Thread: Critique my shaving routine

I am only about 4 shaves in and I am gaining confidence using my straight. I'm still not getting shaves as good as I was with the mach 5 but enjoying the whole thing a lot more and I'm confident I will get there. I would like to hear what some of you guys think about my routine, specifically opinions about the products I am using, as I am trying somewhat of a minimalist approach to wet shaving.

Razor - Dovo BQ 5/8 full hollow
Brush - Tweezerman Badger brush (10 dollars on amazon.com)
Soap - VDH Deluxe (I add 3-5 drops of glycerin before building lather)
Aftershave balm - Vaseline face and body lotion for men
Styptic pencil if needed

So I take a hot shower, maybe ten minutes. Get out and dry off and put on my robe. Run the water as hot as possible, heat up my mug with VDH in it, trying not to get water in it yet. Soak my brush. Give it a good shake and get the lather going for about 3-5 seconds, then put 3-5 drops of glycerin on the soap. Continue building lather in the mug till I get a good lather. Begin applying to my face, spend a good minute or so on that, waking up the whiskers and such. Place mug down with brush in the mug. Wiping blade on a cloth periodically, I do my first pass wtg, re-apply lather, second pass xtg, (at this point i plan on re-applying later and doing a 3rd pass atg but I am not yet because last time I got very bad razor burn after doing that). I then splash my face with a lot of very cold water, use styptic pencil if necessary, and then apply vaseline face and body lotion. Am I missing out on a better shave because of sub par materials? I also read something when doing some research about glycerine not actually having moisturizing properties, but drawing water from your own skin from the inside out, therefore actually drying out your skin. I am undecided at this point in my shaving career whether it is better or not, but I know a lot of guys on here believe it helps immensely so I am trying it. My brush seems to be losing a few hairs every time I use it, I am cleaning it out thoroughly after each use, shaking it out a good deal and hanging it back up on its stand. As for stropping I usually do it after shaving, sometimes before or sometimes whenever I have the time if I know I need to strop the razor before the next shave. 40 cloth side, 60 leather. Any suggestions on anything at all are welcome. Thanks.

First a few assumptions. The razor is shave ready. The blade is used with correct pressure. You are using good skin stretching.

I prefer to allow the first lather to soak in to my beard while I strop, then reapply lather and proceed with the first pass. I don't strop much 10 and 20 before shaving.

Glycerine is hygroscopic i. e. it absorbs a lot of water. If you are finding your face dried out after your shaves try less or no glycerine.

Shaving is a very personal process. You will have to experiment to find what works best for you. As it may be very different than what work best for me.

Jonathan

Razor: great shaver
Brush: "I" don't like badger
Soap: if it's a good shaving soap it has a good formula and you don't need glicerin, a matter of taste and feeling.
Allow the brush to collect more lather
Keep wet lather on your face longer and work it
20 strops on leather before 1st pass, cloth only if the blade needs a touch up
Between 1st and 2nd pass: 5 strops and apply new water on your face
3rd pass: wait until you feel MUCH more confident. ATG the blade must be almost flat on the skin and stretch well.

Glycerin may be hygroscopic, but it's also a _great_ lubricant. "Astroglide" and KY Jelly are glycerin-based. The extra protection of "uberlather", IMHO, is worthwhile.

You're taking a very systematic, careful approach. You'll find out what works _for you_, and what doesn't.

. Charles

You know, it takes weeks of shaving to even begin to get decent shaves and months to get really good ones. With that in mind the important points are to not rush this thing and and start slowly one area at a time. The soap and brush and all that are really not important at this stage. it's learning how to use the razor and mapping out your beard and using the right strokes and figuring how to stretch. Until you get those down you could have the best prep in the world and the best soaps and brushes and it won't amount to a hill of beans.

I've only been using a straight for a month, but I find the alum block and witch hazel help after shaving.

My "routine" is: Five splashes of warm water, lather, WTG, lather, ATG, cold water rinse, done. 5 minutes total.

Originally Posted by ace

My "routine" is: Five splashes of warm water, lather, WTG, lather, ATG, cold water rinse, done. 5 minutes total.

90% of the enjoyment for me is the prep and ritual. I don't get a whole lot of time to myself so it is nice to be able to step back and take time to pamper myself. I like to take a good 30 minutes for the whole ordeal. Shower, exfoliating, towel, pre shave oil, lather, aftershave balm, all that stuff is my meditation time. Could I do it faster? Sure, but if I wanted a 5 minute shave I would just use cartridges.

Originally Posted by Philstone

I've only been using a straight for a month, but I find the alum block and witch hazel help after shaving.

as a fellow noob, +1 on the alum block, and if you have a bit of a weeper, a few extra rubs from the blocks seals it (for me) and doesn't burn (too badly). I also find an aftershave makes the skin feel nice, I'm currently using Pinaud Clubman

Sounds good to me eventually upgrade to a silvertip badger.