Thread: Total Face Prep

How long should it take one to prepare your face before shaving with a straight. Is it to use oil, is it lathering up rubbing lather in well, then lathering up again, or what? Would love to know your shave secrets, if you are willing to share your ritual with all of us.

I shower, lather, shave.
I shower, pre-shave treatment, lather, shave.
I splash, lather, shave.
I do a full on hot towels and all.
It depends on the day my mood the time I have and such.
Prep is important, but even the best prep wont make up for poor technique.
Good technique will however mitigate the effects of poor prep.

I lather up and shave. It takes about 15 seconds for me.

Haha....good true and witty answers.

For me, if it's just a utility shave, it's simply rinse with cold water, first round of lather worked well into the beard, little more lather, shave, rinse with cold water, alum block then done. Pretty much can get this done in under 10 minute and get a DFS.

Now if I have time and want to have a shave parade, well then, it's hot shower, pre/post Proraso cream rubbed into beard, light lather, then worked into the beard with the fingers, then another lather worked in thoroughly with the brush, then shave.

After the shave, good cold water rinse, nice rub down with the alum block, pat dry, apply a nice post-shave cream lightly, then a nice aftershave.

All depends on the mood, but technically all you need is water, soap and a blade. One member here does exactly that, cold water, Palmolive dish soap, shaves and is done.

It's all a matter of what floats your boat, your personal preference....

Mine varies but not overboard. Almost always preceeded with a shower sometimes Proraso pre shave cream, lather and shave. I've expieremented with a hot towel after Proraso cream and lather then lather again and shave. Nerver really see a difference. Most of the time after a shawer I lather and just shave.

Fill sink with cold tap water, slosh brush in water and shake, load brush, wet face and lather away and finally shave. In other words lather up and shave ala Ace.

Bob

Is it fair to say shut up and shave then. There is no really wrong way to face prep?

Originally Posted by Gonzo4str8rzrs

Is it fair to say shut up and shave then. There is no really wrong way to face prep?

As long as it gets you a comfortable shave Nope.
it is a lot of fun trying new things and soaps, and it is nice to pamper yourself a bit.
When new to the sport one theory is that it is better to over prep if you will.
This is to take that out of the equation,
I have sensitive skin and until my technique was good a longer /better however you want to look at it prep helped.
Just a few minutes ago I went and shaved, face was itching a bit.
Wet brush with cold waster, a good splash to my face, face lathered some C.O Bigelow and did two passes.
Cold splash rinse and hit it with the alum, cleaned up my razor rinsed off alum patted dry and Aqua Velva Ice blue splash and done.

If more helps, or you have time and enjoy it have at it.
No real wrong way just more than one right way, as with so many things in wet shaving.

Originally Posted by Gonzo4str8rzrs

Is it fair to say shut up and shave then. There is no really wrong way to face prep?

Based on my experience, yes. If you like doing preparation for its own sake, then you can do all you want. My experience has been that a half hour of serious preparation gets me the same shave that no preparation at all does. If my blade is really sharp, and I spend plenty of time making sure that is the case, then I can totally eliminate preparation. If a blade is not shave ready, then no amount of preparation will make any difference.

Originally Posted by Phrank

All depends on the mood, but technically all you need is water, soap and a blade. One member here does exactly that, cold water, Palmolive dish soap, shaves and is done.

Sounds like he and I are kindred spirits phrank
My current routine:
Get home from work,
Have shower (whilst wetting my wiping cloth),
Make cold (as in my soap and cetera is in the fridge) lather, I add cold water to my lather bowl snd use a dry brush,
Shave ( no additional water used, I have made my lather and have my wet wiping cloth for blade cleaning,
Clean up, I squeeze my excess lather into my soap bowl for tomorrow,
Strop
After shave.
Feelin good (hopefully )