Ladies and gentlemen:
What is your experience using the barbershop staple Barbicide as a daily disinfectant for your razors, straight and double edge? I am curious. Thanks.
Regards,
Obie
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Ladies and gentlemen:
What is your experience using the barbershop staple Barbicide as a daily disinfectant for your razors, straight and double edge? I am curious. Thanks.
Regards,
Obie
You really do not need to disinfect your personal razors on a daily basis but if you wish to there are quicker, less expensive means to do so such as the various aerosol clipper and shear products available. However the COOL factor of having an original Barbicide jar with the blue liquid on the counter in your shave den cannot be overstated.
the barbercide may look cool but after i use my razor one someone else ( i have used it to shave the back of my uncle and 2 of his buddies necks after i cut their hair a few times) I just use soap and water or ive ever ran a lighter across it verry fast so that it dosent heat the meatle but kills anything on the surface.
Obie, as far as practicality, it is not really necessary to sanitize your razors daily unless you really prefer to. Barbicide is still one of the most popular fungicides out there though. I give all my vintage safety razors I purchase a good 10 min soak in Barbicide after a good hot and soapy water scrub. Basically, it is a good choice if you are looking for a safe disinfectant to use on your razors. Hospitals still utilize Barbicide.
Obie,
IIRC Barbicide is a mix of quartenary ammonium surfactants with some nitrite added as a corrosion inhibitor.
In the UK, the CIF bathroom spray has very similar surfactants (but is minus the nitrite), so would do a very similar job and is more easily available (for us). After a week of use, I spray my safety razors with the CIF, leave for 30 minutes, rinse in hot water and swish in alcohol. If I have a particularly stubborn razor (or newly acquired used razor), it goes into the sonic bath before being sprayed.
In the US, IIRC Marvicide is a similar product to Barbicide, but cheaper :)
Let us know how you get on with the Barbicide :)
Have fun !
Best regards
Russ
Gentlemen:
Thank you for your most useful comments.
First, please forgive me for the typo in the title as Barbacide instead of Barbicide. I can't figure out how to correct it. This nasty typo will drive me to drink, as do all other typos. Anyway . . .
The reason I inquired about the Barbicide is more for sentimental reasons than anything else. A touch of nostalgia about old time barbershops. I'm sure you remember the blue disinfectant in that stylized jar that was always crowded with scissors, combs, razors and anything else that needed to be disinfected. I guess barbershop still use it, which is good to see.
On the practical side, a while back I started noticing tiny zits on my neck. What's this? I could not figure out what was causing them. Then I assumed it must be because of the pastes used on my dedicated strops. Even though after the pasting I thoroughly wipe the blade before stropping it on my daily strop, I imagine some microscopic paste residue does manage to get on the daily strop, which I try to keep pristine.
After I started dipping my razors into a jar of alcohol after stropping for the shave I noticed the zits mysteriously disappeared. Or maybe the alcohol had nothing to do with it all, I don't know. All I cared about was that the blasted zits did not come back. And they have not since the presence of alcohol in the shave den. By the way, I dip only the blade into the alcohol and not the scales.
I also dip the double edge razor into the alcohol. I change blades after the third shave, thoroughly rinse the razor with hot water, dry it as much as I can, and then dip it in the alcohol and let it air dry before it goes into the rack.
This morning I took a trip to the barber and beauty supply store downtown and bought the Barbicide and ordered the midsize specialized jar. While doing all that, I manage to strike up a conversation with the manager, a pleasant lady named Deb. Somehow we got around talking about her late father. I asked if she saved any of his straight and double edge razors. She thought she had a box "full of his stuff."
So when I return to the shop next week to pick up my Barbicide glass jar, maybe I will be lucky Deb has dug up some razors.
Regards,
Obie
Aaaahhh the Barbicide distraction to get her stash of razors. Nice! I just bought an old Barbicide jar on the bay for next to nothing. Need to get some Barbicide for it now.
Hmm skin bacterial and friends and zits.
A systematic sanitizing process is important.
Shaving does insult the skin and open it up
to infection so any source of infection needs
to be considered.
To that end:
Seven day set of shave towels. A day old damp towel is a risk, mildew can develop in hours.
Lather-rinse-lather. A good clean skin surface is important. Your skin harbors bugs.
Barbicide is good stuff, dip or wipe. Watch for rust and use oil as needed.
Post shave astringent, alcohol or alum can help.
It helps to wait 20 min before applying anything that irritates (like cologne).
Sanitize, wash hands, wash the faucets and other bathroom surfaces.
Change pillow cases more often and wash them in hotter water.
The cold water, no chlorine bleach laundry movement has its place
but that may not be ideal for bedding and bed clothes.
hummm maby ill have to get some of this stuff since i do use my razor on other people ocassionally,
Just out of curiosity is barbicide safe for brushes?
-dan-
can barbicide damage scales of straights in any way (any type of scales)
or are you all just soaking the blade in it
It will mess just about any plastic, horn, celluloid, wood, etc up. Definitely only soak the blade-- I use a champagne flute full of barbicide to hang the razor into, so that the blade is in and the scales are out.
The same goes for brushes-- don't let the handles soak, just the hair!
thanks for the info
http://www.barbicide.com/sites/defau...icide_MSDS.pdf
Mostly alcohol and a surfactant and preservative.
You've missed the point of the ingredients.
The "mostly alcohol" is in the concentrated solution. The working solution of the stuff would have only a trivial, and ineffective, amount of alcohol. It is likely there solely for the purpose of dissolving the "surfactant."
That "surtactant" is a biocide that is effective on bacteria, fungi, and viruses.
The "preservative" is a corrosion inhibitor.
Like Benjamin, I use it on every razor I hone for, or sell to, others. Barbacide is pretty good stuff for razors.
What a great conversation! I am a nurse employed by Barbicide to teach infection control...here are the facts: Regular Barbicide is safe for all of your implements (Razors, Brushes, Combs,etc)! For it to be effective (that is, kill all of the microrganisms listed on its label) it must be mixed correctly and items must stay moist (or submerged) for 10 full minutes! Unless you are using it commercially and it is required by your state, I would not purchase Barbicide Plus. If, however, you are using it commericially and it is required by law, Barbicide Plus must be mixed exactly as listed on label and items should never be left in for longer than 10 minutes. One other note...you will not get the cool blue color with Barbicide Plus, only with regular Barbicide!
Hello, cleanRN:
Thank you for your informative thoughts. I am picking up my Barbicide and the classic jar Thursday to set up in my little shaving world. I was not aware of the 10-minute rule, however, and am glad you expounded upon that.
By the way, welcome to Straight Razor Place. It's good to have you with us.
Regards,
Obie
This is a great, very helpful thread. Thanks to Obie for asking the question and thanks to all for the information!
Hello again, cleanRN:
I had a senior moment and forgot to ask you. With daily use how often should the Barbicide in the jar be changed? In other words, how often should one empty the jar, rinse it and then refill it with a fresh Barbicide mixture? Thanks.
Regards,
Obie
I recall my barber suspending his razors so the scales
were not in the solution but the blades were.
He also dried his razors open on a clean towel. This is
hard to do at home with family and friends but a
UV sterilizer makes a lot of sense with something
to protect the scales. UV, Clorox, Barbicide, anything
that would kill bugs can be hard on scales.
The directions are on the bottle. I believe it is to be changed daily. I only make 40mls of it at a time, but your jar is going to take a lot more. For aesthetic purposes, you might want to just fill your jar with food coloring and use something smaller for your razors. Then again, YFMV (your finances may vary)!
is there anything wrong with leaving your razor in a jar of 1 part oil-rest iso alcohol, between daily shaves...and if not, just the blade or whole razor?
@redelephant, I don't leave my razor in the alcohol-oil mixture, but give it a quick dip, enough to submerge the blade completely. I then let it dry.
For those of you in the straight family who are concerned with the cleanliness of your personal razors, what in the world do you do with your tooth brushes?
Ladies and gentlemen:
The shave den now is graced with my newest toy, the classic 21-oz. Barbicide disinfectant jar filled with the eye-catching blue wonder liquid. Oh, that's a lovely sight. Mine is the smaller version of the jar popular with barbershops. I figured I did not need that big a jar.
I mix 2 oz. of Barbicide to 16 oz. of water. The instructions on the Barbicide bottle note that the object to be disinfected must stay in the liquid for 10 minutes for optimal results. My friend Deb at the barber and beauty shop store says she would change the liquid daily when she was a beautician. I, however, she pointed out, need probably change it every four or five days, say, once a week maximum, since I dip only one razor in the jar daily.
By the way, only the blade is dipped in the blue wonder liquid. With the double edge razor, of course, the whole thing goes in every third shave, when I replace the blade.
Regards,
Obie
Nice! :)
Any chance of a pic? It would be cool to see that...!
I was concerned that your mix ratio was WAY off, but it turns out that the ratios for Barbicide vs Barbicide Plus are quite different.
Barbicide/water = 1:16
Barbicide Plus/water = 1:128
HERE is a Barbicide FAQ.
Hello, Stuart:
Good to hear from you, my London friend. I trust you've had many a pint on my behalf since the last time we spoke.
I've been meaning to shoot some new photos of the growing shave den. I will do it this weekend. First, someone in the family has my new camera, which my girls presented to me as a Christmas gift. Since then I've seen it only once.
A message to my sweet beauties: Where is my camera?
Dad
Regards,
Obie
Hello, Utopian:
Thanks for the information. I have the regular Barbicide. The bottle notes a mixture of 2 ounces of Barbicide to 32 ounces of water. I think I went slightly overboard and mixed 2 ounces of Barbicide to 16 ounces of water. I'll correct that for the next batch.
Regards,
Obie
Hey everyone, I have enjoyed reading the thread, I wanted to let you know that I have been sold I need a Barbicide jar in my shave den. I am not sure if I will use that over rubbing my razor down with alcohol after my shave or not but it will make a good addition to it none the less.
Never ever, ever,ever put your brush in barbacide or anything else that isn't metal or rubber and for that matter don't soak anything it either, I will have to check my reference book but anything longer than a couple of minutes is overkill and can potentially be very damaging to your favorite implements.
I should add that Barbicide has a "wipe" product.
"Use one Barbicide wipe to completely preclean surface of all gross debris. Use a
second Barbicide Wipe to thoroughly wet the surface. Repeated use of the product
may be required to ensure that the surface remains visibly wet for 2 minutes at room
temperature."
BarbicideŽ - Products - BarbicideŽ Disinfecting Wipes
Gentlemen:
I agree with my good friend Utopian. The manufacturer, indeed, specifies a 10-minute soak.
Regards,
Obie
Just out of curiosity what is the difference between regular barbicide and barbicide plus? I would never purchase barbicide plus because I'm sure its overkill, I was just wondering the differences of the two.