always tugs when I shave upwards ATG. Downwards and sideways is as far as I go.
To feel nothing in any direction even with considerable pressure.
I'm constantly working from the feedback from the razor. When I dont get any I know I'm done. Wiping and checking with a wet hand usually confirms it but I might need a clean up here and there.
BBS is the norm for me. I remember a while back someone suggested that what some of us call a BBS actually isnt and would be confirmed with the cotton ball test. I have no use for cotton balls, but I did buy a fresh bottle of Aspirin a couple weeks ago and it had a cotton ball in it so I tried it. It didnt snag or catch anywhere, even using pressure, so I passed that test easily.
My left side jawline is the most difficult area to BBS and also the first place I notice growth.
When I see Mr.Shinyface looking back at me in the mirror I know I've had a very good shave lol.
Far too much like hard work if you have any swirl patterns in your hair growth.
I only try for BBS when I feel I really need it (big presentation at work or special event like date night with wife or a party). Definition is no stubble in any direction...when I'm going for I usually apply toner with a cotton ball post shave, which is an easy test (I also do this for special occasions as I use an EDT and don't use my AS).
I have thick hair and somewhat sensitive skin and shave almost every day...so normally I just go for a close comfortable shave and always leave some stubble on my two problem areas... lower neck and right jawline
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I have thick hair and somewhat sensitive skin and shave almost every day...so normally I just go for a close comfortable shave and always leave some stubble on my two problem areas... lower neck and right jawline
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- Thread starter
- #17
Ditto on the type of shave I generally get. Right under the jaw line or slightly further down on my neck. Hardly noticeable to the touch, but still there. Happy with the results though.
I usually toss the blade after 3-4 shaves. I hone the blade on my palm lightly between shaves. Figure that the cost is low and no need to wait for performance loss.
But I can tell the difference with some blades in some razors. I have pretty much settled on Gillette blades though I have Polsilver too. These give me the best feel with no tugging at all. I also have some Rockwells and Wilkinson Swords that work well in my 6C when I justwant a quick shave.
I use my blades 2-3 times. I have used some as many as 5 times, but it gets risky after that. I realized through experience that I am hard on my blades, mostly because I shave at about 24 hours' growth for clean appearance at work. It requires a much sharper blade to cut down short stubble. It comes off much more easily if I give the growth two days, but that would necessitate me going to work in a hospital with scruff one day. I'm just not willing to do that, so the blades have to bear the burden.
But one of the reasons I switched to DE is because I CAN do that. It was much harder to do that with a cartridge and I was shaving with them twice and getting more irritation.
But one of the reasons I switched to DE is because I CAN do that. It was much harder to do that with a cartridge and I was shaving with them twice and getting more irritation.
I rate my shave after I finish during the weekend but not during the work week.
The B&B Abbreviations list is very useful.
The B&B Abbreviations list is very useful.
I rate my shaves generally as "yup, that's good." Generally, that equates to a DFS on the face and a CCS on the neck. I don't chase BBS as my scruff grows back fast enough that I can do 2-a-days if needed.
