Shaving Sludge.

Good morning, Gentlemen. Trust you slept well!

This may be a foolish question because I tend to overthink things but I suppose this is the place to bring this concern.

I am a DE shaver using creams (working my way through several samples of TOBS, Trumpers, and DR Harris, etc.). I find that more often than not, I get a fair buildup of cream sludge on the bottom side of my blade over the course of the shave. It's pretty difficult to remove with just swishing in the sink, I'll actually have to detach the head and wipe it off under running water.

Is this normal or is there something wrong with my routine? Is there not enough moisture in my lather? Come to think of it, the last areas I shave during a pass (usually under my nose, and under my bottom lip) tend to dry out and flake away, giving a cute little snowflake shower every time I exhale.

I would appreciate your thoughts and comments. Thanks very much.

Today's Shave:
Merkur 34C HD, Trumpers GFT Cream, BIC Chrome Platinum, Thayers Witch Hazel Skin Toner; Ogallala Bay Rum and Sandalwood A/S, A wink and a smirk in the mirror as I head out to take on the world.

That usually indicates your lather's too dry. When it's properly hydrated, it should rinse easily. So add more water but if your lather gets thin you may have gone too far. If your lather's getting to the snowflake stage it's far too dry. If mine gets that way, I just rinse my face and relather to finish the pass. I live in a desert with almost no humidity so if I'm not fairly quick with the pass, that happens sometimes.

^Yup. That is my experience as well. Each soap or cream needs to be hydrated differently, so I always have to experiment a bit with each new product when I first start using them. I don't have much experience with cream, but with soap, I always brush on a thin layer with just the water I started with, then I dip my brush in water and go over the whole thing again. Sometimes I have to repeat this several times until it's perfect, each time working the brush in a swirling motion, occasionally puffing it up and down, fanning the brush out, aerating the lather.

I hope that helps!

I'll echo what hydro-magic said. If you are noticing dryness by the end of your shave, add a little more water when you're building your lather. Do you face lather? If not, give that a try. Just load a little up on your brush, rub it into your face. Then dip the tips in water, and work that into what's already on your face. Do this a few more times until you feel your lather has plenty of moisture (but not bubbles... work the bubbles out). The creams you are using are all top notch, so really give 'em a work out.

To the point about sludge beneath the blade, I notice this with some razors more than others. Even a sufficiently hydrated lather can build up like that. As long as it's not inhibiting the cutting of your beard, it's not really anything to worry about. Of course, I'm preaching to the choir... it irritates me to no end when I use my injectors, even though it doesn't appreciably impact shaving.

Thanks all for the thoughts. Looks like the consensus is that I need to add more water to my cream, which should go a long way to solving both my issues. Sometimes the sludge is thick enought that I have to clean my razor in between passes. To jzuzphreek, I should clarify that I lather with a bowl and brush then apply to my face. I had hydrated the lather a bit to begin with but I suppose it could use a bit more.

Looks like that's the prescription! Thank you all very much!

I was having this problem with my creams as well. More water and more product was needed in my case. I couldn't add more water without thinning my lather. I realized I needed more product to start with, and then add more water very slowly. For me, it's easier to do a face lather now. When I bowl lathered, the variable of how much water was already on my skin when I applied tended to throw things off. My nicely mixed bowl of perfect lather often became too watery or too dry depending on how much water was already on my face. I now face lather, and I do a fingertip test to decide when to stop adding more water.

gwsmallwood

All good thoughts. My shaving routine is consistent though and starts with a hot shower, but I towel off completely before lathering, so the water/moisture on my face is consistent. These snowflakes I'm experiencing invariably show up late in the first pass, so I think the culprit is a drier lather. I add a few drips from the tap when I sense it needs it, but I suppose I need to do that a few more times. I don't have too much of a problem later in the shave probably because the lather itself is helping to retain moisture in the skin. Thanks very much for your thoughts!

Had the same thing happen to me when i first started but now it's all pretty much good with more water and soap especially the water.