Thread: Throw those crutches away

Back to Basics. Isn't that what all are trying for, back to the good old ways. After buying shaving stuff that now sits in a drawer. I have it down to a George Wostenholm & Sons Sheffield 5/8 blade that I got for $18, Arko shaving stick, Omega boar hair brush and a good 3" wide strop. I'm getting the best shaves ever, and look forward to shaving every morning with cold water.
I do have a Norton 4k/8k and a DMT Course.

The very first time I shaved I had not read very much on here about the proper way to shave. I got a Dovo off of Amazon not knowing anything about it, luckily I chose a good brand because I almost bought a Krieger or something of the like. It did not even come professionally honed, but it did come very sharp. Before I shaved all I did was splash water on my face and rub the brush on the soap just enough to wet it and get suds, not a lather in any way shape or form, just wet soap. I went and shaved my whole face. Surprisingly it went very well. I only had a couple of small nice and got as close as I had with my cartridge razor. Looking back I was so focused on technique and not cutting myself that I went very slow and tried several different angles until I got it right. After reading this board, now I know how to properly prepare my face and lather and it makes a world of difference. That being said a good shave is possible without doing the whole routine as long as you take your time and develop your technique.

I need whatever makes me happy, feel good, when I shave.
I need my preshave, hot towel, expensive cream, T & I badger brush & my Max Sprecher razor.
I could care less if my shave is just O.K. or BBS.
I enjoy the ride more than the destination.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

I need whatever makes me happy, feel good, when I shave.
I need my preshave, hot towel, expensive cream, T & I badger brush & my Max Spreacher razor.
I could care less if my shave is just O.K. or BBS.
I enjoy the ride more than the destination.

I hear you Hirlau, and as much as I like the accoutrements, I'm one that sees the trip as an impediment to the destination. Are we there yet???

I agree with you Hirlau. 90% of it is ritual. On the other hand the ritual usually leads to a great shave. The whole process is my meditation and me time!

I think he is right. I am going to toss out the washer and dryer too, go down to the creek and smack my Levi's against the rocks to get em clean. Well maybe not, but, even if I was back in that day I would heat a pot over a fire to shave with. Just the splash of cold water on my face anytime of day makes my whiskers shrink back into my skin and no need to shave then. I see what your saying about technique but I don't need to suffer to learn and won't if I don't have too.

I have tried just about every combination, hot water,luke warm water, cold water, shave cream,shave soap,bodywash,lifeboy hand soap, shave oil prep,shave oil and nothing else, no soap, just water, and when I was in the gulf war I used coffee out of my steel pot, ( my field helmet). Some people can get away with it and like me I have to exfoliate my skin every shave, dig out all the ingrown hairs, lube my skill with some good soap or cream and always shave with,against,and across the grain. the sum of all things we are not all the same, skin problems,whisker problems,shaving technique etc...
If you can get away with it God Bless you and if you face is like me I have to baby it,ha ha ha!

Originally Posted by 10Pups

I think he is right. I am going to toss out the washer and dryer too, go down to the creek and smack my Levi's against the rocks to get em clean. Well maybe not, but, even if I was back in that day I would heat a pot over a fire to shave with. Just the splash of cold water on my face anytime of day makes my whiskers shrink back into my skin and no need to shave then. I see what your saying about technique but I don't need to suffer to learn and won't if I don't have too.

For Pete sake I am not suggesting anything of that kind. I am suggesting that you may when you start off straight shaving You can make it so complex and over think things that you may not concentrate on technique and in some cases they may even hide a flaw or two. Me I won't give up my little luxuries either. I am also not suggesting that if you have a medical condition that effects your skin that you ignore that either.

Bob

I shave with cold water fairly often. Sometimes just use some shampoo for my lather. If it's smooth, I can get a good shave from it using my Feather AC. I don't really love the whole brush/scuttle ritual, and find it pretty superfluous. Even when I use shaving soap, I sometimes like to work it in with my hands and skip the brush stuff.

I've done a shave with straight oil, but didn't like the way the hair stuck to the razor. I've tried full-dry or water-only and my beard is a bit too coarse to be easily mowed down even with the Feather Pro Supers, but it can be done. I apply petroleum jelly with water to my face afterward to prevent dryout.

Yes, the YMMV cliche is applied liberally to most method posts, but consider how many new users are being brought into the hobby under the impression that there's a genuinely correct way of doing it. How many new users have been convinced to get a brush and scuttle and aftershave and all the extras before they even try a straight or DE shave? I bet quite a large fraction of them. We can beat people with "do what works for you" all the time but it sounds bromidic when virtually all the SOTD posts and other content in the community embraces orthodoxy or some variation thereof. As a result, I like seeing posts where people experiment a bit.

Originally Posted by BobH

For Pete sake I am not suggesting anything of that kind. I am suggesting that you may when you start off straight shaving You can make it so complex and over think things that you may not concentrate on technique and in some cases they may even hide a flaw or two. Me I won't give up my little luxuries either. I am also not suggesting that if you have a medical condition that effects your skin that you ignore that either.

Bob

""""" I see what your saying about technique """""" <<<< that was in my post . :<0)