Bacterial Infection Due to Shaving...and how often do you sanitize your razors?

Was he using a DE or a Cartridge Razor??


I can see were if he is using a cartridge razor possibly. Most guys don't rinse them well. They hold bits of skin, shave cream/gel, blood, hair as well as usually having a little rust on them from trying to stretch the expensive cart just another shave or two.

I would think a diisassembled and wiped down DE would solve that.


Jay

simmonds said:

Is Barbicide used full strength or is it diluted and how long will a bottle that size last?

Click to expand...

You dilute it. A bottle that size is a lifetime supply (with plenty left over for your heirs).

Dilution is 16 parts water to 1 part barbicide.

you can get it at barber/beauty parlor supply houses

If you have a Sally Beauty in town they carry it

http://www.sallybeauty.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-SA-Site/default/Search-Show?q=barbicide

If you have a hospital supply store you can get a similar product. Some locations stock one called Mar-v-cide. Check with your local pharmacist as they sometimes stock disinfectant soaks or can order it for you.

Anything can happen, but this sort of thing is pretty unusual. As an earlier poster said, an intact skin layer is an important barrier to infection, so shaving without nicking yourself is probably a good idea.

All I do is rinse and put it into the stand.

I got a little more info from my buddy. Yes it was a DE razor to answer that question. He said he cut himself with the razor and about an hour after that he had red marks that swelled up and became like blisters the next day and his lymph nodes are swollen as well. Now he's on antibiotics.

as someone astutley mentioned above, it could have been from the razor, the brush, a hand, water, the towel, etc. I guess the point is to keep all your gear clean and you should be fine. It sounds like the majority of us just keep things fairly clean and nobody's having that same issue. And I would agree that a DE razor is typically cleaner than a cartridge razor. Shave waste seems to build up in the cartridges and never leave.

Anyway, let's keep it clean.

Good point!

kingfisher said:

Anything can happen, but this sort of thing is pretty unusual. As an earlier poster said, an intact skin layer is an important barrier to infection, so shaving without nicking yourself is probably a good idea.

All I do is rinse and put it into the stand.

Click to expand...

I hit my daily use razor with scrubbing bubbles and a toothbrush every 1-2 weeks.

dang .. got me paranoid now..had to go wipe my razor down with an alcohol pad.

i usually clean my razors a couple times a month with scrubbing bubbles/dish washing soap + hot water.

he might have had a dirty sink..no telling what could have caused it.

remember what George Carlin said germs and keeping everything too clean ...."thats why we have an immune system, but it needs germs to practice on"

This brings up a question I've had for a while. Is scrubbing bubbles safe for the satin finish on a Merkur Futur?

sas71 said:

dang .. got me paranoid now..had to go wipe my razor down with an alcohol pad.

i usually clean my razors a couple times a month with scrubbing bubbles/dish washing soap + hot water.

he might have had a dirty sink..no telling what could have caused it.

remember what George Carlin said germs and keeping everything too clean ...."thats why we have an immune system, but it needs germs to practice on"

Click to expand...

Scientifically true.

Started shaving in 1960
number of times I have santized a razor (beyond initial receipt) 0
number of shave related infections 0


ken

After rinsing my razor (and blade), I give it a quick swish in a small jar of Isopropyl (Rubbing) Alcohol, give it a few shakes, and set it back in the bathroom cabinet to air dry. But that's mostly just to speed the drying and prevent water spots. If there's a disinfectant effect, so much the better, but I'm not terribly concerned about bacterial contamination. Frequent washing of hands (and face) with hot water and soap is probably more important than sterilizing razors.

cdmorten said:

I got a little more info from my buddy. Yes it was a DE razor to answer that question. He said he cut himself with the razor and about an hour after that he had red marks that swelled up and became like blisters the next day and his lymph nodes are swollen as well. Now he's on antibiotics.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the follow-up info. That does not sound too encouraging at all......

There's a long technical review of Barbicide on this Amazon product page that goes on about how it is a disinfectant and not a sterilizer. Not sure if this guy is splitting ends but thought it was worth a post.

http://www.amazon.com/Barbicide-Dis...55QS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322508728&sr=8-1

I drop mine in boiling water and dish soap to clean them to get the the soap scum buildup off.

I agree it didn't come from the razor. Nick or abrasion from the razor + dirty hands = infection. The nick ave the the bacteria access, but the bacteria came from elsewhere.

Where do you get hydracide or barbacide? I've looked at Target, Walmart and Walgreens.

Thanks

drawonme said:

Where do you get hydracide or barbacide? I've looked at Target, Walmart and Walgreens.

Thanks

Click to expand...

I get mine from a beauty supply store. Sallys is a good one.

After I use my razors (Merkur's 23C & 38C), I spray them down with alcohol and then air dry. Once a week I scrub hen down with 'Scrubbing Bubbles'.

View attachment 203102 "Life is [like] a razor, you are always in hot water or a scrape" Anonymous

Intrigued said:

How do they know it was due to not sanitizing the razor? While the infection may have started at the site of a razor nick, It could have been the brush that applied lather, the hand that touched the face, the towel that dried the face........

Click to expand...

Yes, a towel, dirty hand, sitting the razor on a dirty sink, etc. would be FAR FAR more likely to be the culprit than an un-sanitized razor. Nasties can grow on wet sinks, hands, towels, but NOT on non-porous plastic, stainless steel, brass, chrome. (Maybe under flaking Merkur finishes, if there is other gunk under there in the pockets of corroding zinc, but even that is unlikely.)

I would think the crap that collects between the blades of a multi-blade razor would be FAR more likely to harbor bacteria, since it's mixed with hair, skin cells and god knows what else that is in the "canned goo" most people use, keeping in mind that the the Sorbitol used as a humectantfiller/softener in many shave creams and some melt & pour soap bases is, in actuality, a sugar and could quite possibly be used as a food source for bacteria.

I'd be FAR more concerned about a towel or wash cloth washed with dirty socks and underwear, or touching the sink's faucet handles then my face, rather than a razor used for years and years that had never been cleaned.

Unless the razor was brought in, swabbed, and found to be a hot-bed for what ever bacteria caused his infection, the doctor was simply pulling at straws and his guess is just as good as asking the wine-o in the gutter his opinion.

I've never done this, and never had a problem.

Outside of just a good rinse with hot water, and an occasional squirt of scrubbing bubbles, thats all I do.