This is my shave ritual

Discussion in 'Shave School' started by jsw41, Feb 20, 2017.

  1. jsw41

    jsw41 Member

    I don't know if anyone besides me is interested in my shave technique, that I've developed over the past few years. I guess views of this thread will answer my question.
    First of all let me say, I can't stand stubble, I need as close a shave as I can get each morning. I now use a Pearl safety bar travel razor(4-piece), this razor is more aggressive than my Merkur 23c, perfect blade alignment, and the chrome plating and fit and finish are great for a razor at $25 cdn. I use a Vulfix pure badger brush and I have experimented with Proraso, Tabac, and Palmolive shave soaps and creams. Right now, I use Denim shave cream in a tube, and Lea after shave balm.
    This morning I had a shower, and while in the shower, I let the brush soak in hot water in the sink.
    I left my face wet after the shower, and brushed my face and neck with the warm brush.
    A finger tip of Lea after shave was rubbed over face and neck.
    An almond-size daub of Denim shaving cream was suck to my cheek, and I used the brush to face lather for about 3 minutes.
    I used the Pearl razor with a super platinum Laser DE blade(which already had 2 shaves), and proceeded to ride the cap with a WTG buff strokes on my left cheek. Enough cream to do a XTG(ear to nose) on left cheek and then wiped off lather from lower plate to smear the left cheek and do a quick ATG pass.
    Rinse razor and repeat above for the right cheek. Then I divide my neck area into 3rds, start the above process to central neck(width of my mouth) WTG, XTG and ATG. Repeat for the other neck areas.
    The shave cream has thinned out on upper/lower lip and jaw, so I do only WTG and XTG for those areas.
    I rinse my face checking for missed stubble and re-lather and do some touch-up passes.
    Cold water face rinse, and apply Lea after shave over face and neck, 13 mins and done!
     
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  2. Jayaruh

    Jayaruh The Cackalacky House Pet

    Supporting Vendor
    If you take away the hot shower, hot water, and soaking the brush, that is close to my ritual.
    I wash my face with cold water and Dove Men Face Wash, then I just wet my brush with cold water and load it with soap/cream before face lathering. I do two passes.
    I finish off with alum block, witch hazel, and after I brush my teeth, I apply after shave.
     
  3. Drawer

    Drawer Well-Known Member

    I am interested. Your routine is pretty different than mine. I will try your way.
     
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  4. jsw41

    jsw41 Member

    How different do you shave? I'm interested, never know others may have technique or stategy that I can learn from.
     
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  5. jsw41

    jsw41 Member

    I always thought that cold water closes your pores, and warm water opens them. Open pores might get you a closer shave, or no?
     
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  6. cmorris357

    cmorris357 catching flies.........

  7. jsw41

    jsw41 Member

  8. Drawer

    Drawer Well-Known Member

    After a shower, I put my brush in warm water. Put hot water in a shave mug, then hold a warm wet cloth to my face for a minute or so. Then I empty the shave mug and put in a little cream. I shake off the brush and whip up a lather in the mug. Apply the lather to my face and do a pass XTG. Rinse off. Lather half my face and do a pass ATG. then do the other half. Moustache area and under the chin then get touch ups. This is where if I am going to get weepers, they appear. I found that due to a scar under my chin, if I do WTG i cut myself every time. So I began just doing XTG. Later I found that I don't need WTG anywhere. ATG can easily cut under my chin as well, so extra care is needed. WTG, all the care I can muster won't prevent a cut under my chin.
     
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  9. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    Heat (warmer than body temp) causes inflammation in the upper surface of the skin cells and can increase irritation. The open and closed pores thing is totally a myth, there is no physical mechanism for that in human skin. Use whatever water temp you feel comfortable with, though cold may prevent irritation by increasing blood flow to the skin surface as the body attempts to bring the skin back up to temp. Lather quality, skin stretching, shave technique and blade determine how close the shave will turn out to be.
     
  10. jsw41

    jsw41 Member

    Thanks for this, I didn't know. I've read many blogs, watched many videos and that is where some of my ideas have been nurtured. I'm 75 and I never stop learning. Your description of 'riding the cap' has inspired me to shave like that; before, I may have inadvertently done that at times, but I'm conciously trying to shave that way, because I'm getting closer shaves now.
     
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  11. jimjo1031

    jimjo1031 never bloomed myself

    Yep, always cold water for me. And I also scaled back to two passes, combining the XTG and ATG for my second pass as I only needed the XTG pass on only two areas on my face. I just do them first then continue the rest of the pass ATG to finish it off. A touch up if and when needed. And it will still be a BBS shave, if I'm not rushed in any way.
     
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  12. Keithmax

    Keithmax Breeds Pet Rocks

    Sharing your routine allows others to learn new ideas and a great chance for feedback. I tried lots of different things, some worked and some did not.

    Like you I hate stubble.

    Welcome to TSD
     
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  13. jsw41

    jsw41 Member

    Thanks for the welcome, I notice that when I get a close shave today, that tomorrow's shave will be easier.
     
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  14. Col C

    Col C Well-Known Member

    In my past life I had to suffer to many times shaving with cold water or in some cases no water at all. Now my routine is to soak my face for a couple minutes with hot wet towels. Soak the brush in hot water. Fill the sink with hot water. Put my ceramic lather bowl in the hot water to bring it up to temperature. Soak/bloom the soap with hot water. Dip the razor in the hot water. Then shave (usually three passes) and a final rinse with hot water. Now if I can just figure out a way to heat the after shave. As for equipment - I change daily. I like using different soaps, blades, razors, brushes, and after shaves to fit the mood I'm in.
     
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  15. Douglas Carey

    Douglas Carey Wildman

    :signs046: to TSD.
     
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  16. RetLEO-07

    RetLEO-07 likes his penguin deep fried, with pink sparkles

    Here's my routine, Monday-Friday: Soak brush(Omega 10098) in warm water while I brush my teeth. Remove brush empty water from bowl leaving a little. Squeeze water from brush. Place cream in bowl and create lather. Set lather bowl on top of large mouth coffee mug containing hot water. Apply copious amounts of hot water to face. Lather up and shave(usually 2, 2.5 passes). Hot/cold water rinse, alum block, cold towelx2. Dominello Vitali Calming Post Shave Moisturizer followed by the after shave of the day. Elapsed time approx. 20 minutes. Saturday is a no shave day. Sunday is a me-time shave. It is also new blade/new razor changeover(3 razor rotation). Only change from the M-F routine is VDH Shave Butter w/hot towel prep and a very leasurely traditional 3 pass shave.
     
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