Okay, so the techniques and routines of actually shaving have been pounded into my skull over the course of the last month or so, and my last few shaves have been pretty good (read: 1000x better than they ever were with carts), but I'm curious, what you all do with your gear after it's all said and done? I'm used to just rinsing the razor out and setting it on the sink, but that was my old Fusion that I had little love for. I've done that a few times with my Progress, but I feel a little ..dirty.. doing that now, for some reason.
OK, at the minimum, rinse the razor and let it dry. Now there are various schools of thought on what else to do. Some of us take the razor blade out and dry separate from the razor. Some of us take the razor blade out and strop the blade. Some of us also let the razor sit in rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol or barbicide for a short while before moving it elsewhere to dry. Personally, I let my razors sit in barbicide while I brush teeth and clean everything else up. Then I hang it to dry. I do this because it helps keep the razor looking nice and without getting soap scum or hard water deposits on the razor over time. Some people will claim that it helps the blade last longer. I am not going to claim that. But it does keep the razor more sterile (not a big deal if only you are using it) and it does keep the razor looking better (barbicide has anti-rust and other agents in it). Occasionaly, I will do the stropping thing, but not always. The brush, I flick water out of, then squeeze it with a towel and let hang to dry. The soap dish I rinse and leave uncovered to dry.
Razor - rinse, take out blade, dry razor with towel, hang on or in my rack. Brush - rinse, shake out as much excess as I can, give it a few swipes on my towel, then set it on top of the medicine cabinet along side its brothers. I do have on brush that hangs on a rack. Not to get started in the "hang vs stand" debate of how to store your brush, but I've yet to find either way to be better than the other. Blade - take out of razor, hand strop, put it in a different razor for the next day Soap dish - dry off outside, place uncovered in cabinet under sink. At the end of the day I will take it out, cover it, put it back into the linen closet, and take the next soap up in the rotation and put it in the cabinet under the sink. Lather bowl - rinse, dry, set in corner of bathroom counter. Click here for a visual! I finished putting in all the hooks, by the way. It's a full board! :love055
The blade was the part that I wondered about most, since there's so much more under the hood, so to speak. Seems like at least drying it off a bit more than I usually do is the logical choice. Also: man that's an impressive display, Swarden!
I use the same razor until the blade is spent, so I don't remove the blade after each shave. But I use a different brush each day.. Razor: Rinse in cold water, set to drip on the sink-side towel. Blow water out on to the bathroom floor, to my wife's disgust.. Put the razor on a small glass tray in my shave cabinet. The door stays open and there is desiccant in there so things don't get funky. I've toyed with the idea of a post shave alcohol bath, but right now I have a really good rythm Blades: Nothing until it's time to change. Discards go in the blade bank. Bowl: Rinse and put on top of the cabinet Brush: Rinse with warm, then cold water. Squeeze gently. Buff it on a towel and hang it inverted in a stand on the window sill to dry. When I come home from work it gets a second buff and is set upright on the shelf (and it often a third and fourth buff during the course of the evening with sniffs and whiffs in-between buffs.) Before bed I run a coarse tooth comb through it to put any rogue hairs back in line. In the morning I store it in the rack in the cabinet and choose my next brush... repeat. Q-Tips and witch hazel pads: Throw them out :sick007 Creams and soaps: Everything gets dried immediately after use and put in a different cabinet. I try to follow some sort of rotation, but it's futile.
I just rinse my razor and shake the excess water off it. It goes in the stand. When I change the blade after 3 to 5 shaves normally, I will wipe down the razor to keep it looking good. The brush gets rinsed and then I shake it a few times to remove the water. It sits on the shelf until I use it again.
I should add.. When it is time to change blades, the razor gets a thorough cleaning with a toothbrush, is splashed with alcohol and is dried completely before it goes in the rack.
I have a small container of alcohol that I dip my razor in after a good rinse. I'm pretty scatter brained though, so I usually end up leaving the razor in the alcohol til I get home from work. hope its not gonna hurt em. I do eventually want to get a real barbicide jar just because they look great!
I rinse the razor and let it drip dry on the stand. My brush gets the water flicked out and it goes upside down on the stand. The blades are used until they are dull. Then I dispose of them.
I take the blade out, blot it dry a little, rinse the razor with hot then cold. I then give it an alcohol bath and bow dry it on low/cool. I then swaddle it in a terry towel and set it in the little bed I made for it on my nightstand. I typically sing it a lullaby and give it a pat, then tell it g'night. The brush...I throw the thing at the wall, pick it up, choke the remaining water out of it. Then I get a pair of scissors and do a few threatening *snip-snips* in the air right next to it and tell it that it'd better lather better the next time or else. I haven't gotten a routine established yet. I'm still having fun leqrning and experimenting.
I use a straight razor which I rinse after use and carefully towel dry and put back in the rack; the brush is also towel dryed. I have no need to sterilize anything.
