Thread: Wipe or Rinse?

Gentlemen,

For the past year or so while shaving, I have switched between wiping the lather on a strip of folded paper towel or rinsing it under the faucet and patting it dry before the next razor stroke.

It is not so much a question of indecision. As a rule, I decide on something and do it. In this case, however, I refused to let one method or the other go by doing both. I suppose I was attached to both, which would be somewhere in the neighborhood of a toddler being attached to his blankie.

This morning, however, I think I finally felt myself leaning toward the wiping than the rinsing. I think my shave maintains a smoother tempo by my wiping the blade on the paper towel rather than reaching under the faucet and then patting the blade dry.

Also, this eases the burden of keeping the pivot area and the handle from getting wet. The full rinse of the blade comes after applying lather for a new pass, which also warms the idle blade. This morning I realized how much more comfortable I felt with the wipe pattern.

So I have made my decision accordingly.

In the general world, this experiment would bring a shrug and a loud Pfffffft! In the world of gentleman shavers, this is important stuff. It is not as important as the Constitution, granted, but important nevertheless.

Do you have a preference, gentlemen? Or is there a method you would care to share? Thanks for taking the time.

Regards,

Obie