Your single best shaving tip

**cavasta** · 03-18-2012, 06:22 AM

Originally Posted by Kooze

Read Mendel's post:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...ghlight=Mendel

Interesting list. Re: #12. When soaking your shaving brush before your shave, only soak it halfway up the bristles.

Does anyone know why?

**Buxwheat** · 03-18-2012, 06:46 AM

Originally Posted by KeithTheSnake

Wear pants when shaving with a straight razor.

Seriously!

**scbudd** · 03-18-2012, 07:21 AM

Take......
Your......
Time.......................

**phillylion** · 03-18-2012, 07:41 AM

Zero force component in the direction of the face.

**Shadowsforbars** · 03-18-2012, 08:46 AM

Monotask - it's not a good idea to shave while cooking pancakes for the kids.

**Island Dreamer** · 03-18-2012, 09:04 AM

Pay no attention to "tips" including this one. Shaving is too YMMV for anyone's tip to mean anything to you. It's trial and error and using the basic principles of shaving. Half of the guys posting tips may have been shaving for a month while some have been shaving for decades. You have no idea who is who online.

**Sledgehammer39** · 03-18-2012, 09:09 AM

Patience!

**Mendel** · 03-18-2012, 09:14 AM

Originally Posted by Island Dreamer

Pay no attention to "tips" including this one. Shaving is too YMMV for anyone's tip to mean anything to you. It's trial and error and using the basic principles of shaving. Half of the guys posting tips may have been shaving for a month while some have been shaving for decades. You have no idea who is who online.

The beauty of B & B is a community of folks coming together to share ideas, experiences, and wisdom. Of course, with anything YMMV. I find when you define something, you limit something. Wet shaving tips are not just this, but rather, this and this. This thread is congruent with my reflections and wisdom gleaned from B&B. People enjoy hearing what others are doing, what has worked for them, etc. Together we are a community of learners, having fun, doing what we like to do...wet shaving.

**HoosierTrooper** · 03-18-2012, 09:17 AM

So, your "tip" is to ignore all of the advice and experience posted here in the last six years or so, and all of the advise and experience that will be posted in the future, including yours? So, if he ignores your tip to ignore tips then are you actually telling him to listen to tips?

Originally Posted by Island Dreamer

Pay no attention to "tips" including this one. Shaving is too YMMV for anyone's tip to mean anything to you. It's trial and error and using the basic principles of shaving. Half of the guys posting tips may have been shaving for a month while some have been shaving for decades. You have no idea who is who online.

**jbradley** · 03-18-2012, 09:22 AM

Originally Posted by HoosierTrooper

So, your "tip" is to ignore all of the advice and experience posted here in the last six years or so, and all of the advise and experience that will be posted in the future, including yours? Which means that if he ignores your tip to ignore tips then are you actually telling him to listen to tips?

A bit convuluted, but that's what it sounded like to me. Ignore his tip, since he said to, and follow all the others!

**Island Dreamer** · 03-18-2012, 09:30 AM

All I'm saying is one has no idea about the background of the posters here and I have read so much nonsense about shaving that I would be loathe to trust any advice given. And yes, that includes my own even with over 40 years of experience! It's all opinion anyway.

Of course, YMMV and apologies if I'm stepping on your toes in saying this but, hopefully, I'm allowed to post a contrary POV here. I'll back out of this thread so as not to further interfere with all the tips being offered.

**HoosierTrooper** · 03-18-2012, 09:35 AM

This place is full of conflicting POV's, that's what makes it interesting, it just seems odd to advise someone not to follow advice, including the advice to not follow the advice of not following any advice.

**jbradley** · 03-18-2012, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by Island Dreamer

All I'm saying is one has no idea about the background of the posters here and I have read so much nonsense about shaving that I would be loathe to trust any advice given. And yes, that includes my own even with over 40 years of experience! It's all opinion anyway.

Of course, YMMV and apologies if I'm stepping on your toes in saying this but, hopefully, I'm allowed to post a contrary POV here. I'll back out of this thread so as not to further interfere with all the tips being offered.

No, your point is valid. I'm just ribbing you is all. As with everything related to shaving, YMMV. What works for some, not so much for others. Thats why my tip was concise: Prep. Poor prep = Poor shave. But maybe some people can jump up, grab a mug & razor, and be BBS in 4 minutes or less. I can't. But, YMMV.

**BlueyM** · 03-18-2012, 09:42 AM

Buy quality shave gear. Everything; blades, brushes, razors, soaps, aftershaves.

Quality remains long after price is forgotten.

**OkieStubble** · 03-18-2012, 10:08 AM

Originally Posted by Island Dreamer

All I'm saying is one has no idea about the background of the posters here and I have read so much nonsense about shaving that I would be loathe to trust any advice given. And yes, that includes my own even with over 40 years of experience! It's all opinion anyway.

Of course, YMMV and apologies if I'm stepping on your toes in saying this but, hopefully, I'm allowed to post a contrary POV here. I'll back out of this thread so as not to further interfere with all the tips being offered.

My experience has been the opposite. I have seen some nonsense, but very little of it compared to the great information, advice and know how coming from all the learned experiences from the great members who make up this forum. I have seen many informative and helpful posts from Island Dreamer in just his short time here. So I am positive he feels the exact same way as we do.

Haven't we all failed occasionally to articulate something even though our intentions were good?

**BlackBard** · 03-18-2012, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by eyesofgrey

Don't get Obsessive Compusive Disorder about every shave- BBS is overrated. DFS is where it's at.

+1. BBS is overrated.

**fccexpert** · 03-18-2012, 11:11 AM

Ignore all advice that implies that shaving is an esoteric art that must be learned at the foot of a master.

**BlackBard** · 03-18-2012, 11:14 AM

I have not seen this one yet. I have beard down to my collar bone, so I have to shave my neck over and below my Adam's apple. In order to shave over the point of my Adam's apple, I swallow (half way) and hold my breath. This moves my Adam's apple upward and allows me to shave the skin where the point was without a nick or irritation.

I learned this tip on B&B, but, unfortunately, I don't recall who posted it. My apologies for not giving credit where due.

**Mr. Scruffy** · 03-18-2012, 11:15 AM

Ymmv

**kirill** · 03-18-2012, 11:29 AM

Originally Posted by cavasta

Interesting list. Re: #12. When soaking your shaving brush before your shave, only soak it halfway up the bristles.

Does anyone know why?

The idea is that soaking the handle at all, or too close to it, can damage it, causing your brush to start losing hairs, etc. This is especially a concern with porous handles, like wood, but can (according to those who give the advice) damage any brush.

So soaking only halfway up gives the benefit of wet and softened bristles with no risk of harming the handle or the ring holding the bristles in place.