Finally Found Prep for Straights

I posted this thread on another forum and felt some here might find the information useful.
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In many of my posts I indicate how difficult it is for me to get a close, comfortable shave. My beard is like wire. I have to use the sharpest DE blades I can find (Feather is one of my regular blades) so I won't get a lot of tugging (especially if I have more than a day's growth). This has led me to try the Cobra and Feather SS both of which give me very good shaves. I have also been shaving with straights for 6 months. These are my most frustrating shaves. Poor results with a lot of skin irritation. I tried freshly honed razors, I got a 12K Naniwa stone and learned how to hone. I also use a barber's hone and a pasted strop. The blades would not cut smoothly and left a lot of uncut beard. With straights this can mean your technique is poor and/or you'er are dulling the blade and/or you'er not refreshing the blade properly, i.e., your edge is lacking. As I had no problem with the Feather SS, I attributed my problem with straights to the fact that the disposable blades where just so much sharper than I could get the edge of a straight.

Now I have always prepared for my shaves with hot showers, MrGLO, Proraso pre-shave cream or other pre-shave products. My beard did not soften or change at all from the prep, but with a sharp disposable blade I got a very good shave.

But today I found something that actually did soften my beard. I was in a hury and did not shower first. I washed my face with a new hand soap I was trying. As I did, I could feel my 2 day growth soften. Wow, this is new I thought. I was going to use my Cobra, but changed to my 6/8 Hart. I proceeded to get a DFS as good as my disposable blade razors. I don't know what the new soap did to my beard, but it made all the difference.

What soap did I use? Dr. Bronner's Pure-Castile. Yes, the one with the interesting writings on the label. I don't know what it did to get my beard to absorb water but it changed everything. No, I don't work for the company. I tried it as a hand soap and was satisfied with its performance. I just tried it on my face today because it was there. I know I am not alone in having a difficult beard and sincerely recommend anyone with this problem to give it a try. If it doesn't work as a pre-shave it is still a good soap. It is worth a try. http://shavenook.com/images/smilies/tongue.gif

Perhaps you have a bit too much iron in your diet? :thinking:

Glad the soap tames your beard!

If you get to frustrated with your Hart you can just send it to me.

For me, it's a combination of the warm water, the exposure to water, and the use of a good soap (all done in the shower) that make up my preshave prep. You have to get the oils off your beard before water can get to it, so if your soap cannot do that, your prep will suffer. I guess the stuff that guy posted about worked.

Just as a general note, you should probably give some credit where credit is due.

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Originally Posted by holli4pirating

For me, it's a combination of the warm water, the exposure to water, and the use of a good soap (all done in the shower) that make up my preshave prep. You have to get the oils off your beard before water can get to it, so if your soap cannot do that, your prep will suffer. I guess the stuff that guy posted about worked.

Just as a general note, you should probably give some credit where credit is due.

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Not sure what you mean. I am the guy, as I said, I posted this on another forum and thought it might be appreciated here.

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Originally Posted by matloffm

Not sure what you mean. I am the guy, as I said, I posted this on another forum and thought it might be appreciated here.

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Oh, sorry, I misread that. Thought someone else had posted it on another forum.

I have a tough beard too. Showers help soften my tough beard, but I don't shower in the mornings before I shave. Using a glycerin soap bar to wash my face in the mornings has helped soften my beard lately. I follow it by lathering shave soap/cream on the face, stropping the SR, applying a hot towel on the face, then rinsing the face before starting my shave.

Giving credit where credit is due, in Whipped Dog's memo on straight razor shaving he mentions using hair conditioner on your beard as a pre-shave. I tried that for the first time about a week ago, and that has been working out great for me. Dr. Bronner's is going to get a try now also. I use that soap otherwise fairly often.

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Originally Posted by lapin_agile

Giving credit where credit is due, in Whipped Dog's memo on straight razor shaving he mentions using hair conditioner on your beard as a pre-shave. I tried that for the first time about a week ago, and that has been working out great for me. Dr. Bronner's is going to get a try now also. I use that soap otherwise fairly often.

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I've tried the hair conditioner method numerous times based on a tip I read on a different post, where a hair dresser recommended it to the forum user. It worked well for me, but not as well as the glycerin soap. I shave almost every day. Maybe if I let my beard grow out for a several days then the hair conditioner would have more of an affect.

Dr Bonner is a great soap. If you use Peppermint , you can use it for all your hygiene needs, shower, shave, tooth paste, shampoo, hand wash. Great if your camping or on a trip.

Try your larger supermarkets, its cheaper than mail order.

When I started using a straight, I could not get as close a shave as with the cartridges I used to use. I thought I maybe needed better soaps, creams, prep, brush, and so on. I have come to learn it was good technique with the razor that was missing, because now I can get an excellent BBS shave with simply face lathering Williams Mug Shaving Soap on a dry face, wipe excess cream with a towel when done, and slap on some aftershave, and my face is happy all day. Oh, and I, too, have thick, heavy barbed wire stubble.

Long time DE user here.....a sharp straight will blow away a DE any day. I have a straight that I haven't been able to get sharp, and it leaves stubble just as you described. I also have 3 properly honed straights. They will blow away any DE that I have, and I have quite a few...slants, open combs, etc. Also, a really sharp straight won't require a crazy amount of prep. I have a wiry beard, that grows in crazy directions. My sharp straights will mow though it all with just a few different angles of attack. Good luck.

Good stuff.....

One clear component of the preshave is washing the face clean of whatever keeps water
from softening the whiskers.

Other good Castile soaps work. I can get Kirk's Original Coco Castile Bar Soap
locally and very much like how it cleans and lathers in the shower.

After washing my face in the shower I can lather with any of my shave soaps and creams
and get a stellar shave.

If I skip the pre wash steps in hot weather the differences in shave soaps are
very telling. Since the differences have a lot to do with local water I will only
note that good creams and the classic harder soaps that do not melt easy work
best for me.

Strong fragrances seem to upset the balance of many soaps so I use them in moderation.

As a recent convert to cold water shaving, I wonder if the lack of the shower contributed to the success.

Shaving made easy; what the man who shaves ought to know .. : 20th century correspondence school, New York. [from old catalog] : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive. Go to pp. 50-52. It explains that you don't want the beard softened, but stiff, in order to get the optimum closeness and comfort.

I was a hot water shaver until making the switch a couple of months ago. I don't have a heavy beard and probably for me it doesn't really matter whether I use hot or cold. But for certain people, all things being equal, I think the cold water approach deserves your consideration if you have a problem. I have another motive for going cold. I had an electric water kettle, scuttles, and preceded the shave with a shower. Those things take time, and I don't have to fool with that stuff any more.

One of my personal shortcomings in life has been a tendency to overcomplicate things. Shaving has been no different. I am embarrassed by all the things I have tried when the answer for me was to keep it simple. If you are having trouble, try skipping the prep, whip up a good lather, and try going cold. Just try it and see if you can circumvent some of the elaborate preparations and arrive at your answer.

Thanks to all who responded. When it comes to prep it's every man for himself, so to speak. I do stuff I know doesn't affect the shave but I enjoy doing it. What made me post this thread was that I thought any soap would remove oil from the beard. After a shower, my beard felt exactly as it did before the shower. I assumed nothing could be done about it. The fact that a particular kind of soap was necessary to remove the oil from my beard was the surprise. I wanted to let others who were having trouble with prep to try this soap if they were having the same problem.

I agree with the comment about the beard standing up to be cut after the prep. But that does not mean it has to be stiff. When my beard softens, it does not lay down. It is just easier to cut. Therefore, the edge on my straights is now able to smoothly cut the beard where they could not before.

As for sharpness, I don't want to get into a religious war, but my experience has led me to the opinion that, for the average straight shaver, a disposable blade will have a better edge than their straight. That is not to say straights are dull. It means that if your prep changes the beard so that the straight can cut it smoothly, then you will get the shave you are looking for. After all, each of us decides what our goal is each time we shave. If my face is uncomfortable after the shave, I feel the shave was a failure no matter how close. I want to enjoy my shaves and I won't if my face feels scraped.

There is no one right way to shave. If your happy with your routine, share it with others so they can see what works for you, it might just work for them also.

You know there is the other side of the coin on this discussion too, about NOT washing the face first

1. Apply hot steamed towel to the face, this releases the natural oils at the base of the hair follicle ...wait
2. Apply lather ... wait
3. Apply a second hot towel... wait... do NOT wipe the remaining lather off
4. Apply a second lather ... wait for the lather to "Set" this will lift the beard away from the face and stand the hairs up..
5. Shave

I am not a huge advocate of this system because I love a hot shower before shaving but it does work this way around :)
This was actually how I was taught by the Barber that started me with a SR, possibly they used this system because it was Barber Shop friendly :shrug:

I saw the documentary "Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox" a few weeks back and decided to try the soap. The label always turned me away, but after watching the video I decided to try it. It's pretty good soap. Leaves the skin smooth and not dried out like so many normal soaps. The peppermint one makes the skin tingle. While I haven't connected it before now, some of my best shaves have been after I began using Dr. Bronner's. Though I have to admit that I have been using better shaving cream and other things as well. Maybe it has added up, though.

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Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

As a recent convert to cold water shaving, I wonder if the lack of the shower contributed to the success.

Shaving made easy; what the man who shaves ought to know .. : 20th century correspondence school, New York. [from old catalog] : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive. Go to pp. 50-52. It explains that you don't want the beard softened, but stiff, in order to get the optimum closeness and comfort.

I was a hot water shaver until making the switch a couple of months ago. I don't have a heavy beard and probably for me it doesn't really matter whether I use hot or cold. But for certain people, all things being equal, I think the cold water approach deserves your consideration if you have a problem. I have another motive for going cold. I had an electric water kettle, scuttles, and preceded the shave with a shower. Those things take time, and I don't have to fool with that stuff any more.

One of my personal shortcomings in life has been a tendency to overcomplicate things. Shaving has been no different. I am embarrassed by all the things I have tried when the answer for me was to keep it simple. If you are having trouble, try skipping the prep, whip up a good lather, and try going cold. Just try it and see if you can circumvent some of the elaborate preparations and arrive at your answer.

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I think one needs to read between the lines in a lot of old barber texts, after all, they even believed razors had teeth in those days. ;)
My interpretation is the beard does not become stiff with good prep but it is stripped of the oils that mat down the cuticle surrounding the strand & combine with good lather, the hair stands up away from the skin.
The resistance mentioned is not from stiffening of the hair but the fact that the edge slips in between said cuticle when the hair is fluffed up &no longer oily.

One of the best beard preps I ever experimented with was rubbing baking soda into a wet beard & then rinsing off & then proceeding. It may be a bit a harsh on sensitive skins but it strips the hair of oil so the lather can do it's job. I'm not convinced of any superiority in cold shaving but whaddya want for 2ç. :)

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

You know there is the other side of the coin on this discussion too, about NOT washing the face first

1. Apply hot steamed towel to the face, this releases the natural oils at the base of the hair follicle ...wait
2. Apply lather ... wait
3. Apply a second hot towel... wait... do NOT wipe the remaining lather off
4. Apply a second lather ... wait for the lather to "Set" this will lift the beard away from the face and stand the hairs up..
5. Shave

I am not a huge advocate of this system because I love a hot shower before shaving but it does work this way around :)
This was actually how I was taught by the Barber that started me with a SR, possibly they used this system because it was Barber Shop friendly :shrug:

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My experience tells me the beard has to absorb moisture in preparation for a shave, especially a straight razor shave. The above method is actually a way of washing the beard to add moisture. The hot steamed towel is very moist (wets the face and beard). Many shaving soaps have ingredients that remove oil from the beard so lathering and using another hot towel is a form of removing oil and the subsequent re-lathering is adding moisture to the hair.

I know it is heresy to state that a straight's edge is not as sharp as a disposable blade, but I also know it is sharp enough to shave one's face if the preparation is good. I think that for many newbies (me for instance, only been at it for 7 months) who complain the razor tugs and pulls are given advice about making sure the razor is shave ready and proper technique. But that is only part of the picture.

It took me months to find a way to moisturize my beard. I could shave with disposable blades with what I was doing so I assumed it was adequate for straights. It wasn't. All the things I tried for prep were inadequate for a straight shave. Since I found a soap that allows my beard to absorb moisture, my straight shaves are totally different. I did not instantly change skill level, blade sharpness or technique. When my beard absorbed moisture, the razor slid over my skin and cut the beard. Now I can work on building skill and technique instead of fighting to cut the beard.

I believe disposable blades (DE, SE, Feather AC system) are sharp enough to let one get away with inadequate prep. Over and over you see posts about how the shaver went from a DE or shavette to a straight and can't cut their beard with the straight. I will now recommend that, in addition to the rest, they pay closer attention to the prep.

I also have a speculation that I want to throw out for comments. The issue of cutting more than a day's worth of beard growth. Some posts talk about how much harder it is to cut a three day growth than one day's worth. While others claim that the thicker growth makes it easier to shave. I came up with the following explanation. If your prep is inadequate, then the more growth the harder it is to cut. If your prep is adequate, then you benefit from the extra moisture retained by the longer beard. The beard stays hydrated longer and takes less effort to stay moist. Most shavers don't want to keep refreshing the lather and moisture during a single pass so the beard drys more quickly and is harder to cut. This can also account for the problems most of us have with the neck. By the time you get to it, the beard is dry and you are no longer cutting it smoothly. So, what do you all think? Reasonable explanation or more baloney? :hmmm:

Technique, technique, technique. Once I became somewhat competent with my straight razor, thanks to all the tips and information from the members, I was able to get a good shave with just a shave soap and a straight razor. I have extremely sensitive skin and would get razor burn every time I shaved. So I decided to concentrate on my technique just shaving soap, a shaving brush, an old school 2" strop and my straight razor. Just for example tonight's shave consisted of a cool water splash my SRD Vanilla Bourbon soap and my 6/8 inexpensive Dovo straight razor. No hot shower, no pre-shave oil, no hot towels, no warm water splash and no aftershave. When I stopped using all of the pre-shave and after shave products that mask bad technique, I was able to concentrate on properly using my straight razor. Remember the definition of perfection is when there is nothing else left to take away.

I believe you. But… each of us is unique and what works for one will never work for all. The idea is to encourage new straight shavers to really explore what is needed in their particular case.


For those of us with difficult beards, I would suggest letting your beard grow a couple of days and then do whatever prep (or not) you do and feel the beard before you lather for the shave. In my case the difference was obvious. Without removing the oil and hydrating the beard I have a stiff, coarse beard. After washing with the soap I could feel the beard flex to my touch. I believe this should be apparent to the shaver. If not, the prep is not adequate.

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Originally Posted by petechason2

The shave is usually not affected by thishttp://gawab.anvtech.com/6.jpg
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Sorry I cannot see any of your attachments, just little blue boxes with a ? in the middle. :(

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Originally Posted by matloffm

Sorry I cannot see any of your attachments, just little blue boxes with a ? in the middle. :(

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That's because it's spam & he's outta here. :)