Thread: After Shaving... Not Aftershave!

Hi guys (gals?),

I need to be spoon fed an answer please and before tomorrow morning! I have searched a lot, read a lot, learned a lot, and not found the answer. This site, Google, other forums, Lynn's DVD, etc. Maybe I missed it. There's a lot of information out there. It's really hard when after shaving searches get you colognes and balms, post shaving is similar, and blade care seems related to long term storage for collectors.

What do I do with my new straight razor after I'm done shaving? Seriously. That's the question.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to have my first shave. No schedule, no stress, time to heal before work on Monday...

If it matters, I plan to be shaving once every other day for the most part. I want my blade to last so long that I give it to my grandson (maybe 50 years from now?).

I know that when I'm done, I'll have a wet and soapy dish, a wet and soapy brush, some damp towels, a couple of products to close up, and most of all, a wet and possibly soapy/oily/stubble filled straight razor. Ideally (and it's coming in the mail) I want to put it into one of the nice, vertical stands that holds a brush and straight.

Wiping, towel, paper towel, stropping, oiling, steamy bathroom, cases, sleeves, etc. Please help me get started out. I realize some of the answer will involve personal preference. I can't wipe off the oil on the new blade and shave until I know where to put it when I'm done. Thank you.

This is just my routine, others may have different approaches. After shaving, I rinse all the lather out of the brush, then shake it out, then hang it to dry. For the razor, I carefully rinse it under hot water, blot dry with a soft towel. Then I take a piece of toilet paper to further dry it and remove any soap scum. I also use a small piece of TP to dry the pivot area and the insides of the scales. Once that's done, I strop 10 passes on linen and 10 on leather. Finally, I leave the razor to air dry for 30 minutes to an hour before I put it back in a stand. Here's a photo of my humble beginning set up from years ago. The stand is a toothbrush holder I bought at Target for $10. Works so well that now I have around 6 or so holding my rotation. Hope this helps and do report back to us on how the first shave goes.

Okay! That's what I'm talking about. Thank you. Coincidentally, I too am using some Target bathroom accessories. I intend to re-purpose an item or two for SR shaving. The fiance has given me free range to the soap dish and tray.

I like the TP tip and will use that to get the inside of the scales and pivot. I may have to shorten the air dry time for practical reasons.

PS - I noticed your location and I live in the same place!
If only some would move back to the slow lane...

Have a great day!

Hi Driftr, and welcome!

My routine is almost identical to ReardenSteels, and I happen to have the very same toothbrush holder for my blades... and a couple of test tube holders, too.

By the end of the shave, my blade has already been rinsed a few times--it's not quite the mess you're imagining yours to be. I run hot water into my lathering dish and brush, and get all that rinsing taken care of while the water runs hotter. (I shave cold, so the hot's not as hot as it could be right away). Once the brush is shaken out and hung, I turn to the razor and rinse the blade well. I don't rinse between the scales 'cause nothing gets in there, and I don't want to leave water hiding out in the wedge. I run the hot water on the whole blade and on the tang as well, to make sure all the steel gets really warm, then I fold a towel over the spine but don't let it touch the edge, and pull the blade through for a drying wipe. I wipe the tail, and as much of the tang as I can reach. Then I tear about a two-inch width of paper towel and fold it so I can run it between the scales. I pay special attention at the wedge end and even more at the pivot, being sure to wick out any water that may still be hiding out. I do a stropping action, one pass on each side, against a dry towel or a pants leg to get any remaining moisture off the edge, (note that I consider the edge a separate part of the blade, and treat it with the most care of anything), and strop it 20 times on leather.

This postshave stropping does the final, microscopic cleaning of whiskers, skin flakes, and soap residue from the edge. Corrosion happens at surfaces, and since the edge is so thin it's almost all surface anyway, and a little corrosion goes a long way. (I initially typoed "goes a long wah," which isn't all that far off, given that it's the noise you'll make upon discovering such corrosion). If you live somewhere really humid, you might want to oil your blade before putting it away. I prefer gun oils since they never bead up on the steel like I've had mineral oil do.

Two other things I like to do to my razors: 1) Put a drop of tuf-glide in the pivot area. This is the oil the SEALs use on their gear. It's supposed to leave a waterproof coat when the carrier evaporates. 2) Put a coat of Renaissance Wax on the blade. This won't protect the very edge or, probably, the spine, since it will be worn away by stropping. It does offer the rest of the steel some good protection, but my favorite thing is how it makes the blade so much easier to rinse clean. All the lather/whisker/skin debris just slides right off. You can also use it on the scales. Very, very shiny. It's museum-quality wax; you can use it on just about anything. A little pricy for your hunting boots, though.

Have fun, go slow, enjoy the rituals. Best wishes to you.

I rinse my brush and shake it off as dry as i can get it then leave it out to dry, i don't hang it since i don't have a brush stand, i just leave it standing straight up. For the razor i rinse it well so no soap or stubble is left. I then dry it with a towel and give it a few stropping passes on a towel to dry the edge then strop a few linen and few leather just to make sure i get everything off the edge, put the razor (i leave the razor open so it can dry better) in my "shave" closet. I dry everything else (soap container, mug/scuttle, a/s bottle) and call it a night.
But that's just me, its actually allot quicker than it sounds. Hippie you enjoy your new razor when it comes in, and keep us posted on how you like it
-dan-

I think a lot will depend on how soaked your razor gets during the shave. For example, while I rinse my blade occasionally during the shave, I am very careful about two things: first is not to whack the edge against the tap or sink, and second is not to get *any* water up beyond the blade and into the pivot area. Because of this I really don't worry too much about drying the pivot area because it really doesn't get wet. However, if it gets wet either intentionally or accidentally, then by all means make sure you try to get in there and remove that moisture.

So, that having been said, this is my routine:

After my last pass, I'll give the blade a rinse under the tap then carefully dry it on a towel. I really like a Norwex microfiber towel for this. They are pricey but *really* effective at soaking up moisture. Then I set the razor, open, carefully on a shelf. Depending on the razor and the shape of the scales this can be either resting on the spine, or very carefully laid on its side. One of these days I'm going to make a stand of some sort just to hold open razors for this purpose.

I will then deal with the remaining lather on my face with a splash of cold water and a wipe with a facecloth. Next comes whatever I'm using as an astringent (alum or Thayer's witch hazel usually). Once that has been applied, I'll rinse my hands off, dry them, then strop the razor 20 or 30 times on leather. This is partly just out of habit, but also to ensure that the edge itself is absolutely moisture-free. The razor then goes into its stand. Also worth noting is that it is my understanding that coming into contact with styptics can be *very* bad for steel. So if I do nick myself and use a styptic, I make doubly sure that my hands are clean before handling the blade again.

After that I put my scuttle and brush under hot running water to clean the brush and rinse the scuttle. Once I have those cleaned up, I'll dry the brush as much as I can and put it in its stand. Then I dry the exterior of the scuttle and place it in its spot on the shelf. After that all that is left is to apply whatever aftershave or balm I'm using, clean up the sink, and go on my way.

Thus far I have not been oiling my blades, but I think I'll start doing that soon. As things cool off at night I'm a little more concerned about how much moisture will condense on my blades when I shower, so it makes sense to me to oil them up just to be safe. It's probably a good habit to get into right from the start.

And most importantly - enjoy it!

I'll share my routine like the others, and maybe you can take something from it. I use toilet paper to clean lather off my blade while shaving and after. But if I feel it needs a rinse i give it one. If by chance I get water in the pivot area, I pick up the blow dryer (which also works great on foggy mirrors). Hot air for ten seconds will do the trick. I know it's not good for any of my wooden scales, but then again neither is moisture. Then I give it ten or so passes on the linen strop and I put the razor away.
As far as the brush, I just rinse it until when I squeeze it, no lather comes out on the hair tips. The with the shower curtain drawn shut, I reach in to the shower stall and wrist flick the brush several times then I hang it up upside down.
And finally, my face. I rinse with cold water, blot dry with towel and go without any after shave products alltogether.
If I ever feel a need to oil my razor, I use Neatsfoot oil from a Japanese Wood Working site that Lynn told me about once.
Good luck, Have fun and keep us posted on how it goes.

I had this same question when I was researching SR shaving earlier this year. After watching videos and reading various SRP posts I took a bit of advice from everything and came up with a process that has been working for me. When done shaving, I place the SR on a towel that I have on top of the sink. I then hold the SR on the towel and dry off the SR with some TP. I dry the blade, outer scale sides, and inner scale sides by sliding the TP between the scales. When I am satisfied that the SR is dry, I place it in its resting place: a top narrow drawer in my bedroom bureau. This drawer was designed to hold jewelry and came with a multi-compartment felt-lined jewelry organizer; it worked out very conveniently for my SR. I have some old/clean cotton socks in the back of the drawer for further moisture reduction/absorption. I like to keep the SR in a moisture-free environment, so I figured that I'd not store it in the bathroom; I don't have to worry about oiling the SR, unless I planned on putting it away it for a while.

My 2nd option for the resting place was the sock drawer, but that was too deep.

Not sure if i'm the only one to do it but after i dry the blade, i put some rubbing alcohol on a piece of TP and clean all the steel with it. I find that, because the alcohol evaporates so quickly, it takes any residual moisture with it. PLUS it sanitizes the razor after every shave. I throw a light application of mineral oil on the blade if i'm not going to use it for a few days as well.

My after the shave routine comprises as follows:

Rinse my razor and lay it open on a towel out of my way, completely. I then rinse my face with warm water. Then with cold water. Rub down the face with alum. I then clean my brush, drip bowl, mug, and brush scuttle. I found that by that time if there is any sting from the alum it is gone by then. I then rinse my face with cold water and apply the aftershave of choice. Then I turn to my razor. I dry it off with some tp especially between the scales. Then I put a couple drops of mineral oil on a q-tip apply to the blade and pivot the blade a few times to get it in the pin. Put the razor away and have a good day.