"Wet Shaving"?

[The Kiwi]

Once I learned how to shave, I never tried shaving without water on my skin, and soaked into my whiskers, but the mortgage payments had to be paid, whether anyone would hire me for things I had experience in or not, so that added up to two lousy jobs to keep the bills covered, and rushed shaves because there never was enough time. I could do a fast one-pass shave with a Sensor that didn't feel good enough to me, didn't satisfy my own standards, but got me in and out of the bathroom in a minimum time.

Once in that bad habit, the rush to finish and low quality shave that went with it, I just kept on, even if the deed was finally free and clear, but I never had another decent-paying job, that's a fact. I was using Edge Gel, skipping the aftershave, and my shaves were a necessary chore. Were they "Wet" shaves? Yes. When the situation dawned on me that a rushed shave hadn't been a necessary part of grooming for several years, THEN I was taking my time, getting some DFS results with leftover shave creams, and decided to look for a backup Sensor handle.

None was to be found on the local stores' shelves. Internet searches led here; more thorough searching at home led to a couple of backup Sensors, a couple of backup adjustable DEs, a veritable S***load of backup Atras, aftershaves, soaps, one shave mug puck (VDH), etc. etc.

[Whilliam]

For me wet shaving equals water plus a proper soap/cream and any manual razor whether that be straight, DE or cart
DE shaving is water plus proper soap/cream and a DE razor only
straight shaving is water plus proper soap/cream and a straight razor only
i think what we on B&B celebrate most is DE shaving. The traditional safety razor shaving

For me definition of wet shaving should never cover canned goop or of course electric razors

Sometimes you've got to go for the goop to get out the door.

[OkieStubble]

Wet shaving = shaving that is not done dry.
That means the beard needs to be saturated (by prep) and then kept wet by good products (which excludes many types of canned foam.)
I'm not sure how "wet shaving" came to be synonymous with traditional shaving, but it is not something I can agree with. Traditional shaving is wet shaving, but not all wet shaving is traditional. I would even count wet-and-dry electric razors as "wet shaving" when used appropriately.

Ray has pretty much put it in a nutshell.

[Whilliam]

Yep, that's the whole thing. Shaving using water =wet shaving.

+1

[Go West Young Man]

Does no-one ever read the wiki anymore?
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Faq

[bvance554]

I've never 'dry shaved' in my life and couldn't imagine doing so. No one ever taught me to shave, but shaving 'wet' just seemed intuitive.

[JeffOlson]

I have read the wiki. Thanks. That is very informative. However, the wiki is not a discussion. I wanted to have a current discussion...

When I first began shaving 40 years ago, I used a painful electric razor my parents gave to me. Williams 'Lectric Shave helped ease the pain a bit, and it did make my shave a bit "wet," but I quickly took to shaving only infrequently, and I finally grew a beard in college in the late '70s, which I have kept ever since.

Even after switching to far more comfortable cartridge razors, I used very little water--just enough to moisten my face before applying canned goo, and enough to rinse afterwards.

It was not until I discovered real wet shaving using a double-edge safety razor that I really began using lots of water and actually enjoying the ritual so much that I began shaving every day (my neck and cheeks).

[bvance554]

I have read the wiki. Thanks. That is very informative. However, the wiki is not a discussion. I wanted to have a current discussion...

+1

[CHSeifert]

Wet shaving = Non dry shaving.

You can get electrical shavers, that can be used on wet skin, so they are also part of wet shaving of course - how difficult can it be exactly HUH ??

[CHSeifert]

By strict scientific definition, anything other than electric/wind-up.

Personally, and from non-hobbyists that I chat with, the general opinion seems to be use of something other than canned products, and the use of an SE/DE/Straight.

So Panasonics electrical shaver, that can be used on wet skin while taking a shower is not considered wet shaving..........

[kingfisher]

So Panasonics electrical shaver, that can be used on wet skin while taking a shower is not considered wet shaving..........

In my humble opinion, I would NOT consider using any kind of electrical shaver "wetshaving," even if you use it wet. Electric shavers are anathema to traditional wetshavers.

I'd be willing to say that any shaving using a blade and water is wetshaving. An electric shaver is not a blade.

This is just my opinion.

[fccexpert]

Shaving with water and lather. This does not automatically exclude the use of aerosal shave foams, but does require that they be applied with proper water and technique.

[Maxime D.]

It was not until I discovered real wet shaving using a double-edge safety razor

Is a DE more legitimate than a Multi-blades razor ? Is a Straight more legitimate than a DE ? With prep and technic, you can get a good shave with almost anything.....even a spoon ^^

[fccexpert]

Is a DE more legitimate than a Multi-blades razor ? Is a Straight more legitimate than a DE ? With prep and technic, you can get a good shave with almost anything.....even a spoon ^^

Only a shave ready spoon :-)

[JeffOlson]

I should have put quotation marks around my use of the word "real."

I actually get better, closer, more comfortable shaves with a Gillette ProGlide (especially the vibrating one) than I do with a DE razor. I just don't enjoy it as much!

[Jawaburger]

I think there are a lot of people who use "Wet Shaving" interchangeably with "Traditional Shaving," and it can be confusing.

In my opinion, here is the difference:

Wet Shaving: Not dry shaving
Traditional Shaving: Using a soap/cream, a brush and a DE/SE/Str8 (which others have pointed out, is also wet shaving with water, I hope!)

[chongo gordo]

If shaving with an electrical razor and water qualifies as "wet shaving" than there isn't much in terms of shaving that doesn't meet the definition.

I agree, it's water and lather, home whipped, and a blade, cart, SE, DE or straight.

[cb91710]

Only a shave ready spoon :-)

Honed would shave with it

[Snargle]

My preferred terminology is "Traditional Single-Blade Wet Shaving."

[Bengal Tiger]

I suppose if you keep your face wet and mix your canned goo with water when you lather up, it can be wet. But canned goo seems so drying. In fact it dries almost as soon as its out of the can. There's a dude with a wet shaving video on youtube where he uses a can of nivea with his brush and DE razor.

Brushless creams like Cremo or KMF are mixed with lots of water during application so wet shaving doesn't quite require a brush. You have to call it something so people probably used the term wet shaving in order to keep out any electric users who may have stumbled in here quite confused, even if they keep their faces wet and use lectric shave to prep their face. Even if you call it traditional shaving, is it really that traditional if young guys pick it up and companies are developing new products? There's nothing remotely traditional about some of the equipment out here.