Well not exactly 86 but certainly not 4 as most experts argue: 1. Lay out your shaving gear in advance of a shower. This includes installing new blades if necessary. You want to shave immediately after showering to take full advantage of facial hair moisture absorption. 1a. Fill your shave mug or both reservoirs of your shave scuttle with hot water, put your shave brush in it and let it stand while you take a shower. Ceramics work best if they are pre-heated. This is not necessary if you use a metal scuttle or mug. Do not use scalding hot water as this may loosen the glue puck on your brush over a prolonged period of time (very rare). 1b. If you are using a hard soap (triple milled) you can make loading the soap easier by soaking the puck along with your shave brush. Another option is to condition the top layer of your soap by covering it with very warm water. 2. Use a good quality facial cleanser in the shower and avoid using bar soap on your face the day of your shave. Bar soaps tend to dry out skin and you want just the opposite effect. Please do not use an exfoliating scrub on the day of your shave. The tiny grains (usually of pumice) punish the skin as their abrasion tends to remove layers of skin cells. You do not want to begin your shave with agitated skin. 3. Apply a thin layer of shave oil, while still standing in the shower, and before you towel off. The purpose of the pre-shave is to make the skin supple and pliant, not to add a layer of glide to your face. You want to give the pre-shave oil time to sink in so doing it before you leave the shower adds a few precious moments to accomplish this task. 4. Do not dry your face after the shower. You do not want to rub your face with a towel as it can remove any pre-shave oil and it dries out your facial hair. 5. Remove your brush and shake out ALL excess water regardless of whether or not you are using a soap or a cream. It is always easier to load hard soap with a drier brush. You can always add more water to the lathering process but a very wet brush has a tough time picking up the soap. This is not the case with a cream but creams most likely require less water to lather. 6. Load your soap for a minimum of 60 seconds. It may sound like overkill but there are a few variables going on including the density and quality of your brush. Some brushes take forever to properly load since they are dense and large. Obviously smaller brushes take less loading but it is always better to have too thick a lather and add water rather than to add soap to water. Do not dip a brush in soft cream. Use a spoon or even your finger to scoop out an almond sized portion of the cream and place in the middle of your shave brush. 7. If bowl or scuttle lathering use both circular (round and round) motions and pumping (up and down) motions to generate lather. The pumping motion helps to add air to the lather and hence volume. Both motions should not be forceful but gently firm. You want to avoid crushing your brush hairs. For face lathering, use circular motions until you have sufficient lather created. Lather your face for a good 30-45 second as the brush motion helps your facial hair absorb moisture and stand up. While lathering your face, fill your bathroom sink with hot water until it reaches your sink overflow. 7a. When you have sufficiently lathered your face, you should then paint your face with the sides of the brush. This helps to evenly distribute the lather and produces the look you see on those professional shave videos. 7b. When finished lathering, rest your brush inside your mug, bowl, or scuttle in the middle of your lather. Your brush helps to keep the lather from losing moisture. 8. When shaving be sure any fans or running water are turned off. You want to hear the razor as it cuts the beard. This is referred to as singing and is an important step in understanding the correct shave angle. 9. Wipe away a small amount of your shave cream from your facial starting points so that you can clearly see beard lines, sideburn lines, and moustache lines. 10. Start shaving in small strokes with NO pressure (especially if using DE's or straights) with the grain using your empty hand to feel the just shave area to assess how close the shave is. Rinse your razor frequently to remove lather (by dipping it into your sink). There are a few videos out there that talk about stroke techniques. Feel free to experiment. The key is to avoid applying pressure and keeping the angle of the razor correct. 10a. Every face is different and everyone has their own unique trouble spots. This is dependent upon your beard density, you skin type, your facial makeup and your age (young skin is tauter and easier to shave). You will soon learn where on your face you need to alter your stroke and angle to achieve a smooth shave. The good news is that once you have figured it out, your technique will stay consistent. 11. If you make multiple passes with your razor be sure to completely paint (using the sides of the brush) your face again. No circular lathering is necessary but it wont hurt. 12. Immediately after you are finished shaving, rinse your face with cool (cold if you can stand it) water using a patting motion and not a rubbing motion. 13. Before you dry your face, liberally apply a mild astringent (non-alcoholic witch hazel works well) using a patting motion and avoid rubbing your face. If you are using an alum block be sure to wet the block thoroughly before apply to your face. Rub the alum block on your face very gently. 14. Observe any nicks, cuts, or weepers. You may use a styptic pencil or lotion (My Nik is Sealed is a good one) or alum block to stem any bleeding. Apply and hold the styptic or alum to the bleeder until you are sure the bleeding has stopped. 15. Let your face rest for a few minutes. If your face is still wet gently dab your face with a towel. Again, do not wipe. 16. After 5 minutes or so, apply an after shave that contains emollients and moisturizers to help protect the skin while it heals and returns to a normal ph level. I usually brush my teeth after shaving and then apply the after-shave. Again, do not rub the after-shave into your face. Rub the after shave in your hands and then dab your hands on your face. 17. If you are a cologne user, do not apply the cologne to your recently shaved face. Colognes have lots of alcohol and are way too drying for recently shaved skin. Find non-shaved places to apply your smelly stuff. 18. Thoroughly rinse your shave brush, shake dry, and then use your finger tips to evenly distribute the hair. Dry in an upside down holder if available. Rinse your razor thoroughly and dry. I take my razor blade out after every shave, rinse the blade and hand strop it (rub the edges across the fat part of your palms a few times), and then let the blade dry outside of the razor. 19. Look in the mirror and say to yourself, "You handsome devil."
Very nice list! Although number five will not work with VDH and some other hard soaps. They need a lot wetter brush.
I can't argue with that list. I do apply my witch hazel and after shave with a spray bottle though. It makes it last longer too.
Nice! Even though I've been wet shaving for over 2 years nows, I'm always trying to improve the experience. You post certainly gave me a few ideas, specifically the use of PSO. I haven't really used any in the past and I think it could significantly help the bumps I get on the neck! Cheers!
Or Italian Soft Soaps, they have a tendency to love a dripping brush while you load. Still overall it has some good advice
If you prep your soap properly as described you will not need a wet brush. By wet I mean dripping wet. A good brush retains a lot of water and even a less than dripping we brush has enough capillary action to draw lather in. My hardest soaps go in the scuttle water bath while I am taking a shower and soften enough to load well. Thanks for your input.
My VDH needs a very wet brush, close to dripping. I've always soaked my soaps, but with VDH that's not enough. Either that, or the puck I have didn't survive the trip from US to DK, but when loaded wet/wet it gives me a very good lather. It's the only soap I have where a soaking wet brush is needed. The next in line is D.R.Harris that needs a bit dryer brush. The rest I squeeze and shake once, then I load.
You don't have to agree with everything listed, you don't have to try everything listed. I think the point is it presents some sound points to a good shave. For instance and something that I just learned the hard way a week or so ago: Don't exfoliate your face right before you shave. Wish I had read that a week ago. LOL! On the flip side, I don't use PSO, but that doesn't mean it won't help you.
This is my daily routine except I also load my brush before I get out of the shower. That way I can keep my face in the water and when I get out I get right to shaving while my hair is fully hydrated.
Regarding the advice not to wash with bar soap, it depends on the soap. An all-natural bar with shea butter and/or goat milk will not dry out your skin.
I have used a face wash when washing my face instead of a bar soap for a few years. Every bar soap or body wash I've used has dried out my face really bad. I guess I'm soap shy when it comes to washing my face. Great list btw.
I use a spray bottle for the astringent I use as it is easy to apply. I use balms for after shave so a spray bottle probably won't work. Good point though. The purpose of the list is not to argue for a definitive methodology but to provide enough tips and tricks (and hence some do's and don'ts) for those who are still learning both the art and science of shaving. If someone reading the list benefits from one tiny piece of info, it will have served its purpose. You know, one of the variables is the hardness and composition of your local water supply. I may have a slight advantage as my homes have significant water softening systems installed. I should have been more specific with regards to "bar." Most commercially available soaps don't have sufficient moisturizers, but I certainly agree that there are lots of artisan soaps that are much better for face washing. I always suggest that folks look specifically for a facial cleanser since they seem gentler on the skin. I keep a tube of Neutrogena Naturals Facial Cleaner in the shower for days on which I shave.
Not a bad list at all. I have pared mine down considerably from something that began very much like this but I think yours is solid advice for people that aren't quite ready for getting rid of steps. I soak my brush and soap. Shower, load my well shaken brush for about 5 seconds, lather my face for about 20 seconds (or until right, sometimes it doesn't take 20 seconds, sometimes it takes longer), make N-S pass, re-lather my face without reloading the brush and go S-N with any of my face particular extras (like a weird diagonal run of whiskers on my neck, only on the right hand side), rinse it all off (brush, razor, face, sink), put on Lucky Tiger vanishing cream, slap on my AS du jour after the vanishing cream vanishes (usually within a minute; I am getting dressed while this is happening usually), and then go save the world. If the world doesn't require rescue (a.k.a. weekends), I'm either not shaving or I'll bust out a straight and follow 90% of the sequence above. So for the less initiated, please know that this "new" way of shaving can be cumbersome until you get the hang of it but once you get the basics nailed down you can remove a lot of stuff. Even my ritual has some fluff. In any case, it beats the plastic carts and canned goo days
