Tried dry-wet-shaving...

Hello getns!

wanted to share: today I tried for the first time to not clean my SR with water between strokes, but to wipe it with a wash-cloth. The results were amazing... BBS on 90% of my face. This is remarkable, considering I'm always having trouble with my neck.. This is the best shave I've had yet.
So here are some insights from the event:

1. Nothing changed except for the towel. same lame soap (arco), same lame synthetic brush, not a new blade. Face prep as always - coconut oil before shaving > wipe > 1st pass WTG > shea butter > 2nd pass ATG > 3rd pass (corrections). No shower before, no hot towel.

2. So what did change? the towel, of course. This might seem minor, but changing just one thing from my routine made me more mindful of what I'm doing. I haven't been this focused on my angle, pressure and whereabouts of my blade for a very long time. It took me out of my comfort zone and lengthened my shaving time, and it was amazing. It actually forced me to be a newbie again, only a smarter, more experienced newbie...

3. Not the cleanest thing I've done, I admit, BUT the post shave routine was relatively easy... the blade was almost dry, and more important - no water anywhere on the scales and pivot! So no hot-air drying necessary...

Get out of your comfort zone once in a while :] It helps...

Yes, if you are going to change your routine change only 1 thing at a time so you will know what changes made a difference if any. Dinged a blade once on a faucet when I started so ever since I wipe my blade off on a damp sponge. Easy clean up, just rinse sponge, squeeze out and let dry for next time. The only time my blade goes near the faucet is for a final rinse when I finish shaving and I can concentrate on what I am doing with the blade and not my shave. So far so good.

If you are worried about bacteria/bugs growing on a sponge or towel simple place the damp sponge/towel in a microwave and nuke it for 1-2 minutes. Careful handling after they sure do get hot.

Kitchen Cleaning - How to Clean a Sponge

Bob

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Originally Posted by BobH

Yes, if you are going to change your routine change only 1 thing at a time so you will know what changes made a difference if any. Dinged a blade once on a faucet when I started so ever since I wipe my blade off on a damp sponge. Easy clean up, just rinse sponge, squeeze out and let dry for next time. The only time my blade goes near the faucet is for a final rinse when I finish shaving and I can concentrate on what I am doing with the blade and not my shave. So far so good.

If you are worried about bacteria/bugs growing on a sponge or towel simple place the damp sponge/towel in a microwave and nuke it for 1-2 minutes. Careful handling after they sure do get hot.

Kitchen Cleaning - How to Clean a Sponge

Bob

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I'll try that, thank you :]

I rotate randomly between a couple dozen different soaps, I find dealing with their lathering idiosyncrasies definitely helps my concentration.

Sounds like a plan. But, I don't think there's anything lame about Arko. I shaved with it this morning and it worked just fine.

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Originally Posted by Haim

Hello getns!

wanted to share: today I tried for the first time to not clean my SR with water between strokes, but to wipe it with a wash-cloth. The results were amazing... BBS on 90% of my face. This is remarkable, considering I'm always having trouble with my neck.. This is the best shave I've had yet.
So here are some insights from the event:

1. Nothing changed except for the towel. same lame soap (arco), same lame synthetic brush, not a new blade. Face prep as always - coconut oil before shaving > wipe > 1st pass WTG > shea butter > 2nd pass ATG > 3rd pass (corrections). No shower before, no hot towel.

2. So what did change? the towel, of course. This might seem minor, but changing just one thing from my routine made me more mindful of what I'm doing. I haven't been this focused on my angle, pressure and whereabouts of my blade for a very long time. It took me out of my comfort zone and lengthened my shaving time, and it was amazing. It actually forced me to be a newbie again, only a smarter, more experienced newbie...

3. Not the cleanest thing I've done, I admit, BUT the post shave routine was relatively easy... the blade was almost dry, and more important - no water anywhere on the scales and pivot! So no hot-air drying necessary...

Get out of your comfort zone once in a while :] It helps...

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Great post. I personally use a soft sponge when it comes time to wipe my razor clean. It eliminates the additional laundry.

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Originally Posted by Uzi

Sounds like a plan. But, I don't think there's anything lame about Arko. I shaved with it this morning and it worked just fine.

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I've been shaving with Arko for 2 years now, and it always dries my skin and offers no protection... I find myself adding things to it in order to improve it, and it makes my lathering process very long... It's been good so far, but I now realize I could do better..
Ordered a Cella and a new boar brush... We'll see if there's a real difference :]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Haim

I've been shaving with Arko for 2 years now, and it always dries my skin and offers no protection... I find myself adding things to it in order to improve it, and it makes my lathering process very long... It's been good so far, but I now realize I could do better..
Ordered a Cella and a new boar brush... We'll see if there's a real difference :]

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You used Arko for two years straight?! Wow. That has to be a record. I have a stick in my travel kit, and I enjoy using it but it stays there.

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Originally Posted by Haim

I've been shaving with Arko for 2 years now, and it always dries my skin and offers no protection... I find myself adding things to it in order to improve it, and it makes my lathering process very long... It's been good so far, but I now realize I could do better..
Ordered a Cella and a new boar brush... We'll see if there's a real difference :]

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Yes, I have heard of people complaining that Arko dries their skin so I guess that depends on skintype as I have no problems with that. Arko gives me am easily made thick and slick lather which give me good protection from the blade. Just goes to show how people's impression of shave soaps can and do vary. I have tried Cella but wound up giving it to a friend because I did not like the scent. Cella made a very good lather though. Hope you enjoy yours.

Bob

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Originally Posted by Sxot

You used Arko for two years straight?! Wow. That has to be a record. I have a stick in my travel kit, and I enjoy using it but it stays there.

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Funny thing, actually..
when I started wet shaving, I needed a soap to learn how to lather and shave on, and I was on a budget.. and I figured - if a shower soap block lasts 1-2 weeks, the shaving soap will last, what? a month?
So I bought 6.
Six.
I am just now finishing my 4th.....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Haim

I've been shaving with Arko for 2 years now, and it always dries my skin and offers no protection... I find myself adding things to it in order to improve it, and it makes my lathering process very long... It's been good so far, but I now realize I could do better..
Ordered a Cella and a new boar brush... We'll see if there's a real difference :]

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I see. Well, I did notice that my skin was drier after shaving with Arko as well. However, for the shaving part it worked just fine. Aftershave balm took care of the dry aftershave feel. Cella is a good choice as well. I really like the smell of Cella and it lathers well. The only minor downside was that because of its texture, it was a bit more challenging, at least to me, for face lathering than some other creams. It has worked very well for bowl lathering though.

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Originally Posted by Haim

Funny thing, actually..
when I started wet shaving, I needed a soap to learn how to lather and shave on, and I was on a budget.. and I figured - if a shower soap block lasts 1-2 weeks, the shaving soap will last, what? a month?
So I bought 6.
Six.
I am just now finishing my 4th.....

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Haha! Yea, I was surprised how long a puck of shaving soap lasts myself. Takes me about 6 months to go through one. I'm kinda glad I just bought a single puck to try.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Haim

I've been shaving with Arko for 2 years now, and it always dries my skin and offers no protection... I find myself adding things to it in order to improve it, and it makes my lathering process very long... It's been good so far, but I now realize I could do better..
Ordered a Cella and a new boar brush... We'll see if there's a real difference :]

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I have tried ARKO in both the stick and the cup and I have to say that you get much better razor glide if you use the stick and rub it on to your skin. I used arko in a cub just like a shaving soap that you load up a brush with and I had similar problems. Arko used as a stick seems to have much better results. After using ARKO, trying Cella was disappointing. It seemed to have much less razor glide and lathering quality. I'm a TOBS kinda guy though.

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Originally Posted by quicksilver

I have tried ARKO in both the stick and the cup and I have to say that you get much better razor glide if you use the stick and rub it on to your skin. I used arko in a cub just like a shaving soap that you load up a brush with and I had similar problems. Arko used as a stick seems to have much better results. After using ARKO, trying Cella was disappointing. It seemed to have much less razor glide and lathering quality. I'm a TOBS kinda guy though.

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Tried the Cella yesterday, and it's a different world...
You're right - the amount of lather is lower than the Arco, but it's much more stable and dense.
Also - it does have less glide, I agree, but with SR shaving - it's all about protection, and the Cella offers a LOT of it...
Got to say, though... What, in the name of god, is that smell...? I feel like I'm shaving with marzipan....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Haim

Tried the Cella yesterday, and it's a different world...
You're right - the amount of lather is lower than the Arco, but it's much more stable and dense.
Also - it does have less glide, I agree, but with SR shaving - it's all about protection, and the Cella offers a LOT of it...
Got to say, though... What, in the name of god, is that smell...? I feel like I'm shaving with marzipan....

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Arko can give you a stable and dense lather with a lot of glide even if you have it in a mug. Just try using a dryer brush to start loading with and add a bit of water several times and load more on the brush. Then start lather building on a wet face again adding a bit of water as you build lather. You should be able to get a nice yogurt like lather that is well hydrated, stable and long lasting.

Yea, I gave up on Cella and Vitos Red because of the smell which to me was sour smelling while others have described it as smelling like marzipan. The only shave soap I have tried that has a nice almond scent to it was/is Boellis Panama 1924. The Boellis seems expensive but if you buy it in the 250gr brick format it is really fairly reasonable in cost. It makes a very nice lather.

Bob

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Originally Posted by BobH

Arko can give you a stable and dense lather with a lot of glide even if you have it in a mug. Just try using a dryer brush to start loading with and add a bit of water several times and load more on the brush. Then start lather building on a wet face again adding a bit of water as you build lather. You should be able to get a nice yogurt like lather that is well hydrated, stable and long lasting.

Yea, I gave up on Cella and Vitos Red because of the smell which to me was sour smelling while others have described it as smelling like marzipan. The only shave soap I have tried that has a nice almond scent to it was/is Boellis Panama 1924. The Boellis seems expensive but if you buy it in the 250gr brick format it is really fairly reasonable in cost. It makes a very nice lather.

Bob

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This was exactly what I was doing :] So I know now I perfected Arco lathering...
It was a nice lather, just felt like normal soap on the skin... Almost no protection.... I was missing some oil, which I got from pre-shave shea butter...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Haim

This was exactly what I was doing :] So I know now I perfected Arco lathering...
It was a nice lather, just felt like normal soap on the skin... Almost no protection.... I was missing some oil, which I got from pre-shave shea butter...

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OK, I see what you meant now. I was thinking protection as from the blade not protection as in moisturizing. A soap drying my skin out has never been a problem as I have oily skin to start with and never use a pre shave oil or post shave balm because it adds oil.

Bob