Need help with entire shaving maintenance

[Blade_Runner37C]

Ok been wet shaving for around 10 years or so, pretty haven't been doing it right since I had nobody around me that did wet shave.I know i'm probably not drying my brushes right, making lather, cleaning the razor, pretty much the whole process. So let me start and criticism is required and I have thick skin. Just need some help please. Here we go.......

1. Run hot water and wet the shave brush.

2. I keep my soap in a bowl all the time and ad the brush to the bowl and start swirling and spinning the brush to create a rich lather.

3. slop the brush on my face and "paint" the lathered soap until It gets nice and thick and covers my whole face.

4. (shaving is probably the only thing i do half right for the most part)

5. after fully shaved, run the razor usually loosen the handle / head up a half turn to get the hair out of the razor and fully disassemble razor and wipe the excess water off and then run a hair dryer over it to help dry up any water, about 30-45 seconds and re-assemble.

6. Wash the brush to get all the soap off of it and take a towel and squeeze of any excess water from bottom to tip. set brush bristles up since i don't have a stand until next shave. this makes my brush kinda stiff when it dries so i dont think im doing this right.

7. rinse off the lather from the bowl, soap is still in bowl so not all lather can be removed. set aside until next shave.

8. i dont have a brush stand, a razor stand or anything like that. when I first got into it, i gave a razor and soap and the stand to a friend to get him started. is a stand for the brush / razor a must? if so possibly list some cheap options.

Ok guys go ahead and tear my head off, I am ready.

 

[musicman1951]

Sounds pretty OK to me. Badger brush? Boar brushes like to be soaked for a time. I'm assuming your hot water isn't too hot - some brushes are unhappy with really hot water.

I've been simply rinsing my razors under the hot tap water for many, many years with no problems, but others like to remove the blade after each shave. The hair dryer seems a little over the top, but if it makes you happy it's fine.

A razor and brush stand are for looks - if you like the look they're great. Neither are necessary.

The only thing that sounds iffy is the stiff brush. I'm still wondering about the hair. Of course a dry brush will be considerably stiffer than a wet brush. My only concern is getting all the soap out of the brush, but if you've been using it for ten years it's hard to imagine there's a problem. I don't use a towel, but many do. I whip it in the tub area (73 year old arthritic finger, so not violently) about 5 times and dry it the same way you do, although I use a different brush each day.

A lot of variety in brush hairs, even within categories, so if everything is working well I would stop worrying and enjoy my shaves. And welcome to the forum, we're glad you're here.

 

[Blade_Runner37C]

The only thing that sounds iffy is the stiff brush. I'm still wondering about the hair. Of course a dry brush will be considerably stiffer than a wet brush. My only concern is getting all the soap out of the brush, but if you've been using it for ten years it's hard to imagine there's a problem.

I might not be getting all the soap out. i have several brushes, don't know what the hair is to be honest. was sold to me and some homemade soap a long time ago for like $20, nothing great i'm guessing. Just got an atomic rocket synthetic from pheonix but haven't tried it yet. it was a gift. Looking if I get some Christmas money at a Haryali Oxford silvertip badger brush, so I want to make sure i'm taking care of it correctly.

 

[lasta]

1. Sounds about right. The only brushes that needs soaking are boars. Contrary to popular belief, badger hair does not soak up water (inside the hairs), neither do synthetic.

2. Soap in the bowl is fine. Old school "mug soap" style.

3-4 all normal.

5. A bit excessive, just disassemble and wipe dry. Chrome/nickel plated razors don't even need drying. Although do remove the blades, even stainless blades rust.

6. Stiff brush is an eyebrow raiser. You should probably try rinsing it longer and shake dry as our musical friend suggested.

7. Optional, if you are only using one soap, there's no need to rinse at all.

8. Brushes dry fine either hair up or down. No need for stands unless you want your bathroom to look better.

 

[WThomas0814]

Others have addressed the brush fibers and need for soaking. I do soak badgers, but others don't. My brushes soak while I'm in the shower, then I shave. If you soak, be mindful of how deep the brush goes into the water... no more than 2/3 of the fiber height. You don't want to soak the glue bump.

Your maintenance/cleanup sounds solid. I strop my brushes on a towel after squeezing out the water. Stands aren't really necessary, if you've gotten most of the water out of the knot and wiped your razor dry.

I don't typically build a lather ON the soap. I load the brush, then either go to a bowl or to my face. Depending on which, I adjust how wet the brush is. I have two links in my signature block: "The Foolproof Lather Process" is a guide for bowl lathering and "The Marco Method" is a guide for face lathering. Both methods work very well for me. Are you using a puck? I ask because you lather exactly how my father taught me back in the Jurassic Period using a Williams puck.

What you DIDN'T tell us is how your shaves are. Are they as close as you'd like? Do you experience any discomfort/irritation? I assume all is fine, since you've stuck with it for a decade?

FWIW, I first wet shaved in 1976 and thought I knew everything I needed to know. Literally every aspect of my shaves has changed for the better since I first stumbled onto B&B.

 

[NorthernSoul]

Sounds mostly OK to me. You don't really need a stand, just rinse the brush well, squeeze out excess water, then rest on the base of the handle where the air can circulate.

If you have a boar brush, soaking the bristles for 5-10 minutes will soften them and make better lather. Badger or synthetic you can just rinse under the faucet to warm up the bristles and get them damp.

You don't really need to build the lather in your soap bowl. Just load the soap onto the brush, then lather directly on the face. Make sure you add water two or three times to get the lather to the right consistency. It should be very slick and not quite to the runny stage. This makes a lot of difference in getting good shave results. You don't need to whip a lot of air into your lather. The brush should hold enough lather for two or three passes. You only need a fairly thin layer of lather to shave with.

Rinsing out the razor is good, but you should probably not wipe the blade since the blade coating is somewhat fragile. You can use a soft synthetic brush to get the soap off while rinsing. Using a hair dryer is probably not necessary, just put the razor loosely together, then put on a shelf on its side where the air can circulate.

 

[BigJ]

Great advice above!! (And you have things mostly right IMO.)

 

[Blade_Runner37C]

wow thank you all. this really surprises me that for the most part am doing it right. as far as my shaves go, an occasional nick with a new blade but pretty good shaves, have never achieved every single hair shaved to the skin to where it's "baby butt" smooth. it's usually under the jawline when you run your hands cross the hair, but just here and there, no matter how many times i go over it, which usually will cause a nick.

 

[Old Hippie]

wow thank you all. this really surprises me that for the most part am doing it right.

I had a look and see nothing unusual. While there are some wrong ways to do things, you're not doing those things.

Sounds like a boar brush. I have a little plastic cup, just big enough for my Omega 10005 or a Semogue Owner's Club boar, and I put some warm water in there once the sink is filled. I pour a little dribble onto the soap to start that process, and then put the brush in the little cup, simply pouring out a bit of water if it looks like it's too deep once the brush is in. On the other end of the process I rinse the brush well in warm water, give it a quick squeeze and set it bristles up to dry. I've been using that brush almost every time for about five or six years now. I have a synth that I take on travels, but that's typically about three shaves out of a year of using the boar.

Disassembling the razor is a good move because I do that, too. (Heh...) That allows me to rinse everything well and put it to dry until next day.

...have never achieved every single hair shaved to the skin to where it's "baby butt" smooth.

Some of us just can't, or we can but it leads to enough problems that we may even have to skip the next shave date while things heal up. Personally, if a BBS would last for a week or so it would be worth chasing, but I'm happy with a DFS (and sometimes even with a Socially Acceptable Shave) because guess what? I'm still gonna need to go shave again in a couple of days. Works for me; I get to play with razors as much as, and occasionally more than as much as I want.

O.H.

 

[NorthernSoul]

wow thank you all. this really surprises me that for the most part am doing it right. as far as my shaves go, an occasional nick with a new blade but pretty good shaves, have never achieved every single hair shaved to the skin to where it's "baby butt" smooth. it's usually under the jawline when you run your hands cross the hair, but just here and there, no matter how many times i go over it, which usually will cause a nick.

BBS is not really necessary, but a lot of people think it's the holy grail. Just remember, you will have to shave again at some point, so it's a matter of a few hours difference at most.

A more aggressive razor may help you with the toughest whiskers around the jawline and chin area. The best thing I have for that is probably a single edge razor, the GEM Micromatic Open Comb. It just bulldozes everything into submission.

 

[Ravenonrock]

No criticism here! I think we all find our way eventually, what works, preferences etc.

 

[Quaznoid]

You don’t need anyone’s approval. That being said I’d delete steps 5 and 6 as unnecessary.

 

[helicopter]

Ypur process sounds fine, and there is lots of good advice here. I only have one thing to add. When rinsing the brush, along with some swirls, let the water run directly into the knot for a bit. If the handle will balance here, I just let the water run for 20 seconds or so while I clean up my mess.

 

[luvmysuper]

Ok been wet shaving for around 10 years or so, pretty haven't been doing it right since I had nobody around me that did wet shave.I know i'm probably not drying my brushes right, making lather, cleaning the razor, pretty much the whole process. So let me start and criticism is required and I have thick skin. Just need some help please. Here we go.......

1. Run hot water and wet the shave brush.

Pretty much, though wetting/warming the brush depends on the type of brush. Boar needs longer than badger which needs more than horse which needs more than synthetic. With synthetic, it's not going to absorb water, so anything other than a dip is just warming the bristles.
Regardless, I usually fill up the sink. I put the brush in when I first start filling, and let it sit while I wet my face thoroughly. That's enough time for any of my brushes.

2. I keep my soap in a bowl all the time and ad the brush to the bowl and start swirling and spinning the brush to create a rich lather.

I face lather like you, so same deal. Take the brush out of the sink, give it a quick "drop" shake to remove excess water, then load the brush with soap. Some soaps need a longer load than others, even between hard and soft soaps. I use mostly hard soaps and load the brush from between 5 to 20 seconds depending on the soap and what I know it needs for proper loading.

3. slop the brush on my face and "paint" the lathered soap until It gets nice and thick and covers my whole face.

I do a scrubbing type motion first to get soap all over the face and defoliate a little. Once that's done, I'll smooth everything out with painting strokes to make sure I'm fully covered.

4. (shaving is probably the only thing i do half right for the most part)

Ok then.

5. after fully shaved, run the razor usually loosen the handle / head up a half turn to get the hair out of the razor and fully disassemble razor and wipe the excess water off and then run a hair dryer over it to help dry up any water, about 30-45 seconds and re-assemble.

I will loosen a TTO razor and swish it in the sink to rinse it after each side has been used for a stroke. I don't loosen a 2 or 3 piece during the shave, just swish it in the sink. When I'm done, I will do the same, but with clean running water, and shake off the excess.
I don't disassemble, I don't wipe it down, and I don't dry it, by either towel or any other means. It's a sturdy object and doesn't need to be treated like a delicate instrument. Periodically, I will clean a razor that has accumulated any trace of scale or soap residue, but not between shaves with the same razor.

6. Wash the brush to get all the soap off of it and take a towel and squeeze of any excess water from bottom to tip. set brush bristles up since i don't have a stand until next shave. this makes my brush kinda stiff when it dries so i dont think im doing this right.

I run clean water and THOROUGHLY rinse the brush, gently squeezing it in the water flow to make sure the soap has been rinsed out, and replaced by clean water. After a thorough rinsing, I'll shake lightly to remove excess water, then wrist snap the brush over the tub to shake out all the water I can. On rare occasion I will rub the brush on a towel, but that's usually for a newer boar brush to help break it in. I don't do it with badger, horse, mistura, or synthetic brushes.

7. rinse off the lather from the bowl, soap is still in bowl so not all lather can be removed. set aside until next shave.

I will rinse off the outside of the bowl if lather has spilled over the sides, but I never rinse the inside. There's no need, and though it is miniscule, you're just washing away your soap little by little.

8. i dont have a brush stand, a razor stand or anything like that. when I first got into it, i gave a razor and soap and the stand to a friend to get him started. is a stand for the brush / razor a must? if so possibly list some cheap options.

A brush stand or a razor stand is only necessary if:
You are a stickler and obsessed with neatness in storage
or
You sell brush stands or razor stands

While I have some razor and brush stands, they were part of antique razor/brush sets I bought. I do not have stands for my regular use razors or brushes. There's no real need for them. Your brush will dry just fine standing on the flat part of the handle. If you've got a brush with a handle that doesn't have a flat bottom, just setting it on its side is fine.
Evaporation of water from the brush occurs 360 degrees, so there is no gain in having the brush bristles up, down or sideways.
Capillary action and evaporation are a stronger force than gravity for the minute amount of water in a brush after shaving.

 

[gpjoe]

Ok been wet shaving for around 10 years or so, pretty haven't been doing it right since I had nobody around me that did wet shave.I know i'm probably not drying my brushes right, making lather, cleaning the razor, pretty much the whole process. So let me start and criticism is required and I have thick skin. Just need some help please. Here we go.......

1. Run hot water and wet the shave brush.

2. I keep my soap in a bowl all the time and ad the brush to the bowl and start swirling and spinning the brush to create a rich lather.

3. slop the brush on my face and "paint" the lathered soap until It gets nice and thick and covers my whole face.

4. (shaving is probably the only thing i do half right for the most part)

5. after fully shaved, run the razor usually loosen the handle / head up a half turn to get the hair out of the razor and fully disassemble razor and wipe the excess water off and then run a hair dryer over it to help dry up any water, about 30-45 seconds and re-assemble.

6. Wash the brush to get all the soap off of it and take a towel and squeeze of any excess water from bottom to tip. set brush bristles up since i don't have a stand until next shave. this makes my brush kinda stiff when it dries so i dont think im doing this right.

7. rinse off the lather from the bowl, soap is still in bowl so not all lather can be removed. set aside until next shave.

8. i dont have a brush stand, a razor stand or anything like that. when I first got into it, i gave a razor and soap and the stand to a friend to get him started. is a stand for the brush / razor a must? if so possibly list some cheap options.

Ok guys go ahead and tear my head off, I am ready.

Hmm...sounds exactly the same as my shaving routine, minus the blow dryer. Nothing to see here.

If you are still having trouble with your shaves, a bit of specific information would help us to offer some suggestions.

Welcome to the show.

 

[Eben Stone]

I'm not sure exactly what kind of advice you're looking for. Does your razor look dirty or your brush look or smell funky? If no, then it seems like you're doing everything okay.

Maybe you're curious about what extra steps you can add...

Apparently I'm OCD compared to most other members here, because after every shave:

5. I disassemble my razor and clean it with toothpaste and a toothbrush, dry it with a towel.

6. Rinse the brush with hot water then dry it by beating it against a towel a few times. Its amazing how much water I can get out of it. Then I comb it a few times. I got into this habit when I had a horse brush to prevent tangles. I don't have a horse brush anymore, all mine are synthetic, combing them seems to prevent the infamous "donut" effect that seems to happen with all three of my RazoRock brushes.

7, Rinse the lather bowl and dry it with a towel. If there are any chunks of soap left, down the drain they go. Most lather bowls don't need to be cleaned, however, I have one "Shave Bowl" (that's literally the brand) I think its made of Delrin and it starts to stink like rotten milk if I leave any soap residue in it. I ran it through the dishwasher 3 times and it still has a funk to it.

8. I wipe the blade off using my thumbs after every shave (just to be clear, I'm not recommending anyone else try this).