Thread: Barbicide Disinfectant

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-