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I am new to straights so please forgive me if the answer to this is obvious, I read somewhere on this forum that someone mixes some Vaseline with their shaving cream, just wondered why? And am unsure where I found the original thread. Thanks for your help.
I haven't heard that, but it's funny you should being vaseline up. My barber who shaves my head with a shavette uses it for his second pass. He rubs a really thin layer on, and by the time he's done, it's all gone. Then some talc and I'm feeling brand new. Never tried it on my face though.
Do you maybe mean glycerine? A shaving soap, shaving cream and glycerine mixed together is known as an Überlather. Some soaps, by themselves, in mine and probably others' experience, leave a little to be desired. However, a mix can really make an excellent resulting formula.
I normally put some cream in my bowl as it sits in the hot water in the sink, then put a little bit of glycerine in the bowl, then load the brush with soap and make the mix from there. Glycerine helps with the taking up of water, sort of 'oomphes' up the lather and I think also adds to the glide.
Of course Vaseline may work too, esp if you got it hot so it melted. Again, I think if one did use Vaseline it would be the glide that one would be improving.
When I first started shaving with a straight I always used Proraso pre-post shave cream. That cream in itself really helps with the glide...
There's a video about making an Überlather in the Wiki (library) here
Will try and find the post, am pretty sure it said Vaseline, but did only get about 2 hours sleep last night.:needcoffee:
Post was from corgi, definately said Vaseline, I sent him a message and asked what it is for.. will post answer. Unless it is a secret:ziplip:
Haven't had a reply yet, so thought I would give it a go. I put a a teaspoon of Vaseline in my lather bowl and left it to warm up (i put about 2 mugs of boiling water in another bowl and sit the lather bowl in it) while I had my shower, I mixed some shave cream and glycerin with it and lathered up, was a reasonable shave (only my third with straight) but not remarkably better. However I had a fairly greasy face and now have a greasy brush, fortunately it is only a cheapy, will wait to see if corgi gets back to me before I do it again.
I was a little confused by the idea myself, I would be rather hesitent to use anything that is not water soluble with my brushes... A cleaning in the shower with shampoo should get your brush clean again..
Thnks glen, even if it doesn't wash out I have a spare brush with me and a new one on the way from the bay. But none the less of the two brushes I currently have I experimented with my favourite..... Lesson learned:-)Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
Hmmm, trying things yourself with shaving is always the way to go, but it's also important to consider the well trod path. Have you tried glycerine yet? You should try glycerine. Give glycerine a go. I think glycerine is what you're after....
Glycerine...
Hi there, if you succeed you are a pioneer, if you fail you save someone else the pain of failure (or your just a looser)Quote:
Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider
Yes, I have tried glycerin, and glycerin did work, my first SR shave- cream only, no glycerin or anything else. Second SR shave cream and glycerin, pre shave oil, witch hazel and aftershave balm. Third SR shave as second but no oil pre shave and Vaseline and glycerin added to cream. So yes I definately am doing the whole glycerin thing, I haven't had a chance to get the prosario pre shave yet, got to keep my new thing I am doing AD somewhat in check :-) glycerin, glycerin, glycerin. There I beat you on "glycerins". but just for good measure glycerin :-)
On a serious note thanks for the various advice, it has been really useful,
Yes, you're quite right, being a pioneer is important. I don't use a lot of glycerine myself lately, I've been mixing creams and soaps. Soaps by themselves, at this stage (with the limited number I've tried) don't really do it for me...Quote:
Originally Posted by edhewitt
I didn't use Vaseline today, just pre shave oil, cream and glycerin, usual post shave. I think my skin is a little sorer than yesterday, though I think I cut myself less. Brush cleaned up ok, though my new one should be waiting for me when I get back to camp after my next r&r.
All~ I am the original "culprit" for this thread. I think it may have been glycerin I was using--I threw away the bottles on the day I bought them, since I am using a vintage glass container. Sorry if I created any confusion.
Well, I think Arko cream has vaselin in it ... Really nice stuff anyhow, have to check later... Some guys use it on the blade, when storing razors, saves the edge too, it makes it hard for rust and air/corrassion to eat the sharpnes away.
That solves it then, but I would say that the Vaseline shave cream did leave my face less sore the next day. That being said I still won't be doing it again, thanks Corgi for clearing it up.
TOLD you! I KNEW it was glycerine!Quote:
Originally Posted by Corgi
Glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine, glycerine.
That sounds like gloating to me Mr smartypants :-).Quote:
Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider
Oh no, not at all. Just thought I'd mention it in passing... ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by edhewitt
Did you use the copy shortcut for all those glycerins, or was it Stanley Kubrick style- he hand typed all the pages of "all work and no play makes jack a dull boy" in the shining, despite only the first few ever being seen in the movie. Oh I had better acknowledge that you are now the winner at glycerins too. :-)
No, you're right, I typed one 'glycerine' complete with comma and space, copied and pasted it several times, then copied that and pasted it several times, then evened up the para, added a line space, backspaced the last comma and typed a full stop, scrolled down, clicked Post Quick Reply and sat back and guffawed quietly to myself...
The Shining is an excellent movie. The plot is excellent but so is the camera movement and angles. I like how Kubrick's movies are all so different but all so the same...
Oh. I should probably say I'm far less witty than I think I am, before someone tells you and the secret gets out, I think it's best that it comes from me...
I should probably tell you that I am far less funny than I think I am, in fact I should probably carry around a card with a smiley on it for when I make a joke.Quote:
Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider
Actually, if I remember correctly he made his secretary type the pages upon pages of 'all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy'. It cost the poor woman months. And you know what the really bad part is? There are non-English, dubbed versions of this movie. Instead of just giving it a subtitle, Kubrick actually made his secretary type out those books in different languages as well.. Kubrick was a bit of a madman when it came to details. Like when he ordered the velvet on the war table to be green instead of the standard blue, so it looked more like a pokertable. Thing is, that was in a black and white movie, so you had no way of telling whether it was green. Or when Tom Cruise had to do a shot which consisted of nothing more than him walking through a door, they refilmed that shot 90 times.Quote:
Originally Posted by edhewitt
Yes, I will have to try glycerine, I think. I like thick lathers.
Ok will defer to your knowledge on that one, I did see the doco about 15 yrs ago, I used to smoke then so my memory isn't what it could be :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Satyr
Speaking of dubbing, mad max has an american English dub option on the DVD I have took me about a quarter of the movie to figure that out, fairly sure American and Australian are similar :-)
There's a documentary of him I think it might be called 'boxes' or something; have you seen it? he had all these photos in lots and lots of boxes. There was a particular doorway in a scene in Eyes Wide Shut, and he had like hundreds of photos of different doorways. apparently NONE of them (the doorways) were actually used for the movie!Quote:
Originally Posted by Satyr
I don't think you'll ever get that Vaseline out of your brush...I know it will cause permanent staining on clothes. Next time try Glycerine. About 5 drops in your bowl or on the brush will really supercharge the lather, making it hold water longer and making it thicker and slicker.
Yeah, use glycerin now, the Vaseline did help with razor burn, and sealing cuts/ weepers. That brush has Been retired to make way for my badger brush which will not meet Mr Vaseline. Though it did wash out of the old brush with shampoo.Quote:
Originally Posted by Way1170060
Give that thing a shot that my barber uses when he shaves my head. He swears by it and it works really well on my noggin. I've never tried it on my face, but only because I don't have any vaseline.
You really want to use water soluble lubrication for shaving. Vaseline ( and many pre-shave oils) is not water soluble, making it difficult to wash off your blade or your face. This is why pure glycerin is so ubiquitous in shaving creams. I buy it by the gallon and use it as a pre-shave lubricant before applying my favorite cream. I pump about a quarter size in my palm and apply to my wet face. You can feel how slick it is. The pure vegetable grade is used as a sweetener - bonus taste when you get it close to your mouth. :)
Glycerin is more common for a variety of reasons ( most of which have been mentioned already), but there area number of pre shave products that use mineral oil, which isn't quite petroleum jelly, but is fairly close.
Don't let the days go by...Quote:
Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider
On a serious note, where would be a good place to find some glycerin locally? I can't seem to locate any.
Chemists sell glycerol which is the same, or eBay, $35 per litre
Drug stores carry pure glycerin in small bottles.Quote:
Originally Posted by Xaved
This is a thread I look forward to seeing buried in the archives. Vaseline strikes me as a terrible idea in conjunction to shaving. Glycerin, yes. Vaseline, no.
It is a terrible idea, however if buried others may make the same mistake.Quote:
Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun
Final word- GLYCERIN/ GLYCEROL NOT VASELINE should be used.
It can be got at chemists/pharmacies/drugstores/ebay.
Please shut thread. Thanks.
I use uncut nitroglycerin, the shave is incredibly smooth. Of course you must have the hands of a surgeon to avoid the extremely explosive quality of it. I tend to have a better day knowing I shaved with a straight razor while simultaneously diffusing a bomb.Quote:
Originally Posted by Xaved
Vaseline and anything that as to do with shaving do not go together, if shaving was a Dog, then Vaseline is a Cat they don't get along. The only real use I could possibly find and it's not exactly shaving if you want to make your aftershave Edt to last a little longer, just lightly rub a very small amount of Vaseline on your pulse points before you spray your aftershave on them, suppose to make the scent last longer.
Jamie
Makes sense, the Vaseline would stop any absorption by your skin of the scent.