Please forgive the exteme noobness of these questions!

A little background first. I am one of those preppers you keep hearing about, and a few days ago I wondered to myself how I would shave in teotwawki once all my cartridges were used up. Finally I came up with the idea of getting a straight razor and learning its use. As such I have spent the last few hours reading all the beginner tutorials on this site. This was in hopes of not asking stupid noob questions, but I am sure I am going to fail at this proposition.

So here goes: I read the preparing the shave tutorial, and more on different oils, creams and soaps. However, currently I am one of those few who just shave in the shower with nothing more than water, and no mirror (I will not be trying this with the straight razor). I do wash my face before hand and then rinse the soap off before shaving, but otherwise its only water which I shave with. Knowing all this, is it strictly forbidden to shave using a straight razor and no creams, oils, or soaps of any kind and only using water?

Now as noob of a question I am sure this is, here is my reasoning for asking: As a prepper you have to stock pile things in the hopes you have enough to last any length of time you are prepping for. As such, and since the whole point of this is to not have to stockpile a ton of razor cartridges, it wouldn't make a whole lot more sense to stockpile a bunch of soaps or creams for said occasion.

Also, as a side note, I do have a book which shows me how to make my own soaps from the lye extracted from fire ashes. Will using a simple bar of hand soap do for shaving with a straight razor?

Thank you in advance for any advice you folks are able to provide for this noob trying to do his research.

First off welcome to SRP!

If you approach this as a means to an end and not a hobby (as a lot here do) it can be a very economical way to shave.

Now for the question of just using water yes it can be done. Occasionally there are people that come on here and do that with out trouble. However that is not normally recommended as most peoples skin won't handle a just water shave very well. The only way for you to see if it will work for you is try.

The same thing here applies for hand soaps. There are some people that just use a hand soap like ivory to shave with. Most of us would find that shave very unpleasant and would not do it or recommend it. The only way for you to know if it is good for you is to again try it.

If you are DIY guy you can such the forum for how to make a shaving soap. You will find some recipes for how guys did it themselves. That would probably serve you better then then the hand soap recipe.

But there are some options for cheap shave soaps that will most likely cost you less then making it yourself. I mostly am thinking of arko shave sticks ( which can be purchased online in a bulk shipment for about a $1.19 a stick) also van der Hagen and Williams mug soap can be had at many local supermarkets and drug stores for a couple bucks.

Pair one of those soaps with a van der Hagen boar brush and you a very economical shave soap set. You can buy the vdh deluxe shave set at most drug stores for around $10 which will have the brush, soap and a bowl to get you started.

I think that this is a very interesting approach. I also think that, since your objective is to be able to shave with a straight without specialty soaps, but not neccessarily to learn how to shave with a straight without using shaving soaps, I would probably start in the recommended way, then switch to trying homemade soaps and shaving with just water once you have developed your technique. No need to introduce too many variables and be uncomfortable. Just my opinion.

Welcome to SRP.
I think Castel33 and DFriedl have given you some pretty solid advice, and I'm sure you will get more as the thread goes on.

Like many things, shaving with a straight razor can be done successfully using many different approaches. Initially I would suggest that you pick a well proven soap or cream and a decent brush to go along with your razor and stick with them whole you work on your shaving technique. You don't need to stockpile a bunch of stuff in order to get started.

One of the few things that is a hard and fast rule is that you must have a shave ready razor. As a new straight razor shaver the best way to be sure your razor is sharp enough is to either send it to a Pro for sharpening or buy one that is shave ready from a reputable Vendor. There are dozens and dozens of threads about this on SRP, so if you have been reading in the beginner area hopefully you have read a couple of them already.

Good luck and let us know how you are doing.

I have a friend who is a prepper. He started to get into straight shaving, but got frustrated with it. Anyway, he shaves with a Double Edge now. I think I can coax him to get back on the straight and narrow. I know he uses soaps and such, so never really asked him what he would do in the event of something. I know for me a shave w/o shaving soap would be uncomfortable. I have tried it so I am speaking from experience. But learning to shave with a straight is not so easy. Like others have said might wanna provide yourself with as much cushion as possible. Pun intended.

Welcome to SRP!

I am a semi-prepper, only enough to get me to a bug-out spot.

Anywho... There are certainly people that make thier own soaps. And most commercial shaving soaps/creams come sealed, so you could technically stockpile them if you wished. They've probably last a few years sealed.

After re-reading the original post I think my response may not be on point for ph308 question. If you are thinking in terms of shaving in post disaster conditions I would worry more about sharpening my razors than access to specialized soaps or creams. I think you could get by with just about anything that provides some lubrication and cushioning.

Can't help you out but thanks to your post I now know what a prepper and teotwawki are. I can't see why you could not shave with water alone if you had too. It might be tough way to learn though. Make sure you have a means to keep that straight sharp.

Bob

What if teewakee comes and your straight gets busted, or your strop gets messed up. Those things will be irreplaceable. You will need a backup stockpile of cartridges anyway.


Michael

Let's be honest, though... if SHTF or TEOTWAWKI, are we really going to be worried about shaving?

Me thinks not.

I'm a preper at heart but not in action. I think after post disaster you would not need to shave that often.
The amount of soap I have on my regular rotation could keep lathering my face for 10 years or more shaving once or twice a week (6 hard soaps and two cream tubs).

The knowledge I have from this forum in regard to sharpening and maintaining a razor sharp will serve me well in case I would need to improvise sharpening or stropping. This regard the abrasive properties that make a good sharpener and polisher, or materials that can be use for stropping.

All my acquisition disorders, RAD (razor), BAD (brush), HAD (hone) will make for good currencies on a post dooms day living.

And if after 10 years, life can't go on with a good clean shave once a week, for lack of soap, steel or whatever, then is a world not worth living on.

So as I see it, is a win win situation for any preper to learn straight razor shaving for now and future. Not to mention the enjoyment we get from a straight razor shave. But if your only motivation is keep your face shave after dooms day, you be better off buying 300 safety razor and some can goo, since the learning curve is steep on all aspects of straight razor shaving. Double O

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Crzylizard

Let's be honest, though... if SHTF or TEOTWAWKI, are we really going to be worried about shaving?

Me thinks not.

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I respectfully disagree with you on this - what could be more reassuring for fellow survivors than to meet a gentleman who has his act so together that he remains immaculately groomed in the midst of disaster?

Imagine the scene... a handful of bedraggled, bewildered and half-starved citizens turn a corner, and there you are, sitting in a deck-chair, looking great, and sipping on a coffee you made yourself from roast dandelion roots. "Pull up a chair", you say, "I've just put another pot on..."

Imaging their relief and delight! "This guy is all that remains of civilisation", they think.

How cool is that?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Matt69

I respectfully disagree with you on this - what could be more reassuring for fellow survivors than to meet a gentleman who has his act so together that he remains immaculately groomed in the midst of disaster?

Imagine the scene... a handful of bedraggled, bewildered and half-starved citizens turn a corner, and there you are, sitting in a deck-chair, looking great, and sipping on a coffee you made yourself from roast dandelion roots. "Pull up a chair", you say, "I've just put another pot on..."

Imaging their relief and delight! "This guy is all that remains of civilisation", they think.

How cool is that?

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Quite true. But, more than likely, they will have received at least one 5.56 on the way over. :)

Naw, it would be more like kill him and take what he has.

Bob

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Crzylizard

Quite true. But, more than likely, they will have received at least one 5.56 on the way over. :)

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Now you're talking zombies!

Thank you so much everyone. I think I miss led you in my purpose here. Although prepping was my initial reasoning for getting a straight razor, I do intend on learning everything I can about its use (as mentioned in the OP) and how to maintain it through the years. I do know that it does no good to stock pile a bunch of matches only to never learn how to make a proper fire. Same can said with using and maintaining a straight razor.

To the one who said to try the recommended method first for the learning process, that's exactly what I plan on doing. You are correct, "No need to introduce new variables" in an already dangerous task of learning this new skill.

I didn't mean to start a discussion on teotwawki, but as such I am glad to be in good company with the lot of you all.

Thank you again for your advise, and I will be happy to post more questions and inform of my progress as I go through this daunting task of learning how to shave with a straight.

It's fun! As you'll find out.

Sorry off topic but...

Man, I am not a prepper. But it does seem to be a positive outlook behind the doom and gloom. I mean to me it seems to be about hope. Yes, there are bad things in society which ultimately will fall since society teeters along on the edge of collapse anyway. As some point out, it does not take much for civility and good manners to end when survival is at stake or the last jug of water at the market. But for a prepper, let all that burn and let's rebuild this anew. Jefferson was right that society needs revolution but who says we need to start it. One tip in wrong direction and society will do it for us. Of course, it will probably just trudge along like it always does.