bbs at what cost?

[rassage]

i use both a feather straight and de. i find getting a bbs is hard on my skin. it leaves bumps,oil and breakouts. plus it is never really a babies bottom. it is my face. i mean if i press my hand and rub hard against the grain after a few hours i can feel it anyways. is this the same for most of you or does my technique need work?

also i cut myself every time in the same exact place. i really don't think it is how i shave but i could be wrong. my skin is just very sensitive and i have a steel wool beard. i get the cut even with one pass wtg. just a red nick,no blood. do you think this warrants seeing a dermatologist or something? i have wet shaved for longer than i care to say. i am disappointed in myself from what i read here but perhaps it is just my skin.

[Mad Man]

At the risk of opening a can of worms...

The term BBS gets thrown around a LOT on these forums...and it's "achievement" seen as some Holy Grail of Shaving, worthy of chest beating, soap-box standing and general puffery.

IMHO the only person who is really concerned about how close your shave is...is YOU. Even SWMBO will feel my closest shaves and STILL say she feels some stubble, no matter how light.

Long story short - close enough is good enough, with the Law of Diminishing Returns applying the closer we chase this mystical, mythical BBS...

I'll pay homage to I-forget-who-wrote-it but a post I read a couple months ago applies now..."you're a man...why do you want your face to feel like an infant's arse?"

[michiganlover]

IMHO the only person who is really concerned about how close your shave is...is YOU.

+1

I have never chased after the supposed BBS dream, nor do I ever intend too.

For me, a Close Comfortable Shave is good enough.

I can give you 100% assurance, that the average person on the street doesn't care about your shave. The average person you interact with doesn't care about your shave. In fact they are only going to pay attention if you have done something that draws their attention to it (significant cuts, massive irritation).

Your employer isn't going to care about your shave, as long as all visible patches of stubble are gone: something that can be accomplished very likely with just a single WTG pass.

To me a BBS seems like a lot of extra work for a very minimal reward. I personally have better things to concern myself with, rather than having the absolute closest shave possible.

For the past 3 years, I have been a two pass, and done shaver, and it's plenty good enough.

[Mad Man]

+1 to 2 pass and done. My M-F BAU shave.

When I'm retired, got time and want DESPERATELY to avoid SWMBO at all costs I'll endeavor to dwell in the den for a good hour pretending to shave...

[rivieraranch]

Maybe there are extra steps you could take that would minimize this carnage?

[cryhavoc]

All I'm looking for in a good shave is a DFS. I admit sometimes the Planets align correctly and a BBS sneaks up on me but I don't chase it.

[Buck Melanoma]

I shaved with a red tip Gillette before I got on this site (back before I learned that it was supposed to be an aggressive razor).

When I got on here I felt like there was more than a little pressure to go for the BBS, as if a person wasn't a "real" shaver unless they did (well, that and use a straight, but I think I see less of this one now).

Watching newbies go for a BBS shave, then complain about redness and irritation (and zits and...) it struck me that the push for a BBS shave probably also pushes people away from this much nicer way of shaving and that is a real shame.

This morning, as on all mornings, my goal will be a smooth, comfortable shave. After that I can go on about my day and not worry about "cures" for razor burn. As with just about every other day's shave, I expect this one to be wholly satisfying, without any feeling that I did something wrong.

Put me down for a DFS, whatever that is.

[turtle]

I strive to get the closest, most comfortable shave every day. Some days this is closer than other days.

I never worry about it, I just shave.

[ladykate]

All I'm looking for in a good shave is a DFS. I admit sometimes the Planets align correctly and a BBS sneaks up on me but I don't chase it.

+1 There are a lot of shavers who don't get BBS every time. Not a problem. It is somewhat beard dependent - there are some who just couldn't do it or, if they did, would only have it for a short while - making the value for the bloodshed pretty poor. I get BBS in spots every time but I don't go for the gold ring very often if at all. I go for comfort and I usually get it.

[Uncle Brian]

..."you're a man...why do you want your face to feel like an infant's arse?"

Must be one of the best lines I have read here. I get a DFS and thats ok I can get BBS too but not all the time, I shave for me everyday and somedays SWMBO

[Samjax]

I'm usually good with WTG/XTG/ATG and maybe a bit of light touch up here and there. Anything more than that tends to cause irritation and it's just not worth it.

[Bejaar]

I agree. Shave for you, and because you enjoy it. BBS (at least BBS IMHO) is something I can achieve (on 99% of my face), but it took me almost a year, multiple razors, hundreds of blades, and hours of recovery to get there. BBS for me is not about getting a baby's bottom hanging from my neck, but the fact that I can go an extra day without shaving. Although I enjoy DE shaving, my weekly schedule just doesn't allow for an everyday occurrence. Also, I have some weird pattern growth on areas of my face which I just leave be. Trying to get BBS in those parts just isn't worth the blood and effort.

[JeffOlson]

If I want BBS or really close to it, I need to use my Braun electric. Quickest, closest shaves I've ever achieved. But where is the fun in that?

With my Feather AS-D1 DE razor, or my new-to-me old Gillette Tech, I go for fun, comfort, and a close-enough shave, in that order. I always get, in my view, a DFS. BBS might be nice, but I never try to get that wet shaving. Besides, I enjoy wet shaving so much, I want something to shave the next day.

I would rather have a close, comfortable shave that allows me to shave every day than an even closer shave that requires me to skip a day!

[retturn2blades]

+1

I have never chased after the supposed BBS dream, nor do I ever intend too.

For me, a Close Comfortable Shave is good enough.

I can give you 100% assurance, that the average person on the street doesn't care about your shave. The average person you interact with doesn't care about your shave. In fact they are only going to pay attention if you have done something that draws their attention to it (significant cuts, massive irritation).

Your employer isn't going to care about your shave, as long as all visible patches of stubble are gone: something that can be accomplished very likely with just a single WTG pass.

To me a BBS seems like a lot of extra work for a very minimal reward. I personally have better things to concern myself with, rather than having the absolute closest shave possible.

For the past 3 years, I have been a two pass, and done shaver, and it's plenty good enough.

+1 Same same for me.

[cluelessdude]

I don't even believe most people get BBS when they say they do. BBS means no stubble, it's nearly impossible.

[Oscroft]

A lot of people like to strive for BBS, partly because when you achieve it, it makes you feel good about your technique.

But there's a lot more to it than that, and it also depends enormously on your skin and beard.

For example, I'm fortunate to have smooth skin that really isn't too sensitive, and whiskers that aren't tough. That makes it relatively easy for me to achieve BBS - but I often don't do it, because I don't need all the fuss involved in getting every last feel of stubble off, and I'm happy if my face looks clean shaved and I can't feel any stubble WTG.

Now, a man with more sensitive skin than mine, with skin that's more manly craggy, or with tough whiskers, is likely to have a much harder time getting a BBS than me - in fact, if you have skin/hair like that and can get a DFS, your technique will probably be better than mine when I get a BBS.

So I'd say go for the best that is comfortable for your own skin and beard conditions, and enjoy that - and as long as you look well shaved, that's a success.

[Buster Casey]

I am concerned with getting a comfortable shave the most. I originally switched to straights to get more comfortable shaves than with carts. I was really pleased with my technique when I could use an alcohol A/S without any burning sensation. It is all about comfort for me!

[mmack66]

I don't waste my time going for a BBS shave. It's just going to grow back.

[lt114]

The law of diminishing returns is applicable here.
The closer you go the greater the risk of irritation. For me, two passes plus touch ups consistently gives me a DFS with very little or no irritation.
I shave everyday, or nearly everyday, and I don't think my skin could handle 4 passes with ATG passes without risking serious irritation.

[TallyShave]

I don't even believe most people get BBS when they say they do.

Well, now I am losing all faith in anonymous strangers on the internet! My favorite is when people say they have shaved with a DE for 30 years, always get a BBS and have never nicked themselves once...ever.