New insights into shaving that you learned in 2023

[kingfisher]

Did you learn anything this year that was important to you and that you will take with you going forward?

I've been shaving old school since 2009 so it surprised me to learn two things this year.

1) It's better if you don't do a real, full face rinse after the first pass. I used to splash water all around and get completely rinsed off before lathering up fir the second pass. Credit to Frank at Ethos, who suggested that, when using his cream, to just wet the hands a little and wipe off residual lather, but not to do a full rinse. I tried it, and I was sold I also started doing it this way for all my lathering products. The bottom line is that, in general, I get a richer second-pass lather by doing it this way.

2) Hair shaper blades are by far the best-kept secret in traditional wet shaving. Granted that you have to have a certain type and level of skill to even be in a position to use them. Let me explain. As many of you may know, I settled in to open blade shaving over the past several years, landing on replaceable blade straights. All the razors I had used AC blades. Then, one day, I made a purchase on the BST for an older Japanese market AC razor, and the seller generously including a little razor called a Feather Super. It was loaded up with a blade that I was sure was not meant for shaving and would never work for shaving. After a few months of wondering, I decided to give it a go. It was surprisingly comfortable and smooth, and certainly able to shave. Thereafter, I sought a Weck and found one via a trade on the BST. I ordered some Personna hair shaper blades off the internet, with low expectations. I am not a fan of any of the Personna DE blades. Anyway, they arrived and I gave it a try. Wow. Weirdly, the Weck with this scary looking hair shaper blade is actually the smoothest razor I have ever used, and although it looks like nothing but a giant blade, there is virtually no blade feel at all. It's as if I were just squeegeeing the lather and the hair just jumps off.

Anyway, those were my two revelations of 2023. Did any of you learn something new?

 

[Jay21]

I first tried DE shaving in 2015. It didn’t go well and I quit.

I tried again in early 2023. It also didn’t go well at first, but I stuck it out and tried many different things. Now I feel like I’m a very proficient DE shaver. That’s my revelation: using a DE razor without issue.

 

[Goblin]

When I started DE shaving blade samplers weren't a thing. I only tried about 8 different brands before landing on Feathers as my main blade. I stuck with them for years, with the odd Personna or Permasharp thrown in. This year I determined to broaden my blade horizons and must have sampled near on 40 different blades.

What I recently concluded is that I was right the first time. Feathers are the best for me by some margin and my skin will thank me for sticking to them for the majority of my shaves (although I now have a hell of a lot of other blades to get through eventually, including some rash 100 purchases).

That said, I also discovered some great one-and-done combos, like Lord + Fatip, which others have already known about for a while.

I also learned / confirmed that using open blade razors will let me go ATG on my neck in a way that I just can't do with a DE razor, and that many blades I find too mild in a DE will work just fine in a shavette.

There's always something new to learn.

 

[euro]

The more you browse this forum the poorer you get

 

[Frito Ray]

Discovered that my skin loves glycerine. A few drops added to the lather bowl makes pretty much all soaps and creams better…for me. This led to more shaving comfort and greater blade longevity.

Also tried my first synthetic brush, a cheapo Wilkinson Sword. Liked it so much that all my other brushes have been retired. It works so well that I see no need to try fancier ones.

 

[AshleyC]

Recently, after testing blades in mid-range to aggressive razors like the Timeless Bronze, Pearl Flexi, Yaqi Final Cut, Progress, red tip SS, and Fatboy at "9", I decided to do a Tech shave. Hadn't used one in the rotation in awhile.

And I can definitively say that I'm no longer in the Tech camp. I can't go back to the farm after I've seen Paris, so to speak. Too much effort for inferior results.

 

[wrestlerjrh]

I learned how to lather (work in progress), how to DE shave (work in progress), learned about a bunch of brands of shaving supplies, basically everything I know about wet shaving

 

[mcee_sharp]

2023 was the year I really started to get into wet shaving more and do it more often. Prior I had just reached for a DE for an infrequent shave. A lot of new to me knowledge and technique refinement but the standouts are:

• My biggest leap was thoroughly mapping my beard and going from 3 to 2 passes, better results and much less potential for irritation for me

• Next biggest leap was diving into AC SE razors

 

[AimlessWanderer]

This years lessons were brushes and lathering.

I have bought many budget brushes this year. Most of them badger, but varying wildly in character. Some very scrubby, some with low to moderate backbone, and some rather floppy.

They all need lathering differently!!!

My scrubby badgers work well for face lathering. Load off the soap, and go straight to the face with it, adding water as I do.

Lower backbone brushes need me to layer up gradually. Add a little soap, add a little water, more soap, more water, and keep dunking the knot to keep freeing up the matted core where soap has run to hide. Layered lather is tremendous, if the brush is compatible.

My mixed hair brushes bowl lather best. They will face lather, but are messy. Starting in a bowl works best, if I catch it just around the double cream or thin yoghurt point. Then face lather.

My floppiest badgers need bowl lathering too, but with an even wetter mix. Flowing liquid rather than foam. Roughly single cream thickness, or even a little runnier. Then face lather.

My synthetics tend to work best using the layering approach, but some will face lather well too. They are all disastrous at bowl lathering, as they add far too much air, destroying the sickness.

I have learned that there isn't a good "one size fits all" technique, and have moved from only face lathering, to using all these four methods (face, bowl, layer, and liquid load), depending on what the individual brush needs.

 

[Halfbeard]

1) It's better if you don't do a real, full face rinse after the first pass. I used to splash water all around and get completely rinsed off before lathering up fir the second pass. Credit to Frank at Ethos, who suggested that, when using his cream, to just wet the hands a little and wipe off residual lather, but not to do a full rinse. I tried it, and I was sold I also started doing it this way for all my lathering products. The bottom line is that, in general, I get a richer second-pass lather by doing it this way.

I never understood the point why to rinse lather off and then immediately put it back on face !

 

[APBinNCA]

I never understood the point why to rinse lather off and then immediately put it back on face !

Best I can come up with is some soaps dry on face quickly and can't be rehydrated so it's better to just rinse them off at that point and add fresh lather. Not something I have ever done because I get rid of those kind of soaps, just a possible explanation why this advice became common.

 

[Lockback]

Well, I was a n00b early in 2023 with only a couple months' experience so it was a year of learning for me, starting almost at Square One.
Here are a few things I learned, in no particular order:

• Blades matter. As the year went along, I eliminated a few blades from my inventory and bought others in bulk. And, yes, Russian Gillettes just happen to be my favorites. Life is too short for a lousy shave. This past week, I twice replaced blades in the middle of a shave.
• Vintage Gillettes that are older than me (and I am OLD) still work beautifully. I was more than surprised. Shocked, actually. But they are fantastic.
• I thought I'd like/want an adjustable razor but my only experience with one (a Vikings Blade Emperor Meiji) hasn't been good. Granted, it's not the same as a Fatboy or Slim Adjustable and I can easily change my mind. But I'm not sure an adjustable solves any problems for me ...
• There are some wonderful soaps out there. I love Stirling Soaps because I think they're a great company and a great value.

 

[kingfisher]

Well, I was a n00b early in 2023 with only a couple months' experience so it was a year of learning for me, starting almost at Square One.
Here are a few things I learned, in no particular order:

• Blades matter. As the year went along, I eliminated a few blades from my inventory and bought others in bulk. And, yes, Russian Gillettes just happen to be my favorites. Life is too short for a lousy shave. This past week, I twice replaced blades in the middle of a shave.
• Vintage Gillettes that are older than me (and I am OLD) still work beautifully. I was more than surprised. Shocked, actually. But they are fantastic.
• I thought I'd like/want an adjustable razor but my only experience with one (a Vikings Blade Emperor Meiji) hasn't been good. Granted, it's not the same as a Fatboy or Slim Adjustable and I can easily change my mind. But I'm not sure an adjustable solves any problems for me ...
• There are some wonderful soaps out there. I love Stirling Soaps because I think they're a great company and a great value.

Vikings Blade Emperor Meiji was one of the worst razors I ever tried.

Please don't judge all adjustables by that disaster.

 

[Lockback]

Vikings Blade Emperor Meiji was one of the worst razors I ever tried.

Please don't judge all adjustables by that disaster.

I won't. I promise. It's obviously an outlier. What a disappointment.

 

[Lockback]

Well, I was a n00b early in 2023 with only a couple months' experience so it was a year of learning for me, starting almost at Square One.
Here are a few things I learned, in no particular order:

• Blades matter. As the year went along, I eliminated a few blades from my inventory and bought others in bulk. And, yes, Russian Gillettes just happen to be my favorites. Life is too short for a lousy shave. This past week, I twice replaced blades in the middle of a shave.
• Vintage Gillettes that are older than me (and I am OLD) still work beautifully. I was more than surprised. Shocked, actually. But they are fantastic.
• I thought I'd like/want an adjustable razor but my only experience with one (a Vikings Blade Emperor Meiji) hasn't been good. Granted, it's not the same as a Fatboy or Slim Adjustable and I can easily change my mind. But I'm not sure an adjustable solves any problems for me ...
• There are some wonderful soaps out there. I love Stirling Soaps because I think they're a great company and a great value.

Oh, and one more thing: I had absolutely no idea that someone offered razors that used doubled edge razors that are snapped in half. And that they work spectacularly well. The Leaf Twig and Thorn were a revelation.

 

[AshleyC]

Well, I was a n00b early in 2023 with only a couple months' experience so it was a year of learning for me, starting almost at Square One.
Here are a few things I learned, in no particular order:

• Blades matter. As the year went along, I eliminated a few blades from my inventory and bought others in bulk. And, yes, Russian Gillettes just happen to be my favorites. Life is too short for a lousy shave. This past week, I twice replaced blades in the middle of a shave.
• Vintage Gillettes that are older than me (and I am OLD) still work beautifully. I was more than surprised. Shocked, actually. But they are fantastic.
• I thought I'd like/want an adjustable razor but my only experience with one (a Vikings Blade Emperor Meiji) hasn't been good. Granted, it's not the same as a Fatboy or Slim Adjustable and I can easily change my mind. But I'm not sure an adjustable solves any problems for me ...
• There are some wonderful soaps out there. I love Stirling Soaps because I think they're a great company and a great value.

I'm curious what you don't like about the Vikings Blade Emperor.

I have one and on the surface it has all the features you'd think would make it one of my favorite adjustables.

But it isn't. I don't find it comfortable. I think it has too many sharp edges that drag into my skin.

Those corners, specifically. Comparing them to my Gillette TTOs, that corner is noticeably higher above the safety bar than on Gillettes. And the Gillettes, even my Soviet clone of one, have more rounded, softened edges.

 

[Frito Ray]

Best I can come up with is some soaps dry on face quickly and can't be rehydrated so it's better to just rinse them off at that point and add fresh lather. Not something I have ever done because I get rid of those kind of soaps, just a possible explanation why this advice became common.

I think it is just an extension of wiping down your face with a wet hand between passes to feel which area needs more attention In the next pass.

 

[Lockback]

I'm curious what you don't like about the Vikings Blade Emperor.

I have one and on the surface it has all the features you'd think would make it one of my favorite adjustables.

But it isn't. I don't find it comfortable. I think it has too many sharp edges that drag into my skin.
View attachment 1772420
Those corners, specifically. Comparing them to my Gillette TTOs, that corner is noticeably higher above the safety bar than on Gillettes. And the Gillettes, even my Soviet clone of one, have more rounded, softened edges.

Excellent question for which I don't have a great answer.
Unlike a lot of Emperor Meiji users, mine doesn't have what some call "the smile" or "the frown" where the ends of blade are turned down. Mine looks just fine. But even on the mildest setting, it's been an uncomfortable shave far too often. Not every time, mind you, but way too many times. Too unpredictable. Almost every shave, I'd think, "Well, will this be a nice shave or a brutally awful one?"
It's definitely very blade-dependent. Some worked, some didn't. I keep a log of all my shaves and it was never easy to predict which combination would work. And I never could dial it up past about 3 without a really aggressive shave, too aggressive for me.
I wish I had a good answer for you but I don't.
I got tired of dealing with it and shelved it. Pulled it out months later, tried it again, got some great shaves, then it started frustrating me again and I put it back on the shelf where it sits to this day. I reckon I'll pull it out again someday but I'm not in any hurry. I have so many good razors I'm not in the mood to fight a moody one.

 

[LRod]

I learned that every year that passes, I spend more!

 

[Psychtec]

In 2023 wet shaving finally became an enjoyable hobby for me. Everyday I cannot wait to shave.

I found the only three SE’s, I own and shave with:

1924 Shovel Head
1912 GEM
1912 GEM Jr

The Shovel head is my daily driver.
I shave my face and head daily. I frequently use the others. The only SE blade I use are the GEM PTFE’s. I have my two pass face and head routines down. I added Alum Block use to my routine. My skin is finally were I want it to be.

I have my technique down to the point I venture out and try new techniques, feeling safe throughout.

Without much thought, I wake every morning, choose something on YouTube to listen to and enjoy the next 30-45 minutes shaving.