What I've learned in 6 months of traditional shaving

I realized this morning that I have been shaving in a more traditional way for 6 months now.  It has been an enjoyable journey.  I wanted to take a few minutes and write down some of the things I have learned.

I really don't need too much stuff to shave every day.

Shaving cream and a brush feel really good on my face.

Using a shaving scuttle to have warm lather does not automatically  make one some sort of metrosexual.  Pampering is good, isn't it?

Simple soap, brush, blades and an old fashioned razor will get the job done.

What have you learned?

Cutting down to the essentials

Wet shaving can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be.  I am in a phase in my life where simple is more desirable.  So I have cut down on my hardware - razors specifically - and decided to just shave with one razor for a while and see how I like it.

I decided I would use only the pictured razor.  It is a 1930's model New style Gillette razor.  It has an open comb instead of a solid safety bar but I have yet to cut myself with it.  I've been using it, or another one just like it, pretty much since the end of May and it always delivers a great shave.

I sent it off to Sport Shaving to replate it from tarnished, worn and chipped to its current shine.  Here is what it looked like before.  Not bad, but it could look better.

I'm sure its not true, but it seems to shave a bit smoother with it being all shiny.

Back to being simple.  All that is really needed is a razor, some blades, a brush and some soap.  Not 25 razors, 3,000 blades, 45 different hard soaps, 3 dozen creams, 4 pre-shave face washes and 7 pre-shave oils, alum blocks, witch hazel splash, aftershave balms, aftershave splashes and moisturizers. 

I wash my face with soap, make lather on my face using 1 shaving soap and my brush, shave, rinse, lather and repeat, then rinse off the soap and splash on some aftershave to tighten the skin and make me smell damn good.  No pampering, no metrosexual obsession with a "system" and what not.  I'm a man and if I must shave, I will do it right and not worry about anything else.

7 a.m. Plus blade shave #2

The second shave with the 7 a.m. Plus blade was an uneventful shave.

Wow, blogging about shaving is pretty boring.  I mean, I shave every day, pretty much the same way, with the same tools and its pretty much the same....

But, man, does my skin look good!  And I smell good too!

Blade Sampler beginning

I ordered a sampler of blades from Joanna at The Shave Den and decided that I would start working my way through it.  It appears to have 3 each of 6 different blades.

I will be using each set of 3 blades in my Weber razor, my Gillette New open comb razor and in one of my Gillette Tech razors for shaving my head.

I think three different razors will give a pretty fair representation of how I might use the blades.  

Today's face shave was just fine, no surprises, no blood! and best of all, the blade was a non-issue.  It seemed to be sharp and smooth.

Making Lather

One of the key things to my enjoyment of wet-shaving and improving the quality of my shaving has been learning to make lather.  It has been a steep learning curve.  I have struggled with making lather with soap in a bowl or in a scuttle, but I am learning to add plenty of soap to my brush and slowly add a bit of water until I get a creamy lather.

I am mainly a face latherer.  This is where you actually build all of the lather directly on your face.  This really does a nice job of prepping the whiskers and it feels really good.  One of the keys is to make sure I have plenty of product on my brush.

Stainless Steel and Made In The USA

My latest and perhaps last razor is a Weber Polished Head DE.  I purchased it in late April from Weber Razor and I could not be more pleased after using it every day since I received it.  Weber Razor is a family owned and run business in Missouri and I think they do a fantastic job.  The razor did set me back $70, but I'm not sure if I need or even want to ever buy another razor again.

This razor has a nice weight and balance to it.  The blade guard is smooth and it seems to do well with about any blade I put in it.  I am getting consistently good shaves using it and I have not cut my face yet.  I did use it for shaving my head once, but it is a little heavy for my tastes for that.

The stainless steel seems to be flawless to my aging eyes.  The blade seems well centered and straight.  It is a 3 piece razor, so it is not complicated.

I like using an American made razor.  Weber continues the tradition of the old Gillette razors from back in the day.

Next up Soap - Tiki Set Sail Vegan soap

I have settled on my soap and brush for the next round of using up soap.  I received this Tiki Set Sail vegan soap (no tallow) from a new friend over on Badger and Blade and want to give it a full test.  Look for a review post in the near future.

I have an inexpensive boar bristle brush I purchased from Stirling Soap last month and have enjoyed breaking it in.  The interesting thing about boar bristle is that the tips will start to split and the brush will get softer with use.  This brush is almost there and I expect that a month of daily use will get it right where I want it.