My latest Pre-shave Prep experiment.. Prep-speriment?
Ok, I'm pretty new to the whole straight razor shaving thing, but I have been shaving with a badger brush for a while now. After reading around a bit, I decided to do some experiments with pre-shave preparation.
I had never really done much in the way of prep, for the most part I just shave right out of the shower.
After a few different tests, I've landed on this method and it is working very well for me. Probably nothing new for most of you, but here's my two-cents anyway:
So first I get a hand towel and set it to soaking in a sink-full of hot water. I also submerge my scuttle and brush to get them nice and hot too. After I'm satisfied that the scuttle is hot I set it aside, full. (Sometimes I fill it with water from a kettle)
Now I shake the brush once or twice, and run it around a bit on my shaving soap, and my shaving cream. (Superlather!)
Next, I whip up the lather right on my face. I find I get a good lather faster this way, and I think that this exfoliates and works that soap in under the hairs better than applying bowl lather after the fact... might just be in my head but it works for me.
Ok, now that I'm all nice and lathered up (just takes a few minutes) I set my brush down in the scuttle to keep it toasty, and I rub that lather in with my hands for a minute or two, just to really work it in there. Now then, I take my hot towel, and wrap it around the face, lather and all, and keep it there for a few minutes. If I'm not in a press for time I'll do two hot towel wraps. I really like how the hot towel feels, and it seems to soften the hairs up nicely.
Now then, I go ahead and rinse off whatever cream is left on my face, and lather up a second time with the brush. Then proceed with the shave as usual.
After the shave, I like to douse a towel with some astringent and pat it on - I happen to have seabreeze in the medicine cabinet right now, but I'm not sure how I feel about the smell, I'm open to trying something else.. I like the slight sting and it makes my face feel nice and clean, and I may be wrong but it seems like this also helps close the pores...
Next I use a powder to dry my face. I have gold-bond powder - yes, i know, it's primarily used for jock-itch - but the menthol feels nice on the face, and it's the only body powder I have right now. I'm sure there are nice powders made just for the face, but whatever.
After the powder, I use a post-shave lotion, this will moisturize the skin, as well as remove the powder so your face isn't all white...
So this sounds like an awful lot of work, but really it doesn't take long at all, and as I see it it's about the process anyway. I look forward to shaving every day.
Since I landed on this method, my face hasn't been irritated or broken out at all after a shave. I suggested this to a friend whose face always got irritated after shaving, he had just assumed that was what happened when you shaved, but he was breaking out pretty bad. After trying this out, he called me up and said his skin wasn't irritated either, he said it felt great.
Give it a shot, and enjoy. I invite any alternative suggestions, tips, product suggestions or other method input.
