New to DE Shaving, Maintenance Question

Hi Everybody! My wonderful wife got me an Edwin Jagger De89bl for Father's Day, along with some other fun stuff (i.e. brush, shave cream, stand...). I had my first DE shave yesterday and another this morning. Wow! What a difference.

My question, and I've tried a couple of different searches, is what do I need to do on a daily basis to maintain the razor. After both shaves I notice a kind of white filmy build up on the head of the razor. I was able to remove most of it with some hot water and rubbed it off with a towel, but is there something else I should be doing? Also, when I leave the razor to dry should I open it up at all?

Any info is greatly appreciated!

SuperPapa

Other people may vary, but for me all I've ever done is just rinse it off really good and dry it off with a towel. Seems to keep my razors looking good without any of the buildup. Also, with my TTO razors, since I wipe them off as well, I never bother leaving them open to dry although I do think some people do. To me it's more personal preference.

Every time I change out the blade (which is about every 5 days), I wash the razor with dish soap and an old toothbrush and then rinse thoroughly. This seems to return it to its original shine. I don't take it apart to let it dry on a daily basis.

Hope this helps and glad to hear you are enjoying the razor!

I use the cheap 99 cent shampoo and a toothbrush. I like my EJ very much.

Hello, SuperPapa:

After your shave, rinse the razor with hot water (with the blade in) and dry it with a towel without touching the blade.

When you change blades (for me every three shaves), a bath in dish soap and hot water with a little massage with a toothbrush should be enough until the next time.

Regards,
Obie

After shaving, I simply rinse off the DE and wipe away any visible lather or soap residue. When I change the blade, I will take a soft bristle toothbrush and clean it the DE with some dish-washing soap. This has kept my DEs in like new condition for several years.

I just rinse well after use and eventually either when I notice some soap buildup or just every few months I use a soft toothbrush and some dishwashing liquid soap.

Thanks for all of the advice! I look forward to many years with my new DE razor, and I'd love to eventually give it to my son... he's only 2 so I've got a while...

Keep with it and your shaving will improve as you master the art of shaving with a DE and be sure to have fun. I get fanstasitc shaves from my EJ and consider it one of my favorites.

Congrats on switching to a DE, maybe a straight razor won't be too far behind?

What method of shaving were you using previously?

Ryan, I had been using a cartridge since I was a teenager, with a couple of years of dry shaving with an electric (shudder). I don't know about a straight. I tend to be a bit on the, shall we say, motor skills challenged side of life. My original plan had been to go directly from the cartridge to a straight. It makes the Mrs. a wee bit nervous. Maybe after some time of using the DE with out killing myself it will be something to look into.

Using a safety razor isn't bad training for when you pick up a straight, or at least that was my experience. You get to know about things like the grain of your beard and the need to avoid pressure, and maybe a little mild skin stretching. Those things, along with some experience of proper shave preparation and making good lather will stand you in good stead, and make a first attempt with an open razor if not exactly relaxed, a lot less intimidating.