Thread: Out to Sea: Salt Water and Straight Razors

Keep them dry, oil them after use or get 1 or more stainless steel razors.

+1 to what Kees says.

As for salt-water lather, I'd bet against it. Cruisers have been trying to do salt-water washing for decades, and I believe that the only soap that lathers well in salt water is dishwashing detergent -- Joy, or something similar.

If you want to test, find out the salinity of seawater, and mix an appropriate amount of salt into fresh water, and try building up a lather.

I always shaved with fresh water on my boat. But I'm a coastal cruiser, not a bluewater cruiser.

If you want to go cruising, shaving will be well down on your list of worries.

Charles

Yup, lots of oil and an airtight container helps a lot too. I work on boats for a living, and have never really had a problem with corrosion so long as I was fanatical about keeping everything dry and contained. I would not recommend using salt water for lather. tried it a few times, did not agree with me.

What type of boat are you thinking of being on? I sailed on tall ships for a few years, and you really have to be careful with your stuff. Those guys like to keep water around. I, more often than not, just waited until we hit port again to shave. When you're hundreds of miles offshore, no one's looking at you. Port stops are good for resupply, fuel and sanity - don't deprive yourself of any of the above when you head out!

Originally Posted by MaritimeFanatic

Yup, lots of oil and an airtight container helps a lot too. I work on boats for a living, and have never really had a problem with corrosion so long as I was fanatical about keeping everything dry and contained.

I'd recommend a good Pelican case and lots of silica gel.

you might also want to consider using a shavette. you wont have to worry about the blade being damaged because you can just slap a new blade in.

if you want to use a normal straight i think it would be a good idea to bring some large bottles of fresh water to clean the blade and to use for lather and just wash you face with sea water, it will do good for any nick or cuts you get while shaving.

Oil is a must after every shave. I use an applicator like this one.



It has a top. I use a mixture of Ballistol and Camellia oil making sure that I get the pin once in a while.

Later,
Richard